Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2009 BMW M3 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Hello, I recently purchased a 2009 BMW M3 with the DCT transmission. The transmission acts like a sequential manual shifter, allowing the driver to shift up and down at their will. These shifts happen instantaneously, within fractions of a second. Additionally, when coming to a stop, the car will downshift to 1st gear on its own, instead of relying on driver input, as a matter of convenience. All of this is normal, advertised, and expected behavior. There are times, however, when the car is decelerating but not coming to a full stop (when taking a turn at an intersection, for example), that the transmission will begin its automated downshifts but then become incredibly unresponsive. In these cases, if I press on the accelerator before coming to a full stop, I'll notice a significant lag before the engine actually revs up. …
With the dual clutch automatic transmission in d mode, when slowing from 50 or 60 MPH to 15-20 MPH the transmission will not downshift and stays in 6th or 7th gear. Even with the accelerator to the floor the car will not select an appropriate gear which makes the car barely accelerate at all creating a safety hazard. This car has little to no torque (by design) at very low rpms, and it basically just sits there and doesn't move. A driver often slows like this when making a left or right hand turn and having the car just sit there under those conditions presents a huge safety issue in terms of being either rear-ended or being hit by oncoming traffic. The entire nature of the automatic program on this car is unpredictable; in some cases it will downshift, in others (as described above) it will not, which adds to the unsafe nature of this defect. …
In the 2009 BMW M3 sedan with DCT (dual clutch) transmission, there is a significant lag or hesitation of at least 1 second between applying pressure to the accelerator and the clutch engaging and giving acceleration to the wheels. This does not happen from a stand-still, but occurs primarily when the car is in motion at virtually all ranges of speed, from rolling stop (5km/hr or less) through standard road speeds of any degree (residential 30-40km/hr, city roads 50-70km/hr, or highway 90km/hr+). I was carefully in the middle of a slow left turn at an intersection on Saturday, feb 7, 2009. To avoid an oncoming car prematurely heading in my direction, I pressed on the accelerator to hasten the completion of my turn, but the car did not respond because of the clutch lag. I narrowly avoided being hit. …
2009 BMW M3 with DCT - issue present from the date of purchase. The problem occurs frequently when in automatic mode and slowing such as at an intersection prior to a turn and the transmission shifts into the lower gear (usually 2nd). When the accelerator is pressed, there is often no response for up to 2 seconds. When the vehicle does respond, the application of power May be gradual and not directly proportional to the accelerator pedal position. On several occasions, this has resulted in a near-accident situation. When making a left turn with oncoming traffic, or merging right with traffic that is making a left turn, I have had to take emergency action to avoid collision. It is only a matter of time, until someone is injured or worse when the vehicle fails to respond as expected. …
I own a 2009 BMW M3. It has the mdct transmission. There is a delay when coming to a rolling stop and then trying to accelerate again. The delay occurs when pushing the accelerator and when the engine/transmission actually engages and moves forward. The delay is as long as 1-1.5 seconds. This has nearly caused several accidents. BMW says this is normal behavior, but I don't believe it to be the case. It seems like the transmission doesn't downshift at lower speeds. In fact, only "thinking" and proceeding to downshift after the accelerator is applied. By then, it's too late. As a driver, you expect forward momentum as soon as the accelerator is applied... Not that it down shifts at that point. Plus, the reading display suggests it is in fact downshifted to 2nd gear... But I assure you, that's not the point. This happens every time the scenario is mentioned. …
Hello. I have a 2009 BMW M3 with the DCT transmission. I am experiencing significant delays when down shifting from one gear to a lower gear. The problem occurs when you slow down, like for a turn, but do not come to a complete stop. The DCT transmission seems to have a serious problem figuring out what gear to select because when you step on the gas to accelerate, there is a very significant delay in the power engaging. I would say about 2-4 seconds. By this time, I am really stepping on the gas pedal. The transmission finally picks a gear, which results in the car suddenly lurching forward, sometimes engaging the anti-skip control. This problem becomes most apparent when making a turn into on-coming traffic, slowing down to around 10-15 MPH. After the turn, the car is positioned in the traffic lane, but I have no power to accelerate into the flow of traffic. …
Summary: power application lag in 2nd gear with M3 dual clutch transmission. Specific incident: while rolling in 2nd with about 1500rpm I was trying to merge onto traffic from a merging right lane that was ending shortly. After I thought it was safe to accelerate, I did so, but the engine did not produce power for the next 0.5 second. After power kicked in, it was no longer safe to continue as the oncoming car was closer than I had calculated before attempting to accelerate. Also, power kicked in as I would expect it to happen 0.5 second ago. To avoid an accident, I had to break abruptly causing the belts to lock and my wife considerable discomfort. Good thing no one was behind me expecting me to accelerate. The occurrence of the lag is prevalent where the system is not sure whether the driver wants to break or accelerate. …
I was driving on a two-lane street (one-lane each direction) and as I was approaching a stoplight I turned on my left turn signal and started to move into the dedicated left-hand turn lane. As I did this I needed to downshift as I slowed down for the stopped traffic ahead at the light. When I shifted to second gear and pressed the accelerator to move into the turn lane my car would not engage into gear. I was almost rear-ended from the cars behind me but luckily my car's transmission engaged at the last second and I cleared the lane I was in. But because I was pressing the accelerator so hard to try to get the clutch to engage, when it finally did I shot off across the left-hand turn lane into the lane of on-coming traffic. I was able to steer clear before being hit head-on by on-coming traffic but the experience left me very uncomfortable with the transmission in my vehicle.
This occurs regularly, perhaps 10 times per week or more depending on severity. On deceleration, the transmission will disengage the driveline. When the throttle is depressed again to accelerate, there is a long delay (greater than 1 second). This occurs at slow speeds (less than 20 MPH), for example when entering a left turn lane with oncoming traffic. I had this behavior duplicated for a BMW technician who, upon further research, indicated that BMW was aware of this issue and has declared it "normal operation". It is only a matter of time before a serious accident is caused by this issue.
The problem occurs when you slow down- like for a turn, but do not come to a complete stop. The DCT transmission seems to have trouble figuring out what gear to select because when you step on the gas to accelerate, there is a very significant delay in the onset of power- up to 2-3 seconds. By this time, the driver is usually really digging into the throttle. The transmission finally picks a gear, which results in the car suddenly lurching forward, sometimes invoking the anti-skid control. The occurs frequently.
Related recalls
Power train › Clutch assembly
BMW is recalling 2,500 my 2008-2009 m3 passenger vehicles with an optional double clutch transmission. The problem involves the double clutch gearbox. In a situation of rapid vehicle deceleration, the transmission software May perform a multistage downshift.
Remedy: Dealers will reprogram the engine and transmission electronic control unit with updated software free of charge. The recall began on December 3, 2008. Owners May contact BMW at 1-800-831-1117.
Transmission complaints in other M3 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2009 BMW M3?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2009 BMW M3, 53% of the model year's 45 complaints. The component named most often is automatic transmission (20 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2009 BMW M3 transmission problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 08V-595 (clutch assembly, Nov 14, 2008). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2009 BMW M3 transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 2,000 miles, and 100% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.