There are 4 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2005 BMW 3 Seriesin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
WHILE ACCELERATING, THE ENTIRE CAR SHAKES VIOLENTLY BETWEEN 20-30 MPH. THIS DOES NOT OCCUR AT ANY OTHER SPEED AND IS MORE PRONOUNCE GOING UPHILL THAN DOWN. BROUGHT THE CAR IN AND WAS TOLD IT WAS A BROKEN ENGINE MOUNT. THIS SAME PROBLEM WAS REPAIRED 2 YEARS AGO (JUNE 2013) FOR THE EXACT SAME THING. THIS SHOULD NOT BE A REOCCURING ISSUE. REPAIR WAS NOT MADE AND CAR IS CURRENTLY PARKED AS CAR MAY CAUSE SERIOUS ACCIDENT IN CITY DRIVING WITH MULTIPLE STOPS AND STARTS.
MY CAR'S TRANSMISSION LIGHT CAME ON SO I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND ON BUT THE WARNING LIGHT WOULDN'T GO AWAY. AFTER THE CAR WAS TURNED ON, IT WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO DRIVE EVEN THOUGH I COULD HEAR THAT THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING. I HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED AND WAS INFORMED BY THE DEALER THAT MY TRANSMISSION WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THIS WOULD COST APPROXIMATELY $6,500-. IT SEEMS THAT SEVERAL BMW OWNERS HAVE HAD SIMILAR ISSUES WITH THE TRANSMISSION. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY CONCERN SINCE I WAS ON A 2-LANE HIGHWAY THROUGH MOUNTAINS WITHOUT ANY CELL PHONE RECEPTION. *TR
EACH TIME I HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM THE CAR HAS BEEN PARKED FOR AT LEAST 6 HOURS. THE CAR STARTS BUT DOES NOT ENGAGE IN REVERSE. THE CAR WILL ROLL BACK DUE TO A SLOPE OF SURFACE BUT WHEN SHIFTED TO DRIVE IT ONLY ROLLS FORWARD BUT DOESN'T ENGAGE. I CONTINUE TO PUSH ON THE GAS PEDAL AND IT FINALLY "LURCHES" FORWARD. THIS HAS HAPPENED 7 TIMES RANDOMLY OVER THE PERIOD OF ONE YEAR. THE BMW SERVICE DEPARTMENT HAS CHECKED IT TWICE AND KEPT IT A WEEK LAST MONTH. THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD NEVER HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM BEFORE AND THEY COULDN'T REPLICATE IT SO THEY COULDN'T FIX IT. I AM AFRAID THIS PROBLEM WILL PUT ME OR OTHERS IN DANGER IF I CAN'T MOVE FORWARD OR REVERSE. *TR
THE DRIVER HAD TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE AND THE VEHICLE STALLED AT THE DEALER. THE DRIVER TRIED TO RESTART VEHICLE, BUT WAS UNABLE TO DO SO. THE MECHANIC PLACED THE VEHICLE ON THE DIAGNOSTIC MACHINE AND THE CODES REGISTERED ON THE MACHINE. THE MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE TRANSMISSION AND THE BATTERY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK *SC *JB
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026