2003 BMW Z4 Powertrain & Transmission Problems

DT: THE CONSUMER STATED 2003 BMW Z4 SHIFTED TO NEUTRAL WHILE GOING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, ON JULY 7, 2005. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND SHE WAS TOLD IT WAS FIXED. THE SECOND TIME SHE HAD BEEN IN THE VEHICLE FOR A WHILE AND IT HAPPENED AGAIN ON JULY 18, 2005, WHILE GOING 65-70 MPH. SHE CONTACTED A DIFFERENT DEALERSHIP ABOUT THIS. SHE HAS NOT CONTACTED BMW. THE VEHICLE WILL NOT GO BACK INTO GEAR WHEN ITSHIFTED TO NEUTRAL. SHE PULLED OVER AND RESTART THE VEHICLE. THE FIRST TIME THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT TURN BACK ON FOR APPROXIMATELY 20 MINUTES. THE VEHICLE GOT SCRATCHED WHILE ON THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY.*AK

DRIVING SLOWLY ABOUT 10MPH AND TURNING, TRANSMISSION SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL BY ITSELF WHILE SHIFTER SHOWS CAR WAS IN DRIVE. TRANSMISSION IS THE BMW SMG (SEQUENTIAL MANUAL GEARBOX). *AK

TRAVELING BETWEEN 5-10 MPH, TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT CORRECTLY. WAS JUMPING BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN 1ST AND 2ND GEAR FOR ABOUT 4 TO 5 SECONDS AND NEVER ENGAGING THE CLUTCH IN EITHER GEAR. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE PAST 2 MONTHS.*AK

2003 BMW Z4 3.0 WITH THE SMG TRANSMISSION (W/ SPORT PACKAGE). THE FOLLOWING INSTANCE HAS HAPPENED TWICE WITHIN THE CURRENT 2,600 MILES ON THE NEW VEHICLE. WHILE IN THE "MANUAL MODE" IN THE SMG TRANSMISSION AND DOWNSHIFTING TO FIRST GEAR (AT A 4-WAY STOP INTERSECTION), WHILE WAITING TO ACCELERATE OUT INTO THE INTERSECTION THE TRANSMISSION "SLIPPED" INTO NETURAL WITHOUT MYSELF (DRIVER) KNOWING, SO WHEN IT WAS TIME TO ACCELERATE THROUGH THE INTERSECTION I WAS VERY SUPRISED TO FIND I DID NOT MOVE BUT HEARD THE ENGINE JUST REV WHILE I STAYED PUT!! AFTER WAVING OFF (HOLD ON A MINUTE) TO THE CARS WAITING BEHIND ME, I HAD TO KEEP MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND PUT THE VEHICLE INTO REVERSE, WAIT.., THEN PUT THE VEHICLE IN NETURAL, WAIT.., THEN PUT THE VEHICLE IN FIRST GEAR, WAIT.. IT ENGAGED AND I PROCEED FROM THERE. THE SECOND INCIDENT WAS VERY SIMILIAR BUT WAS AT A 4-WAY TRAFFIC LIGHT, AND WAS A LITTLE MORE DIFFICULT TO GET BACK INTO FIRST GEAR (ALSO, OTHER VEHICLES BEEPING HORNS, ETC.). I HAVE BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO MY LOCAL BMW DEALERSHIP AND EXPLAINED THIS TO THEM AND THEY HAD NOT HEARD OF THE PROBLEM AND COULD NOT FIX A PROBLEM THAT THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE AND/OR HAD NO INFORMATION FROM BMW ABOUT A FIX? I FILED A FORMAL COMPLIANT THROUGH BMWNA ON FRIDAY AUGUST 22ND, 2003. THROUGH FORUMS ON WEB-SITES, I HAVE FOUND I'M NOT ALONE WITH THIS PROBLEM. I FEAR THAT A DRIVER COULD BE PUT IN A VERY COMPROMISING POSITION, SUCH AS WHEN MAKING A LEFT TURN IN A LEFT TURN LANE, EMERGENCY AVOIDANCE, GIVING RIGHT OF WAY TO EMERGENCY VEHICLES, ETC.). POSSIBLLY A QUICK TEMPORARY SOLUTION SUCH AS AN "AUDIBLE TONE" WHEN GENERATED WHILE THE SMG TRANSMISSION "AUTOMATICALLY" SLIPS INTO NETURAL FROM FIRST GEAR? THANK YOU.*AK

CONSUMER STATED WHILE AT A STOP TRANSMISSION SLIPPED INTO NEUTRAL. AS A RESULT, VEHICLE WAS ALMOST REAR ENDED. *AK 2003 BMW Z4 EXPERIENCED A PROBLEM WHERE THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED INTO NEUTRAL WHILE AT A STOP. THE TRANSMISSION IS A SMG (SEQUENTIAL MANUAL GEARBOX). THIS OCCURENCE ALMOST RESULTED IN VEHICLE GETTING REAR ENDED.*MR

WHEN COMING TO A STOP THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED AND THEN IT WENT INTO NEUTRAL WITHOUT WARNING. *AK *CB *JB