2004 BMW 530I Power Train Problems

TRANSMISSION GOES INTO A LIMB MODE WHEN REACHING 30-40 MPH OF SLOWING DOWN FROM OVER 60 MPH AND A BANG HAPPENS LIKE IT YOU GET HIT FROM BEHIND THE CAR WOULD NOT SWITCH GEAR AND THE ENGINE WOULD INCREASE THE RPM THE CAR TOP SPEED WOULD BE 40 MPH WHEN IT MALFUNCTIONS THIS WOULD HAPPEN IN CITY STREETS AND HIGHWAYS THE CAR RESETS BY TURNING THE ENGINE OF WAITING A WHILE AND RESTARTING THE ENGINE

Mileage: 120,000

MY TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED AT 40,000 MILES DUE TO A FAULT. IT WOULD JUMP OR BUMP EVERY TIME I WOULD COME TO A STOP AND IT DOWNSHIFTS INTO 1ST GEAR. I ALMOST HIT A VEHICLE BECAUSE I DID NOT FULLY STOP YET AND THE CAR SURGED FORWARD. IT FINALLY WOULD GO INTO FAIL SAFE MODE OR LIMP MODE AND THE DEALER INSTALLED A BRAND NEW TRANSMISSION AND THE ISSUE WENT AWAY. I NOW HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AT 120,000 MILES WHICH IS ONLY 80,000 MILES ON THE NEW TRANNY. I NEVER HAD A VEHICLE WHERE THE TRANSMISSION FAILED EVEN ONE TIME LET ALONE TWICE AND THEY WERE ALL INEXPENSIVE CARS/TRUCKS. I WILL NEVER BUY A BMW AGAIN BECAUSE THEY WOULD NOT HELP ME EVEN WHEN THEY KNOW THEY HAVE A DEFECTIVE PRODUCT. 2 TRANSMISSIONS WITH THE EXACT ISSUES THAT WON'T EVEN MAKE IT TO 100,000 MILES. I ALSO SEE OTHER COMPLAINTS FROM OTHERS WITH THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM AND VEHICLE. SHAME ON YOU BMW NA FOR NOT OWNING UP TO THIS ISSUE AND TAKING CARE OF YOUR CUSTOMERS. YOU HAVE LOST A GOOD CUSTOMER FOR LIFE AND I WILL TELL EVERYONE I KNOW TO STEER CLEAR OF YOUR PRODUCTS (PUN INTENDED). *JS

EVERYTIME, COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP, TRANSMISSION HAS A NOTICEABLE "BUMP"/ROUGH SHIFT INTO 1ST GEAR, TOOK THE VEHICLE TO BMW DEALERSHIP FOR DIAGNOSIS/REPAIR, PROBLEM WAS NOT SOLVED TIME AND TIME AGAIN. NOW, APPROXIMATELY OVER A YEAR LATER, TRANSMISSION WARNING LIGHT ON, TRANSMISSION WENT INTO LIMP MODE. BMW DEALER STATES, TRANSMISSION HAS TO BE REPLACED AT MY EXPENSE DUE TO 3-2-1 DOWNSHIFT. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THIS VEHICLE AND VEHICLE SINCE PURCHASE HAS BEEN MAINTAINED METICULOUSLY AT THE SAME BMW DEALERSHIP.

Mileage: 60,000

I PURCHASED A 2004 BMW 530I CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED WITH 29,000 MILES ON IT. IT CAME WITH A AUTOMATIC TIPTRONIC TRANSMISSION. I DROVE IT FOR APPROXIMATELY 10,000 MILES AND THE TRANSMISSION STARTED ACTING UP. I NOTICED WHEN I USED THE SPORT MODE AND DOWN SHIFTED INTO FIRST WHILE COMING TO A STOP THE CAR WOULD JERK OR SLAM INTO 1ST GEAR. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER (LAUDERDALE BMW OF PEMBROKE PINES) BUT THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. I DROVE FOR ANOTHER 50 MILES OR SO AND THE CAR DIDN'T WANT TO SHIFT AND IT GAVE AN ERROR ON THE MAIN SCREEN THAT THE TRANSMISSION HAD A FAULT DRIVE MODERATELY. IT ALSO STATED TO HAVE THE VEHICLE CHECKED AT THE DEALER. SO I TOOK IT IN AGAIN AND AGAIN THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. I WAS GETTING ANNOYED. I DROVE THE CAR FOR ANOTHER 30 MILES AND THE FAULT CAME BACK BUT THIS TIME IT THE CAR WOULD NOT SHIFT AT ALL AND I COULDN'T DRIVE OVER 35 MPH. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID I NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION. I WAS SHOCKED BECAUSE THE CAR WAS FAIRLY NEW. THEY REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION WITH A BRAND NEW FACTORY ONE AND IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY. FAST FORWARD TO TODAY THE SAME SENARIO AS ABOVE HAPPENED ALL OVER AGAIN, I HAD ABOUT 85,000 MILES ON THE NEW TRANSMISSION AND I NOTICED THE SAME EXACT SYMPTOMS. I WAS ABLE TO RESET THE CAR AFTER EACH ERROR UNTIL LAST WEEK. THE TRANSMISSION FINALLY FAILED AND WENT INTO THE FAIL SAFE MODE AND YOU CAN'T DRIVE OVER 35 MPH. THE DEALER STATED THEY NEEDED TO REPLACE IT AGAIN. I AM NOW OUT OF WARRANTY AND THE COST WILL BE AROUND $6,000 TO REPLACE. I FEEL THESE TRANSMISSIONS FAIL BECAUSE THEY ARE NEVER SERVICED AT 50,000 LIKE ALL OTHER TRANSMISSIONS. BMW CLAIMS THAT THE FLUID INSIDE IS A LIFE TIME FLUID THAT NEVER NEEDS CHANGING. *TR

Mileage: 40,000

I WAS DRIVING DOWN HE HIGHWAY AT A SPEED OF 65 WHEN I TRIED TO ACCELERATE TO SWITCH LANES AND THE TRANSMISSION FAUT CAME ON AND IT ALSO STATED TO DRIVE MODERATELY. THE CAR ALSO WENT INTO A SAFE MODE TO WERE I COULDN'T ACCELERATE AND IT WOULDN'T SWITCH OUT OF THIRD GEAR. CAR THEN WAS TURNED OFF AND BACK ON AND CODE FAULT WENT ALWAYS , TWO WEEKS LATER SAME THING POPPED UP TRYING TO GET ON HIGHWAY AND NOW WON'T GO AWAY. *TR

Mileage: 142,000

I HAVE BEEN GETTING TRANSMISSION ERROR FAULT FREQUENTLY AND NOW SEEMS TO HAPPEN VERY OFTEN. YOU CAN STOP THE CAR AND RESTART IT AND IT WILL RUN BUT WILL GENERATE THE ERROR IN A MONTH OR TWO AGAIN. *TR

Mileage: 80,000

MY CAR WAS OUT ON A TEST DRIVE WITH A REPAIR FACILITY WHEN THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. *TR

Mileage: 50,577

2004 BMW 530I. CONSUMER STATES ISSUES WITH TRANSMISSION *TGW CONSUMER SENT ADDITIONAL LETTER *TGW ON JUNE 25, 2008 THE CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT THE TRANSMISSION INDICATOR LIGHT BEING ON. THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE RE-STARTED TO RESET THE LIGHT. THE TECHNICIAN HOOKED THE VEHICLE UP TO THE DIAGNOSTIC EQUIPMENT AND THERE WERE NO FAULTS FOUND IN THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE. IT WAS NOTED HOWEVER, THAT THE TRANSMISSION PAN WAS LEAKING AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. NO REPAIRS WERE MADE TO THE TRANSMISSION. JULY 15, 2008 THE TRANSMISSION PAN WAS REPLACED ALONG WITH THE SEALING SLEEVE. APRIL 10, 2010, THE CONSUMER STATED THE TRANSMISSION WAS OPERATING IN FAIL SAFE MODE AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE ABOVE 40 MPH. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER AND BASED UPON THE FAULT CODE THAT WAS FOUND, THE TRANSMISSION WAS NO LONGER OPERATING PROPERLY AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. NO REPAIRS WERE MADE AT THAT TIME. *JB

Mileage: 117,220

BMW X5 ACCELERATOR FAILED TO RESPOND AFTER STOP AT TRAFFIC LIGHTS. IT MOVED FORWARD SLOWLY FOR ABOUT 20 YDS. BEFORE DECIDING TO ENGAGE...THIS HAPPENED THREE TIMES, CONSECUTIVELY, AT THE END OF DRIVE HOME. AROUND NOON ON TUESDAY OCTOBER 14, 2008. THE DAY BEFORE THE INTERNAL DOOR LOCK BUTTON FAILED TO FUNCTION. CALLED BMW DEALERSHIP AND HAD IT TOWED. BMW CONTINUE TO TEST BUT WAS INFORMED LAST EVENING THAT THERE APPEARED TO BE NOTHING WRONG WITH VEHICLE ACCORDING TO THE COMPUTER! THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AND BMW [CENTRAL] HAVE NOT BEEN SUPPORTIVE SO FAR. I HAVE ASKED THAT THE CAR BE FIXED AND THAT I BE SUPPLIED WITH A LOANER UNTIL THEN. *TR

Mileage: 40,000

I HAVE A 2004 525I BMW THAT PERIODICALLY HAS A TRANSMISSION SLIPPAGE WHEN DRIVING FROM A STOP OR MOVING INTO 1ST AND 2ND GEAR. THE CAR JUMPS FORWARD AND IF NOT CAREFUL, I COULD ACCIDENTALLY HIT SOMETHING THAT IS NOT IN MY CONTROL. CONCORD BMW HAS TRIED TO RECREATE THE PROBLEM AND HAS ONLY DONE SO ONCE. THEY SAID IT WAS A SOFTWARE PROBLEM BUT HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIX. RECENTLY, I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THEM AND NOW THEY TELL ME SINCE IT CAN NOT BE RECREATED THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. *JB

Mileage: 100

I HAVE A 2004 BMW 545I WHICH HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING A "TRANSMISSION SLIP" OVER THE PAST YEAR. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM BY BMW AND SOMETHING THAT IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT ON MY VEHICLE. I HAVE BEEN INFORMED BY BMW EMPLOYEES "OFF THE RECORD" THAT MY CAR HAS A PROBLEM AND NEEDS TO BE BOUGHT BACK BY BMW AND REPLACED. I AM CURRENTLY DEALING WITH BMW OF NORTH AMERICA AND HAVE SENT THEM A COMPLAINT AS I HAVE HAD MY CAR SERVICED APPROXIMATELY 5-6 TIMES OVER THE PAST YEAR FOR THE SAME PROBLEM WITH NO SOLUTION. I WANTED TO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THE NHTSA AS WELL BECAUSE IT IS APPARENT THAT BMW IS TRYING TO COVER UP A LARGE AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS PROBLEM WITH THEIR VEHICLES. I HAVE ALMOST BEEN IN 2 ACCIDENTS BECAUSE OF THIS ISSUE AND I FEEL FOR THE SAFETY OF MY FAMILY WHEN DRIVING THIS VEHICLE. *NM