2006 BMW 3 Series Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 4about this part
- Share
- 2%of 202 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 32,535miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 4 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2006 BMW 3 Series, 2% of the 202 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 32,535 miles.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I was driving my vehicle on the highway in the left lane, trying to pass a car in the middle lane. After getting in front of the car in the middle lane, I tried to accelerate so I could re-enter the middle lane, but the car acted as if it slipped into neutral and would not accelerate. The engine growled as if it were in neutral. It kept driving, but would not accelerate, despite me stepping harder on the gas. …”
NHTSA complaint #10543753, filed 2013-09, 54,000 miles“Twice in 6 weeks I have lost throttle response of the car at 70+ MPH on highways. This is a manual transmission car and I had to shift into neutral to coast to the side of the road both times avoiding catastrophic accidents. The car behaves as if it has run out of gas but there was at least 1/4 of a tank of gas. Bmw replace the fuel pump the first time in late march. It is currently in the Bmw shop now. This is an extremely dangerous situation that should be investigated.”
NHTSA complaint #10189243, filed 2007-04, 11,070 miles“When I accelerate from a dead stop the engine lurches badly 1-3 times before it begins to actually accelerate. This has occurred ever since purchase in 11/06. This has occurred on hundreds of occasions and has nearly cause me many accidents by getting rear-ended by cars and semi's. I like on a side street next to a highway and when I try to pull out onto the highway quickly the car lurches several times before actually catching and moving. I've taken it back to the deal who says nothing is wrong with the car. …”
NHTSA complaint #10225563, filed 2008-04, 6 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10051459Dec 1, 2012Bmw: dsc warning light is on. The warning lamps for dsc, abs and brake warning illuminated. There may also be a warning in the control display for chassis control system failure.
- 10040045Apr 1, 2011Bmw: a new technical support process has been created regarding transmission concerns.
- 10035010Oct 1, 2010Bmw vehicle: transmission warning light is illuminated and the transmission enters failsafe mode. Fault code 4f81 (ratio monitoring, clutch a), in some cases combined with the…
- 10036980Jun 1, 2010Bmw: a new technical process is being used on many models to determine the root cause of double-clutch transmission problems.
- 10031644Sep 1, 2009Bmw: complaint that the n (neutral) symbol is being displayed in the kombi and the message transmission in n, shift to p when engine is turned off is displayed in the cc when the…
- 10032827Nov 1, 2007Bmw vehicles: dsc disabling function. Dsc off function has been implemented in m5 and m6 vehicles equipped with the optional 6 speed manual transmissions. No model years listed.
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 6 | 29% |
| 2010 | 1 | 3% |
| 2009 | 2 | 4% |
| 2008 | 3 | 4% |
| 2007 | 5 | 4% |
| 2006 | 4 | 2% |
| 2004 | 2 | 3% |
| 2003 | 4 | 5% |
| 2002 | 3 | 12% |
| 2001 | 3 | 8% |
| 2000 | 35 | 40% |
Other parts of the 2006 BMW 3 Series
101 complaintsElectrical system
32 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
26 complaintsSteering
24 complaintsTires
13 complaintsSeat belts
12 complaintsSeats
12 complaintsEngine
11 complaintsBody and structure
9 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
8 complaintsVehicle speed control
6 complaintsOther or unknown
5 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2006 BMW 3 Series
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology