2007 BMW 3 Series Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 5about this part
- Share
- 4%of 115 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 50,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 5 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2007 BMW 3 Series, 4% of the 115 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 50,000 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 bought my brand new Bmw x3 in 2007. There were small issues in the past but withing my manufacturer warrenty period. I had my rear brake pads replaced on jan 23, 2012. On jan 30, 2012, when I drove my x3 out my subdivison to go to work, the brake light, ABS light, and 4/4 light all on, plus load clunk type noise from rear, it was difficault to make a u-turn, managed back to home, called Bmw unitedbmw dealer and towed my vehicle to dealer. …”
NHTSA complaint #10448551, filed 2012-02, 39,890 miles“When I start my car it wants to turn off. Bmw issued a recall I took it in to fix it but problem still happening. Then my car has 63000 miles and it kicks a lot in first gear. For low miles that should not be happening.”
NHTSA complaint #10577512, filed 2014-04, 63,000 miles“My wife was departing a traffic circle on base here in germany. She accelerated to 35 MPH and experienced stalled acceleration as she was traveling down the main road. My wife was stepping on the gas and the car appeared not to be running. She attempted to get the vehicle off to the side of the road as it rolled to a stop. She was stuck in the right hand turn lane on a two lane road and waited for security forces patrolman that stopped and helped push the car out of traffic.”
NHTSA complaint #10491571, filed 2013-01, 50,000 miles“I was parked, placed my car in reverse and immediately all of my dashboard lights were activated (4x4 malfunction, ABS brake failure, transmission malfunction) then my car lost power. There is a known issue with the set positioning motor failing on these vehicles. The Bmw dealer part # is 27 10 7 546 671. There is an internal gear, with in the set positioning motor, made out of plastic that wears prematurely. This is a known issue with Bmw's and it should be recalled. My vehicle become disabled with out warning, leaving me stranded which may have caused an accident.”
NHTSA complaint #10651519, filed 2014-10, 122,000 miles“Transmission shift badly - lunges forward - tendes to stall -traveling at low speeds goes in to 5 or 6 gear step on gas paddle takes to long to shift down and jumps forward. This has been happening even when the car was new and getting worse as time goes on.”
NHTSA complaint #10893809, filed 2016-08, 24,000 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…
- 10027785Jul 1, 2008Bmw vehicle: replace front propeller shaft bolts. During assembly process, the front propeller shaft bolts may have been insufficiently tightened. Models e90, e91 (3 series)…
- 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 2007 BMW 3 Series
35 complaintsElectrical system
31 complaintsEngine
22 complaintsSteering
15 complaintsFuel system
12 complaintsSeat belts
10 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
9 complaintsExterior lighting
7 complaintsOther or unknown
6 complaintsSeats
6 complaintsBody and structure
6 complaintsBrakes
5 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2007 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