2009 BMW 3 Series Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 2about this part
- Share
- 4%of 53 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 57,895miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 2 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2009 BMW 3 Series, 4% of the 53 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 57,895 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved and 1 a fire, according to the filers.
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.
“2009 Bmw 328i with 17k miles malfunctioned caught fire and exploded. I was injured by the fire getting out. It was a total loss vehicle fire causing personal injury. In addition to the cost of the car there was additional 20k personal property damage. It was not caused by collision or operator error. On 15 nov 2010 approx 7: 30pm after about 8 mins of driving my car started to lose power and the ses light came on. It acted as if it was running out of gas I pulled over off of the shoulder in the grass. …”
NHTSA complaint #10412296, filed 2011-07, 17,000 miles“I own Bmw 320d 2009, my problem with the car is exactly the opposite, as my car suddenly accelerate by its self, as I go down from say 75 MPH and release the brakes, suddenly the car speeds up again. This is happen to me several times and Bmw says this was nothing I was assuming this, after complained and complained, finally an iginuer looked at my car and kept it for a day, but only to say nothing is wrong. It keeps happening and happening and Bmw does not react, as I mentioned toyota in one of my letters to them, they answered me angry with we not toyota. …”
NHTSA complaint #10345223, filed 2010-07, 98,790 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.
- 10037069Jun 1, 2011Bmw: there is a software problem with the dual clutch transmission module. Data can't be read from the module's memory. *rm updated 8/10/11.
- 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…
- 10037061Jun 1, 2010Bmw: a fault for oil wear is stored in the memory, but it does not illuminate the warning lamp.
- 10036980Jun 1, 2010Bmw: a new technical process is being used on many models to determine the root cause of double-clutch transmission problems.
- 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 2009 BMW 3 Series
15 complaintsFuel system
10 complaintsElectrical system
8 complaintsEngine
5 complaintsExterior lighting
5 complaintsOther or unknown
4 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
4 complaintsEngine cooling
3 complaintsSeat belts
3 complaintsSeats
3 complaintsSteering
3 complaintsBrakes
2 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2009 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