2008 BMW M3 problems
Owners have filed 102 complaints about the 2008 BMW M3 with NHTSA. Power train accounts for 38.2% of them — the clear leader, ahead of engine at 19.6%.
Complaints102
Crashes5
Fires2
Injuries6
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Power train 38.2% · 39
Engine 19.6% · 20
Air bags 8.8% · 9
Electrical system 8.8% · 9
Fuel system, gasoline 4.9% · 5
Vehicle speed control 2.9% · 3
Electronic stability control (ESC) 2.9% · 3
Service brakes 2.0% · 2
Severity
Of those complaints, 5 describe a crash, 2 describe a fire and 6 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Filings have fallen off, 5 in the last three years against 21 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 32,250 miles.
In owners' own words
My 2008 BMW M3 e92 rapidly slows when the dct transmission is downshifting. The car lags and has almost stalled several times in the middle of the road increasing the possibility of a crash. BMW north america customer service has refused to accept that there is a problem with the dct transmission software for all of these vin production cars. Any help would be much appreciated. *Tr thanks brad larkin Power train · reported at 3,400 miles
I have a 2008 BMW M3 with the dct transmission. Ever since BMW installed a software update to fix a similar nhtsa issue with the transmission, my car suffers from a sudden power loss when I slow down to approximately 10mph, and then try to accelerate again. This leads to a very dangerous situation while the car does not move and traffic around me continues to move. Power train · reported at 11,605 miles
2008 M3 dct lag problem. At lower speeds the gearbox takes to much time to select a gear (like coming through a slow corner) and then after the lag and it "catches" again there is usually a jerky acceleration. This is not normal for a transmission to drive this way. Happens more in "d" mode but also in regular mode especially in 2nd gear. Power train · reported at 8,100 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…