To whom this may concern: I own a BMW 325xi 2001 manual. A manual shifter is designed to go to the middle when it is in neutral. This problem I have causes the stick shift to go to the right (near fifth gear) and stay there. I was driving the car and shifted into the wrong gear because of this problem. I almost blew the engine and lost control of my car. This is a big safety hazard. If the stick shift does not return to where it is designed to be, the drive can get confused resulting in an accident. I have done a lot of research online and I have found over 4000 complains about this. I checked forums and other websites. The dealer instead of replacing the correct part (bushings) wants to replace the whole transmission!!! we all feel that NHTSA should step in and force a recall. The company is not helping at all! they want to keep this in the dark. Thanks for your help.

- Fairfax, VA, USA

I had been driving my car for about 2 hours on the interstate with the coolant temperature gauge "dead center" as it always is. I stopped the car at a store and left the car running for about 5 minutes. As I proceeded back toward the interstate through some stop and go traffic for about 5 minutes, I noticed the temperature gauge in the "red zone" and the red indicator was illuminated. I pulled to the side of the entrance ramp, kept the car idling and cranked the heat up. The gauge went down a little bit. I stopped the car for about 1 minute, started it, and then accelerated toward another exit in order to be in a safer place. The gauge went directly back to "dead center" so I continued driving and the gauge stayed there for the next 2 hours. The outside temperature was in the mid-60S and the air conditioning was on before and after this incident. The same thing happened the following day in stop-and-go traffic, but I noticed the gauge rising this time. I shut off the air conditioning and engine for a few seconds, turned them back on and at the same time accelerated to a cruising speed. The gauge returned to "dead center" and stayed there for the next 20 minutes of highway driving. When I returned home from my trip, I took the car to the BMW dealer, and they replaced the auxiliary cooling fan. I understand that there is a recall on this part, and BMW has sent very few or no letters to customers because a truly countermeasured part is not available yet. I fear that the new fan installed in my car could very well be a suspect part and may result in an underhood fire, as reported by other customers at NHTSA.gov as well as other web sites. I'm not sure if this is related, but a few months ago, I had the thermostat replaced for a "sticking" condition that was causing the "service engine soon" light to illuminate. At the same time, they replaced the fan for the first time for the recall. 2001 BMW 325I manual transmission.

- Hilliard, OH, USA

Five days after purchasing vehicle, consumer states the transmission system failed.

- Madison, TN, USA

While driving, ac produced hot air and within a minute the temperature gauge climbed into the red zone. Stopped immediately, and per BMWS road side assistance had the vehicle towed to the nearest BMW dealership. It seems that this is an inherent problem with 325I w/ manual transmission. After my purchase to the vehicle in June, I have heard that similar problems were reported even before my vehicle was manufactured! currently my vehicle has been in the shop for a week awaiting parts. According to dealer, there have been many similar problems recently and the parts are in short supply.

- Falls Church, VA, USA