DSC 4x4 Engine Failsafe

[m5james]

That means they'd have to admit they're wrong. I hope you get it.

[bigtom]

Well, they would not admit anything, but offered me half of my payments in return. Since the amount isn't big enough to involve the legal system I have accepted this offer. However I can't understand how a BMW dealer can be stupid enough to kill his customers relations by being so cheap. Over the long run it's guaranteed that they are the ones loosing money.
I need a dealer I can trust, and luckily even here in Northern Norway there are plenty options. :-)

[sunny5280]

Originally Posted by ian1967

We're in Sweden right now visiting the in-laws and today the X5 went to the garage to have the Co2 reading problem fixed. I had assumed that it was a sensor that needed replacing, but thanks to our German mechanic, on further inspection, the problem was not with a faulty sensor, but it was the "motor cable" that feeds the electronic information from the car into the magic black box. The connections on this cable were bad and hence the information being fed to the computer was shorting, which was the cause of the gremlins.He advised that it was a common problem on the E53, usually main dealers recommending that the entire wiring harness be replaced, but he cleaned up the connectors and viola... our X5 is running perfect again. No more DSC 4x4 engine failsafe messages, no more airbag light (came on a few days ago), no more strange happenings with the rear tailgate deadlocking itself when you stop the car, no more abs and brake light errors, its fun to drive again!!!!The last BMW main dealer we took it to, replaced the idle control valve and assured us that they had fixed the problem, presenting us with a nice £350 bill. At least our German BMW mechanic, working in Sweden has actually fixed the problem and only charged us £80 to clean up the connectors and reset the computer.

Good to hear you got it fixed and it wasn't a big problem. Though I am amazed at how many posts I've read where the dealer was unable to properly repair the vehicle. One of the reasons to take it to a professional is so they properly diagnosis a problem and fix it instead of blindly throwing parts at a problem (I can do that). Glad I have an indy who knows his stuff and properly fixes any problems.

[X5one]

MY 04 X5 4.4 had a similar problem. The vehicle would suddenly go into trans failsafe mode and I would limp home. It is a CPO so the dealer had it three times trying to figure out the problem. The only faults came from the accelerator pedal assembly. It was replaced under warranty only to have the fault return. The final visit resulted in the dealer finding a pin, that was almost broken, in a electrical connector going from the engine control module to the pedal assembly. This was the problem, long process but it is fixed now. Hope your issue is resolved. An X5 is not much fun in failsafe mode!

[Lynxjock]

Originally Posted by ian1967

We're in Sweden right now visiting the in-laws and today the X5 went to the garage to have the Co2 reading problem fixed. I had assumed that it was a sensor that needed replacing, but thanks to our German mechanic, on further inspection, the problem was not with a faulty sensor, but it was the "motor cable" that feeds the electronic information from the car into the magic black box. The connections on this cable were bad and hence the information being fed to the computer was shorting, which was the cause of the gremlins.He advised that it was a common problem on the E53, usually main dealers recommending that the entire wiring harness be replaced, but he cleaned up the connectors and viola... our X5 is running perfect again. No more DSC 4x4 engine failsafe messages, no more airbag light (came on a few days ago), no more strange happenings with the rear tailgate deadlocking itself when you stop the car, no more abs and brake light errors, its fun to drive again!!!!The last BMW main dealer we took it to, replaced the idle control valve and assured us that they had fixed the problem, presenting us with a nice £350 bill. At least our German BMW mechanic, working in Sweden has actually fixed the problem and only charged us £80 to clean up the connectors and reset the computer.

Any pics of what cable/plug you cleaned and where can u find it ??I have similar probs and would like to try it

[amacman]

Originally Posted by Lynxjock

Any pics of what cable/plug you cleaned and where can u find it ??I have similar probs and would like to try it

a large black box in the bulkhead under the bonnet at left/passenger side contains ecu and other electronics . these can fill with water .

[Rockmelon]

hey ian1967 & bigtom, how about some pics of where these cables & contacts are located that were the cause of your problem?

[dok47]

Every few months i have same problem and mosly it hapens when i am in traffic jam and move veeery slow. I get message about engine or trans fail safe. Ofter shuting it down for 10 seconds and restarting it all goes away but it is really pissing me of. Still can not figure out what is causing it?! Some say it is that electric motor powered throttle thing that controls how much air goes in to engine. apparently it does not get it self's position correctly so it causes fail safe. ?!?! I cleaned it and did not have problem few months but then again started

[bigtom]

Hi. I never had this problem with my X5 diesel, but it seems to be quite similar to what happened with my E39 with a gasoline engine. It took me one hour to replace the mass air flow sensor, the sensor was inexpensive and the problem was solved.
I you make a search on Google using the phrase "x5 replace mass air flow sensor" you will find quite a lot of useful info.

[FITZUNI]

Hey DUDE, did you fixed the problem?

Originally Posted by X5Dude

I ran into a similar issue with my X5. It was raining here in sunny Southern California and I was driving along with no issues. I exited the freeway and within 4 miles of slow moving traffic in pouring rail, the car displays "Engine Failsafe Prog". I had previously had the "Trans Failsafe Prog" error (to the tune of $3000) so I was concerned about this error. I parked the car for a couple of hours and when I restarted, the error message had clear. I drove home and checked for errors with my obd ii scanner. It showed 0 codes.

The following day I drove about half a block down the street and then the failsafe message reappeared. I tried to turn around and go home, but when I stepped on the accelerator, I got nothing. I waited a few minutes and was able to drive home in reverse. This time with the failsafe message showing, I scanned for codes once again. Still I got 0 codes. I scoured the forums for like problems and found all kinds, most without resolution.

At that point, I decided to visit the local BMW repair shop (non-dealer). He used a much more sophisticated scanner which displayed a code related to the pedal position sensor. He told me that the code was clear, and that there was really nothing to fix at that time. He cleared the code, and I drove 3 miles before the failsafe message reappeared.

I returned to the shop and the owner scanned again to find same pedal related code. He ordered and will install the part ($180 + 2 hrs labor) on Monday of next week. I hope it solves the mystery.