Trans Failsafe Prog. warning ??

sherwood4 · #1 02-22-2009, 05:55 PM

I've had an 03 X5 for a couple of years with no probs. Today the Trans Failsafe Prog warning light came on and then it wouldn't select a gear. Before I take it to a garage and get fleeced can anyone let me know if this is a big problem. Thanks

03MstyleX5 · #2 02-22-2009, 06:28 PM

theres a couple problems that could be giving you that warning. most of the time it has nothing to do with the transmission. i would have a diagnosis and see what codes appear. go from there.

jrutherf32708 · #3 02-22-2009, 11:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 03MstyleX5

theres a couple problems that could be giving you that warning. most of the time it has nothing to do with the transmission. i would have a diagnosis and see what codes appear. go from there.

I have 2004 X4 w/ 4.4 - I have had that have a couple of times this past year. In most cases I was cruising down the interstate. First time I just pulled over; vehicle sat for about 20 min and was then OK. I did later discover the "postive" lug under plastic protive cover was a little loose. Not sure if this was the issue with mine or just simiply a fluke within the computer system of the vehicle. v

chilliwilli · #4 02-23-2009, 12:28 AM

Do a search to see what some of us experienced under similar conditions. It can be costly...for me, it was a result of a bad alternator which drained my battery.

sherwood4 · #5 02-22-2009, 06:44 PM

Thanks, I've just had a new box put in another car with the same symptoms and really don't want to go down that route cos the bank account can't face it.

bigtom · #6 02-23-2009, 01:08 PM

I recently had this problem, and the number of different system warnings increased every week.
First I spent some money at a general car electrics garage without solving the problem. Then I read all I could find on the net, and became even more confused and worried. Finally I went to the local BMW garage, brought them a couple of prints from different forums and some owners experiences from simular situations, and asked them to check all major cable connections and reset the computer before they started changing any sensors.
That did the trick. It seemed to be one major cable connection close to the gear box that needed cleaning and attention. After resetting the computer all warnings was gone without any further action.
It's now almost three weeks ago, (but still crossing my fingers)

Disneygrad · #7 02-28-2009, 07:02 PM

This is a strange occurance. X5 2003, low miles of 40,000, notice occured after exiting fwy and sitting at a light. No noticable lack of gear function. Stopped car within five minutes at a pick-up location. Got back in veh. twenty minutes later and all was NORMAL? Have not had notice again after driving about twenty-three miles home. An incident occured while on the fwy prior to the stopped-at-signal-light moment of transfail prog sign. And....that was I had to put the petal-to-the-metal to avoid a yahoo driver. I have no idea if the two events are connected. I am not corssing my fingers and hoping the incident was just a fluke. Any input would be appreciated.

chilliwilli · #8 02-28-2009, 10:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Disneygrad

This is a strange occurance. X5 2003, low miles of 40,000, notice occured after exiting fwy and sitting at a light. No noticable lack of gear function. Stopped car within five minutes at a pick-up location. Got back in veh. twenty minutes later and all was NORMAL? Have not had notice again after driving about twenty-three miles home. An incident occured while on the fwy prior to the stopped-at-signal-light moment of transfail prog sign. And....that was I had to put the petal-to-the-metal to avoid a yahoo driver. I have no idea if the two events are connected. I am not corssing my fingers and hoping the incident was just a fluke. Any input would be appreciated.

Take her in for diagnosis.