Transmission jerk when accelerating from stop on '01 3.0..software upgrade????
 

I have just purchased a 2001 X5 3.0 and right from the beginning I noticed that the transmission would bump/jerk into gear when acceleration from a stop, or even a rolling stop, unless I gently pressed on the accelerator. I've pretty much gotten used to it and assumed that it was just a BMW characteristic (coming from a 2003 Expedition which had excellent tip-in), but after reading various posts, I've come to realize that this may not be normal for my X5. Are there transmission software upgrades for a 2001??? If so, how much would it cost? I drive about 80 miles a day and some of that is in heavy traffic, so a smoother tip-in would be GREAT. Any thoughts at all would be greatly appreciated. I've used the search function, and most of the software upgrades I read about were on newer models, that's why I'm asking about my '01. Thanks again.

That happens on my 4.4i, I'd be interested on others thoughts, I just thought it was a bmw characteristic too :-P

Most of the documented transmission problems here on X5World stem for the 6 speed auto built by the company ZF for the refreshed 4.4i (04' and on). That tranny is also shared with the E60 and BMW cars (I think all V8 cars).

The problem they seem to be having is a transmission slam, when the car deaccelerates to a slow rolling speed and then the throttle applies, the slam happens causing the car to jerk forward.

With that being said, you have a 3.0i, and it doesn't have the 6 speed auto by ZF. So there should be no reason why your car should be doing this. I have 2 questions...

- How many miles does your X have?
- Has it gotten worse over time?

On my X3 3.0i (which I am presuming uses the same 5 speed auto as your X5), things I have noticed are (@ 28,000 miles and counting) :

- a slight clunk after a sudden and quick stop (a clunk which doesn't cause the car to move or make any jerkiness, just seems to be an audible noise).
- when the transmission is cold, a slight jerk can between 4th to 3rd when I downshift.
- and 1st gear jerks about half of the time around 5,000 - 6,0000 rpm under hard hard acceleration. (I'm told this is normal by my friend ?! any ideas?).

Anyway, my point is, your transmission shouldn't be doing this, unless it was abused by the previous owner (who probably shifted from R to D while moving... thinks like that).

You could take it to a dealer and ask for reprogramming...

I don't have any problems with shifting; it shifts very smooth and there is no clunk when stopping. It has 83k miles on it, but you coudn't tell it by the tranny, it shifts great. My ONLY problem is when I go to accelerate from a stop or rolling stop; if I don't gently ease into the accelerator, I get a slight jerk before the transmission engages, no clunk or slamming noise, just a jerk, as if the drive-by-wire has a delay and doesn't immediately recognize my accelerator input, then all of a sudden it does, and I get a jerk. Does that make any sense at all? By the way, the previous owner was very meticulous, so I wouldn't think it was mistreated, but one can't ever be 100% sure.

I DREAM about a slight jerk before the tranny engages...in the case of the occasional 6-speed transmission slam, it feels like you got hit from behind...hard.

I had a similar issue. After resetting the transmission (turn carkey to position 2 for 10 seconds, then off for 10 seconds, then start the car), it became much smoother.

So perhaps my issue isn't a problem and is simply characterisic of the vehicle. I've gotten used to it and don't even think about it any more because I've learned how to drive it; therefore I rarely get the slight jerk, but after reading various posts about the problem, I thought I might have an issue. But clearly my problem isn't as bad as the newer 6spd trannies as mine doesn't feel like a rear-ending at all, just a slight(yet oddly smooth) jerk. I vaguely remember test driving another 3.0 X5 before I got this one, and it did the exact same thing, only it had quite fewer miles.

Mine occurs when I accelerate quickly from a dead stop and then slow back down immediately - then I feel the "thud" like someone rear-ending me. Unfortunately I could not reproduce it when I had a service tech in the vehicle. Will try again next time.

Hopefully it is not your automatic tranny failing. I was having some of those jerks from time-to-time and then I got the "!" symbol which equaled to $5.5K.

Do you actually move? I feel & hear the thud, but the car doesn't move or jerk at all...