Malfunction Lights for Christmas...
 

Hello guys,

I have a 2011 X5 35i with 20,000 miles and just in the past two days I received multiple malfunction messages.

Just happened without any warnings. It can be a very dangerous situation as you will lose steering and braking.

The warnings were (all happened within 10 mins between turning the vehicle on and off):

Engine malfunction/reduced power mode
Braking/chasis stabilization malfunction
ABS malfunction
Parking brake malfunction
Rear light malfunction
Warning that I can change gear without depressing brake pedal

My X5 was perfectly normal until last night. I've had the software recall updated about 3,000 miles prior to these incidents.

As I searched this forum about the issues that I've been having, it appears that I'm not the only one...I'm taking it to the dealership tomorrow to find out what is going on, but i'm a bit worried that they don't have a long term solution for this.

If someone with similar experiences can chime in and share your solutions, I would appreciate it.

Thanks.

What are you talking about???

This is your first post, your first time with a single failure, and 'you are concerned that they don't have a long term solution'?!?? OMFG

Everybody is a victim these days.

Take it in, get it fixed, stop whining.

I got the same 4x4 warning on my 325xi after the battery went flat and I recharged it. Did the malfunctions persist or did they go away? As much as I hated getting the messages, I never saw them again after 5 minutes of letting it idle or driving around the block.

Agreed, I got the ABS warning when my 550i alternator was going bad.

:iagree:Got similar warning in my 02 4.4i. Put it on a battery tender and it never came back.

I find your response very offensive and immature. If you have nothing positive to contribute, I suggest you stay out of this thread. Just because this is my first thread, it doesn't mean I haven't been around.

Single failure? Definitive solutions? Look at the history of all the common major and repeating problems from BMW.

SMG issues
Subframe issues
Vanos Issues
Rod bearing issues

Some of the above problems are major problems that BMW and trusting customers are still dealing with. Why do you think so many people are dumping the M5's before the warranty runs out?

Everybody is a victim these days? Please. I suggest you deal with your problems in your own room and wipe off your tears before posting in a public forum.

I also suggest you change your attitude and maybe then, your life can be a bit more fulfilling.

I don't appreciate spending over $65,000 on a brand new vehicle to protect my family and find out it could potentially place my wife and children in a dangerous situation. If you don't have a family, I don't expect you to understand where I'm coming from. Again, keep your mouth shut so that this thread can be helpful to other members.

To other members, I thank you all for your contributions. I have taken my X5 to the dealership today and I'm waiting to hear about potential diagnoses and fixes. I have provided them with all the pictures of the malfunction lights and videos of all the problems.

As soon as I hear anything from the dealership, I will update the status.

ignore Ard.

Yeah, I had the same exact fault codes happen to me. Mine went away on its own and never came back. The dealer couldn't find a stored fault code on it either - that was strange. Good luck with yours.

As far as the "TARD" aka, ARD, ignor him and he eventually goes away, like a 3 year old child that needs a nap! :rolleyes:

Please do update us with the status...this is my first BMW,,,,I too have a X5, but unlike yours,, mine is a 50i, don't know if issues with yours are related in anyway with mine, (different powertrain). Hopefully it is not too serious and just a glitch,,,,as far as the other issues you mentioned so far, I have not had any issues yet,,,,at 16,000+ miles.

FWIW- My battery died Christmas day. I'm 450 miles from home and was planning to go back that day. Tried jump starting- even after getting it running it wouldn't go in to gear- error message only. NOTHING was open to get a replacement battery, not BMW roadside (could provide a jump- no battery available until Tuesday), AAA (open but didn't have one to fit), auto parts store, etc. I don't blame them, it's Christmas day.

Finally got a new battery yesterday- installed it, started the car, and got alot of error messages, including some you have (4x4 warning). After running a few seconds and putting it in to gear all the error messages went away- only thing I had to do was reset the clock.

Could your battery have been low or is it weak? Once I got full voltage everything resolved.

By the way, with the battery dead the back hatch (electric switch) wouldn't open to access it, nor would the glove box open to get to the manual. I had to get a jump start to open the hatch to get to the battery (and my jumper cables which are beside the spare tire!!)

An update from the dealership today. They are stating now my X5 turns off itself immediately upon starting.

I'm not sure about the battery issue...It ran flawlessly until now and even during the times of malfunction, battery didn't appear to be weak at all.

I drove to the dealership 45 minutes away from home and it ran fine without throwing any malfunction messages. I hope that the dealership can duplicate the problems, so that I don't have to take my car back without a complete resolution.

Again, thank you for those who have chimed in with your experiences.

I'll update any further findings/information from the dealership.

Coulda sworn you were talking about your X5...

Are you just lumping your BMW experiences into one 'bin', and decided for this singular event, you will dump all your frustrations and dissatisfaction into one issue? :dunno:

Here how it works:

1. Warning lights come on, various messages. (no, despite your desire to have a warning - you said "Just happened without any warnings"- there is no "Warning: warning about to happen" message.

2. Take it to the dealer.

3. Diagnose and fix.

4. WHEN IT COMES BACK, then you complain.

This issue. despite, what, 4 people saying "I had messages too..." is not plaguing this model. Buck up, fix it, move on...

A

^^ Yeah, that was helpful :rolleyes:

Maybe because I'm a noob on this site and don't know you, but you kinda seem like a pr1ck. Why are you so angry in this thread? Is it because you feel you're king of this forum and know EVERYTHING about the X5, that all other questions/concerns others have are stupid to you? :dunno:

So what if it was the OPs first post? Maybe it was his first issue that he had...and he felt like it was a big enough issue to finally post his concerns about it. It seems OP did a search, found others that had similar problems but no real solution. Maybe that's why he felt concerned that there wasn't a long term solution.

So why do you say he's whining? It seems there are several other people that had similar experiences. If anyone's whining, it's you...about this thread, and, I'm guessing, probably about a bunch of other threads as well.

Really? :confused: You're going to start nitpicking his wording? I think most of us know what he meant by "just happened without warning"...and it wasn't OP wanting a "warning for his warnings". :rolleyes:

There have been many times people have taken their "problems" to the dealers, where the dealers weren't able to diagnose the issue. There have also been many times where people took their problems to the dealer and had to explain to the dealer what was actually going on with the car...from what they learned from forums such as this. Maybe OP wanted to find out if its an issue that doesn't require him to go to the dealer.

Whatever the reason, I don't think there's a need for you to get your panties all in a twist because of this post. If you can offer legitimate help, then offer it. If you find the thread stupid, then don't post in it. Being a douche doesn't help anyone. We're all here because we have a love of our X5s/BMWs/cars, and I assume, look to each other for help with issues, or just for a sense of community. At least I do...but then again, I have <10 posts so whatever I say probably doesn't matter. :rolleyes:

Just my feelings after reading this thread...:thumbup:

/rant

Here is an email I received from the service advisor.

"Found the problem. Needs a DME. Ordered one and it will take a few days to get it"

Let's see if a new DME will take care of the problems. I had taken it to another dealership for a software recall (~17,000 miles), where the service advisor informed me that it takes hours to update the computer.

It makes me wonder if reprogramming of my original DME had anything to do with my problems...

I will ask what specific events/findings led to a definitive diagnosis of faulty DME.

Ard, let's see some pics of your pcar? :stickpoke
I could only find the pic of your door...
Maybe we can find a common ground for you to be a bit more productive in this thread, since you wish to be so involved?

That's great.

By the way, ARD is an a**. He's arrogant, pompous and trolls these boards way to much. Typical engineer nerd. He remind me of a similar person on the Cayenne forum who has way too much to say.

Off topic, what battery aftermarket battery have people replaced the OEM with?

Re- battery..... I replaced mine with the first one I could find at 7:30am the day after Christmas!!!

But seriously- Advance Auto had 1 remaining battery that would fit- it's the exact same size as the original and has 950 amps as opposed to the original's 900, so I guess it's ok.

The Advance Auto was in S.C., about 20 miles from the BMW plant. Had the plant been open maybe I could've gotten one there.

Guys,,,,While we are on the subject of batteries,,,,,kind of funny,,I received a message saying my battery is discharging,,,,got a warning triangle,,,to go along with it. Well not really knowing what to do,,,I put my key into the slot,,,and the triangle went away,,,and everything was ok....
Question:

Does the battery in the key fob charge when inserted,,,and if not, how often do you need to replace the batteries. This vehicle is just a year old and I think that the battery should not be discharging that fast,,,or maybe it does. If someone could chime in on this I would appreciate it..
Thanks:thumbup:

Where you going with this?

Two can play this game, eh?

It's recharged when inserted as per your manual. If you have comfort access, it is not rechargeable as it uses a regular CR2032 battery. Curious - how long has it not been inserted that it would say that?

Still at it, are ya? :popcorn:

Thanks for the respponse,,,,,I do have comfort access...however,,,sometimes when I insert the key into the slot,,,,magically the warning triangle goes away after driving it a few minutes....so that's was my assumption that it was recharging itself,,,,but then I looked in the book and it says to replace the battery with the battery that you quoted,,,,,I am really confused on this. Normally I would take it to the dealer to get it fixed,,but since I am about 1 1/2 hours away from the nearest dealer,,,I thought I would go this route first and see if anyone else had this issue. If the key fob just needs a battery,,,that should be a simple fix,,,BUT still kind of curious about the charging routine......Thanks!!!

What specific battery did you get at advanced auto? Model number? Or did you just go "by the book'?

I didn't read all your posts, but try replacing the battery in the fob and see if that does anything. Maybe the car is telling you the battery is dying and you should replace it.....since you have CA, it doesn't charge anything.

This was my thought also,,,however,,,whenever I drive the vehhicle,,,the triangle light goes out after about 5-8 minutes worth or driving,,,and then it comes back on in city type driving,,,or stop and go..I really hope that the main battery is not going out,,,I know that it's in warranty,,,but a pain to get everything set on the vehicle..........

Hello guys,

A quick update on my X5. The dealership swap out the DME and everything is working well without throwing any codes. The 45 minute drive home from the dealership was uneventful.

Asked my service advisor about how they came to the diagnosis of faulty DME. He simply said, "all the testings led to your DME."

I'm sorry I can't provide more specific information on the exact reason for all the malfunction lights, other than a faulty DME. Swapping out the DME may have been the easiest fix for the dealership in my case...
All the years I have own multiple cars, this was the first time a DME had to be replaced.

I hope this will take care of the problems.

Have you had anymore issues since the DME swap? Our X5 is going thru this and we are at that point as well. Was hoping for some good results this time. Thx.

Haven't had any problems since the swap. I did not want to take any chance being stranded with my kids, so I traded it in with a new 7 series.
Hopefully the new 7 series will be more reliable...

Wish everything works out for your X5.

Ex5 owner...

I finally got my car(truck) back about 3 weeks ago. So far everything seems to be Ok,,,this is after they replaced about $12,000 in parts not counting labor. I had a 7 series for a loaner in the begining, but it's not the car (type) for me....seems to working out for you though. Hope you have luck with the 7, and hopefully they "finally" fixed my issues....so far,,,so good...by the way,,the car was in the shop almost 90 days!!!

Thanks for the response. I too get worried as this is my wife's primary vehicle. The DME has been replaced and also the telecommunication module which has been identified as the real problem (bluetooth/SOS module). The dealership says all has been tested and in working order. Getting it put together right now and picking it up tomorrow morning. I hope this fixes it all.

keep us updated and good luck.

Just an update...we got our X5 back this past Friday and so far so good. The dealership did all of the battery and voltage tests and we seem good to go. No more warnings or error codes.

The problem was a fault TCU (which was tied into the Bluetooth and SOS modules); the bluetooth kept running (transferring contacts - stuck) causing the high battery drain, then leading to all the warnings.

Cheers!