[scotchy]

I saw a post with a few people that had this awhile back. Anyone else recently? Car drove fine today, no indication of anything wrong.

Went into the grocery store for 20 minutes, came out and got this error/warning on start up. "Drivetrain Malfunction, safe to continue driving but with reduced power" (Something like that). Put it in gear, engine is stumbling like crazy and it dies within 4 feet. Will start again but stumbles and dies within seconds. Arrange for roadside to dispatch a flatbed but when he gets there it won't start at all (turns over but won't start) so it can't be put into neutral to get it on the flatbed. Roughly 12,000km's on it, just had the first service done about a week ago.

[HouseMD]

I got a similar message 4 different times on my 2020 M50i however it was like the transmission was completely disconnected from the engine - you could rev the engine but sounded like it was in neutral. One time the message even told me that the car wouldn't go into Park and to secure the vehicle. Unlike your message, each time it told me the car wasn't drivable.

It happened to me 4 times - 3 while driving and one while at a stop sign. When it occurred while driving, the engine kept running and would rev but zero power to the drivetrain. Luckily I was in a place for 2 of them that I could coast to a stop in a pull off but the 3rd time I was trying to merge. I hate to think what would have happened at highway speeds in the middle lane as you are totally at the mercy of momentum to move the car.

In all cases, putting the car in Park (except for the time it wouldn't go into Park) and restarting the car cleared up the issue.

I took the car to the dealer twice. The first time they thought it was software and updated everything but it happened again a few days later. This time they got someone from Germany involved and concluded that the mechatronics had to be replaced. Of course it had to come from Germany.....

All told, it took about 20 days at the dealer between the two visits but the car *seems* to be OK. I am still a little worried in that there were no warning signs - it just stopped - but the dealer assured me that they found error codes in the mechatronics unit itself that pointed to the problem.

I would ask your dealer to specifically check the mechatronics. Good luck!

[scotchy]

That sounds like quite the ordeal! Apparently the fuel pump has failed on ours, they're replacing it today.

[Marty in NY]

FYI.. .. Here is a video explaining what a Mechatronic is and what it does. Its basically the brains that control the tranny valve body.

[HouseMD]

Having a fuel pump go out so quickly is also disappointing but glad they found the issue.

[thereef510]

Originally Posted by Marty in NY

FYI.. .. Here is a video explaining what a Mechatronic is and what it does. Its basically the brains that control the tranny valve body.

You can't say tranny anymore, the mechatronics... they don't like that

[Marty in NY]

Originally Posted by thereef510

You can't say tranny anymore, the mechatronics don't like that...

Just trying to show my age

[puckybadger]

I had the same issue with my 2014 F15 (50i engine).
Replaced the electric cooling fan and never saw the warning again.

[GETSOM3]

2021 M50i with 493 miles on it. Merged onto the highway and the engine felt like it stalled out, pedal went to the floor and nothing, then the motor revved hard but hardly any acceleration. I'm lucky I didn't get creamed while barely getting off at the next exit.

It completely stalled at the offramp stoplight, turned it back on and limped to a parking lot with drivetrain malfunction error on. Got out and tranny fluid leaking out all over the place. Got it towed to a dealer but won't find out anything until Tuesday.

And to think I traded my M3 CS for this POS. I'll update the thread on the outcome but I'm not happy to say the least

[TXDroneRacer]

Yes... Please let us know what the service center says. You deserve an explanation, not just a repair.

[farhanbmw2021]

Hi I suffered exactly that problem just a couple of days ago. I have a 2021 X5 45e with only 6000 miles. Came out from a Target and noticed a Drivetrain Malfunction indication saying its safe to drive but with reduced power. While in the parking lot I called the dealer service department and they said bring the car in and told me it was safe to drive. As I was driving, the car kept gasping for breadth and continued to have jerks in power as if fuel was bring cut off. The aircon completed shut off (not cooling at all). Now came the nightmare - after about 15 mins of driving, the car stalled completed as it there was no power to the drivetrain. I was on a two lane business road without a shoulder. After a few seconds the car came to a complete standstill with engine on, transmission in D and no power at all. It was like the aircraft has no engines. By this time, I was just 2000 feet away from the dealer. Scary situation, traffic was dangerously coming fast and breaking when they saw me stranded. Anyway it was a horrifying experience. The dealer came and picked me up - managed the restart the car and take it to the dealership. The car is at the dealer and after three days, they have still not be able to able to come up with a diagnosis. They want to do some more tests to determine what might be the issue. I was in a life threatening situation with a car completely stalled on a busy road. GETSOM3 - your and my situation is exactly the same. Has the dealer come back to you with a response ?? Like someone said above - we don't need a repair, we need an answer to this horrifying episode. I did inform BMW NA about this via a call today. Has anyone had the dealer solve this problem for them ? What is the likelihood that the problem might not occur again. I had just completed a long road trip. I could have easily been stranded in the middle of nowhere! Can someone please provide any insights as I am torn now because of what happened. This is my 4th BMW - I believe in the brand but my confidence is going to be seriously tested. Thanks - Farhan

[_dirty_]

Originally Posted by farhanbmw2021

Hi I suffered exactly that problem just a couple of days ago. I have a 2021 X5 45e with only 6000 miles. Came out from a Target and noticed a Drivetrain Malfunction indication saying its safe to drive but with reduced power. While in the parking lot I called the dealer service department and they said bring the car in and told me it was safe to drive. As I was driving, the car kept gasping for breadth and continued to have jerks in power as if fuel was bring cut off. The aircon completed shut off (not cooling at all). Now came the nightmare - after about 15 mins of driving, the car stalled completed as it there was no power to the drivetrain. I was on a two lane business road without a shoulder. After a few seconds the car came to a complete standstill with engine on, transmission in D and no power at all. It was like the aircraft has no engines. By this time, I was just 2000 feet away from the dealer. Scary situation, traffic was dangerously coming fast and breaking when they saw me stranded. Anyway it was a horrifying experience. The dealer came and picked me up - managed the restart the car and take it to the dealership. The car is at the dealer and after three days, they have still not be able to able to come up with a diagnosis. They want to do some more tests to determine what might be the issue. I was in a life threatening situation with a car completely stalled on a busy road. GETSOM3 - your and my situation is exactly the same. Has the dealer come back to you with a response ?? Like someone said above - we don't need a repair, we need an answer to this horrifying episode. I did inform BMW NA about this via a call today. Has anyone had the dealer solve this problem for them ? What is the likelihood that the problem might not occur again. I had just completed a long road trip. I could have easily been stranded in the middle of nowhere! Can someone please provide any insights as I am torn now because of what happened. This is my 4th BMW - I believe in the brand but my confidence is going to be seriously tested. Thanks - Farhan

Originally Posted by GETSOM3

2021 M50i with 493 miles on it. Merged onto the highway and the engine felt like it stalled out, pedal went to the floor and nothing, then the motor revved hard but hardly any acceleration. I'm lucky I didn't get creamed while barely getting off at the next exit.

It completely stalled at the offramp stoplight, turned it back on and limped to a parking lot with drivetrain malfunction error on. Got out and tranny fluid leaking out all over the place. Got it towed to a dealer but won't find out anything until Tuesday.

And to think I traded my M3 CS for this POS. I'll update the thread on the outcome but I'm not happy to say the least

GETSOM3 farhanbmw2021 what came of your situation? This just happened to me today

[Aimster82]

How much did this cost? I know its covered under warranty just curious what the dealer charged if they provided that information. Curious because I plan on keeping my car at the end of the lease rather than buy a new one. A little hesitant having a BMW without warranty for too long.

[goodvibesonly]

This just happened to me during delivery. 2022 M50i. I haven't even driven it off the lot yet. The car has 7 miles on it. When attempting to start the engine, it just sputters and displays a Drive Train Malfunction message.

[Frenetic]

Wow that sucks. At least you didn’t have to get a tow.

[goodvibesonly]

That's one way to look at it.

[Frenetic]

Dealer offer anything considering the proverbial ink isn’t even dry yet?

[goodvibesonly]

They are still attempting to diagnose the issue. Any thoughts on how you would handle a situation like this?

[Frenetic]

Hopefully it’s nothing major.

However, if it is, and repairs will take weeks due to parts, I would ask for another vehicle. The only caveat is that it might take a while to get it, unless they can find a comparable one already built.

Short of that, some type of reimbursement is warranted. If you leased, I would ask for a month payment or something.

[goodvibesonly]

I ended up refusing delivery, which was difficult given that I’d been waiting for this car for three months and had to travel a few hundred miles to Santa Maria to pick it up. For those interested, here’s what happened: After emailing back and forth and waiting several months for this custom order 2022 M50i to be completed, I showed up this morning to complete paperwork and take delivery. Once the business stuff was handled, I had a brief session with the Genius and in this session, we turned the car on and off a few times without issue. The Genius then took the car to fill up on gas, came back and parked it. A few moments later, things wrap up and I get into the car to leave. I tried starting the car, but the engine made some gurgling sounds and immediately died. The display showed the Drivetrain Malfunction message. I tried to start the car a few more times with the same result. Went back into the dealership to report to my SA, who then came out along with a technician to inspect. They couldn’t get the car to start either, and had to corral several employees to physically push this newly built $100k car with 7 miles on it across the parking lot into the service department. It was actually a pretty comical scene.

While I was waiting for the issue to be diagnosed, I was approached by the GM, who I had never met before. He confidently assured me that the problem was “minor” even though it may seem “major” to me. He wanted to give me a loaner and assured me the car would be fixed in a few days and that he would ship the car to me “even though it would cost us money.” That all sounded good to me, but I was primarily interested in learning what the actual issue was. After a bit of back and forth, it was apparent the GM didn’t actually know what the issue was just quite yet, and that the technicians were still figuring it out. At this point, I lost all trust in the dealership since they were making assurances about the condition of the car before they actually knew what exactly was going on.

Here’s the wild part: The GM went so far as to guarantee me that if I took delivery of the car, I could return the car if the issue came up again within 90 days. He expressed a high degree of confidence that his technicians knew what the issue was, and that he would give me his "word" that he would take the car back if the issues persist. I asked him if I could get it in writing and offered to draft the agreement. He agreed and I drafted it, but ultimately when it came time to sign, he backed out. The thing is, I really wanted this car and understand that these things happen and it’s obviously not the dealership’s fault if the factory shipped them a defective car. I probably would have considered taking delivery and waiting for them to fix it had they provided me details of what the actual issue was so that I could make an informed decision on whether to take on that risk. I spent close to $1k just to get up here, and now I’m spending money renting a car to get home - lol.

[mlurker]

goodvibesonly, that sucks...

[nlk10010]

GVO: That indeed does suck, BMW has had issues with some V8 engines going back at least ten years. I had a 2011 550ix that had multiple DTMF errors, including one in the middle of the Queens Midtown Tunnel (just as rush hour was getting started) that had it limping all the way to the end while irate drivers behind me gave me the finger.

Frankly, if you didn't tell us it was a BMW what would we have guessed? An Alfa, maybe. These are the kinds of things you think only happen with OTHER brands.

Can I ask: When you say you "refused" delivery, was there any formal process you went through? In other words, if you left the car there and went home, could they simply call you up when it's fixed and tell you to come pick it up (or deliver it to your door)? Is it still "your car" (i.e. registered to you)?