[Superare]

First post and question here. I just recently got an error message Drivetrain Malfunction and could only drive the car on limited power. i woke up this morning the error message is no longer showing up but the engine light is still on. i felt no vibrations until this morning but i can drive it at regular power. My question is this the start of major problems and should look to get rid of the car or is this something that can be fixed once. My warranty is up in 2000 miles and i dont want to be on the hook for tons of money fixing it over and over

[absolut257]

Please keep us updated on what the dealer finds the problem to be and the repair action. All the best.

Mods: Suggest moving this to the Maintenance section.

[M2joey]

Originally Posted by Superare

First post and question here. I just recently got an error message Drivetrain Malfunction and could only drive the car on limited power. i woke up this morning the error message is no longer showing up but the engine light is still on. i felt no vibrations until this morning but i can drive it at regular power. My question is this the start of major problems and should look to get rid of the car or is this something that can be fixed once. My warranty is up in 2000 miles and i dont want to be on the hook for tons of money fixing it over and over

In most cases, this is triggered by low fuel level. After restarting the engine, everything should be back to normal. Although, this can be related to something else as well.

[Gdwheel]

Mine (X5 m50i) does this periodically. I took it in and they replaced a relay in the accelerator. It did not stop the problem. It happens once every two weeks or so at about the same time of day in stop and go traffic. it throws about 5 different messages and goes into limp mode. I turn off the X5, turn it back on and all is fine. Annoying, but I do not want to take it in again. Last time they had it for 10 days.

[atlas]

That error message could be anything, possibly as simple as a faulty sensor or something more complex. See what the dealer says.

[Gdwheel]

I took mine into the dealer again. It coded as I was driving by the dealer and I stopped to show them the 7 codes it threw and that it was again in limp mode. They think it is the accelerator again, but they are talking with the BWM engineers and gave me a loaner to drive. Hopefully, they will get it fixed.

[Mistyneina]

So I recent got that malfunction and the it turns out my whole transmission has to be replaced. Its currently in the shop waiting for the parts to be delivered.

[leightos]

I've posted on a number of threads in the General section. I too had a drivetrain malfunction with a Power Supply red error. The car has been in the shop almost 4 weeks awaiting parts. This is a 2021 X5 45e with 16k miles.

I've told BMWNA I want a new car replacement or buyback.

[Brian S]

Originally Posted by leightos

I've posted on a number of threads in the General section. I too had a drivetrain malfunction with a Power Supply red error. The car has been in the shop almost 4 weeks awaiting parts. This is a 2021 X5 45e with 16k miles.

I've told BMWNA I want a new car replacement or buyback.

Leightos - curious BMW's response to your replacement car request? Or anyone else for that matter. Probably assigned to a case manager and is still under review.

My '22 X5 45e (received in 4/22 and has 2,700 miles) is in the shop going on 3 weeks and will in for another 4 weeks awaiting another module for the high voltage system. Already ordered a high voltage accumulator wiring harness and control unit. Plus, I quote "100 other small parts, nuts and bolts." Now the need to order another part that is 30 days out. I believe the value of the car has been diminished.

[arRod1981]

Originally Posted by Brian S

Leightos - curious BMW's response to your replacement car request? Or anyone else for that matter. Probably assigned to a case manager and is still under review.

My '22 X5 45e (received in 4/22 and has 2,700 miles) is in the shop going on 3 weeks and will in for another 4 weeks awaiting another module for the high voltage system. Already ordered a high voltage accumulator wiring harness and control unit. Plus, I quote "100 other small parts, nuts and bolts." Now the need to order another part that is 30 days out. I believe the value of the car has been diminished.

Why do you feel the value of the car has diminished?

[Brian S]

Originally Posted by arRod1981

Why do you feel the value of the car has diminished?

Wouldn't this major repair show up on a future Carfax report a buyer would run when I sell the car? Personally, I would think twice before buying a car that had this type of warranty work so early in it's life.

Maybe I am reaching here. I am hearing that BMW might waive my monthly car payment while the car remains in the shop.

[Blueboxer]

It takes a certain amount of repairs or repeated repairs within a certain timeframe in order to trigger the lemon law, I would be very surprised if BMW offered to buy back a vehicle this early in it's life without a sustained pattern of defects. Other than complete drivetrain replacement or body damage, vehicles values rarely suffer from warranty repairs.

[leightos]

Originally Posted by Brian S

Leightos - curious BMW's response to your replacement car request? Or anyone else for that matter. Probably assigned to a case manager and is still under review.

My '22 X5 45e (received in 4/22 and has 2,700 miles) is in the shop going on 3 weeks and will in for another 4 weeks awaiting another module for the high voltage system. Already ordered a high voltage accumulator wiring harness and control unit. Plus, I quote "100 other small parts, nuts and bolts." Now the need to order another part that is 30 days out. I believe the value of the car has been diminished.

hi Brian
you'll have to see my replies here and the other threads. Please call BMWNA and tell them you demand a replacement (if that's what you want, you can request a buyback or repurchase). Then do a search and call an attorney in CA for lemon law guidance... there are many.

I don't want to be rude but I can't agree w/ our colleague Blueboxer. The CA lemon laws clearly say that 30 days in the shop (total, not necessarily in-a-row) qualifies as a lemon car. Remember, work w/ BMWNA, don't threaten lawyers or lemon laws and I think you'll get a good response.
However, for me, my car has been the shop this time almost 5 weeks (50 days total for all repairs) and I'm still working w/ BMWNA, so as soon as I hear anything new I'll let you know.

Oh, and yes the CARFAX report will have (or should have) this repair info in the report. At the very least, ALL BMW dealers will have this info, and these repairs will reduce your trade-in value. This is why it's critical you work w/ BMWNA to push through a deal to get rid of your car. Get a lawyer to advise you as I'm not an expert. Get a professional legal opinion please.
cheers

[Blueboxer]

You have to read the fine details of the 30 day portion, it has to be based on what is deemed reasonable and that the owner didn’t agree to the time period. Read the quote/repair order you signed when you dropped off the car to ensure that isn’t covered. Also, with supply chain issues, a reasonable time might legally be more than we would assume.

Also, BMWNA has been almost useless for a lot of us over the recent years. They went from typically supporting the customer/owners to almost always siding with the dealerships. Good luck either way.

[leightos]

all good input, thank you. I'll announce my offer sometime next week. I wish more people would chime in with their repurchase/replace experiences.

[zzang2gee]

I just had this issue and it's currently in BMW service center. They haven't reach out back to me yet. mines 2022 X5 i40, 8,400 mileage and only 9 Months old.
I also had STOP red warning sign and to tow my car to the service center. Reverse doesn't work, Drive mode doesn't work, only thing it works is... Neutral. It's been at the shop 2 days now, still waiting for them to get back to me. This is so annoying...

[leightos]

Originally Posted by leightos

all good input, thank you. I'll announce my offer sometime next week. I wish more people would chime in with their repurchase/replace experiences.

to update my status of my DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION error:
Last week, after 5 weeks of waiting for parts from Germany, new parts were installed and on the test-drive around the block the car gave up the same errors. So back to square one. More parts on order from Germany, and now, 56 days later, I'm still without my car - and I'll probably never drive that car again.

But the good news is BMWNA has been helpful and will repurchase my car as soon as we come to an agreement.

For zzang2gee I would very strongly recommend you call the main BMW Customer service line and ask them to open a case (tell them you're worried this will take a long to fix and you want to speak to an Executive Level Representative). They will follow along with the service of your car and provide input where needed. Let's hope your malfunction isn't as bad as mine, but if it is you need to get started to protect yourself. I called right away when my car went in the shop because I feared mine would take a long time, and I knew most fixes which require ordering from Germany takes weeks to get parts.
Good luck, keep us posted

[zzang2gee]

Originally Posted by leightos

to update my status of my DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION error:


For zzang2gee I would very strongly recommend you call the main BMW Customer service line and ask them to open a case (tell them you're worried this will take a long to fix and you want to speak to an Executive Level Representative). They will follow along with the service of your car and provide input where needed. Let's hope your malfunction isn't as bad as mine, but if it is you need to get started to protect yourself. I called right away when my car went in the shop because I feared mine would take a long time, and I knew most fixes which require ordering from Germany takes weeks to get parts.
Good luck, keep us posted

Thank you for your suggestion. Yes I did go directly to the Service BDC Manager... Not sure what BDC is but he seemed to be in high position.
Today is 3rd day and no words from them. My BMW APP still shows Drivetrain Malfunction error message so... I am guessing they either didn't even start or still figuring out what is going on. Will keep updated.

[Blueboxer]

Kudos to Leightos for getting BMWNA to be so responsive, this gives me hope that they are back to being more customer focused instead of dealer focused. Best of luck to all of you with the dreaded drivetrain malfunction. It can be as simple as low fuel pressure, a bad sensor, or complete failure.

[leightos]

Originally Posted by zzang2gee

Thank you for your suggestion. Yes I did go directly to the Service BDC Manager... Not sure what BDC is but he seemed to be in high position.
Today is 3rd day and no words from them. My BMW APP still shows Drivetrain Malfunction error message so... I am guessing they either didn't even start or still figuring out what is going on. Will keep updated.

my suggestion is to call the national BMWNA Customer service line and open a case. Trust me, if this drags out, you'll be happy you did. If yours is like mine, this will take weeks (or months like me). I hope you get your car much sooner, as it may be a simple sensor as Blue says above. But I've been without my car 57 days as of today. I knew right away mine was serious - you should do the same.

[zzang2gee]

Originally Posted by leightos

my suggestion is to call the national BMWNA Customer service line and open a case. Trust me, if this drags out, you'll be happy you did. If yours is like mine, this will take weeks (or months like me). I hope you get your car much sooner, as it may be a simple sensor as Blue says above. But I've been without my car 57 days as of today. I knew right away mine was serious - you should do the same.

Will do, thank you very much. It turns out, they didn't even take a look at my car yet, they are still catching up with their own appointments. I'll look into BMWNA CS line.

[Brian S]

Originally Posted by leightos

all good input, thank you. I'll announce my offer sometime next week. I wish more people would chime in with their repurchase/replace experiences.

I just heard from BMWNA today. They will repurchase my '22 X5 45e due to the battery issues and long delay in repairs. Curious what they will deduct for "the amount directly attributable to the use of the vehicle". Overall I found BMWNA to be fair and quick in their response, which was faster than the mentioned 20-25 biz days.

Now I just need to order my '23 version and take delivery before 12/31 in order to get the $7.5k fed tax credit. My dealer will not take a non-refundable deposit.