Shifter slides into neutral "way' too easily . . .

[expidia]

Sure it's fun to shift manually through 8 speeds tool'in around town.

And BMW can give me that standard shifting experience when I want it even though it's an automatic transmission. Still after 8 months of ownership even though it's an SUV, it really is the "Ultimate Driving Machine" for me every time I'm behind the wheel

I do luv this X5, but one minor design pet peeve I have since I bought it last February . . . is that it seems I can just breath on the shift and it slips into neutral (I don't have paddle shifters) I actually like the feeling of the shift in my hand.

Also, when sitting at a light I tend to have my elbow resting on the console and my palm is "lightly" resting on the shift. It sometimes slips quietly into neutral and I don't even know it until I press on the gas and the cars behind me start honking (and they do love to honk at a Bimmer).

When I let other people test out my X5, they always seem to have the same slip into neutral issue when resting their hand on the shift too.

Would anyone else like to see the shift mechanism be a tad stiffer when sliding it into neutral?

Can a dealer adjust the shift tension from drive to neutral?

[alphaod]

The shifter is designed not for hand resting as a light tilt is needed to shift it N. There is no adjustment. It’s just a two stage switch.

[IndyJer]

What it needs is to require the side button to be pressed to put it in neutral. I bumped the shifter once and put it in neutral by accident, and then of course you have to apply the brake to get it back in drive. Annoying...

[hyde]

3 years on E70, 3 years on F15, I never put it in neutral by mistake, and under most conditions, while driving, if I put it in neutral to coast, I did not have to apply brake to put it back into D. I don't know the exact conditions when it requires to apply brake but I believe it's if you put it in N while stopped and then vehicle starts moving, only then you can't just slide it into D. I believe you were referring to stopping at red light so that explains why you have to apply brakes.

Having said all this, expidia I would look into test driving another, if not 2 other X5s and see how their shifters feel. I also rest my palm on shifter, and there is enough resistance to keep it from shifting into N. I drive with my left hand, so my right hand is almost always on shifter. One thing you can do (not a proper workaround) is to slide the shifter into M/S so that if it moves up by mistake, it will just downshift, and not completely stop.

[expidia]

Originally Posted by IndyJer

What it needs is to require the side button to be pressed to put it in neutral. I bumped the shifter once and put it in neutral by accident, and then of course you have to apply the brake to get it back in drive. Annoying...

Exactly. just what I had thought about it in that it needs a button to push, if its going to be that sensitive.

I still like it much better than those circular shift knobs on some cars I rent. At least the X5 still feels a little like my old standard shifting sport car days

[expidia]

Originally Posted by hyde

3 years on E70, 3 years on F15, I never put it in neutral by mistake, and under most conditions, while driving, if I put it in neutral to coast, I did not have to apply brake to put it back into D. I don't know the exact conditions when it requires to apply brake but I believe it's if you put it in N while stopped and then vehicle starts moving, only then you can't just slide it into D. I believe you were referring to stopping at red light so that explains why you have to apply brakes.

Having said all this, expidia I would look into test driving another, if not 2 other X5s and see how their shifters feel. I also rest my palm on shifter, and there is enough resistance to keep it from shifting into N. I drive with my left hand, so my right hand is almost always on shifter. One thing you can do (not a proper workaround) is to slide the shifter into M/S so that if it moves up by mistake, it will just downshift, and not completely stop.

All good points, thx. And it is mostly at a red lights. Funny how flustered one gets when you push the pedal down and hear the engine all of a sudden whirring in neutral and its like you say its awkward in a rush to quickly get it back into gear, brake, shift and horns beeping etc.

Great idea to just shift it to the left as when its in that mode it can't go into neutral no matter how hard your hand is resting on the shift.

I found its crazy design that you have to push it "forward" just to go in reverse. I know to all the long time Bimmer owners its already natural to them. But its still somewhat weird to me after 9 months.

[hyde]

Originally Posted by expidia

I found its crazy design that you have to push it "forward" just to go in reverse. I know to all the long time Bimmer owners its already natural to them. But its still somewhat weird to me after 9 months.

Ah you mean from Park? Yeah, but I think most vehicles do that these days due to electronic shifters.

Yeah, I know the feeling, there were few times I forgot my shifter in Park when I was fiddling with back seat or taking off my jacket etc... And forget to shift back after I am done on a long red light.

[Stev_chu]

Originally Posted by expidia

Sure it's fun to shift manually through 8 speeds tool'in around town.

And BMW can give me that standard shifting experience when I want it even though it's an automatic transmission. Still after 8 months of ownership even though it's an SUV, it really is the "Ultimate Driving Machine" for me every time I'm behind the wheel

I do luv this X5, but one minor design pet peeve I have since I bought it last February . . . is that it seems I can just breath on the shift and it slips into neutral (I don't have paddle shifters) I actually like the feeling of the shift in my hand.

Also, when sitting at a light I tend to have my elbow resting on the console and my palm is "lightly" resting on the shift. It sometimes slips quietly into neutral and I don't even know it until I press on the gas and the cars behind me start honking (and they do love to honk at a Bimmer).

When I let other people test out my X5, they always seem to have the same slip into neutral issue when resting their hand on the shift too.

Would anyone else like to see the shift mechanism be a tad stiffer when sliding it into neutral?

Can a dealer adjust the shift tension from drive to neutral?

Haha it happens to me all the time..but I can?t keep my hand off that shift knob

[hyde]

I tried today, my 24k miles '15 F15 requires a good amount of push to slip into N.
I even tried tapping it, slapping it, nudging it, it won't shift easily. Definitely you should check other X5s.

[Geddy]

My wife has had her 2018 X5 for about a month and this keeps happening to her as well. It is her first BMW and she is used to lightly resting her hand on the shifter. It would be avoided if the button had to be pressed to shift into Neutral. I guess she’ll just have to get used to not putting her hand on the shifter.

[Rotzy]

Mine takes a good bit of movement to get it into neutral. Here is a quick video I took while sitting at a stop light today.

[expidia]

Just another observation since my original post. . .

I've noticed my shifter goes too easily into neutral when I'm resting my hand on it mostly at red lights BUT its the slowing down towards a traffic light when it happens the most.

I've discovered, for me its the inertia of my weight moving forward as I'm braking with my hand resting on the shift and then my hand moves a touch forward and thats all she wrote

Yes, yes, I know if I don't rest my hand on the shifter it of course won't do it, but what can I say, what fun is that? . . . I tend to drive in my "Sterling Moss" position (whose old enough to remember him?).

And as other posters have mentioned, the solution is moving the shift to the left into sport mode when bopping around town, it then can't shift into neutral from my hand around those tight turns

And Ya, it should have been designed to press the side button to go into neutral IMO.

[Rotzy]

Originally Posted by expidia

Just another observation since my original post. . .

I've noticed my shifter goes too easily into neutral when I'm resting my hand on it mostly at red lights BUT its the slowing down towards a traffic light when it happens the most.

I've discovered, for me its the inertia of my weight moving forward as I'm braking with my hand resting on the shift and then my hand moves a touch forward and thats all she wrote

Yes, yes, I know if I don't rest my hand on the shifter it of course won't do it, but what can I say, what fun is that? . . . I tend to drive in my "Sterling Moss" position (whose old enough to remember him?).

And as other posters have mentioned, the solution is moving the shift to the left into sport mode when bopping around town, it then can't shift into neutral from my hand around those tight turns

And Ya, it should have been designed to press the side button to go into neutral IMO.

I really don't think your experience is normal. Mine takes quite a bit of movement to get it into neutral. Check out my video two posts above. I would have the dealer take a look.

[expidia]

Originally Posted by Rotzy

I really don't think your experience is normal. Mine takes quite a bit of movement to get it into neutral. Check out my video two posts above. I would have the dealer take a look.

Well, thats why I originally asked the question to see if it was just my X5, also to ask if the dealership could tension or stiffen it up a little by an adjustment. . . . but it appears several others above have responded that they too have the same issue.
But thanks for your input.

Next time I'm at the dealer, I'll have a salesman let me shift a few of the X5's on their lot for comparison.

[Rotzy]

Originally Posted by expidia

Well, thats why I originally asked the question to see if it was just my X5, but it appears several others above have responded that they too have the same issue.
But thanks for your input.

It seems to be really bothering you (I know it would drive me nuts). I would hope the dealer will make it right. Good luck.

[artem123]

What happens if one presses "P" during the driving? I am sooooo scared it happens, so i physically retrained myself from resting my hand on shifter))))

[Doanster]

Originally Posted by artem123

What happens if one presses "P" during the driving? I am sooooo scared it happens, so i physically retrained myself from resting my hand on shifter))))

Most likely nothing as I'm sure there are software fail-safes in place. Just like tapping the shifter fwd twice into Reverse if you're going 40mph. Car won't be thrown into reverse and destroy your tranny.
Am I going to get prove this for you? He'll no! I'm too afraid.

ps one thing I did confirm to show that the engrs were thinking about many scenarios with the shifter - if you're in manual shift mode and the lever has been moved left, once you are parked and hit the "P" button, the shifter gets physically moved back to the right on its own!