Drivetrain error - 50i

[HMN]

Hey guys,
I was speaking to my cousin today and he mentioned to me a problem that he faced with his X5.

The car started shaking while he was driving normally and it suddenly started vibrating and the rpm meter was shaking too.

He got a drivetrain warning message and when the dealer got back to him they mentioned that they contacted the mechanical center in Munich and they told them to run some program and software tests in addition to testing the engine, but all in all they were not clear about what the problem was.

This got me worried and wanted to share it with you guys since I have the exact same car and i've had my share of problems with it to date with changing the fuel pumps after just 7k and engine/ignition coil problems.

Any of you guys have experience in regards to this issue?

Attached is the warning message and the car being towed away since it could not be driven.

[ingenieur]

This could be many things.

Was is still happening after shutting it off and restarting?

Ask the dealer for the BMW fault codes and post them.

[MtgMaster]

He might have jumped the gun calling for roadside assistance. It happened to me after having the car maybe 3 months. I shut down and restarted twice and after that was fine. Never came back and have had the car over a year now since.

[wwanthony]

I had this problem on my 2012 550i after about 15,000+. They replaced a bank of fuel injectors. It started to begin to happen again right before I turned it in for my F15. I could stop and turn the engine off a couple of times and it would go away for a while.

[buckeyewalt]

Funny this came up because I have had this issue (without the warning) ever since I got my car. Never did mention it to the dealer because nothing popped up as an error.

My symptoms are, driving in top gear about 30-45 mph and when I lift my foot off the gas or gently apply gas the car shakes like it's on the rumble strips until I give it more gas or take my foot off the gas. I notice that the tach is about 1100-1300 rpm's. I cannot low speed drive in top gear without this happening.

Anyone else have this issue??

[HMN]

Originally Posted by ingenieur

This could be many things.

Was is still happening after shutting it off and restarting?

Ask the dealer for the BMW fault codes and post them.

I'll double check with them and get back to you on that.

The thing is the car didn't start up when it was shut off, hence the roadside assistance.

[HMN]

Originally Posted by MtgMaster

He might have jumped the gun calling for roadside assistance. It happened to me after having the car maybe 3 months. I shut down and restarted twice and after that was fine. Never came back and have had the car over a year now since.

The car wouldn't turn on after it was shut off that's why he called for roadside assistance. Apparently they said that there might have been a fault in the process from within the engine ( I don't know what that means but i'm guessing that the engine was at fault but nothing major).

[HMN]

Originally Posted by wwanthony

I had this problem on my 2012 550i after about 15,000+. They replaced a bank of fuel injectors. It started to begin to happen again right before I turned it in for my F15. I could stop and turn the engine off a couple of times and it would go away for a while.

I've had my share of changing fuel injectors/pumps but thankfully this problem with the drivetrain never happened to mine. I'm surprised it happened to him though since until this issue his car was perfectly fine.

[HMN]

Originally Posted by buckeyewalt

Funny this came up because I have had this issue (without the warning) ever since I got my car. Never did mention it to the dealer because nothing popped up as an error.

My symptoms are, driving in top gear about 30-45 mph and when I lift my foot off the gas or gently apply gas the car shakes like it's on the rumble strips until I give it more gas or take my foot off the gas. I notice that the tach is about 1100-1300 rpm's. I cannot low speed drive in top gear without this happening.

Anyone else have this issue??

This is probably an engine or ignition coil problem and it needs to be replaced. This happens when the turbo isn't being transferred to the engine properly. It may also be to do with the way you press the pedal. According to BMW, you must drive the car and press the pedal in a certain way or else there will be faults. I find it unusual but from experience they do focus on this kind of thing.

[buckeyewalt]

Originally Posted by Hamad Nasser

This is probably an engine or ignition coil problem and it needs to be replaced. This happens when the turbo isn't being transferred to the engine properly. It may also be to do with the way you press the pedal. According to BMW, you must drive the car and press the pedal in a certain way or else there will be faults. I find it unusual but from experience they do focus on this kind of thing.

I guess the best thing to do is to take it to the dealer (ugh).
The script after leaving it a day:

" Sorry we couldn't find anything wrong because no codes came up and BMW won't let us do anything to the engine unless there is a code"

[wwanthony]

Originally Posted by Hamad Nasser

I've had my share of changing fuel injectors/pumps but thankfully this problem with the drivetrain never happened to mine. I'm surprised it happened to him though since until this issue his car was perfectly fine.

First time for me. Same drive chain message, rough idle etc....

My 2012 550i M Sport had no other issues at all...

[HMN]

Originally Posted by buckeyewalt

I guess the best thing to do is to take it to the dealer (ugh).
The script after leaving it a day:

" Sorry we couldn't find anything wrong because no codes came up and BMW won't let us do anything to the engine unless there is a code"

The problem is that there are a lot of problems that may need to be addressed without a code. When my problem arose I had no warning message. I just told the service manager what I felt and he sent a driver with my for a test drive and that is when they acknowledged my problem. Maybe you could do the same?

[HMN]

Originally Posted by wwanthony

First time for me. Same drive chain message, rough idle etc....

My 2012 550i M Sport had no other issues at all...

From what i can see is that you have the 15MY, which should be better than the one I have since it is the second batch instead of the first batch for me. You would think that they would acknowledge the problems from collecting data from the 14MY but..

[wwanthony]

Originally Posted by Hamad Nasser

From what i can see is that you have the 15MY, which should be better than the one I have since it is the second batch instead of the first batch for me. You would think that they would acknowledge the problems from collecting data from the 14MY but..

Actually, forgive my for not being clear. It was my 2012 550i M Sport that had the problem (and no others). My 2015 F15 has been flawless thus far, but I have only had it since 3/1.

If I had to guess the issue with my retired 550i is similar to what you are seeing and BMW still has not resolved the problem.

[buckeyewalt]

Originally Posted by Hamad Nasser

The problem is that there are a lot of problems that may need to be addressed without a code. When my problem arose I had no warning message. I just told the service manager what I felt and he sent a driver with my for a test drive and that is when they acknowledged my problem. Maybe you could do the same?

Oh no doubt I'm going to go that route, but I'm just speculating the excuses they will have.

Love the truck, but for the amount you pay, there really shouldn't be any issues in getting something fixed. So far my dealer has been good except for the tires (worn out after 7 months rears only, wife driving mostly) BMW declined to do anything. This will be my last set of RFT.

Now on to the shaking issues.....

[HMN]

Originally Posted by wwanthony

Actually, forgive my for not being clear. It was my 2012 550i M Sport that had the problem (and no others). My 2015 F15 has been flawless thus far, but I have only had it since 3/1.

If I had to guess the issue with my retired 550i is similar to what you are seeing and BMW still has not resolved the problem.

After 6 years with the current engine I would expect BMW to fix the bugs but...

[HMN]

Originally Posted by buckeyewalt

Oh no doubt I'm going to go that route, but I'm just speculating the excuses they will have.

Love the truck, but for the amount you pay, there really shouldn't be any issues in getting something fixed. So far my dealer has been good except for the tires (worn out after 7 months rears only, wife driving mostly) BMW declined to do anything. This will be my last set of RFT.

Now on to the shaking issues.....

7 months? It sounds unnatural. Maybe there were issues with the tires themselves initially, because i've had run flat in my previous E71 X6 and over a span of 5 years i've only changed them once. I've had my F15 for 11 months now and the tires seem to be fine but I do feel that I might be needing to change them soon.
Unfortunately you're on your own when it comes to the tires because BMW will never change them on their expense.

[X5Jouster]

Originally Posted by Hamad Nasser

.

Please ask what driving mode he was in. Sport? Comfort? Eco?

If it was eco, it might have something to do with the coast function of the tranny....

Cant believe no one has wanted to know this yet//???

[emaratee]

Ok ... Read this thread some weeks ago...


So today this happened to me :

- I was doing somewhere around 40-60 Khm.
- Car in Comfort Mode
- Pushed the gas paddle lightly to increase speed

The engine started to "Hesitate" - for lack of better word -

- Eased back on the throttle and then back again on it it was fine !!!


completed my journey without any issue ... so what could be the problem ??


-----------

2015 X5 50i
with 9k on the dial
No error msg

[Trek4884]

After filling my tank with premium from a gas station I've never been to and only 2 miles down the road, my 2015 X5 engine seemed like it was going to stall for a second then immediately the "Drivetrain Malfunction" warning came on. I was literally only going 1mph at the time. I was at the meter lights on ramp during HEAVY rush hours traffic. I thinking/hoping it's bad gas.

[Rotzy]

Originally Posted by Trek4884

After filling my tank with premium from a gas station I've never been to and only 2 miles down the road, my 2015 X5 engine seemed like it was going to stall for a second then immediately the "Drivetrain Malfunction" warning came on. I was literally only going 1mph at the time. I was at the meter lights on ramp during HEAVY rush hours traffic. I thinking/hoping it's bad gas.

Hi there, and welcome to the forums.

The "Drivetrain Malfunction" is a catch-all notification for a litany of engine and/or transmission issues. From what you mentioned above, bad gas would seem to be the likely culprit. However, the only way to know for sure is to have the codes read. This can be done:

1. For free at a local auto parts store.
2. By using any one of a number of OBD scan tools such as this one.
3. By using an ENET cable (like this one from r33_RGSport) along with Tuning/Coding software on your computer (if you have tuned or coded your vehicle).
4. By taking it to the dealer or other auto repair shop for diagnosis.

Report back with the codes and we can better help you.