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      10-01-2017, 05:37 PM   #1
mptpa
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Drivetrain Malfunction message

Hi
I had this message pop up several times, and goes away. No performance degradation but wanted to bring to the attention of bmw. Took it to my dealership, and they promptly said it needs to be investigated further as they had no clue and neither did bmw USA. They were told to drop the main battery for diagnosis... nothing...In the meantime, bmw dispatches 2 engineers from Germany to diagnose, and determined some parts needed to be replaced. They got the parts last week and was told that once they o stall, they?ll run some tests to see if it fixed. It has been 3 weeks and no news yet. My dealer?s Manager has been in touch with me, Gabe an 2018 740i. Has this happened to anyone??
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      11-08-2017, 04:41 AM   #2
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Had this on mine in March this year and the car wouldn't move in any mode. Was recovered to the local dealer who told me it needed a 'software' update and two days later it was returned. Broke down again last weekend with similar problem and lost all power with the wife & kids stuck in it. Took 2 hours fro BMW to organise recovery. They have just phoned and said that they have replaced the Exhaust Gas Recirculation unit and that this was the problem the first time but BMW told them they had to use the 'software' line first before replacing. Not all impressed given car is 10 months old and only done 5,000 miles. BMW UK telephoning me today to explain!!
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      11-08-2017, 08:05 AM   #3
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3 years into ownership. I've been lucky without anything malfunctioning.
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      11-30-2017, 09:43 AM   #4
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Happened to me two weeks ago after accelerating a several times from 70/80 to 140+ on a longer drive.
But I could not feel any difference in acceleration.

Message was gone after a stop. Brought it to the dealer who neither found a message nor a mistake.

Message also didn't pop up again.

Software-Burp?
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      12-12-2017, 07:01 PM   #5
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Drivetrain Malfunction

2016 i8 with 10,000 miles. Second time over the past month: As I reverse out of my garage and place it in drive, the engine "putters" with a "drivetrain malfunction" warning to immediately call for service. I turned off the car last week, then started a few minutes later without any problem. last night, however, the same problem left the car in Neutral. Could not start, shift, or move at all. Left it stranded in my driveway and took my other car. 3 hours later, it started and ran without issues. I called the local BMW dealer service, and was told to bring it in for diagnostics. I must say that I have lost trust in this car, and will unlikely purchase it at the end of my short lease. So far, I am not impressed with what I read here concerning similar issues, and now doubt I will get a solid answer after diagnostics. Any others with comments would help.
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      12-12-2017, 10:24 PM   #6
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I had that happen while driving - making a right turn. All power was gone, similar message, electricity was still on. I hit the start button 2 or 3 times to reboot and it fired right up and kept going. Never happened again. I just chalked it up a piece of code that hadn't been written properly and only happens under a relatively unique set of circumstances.

Thinking about it though, the car did throw a CEL 1500 miles and many months later that required a new sub harness near the battery tunnel and a system update and IIRC there was a TSB on it. I don't know if the two were related, but the car runs fine.
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      07-16-2018, 08:57 PM   #7
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Please Help

can someone help me.

the car has now 45K and it is a 2013 535i.
this massage came on about 2 months ago while driving and i turn off the car and it went away until this weekend.

I went on a long drive of about 400 miles and it was fine. then returning from my trip of about 350 miles while driving halfway on the trip the drivetrain malfunction message come on.
i was able to drive home i didnt feel any lose of power etc. I got home and parked the car until 24hrs later to drive it to work. could it be that i need new spark plugs or something. or is there a way of finding out what is the problem before taking it to the dealer. I am afraid of the repair bill, or can my extended warranty cover this issue.

As i am driving to work as soon as i got on the highway the message came on again. I will like to know what could be.
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      07-17-2018, 08:29 AM   #8
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Not sure if this is relevant, but I'll toss it out here anyway...

I had a similar event a couple of years ago on my M6. I just pulled it out of winter storage and was heading out for a short drive. Stopped to top up the tank and immediately got a "Drivetrain Malfunction" when I started her up. Car seemed to be running well enough, and my dealer was close, so I drove her in without ever turning her off. (Cause I didn't know if she would restart)

Once I got to the dealer we shut her off and restarted. The message was gone. They pulled some codes and basically told me it was some sort of an ignition misfire. Likely water or something in the gas. Whether it was the "old" gas in the tank, condensation from storage, or something from the pump, I do not know.

In any case it was transient and not related to any type of mechanical failure. Never saw the issue again...
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      01-28-2019, 12:06 PM   #9
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I had the same message pop up when I trying to accelerate on the high way. The car run fine after I restared it.

Took it to my mechanic and after being in the shop for 4 days it came back as an issue with the high fuel pump.

This problem can be caused by a number of issues. If anyone still has this problem this article https://www.youcanic.com/guide/bmw-d...rately-problem

does a good job of describing the possible causes.
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      10-21-2023, 02:00 PM   #10
bringmichwerkstatt
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Hello, what was the problem in the end?










Quote:
Originally Posted by mptpa View Post
Hi
I had this message pop up several times, and goes away. No performance degradation but wanted to bring to the attention of bmw. Took it to my dealership, and they promptly said it needs to be investigated further as they had no clue and neither did bmw USA. They were told to drop the main battery for diagnosis... nothing...In the meantime, bmw dispatches 2 engineers from Germany to diagnose, and determined some parts needed to be replaced. They got the parts last week and was told that once they o stall, they?ll run some tests to see if it fixed. It has been 3 weeks and no news yet. My dealer?s Manager has been in touch with me, Gabe an 2018 740i. Has this happened to anyone??
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      10-21-2023, 02:01 PM   #11
bringmichwerkstatt
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Hello, what was the problem in the end?
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      01-02-2024, 11:38 PM   #12
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Yes guys can you all plz update what helped you fix the problem? I'm having similar and more issues now.
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