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      07-24-2018, 09:39 PM   #1
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Brakes failed!!

Today I'm driving, luckily very slow and an error warning flashed saying break failure and I had to stand on the breaks to stop from 5 mph. I'm so thankful I wasn't going fast or I probably wouldn't be here to type this friends. Absolutely insane! What should I do? Year left on the lease, do I demand they take the car back? Do I have grounds to even do this?
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      07-25-2018, 12:24 AM   #2
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😮 Glad you were able to pull up but I can imagine the thoughts that are running through your head. Sounds like a loss of servo pressure which could happen to any car although I have never heard of this on a modern BMW or perhaps loss of regenerative braking function which would be less severe.

Wait it out with the dealer pulling the codes and keep us informed. I am sure BMW HQ would be interested in this case and the diagnostics so perhaps contact them directly in parallel to your dealer.
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      07-25-2018, 12:34 AM   #3
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First off- I'm glad you're ok.

As stated above/ this seems to be a unique situation. The fact that it happened once would be more than enough for me to scream all holy hell to lemon the car- but every state has its own set of lemon laws. I can not imagine them turning this down- considering this could have potentially been life threatening. Keep us posted with what happens.
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      07-25-2018, 03:01 AM   #4
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Crazy idea but how about getting the dealer to fix it?
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      07-25-2018, 04:01 AM   #5
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The dealer will be all over this like a cheap suit - especially in the US where safety/recalls and lawsuits are far more common than most of the world.

They will be very keen to see if this is a simple thing or more deeply part of the regen systems - the implications are massive costs on all of the 'e-drive' range.

It could be something simple but let the dealer investigate, in the meantime I would make noise if they are not looking after you with a very good loaner and regular phone calls on progress.
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      07-25-2018, 08:06 AM   #6
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Update, talked to dealer, they told me to call BMW Roadside assistance bc they don't have a tow truck available. I'm sure I'm in for quite a ride on this one.
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      07-25-2018, 08:45 AM   #7
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yikes, that was scary. glad u r ok. please let us know how this turns out
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      07-25-2018, 08:47 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jo-Sta07 View Post
Update, talked to dealer, they told me to call BMW Roadside assistance bc they don't have a tow truck available. I'm sure I'm in for quite a ride on this one.
If the error message is still visible take a picture of it. Have you tired driving again for a couple of feet and brake, does it still not brake at all? Take a video maybe?

Keep us posted, I would document everything starting with the roadside assistance "assessment". I have a 2014 and have not heard of this situation from anybody else.

Glad that you were not in a much more life threatening situation, thankfully!
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      07-25-2018, 09:02 AM   #9
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Here is the warning from inside the car. Brake pedal completely stiff, very little travel. Definitely would not stop from more than a couple mph. Also the parking brake light is on and will not turn off.
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      07-25-2018, 01:00 PM   #10
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On the way to the dealer, we'll see what they say.
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      07-25-2018, 02:59 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jo-Sta07 View Post
Here is the warning from inside the car. Brake pedal completely stiff, very little travel. Definitely would not stop from more than a couple mph. Also the parking brake light is on and will not turn off.
That message would suggest servo assistance problems or regen problems (as a few have already said)
Not sure how that tallies with a stiff pedal though, I would have expected the opposite?
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      07-25-2018, 04:44 PM   #12
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That is staggering. You would expect with servo failure that using high force on the brakes would stop the car.


Perhaps a complete brake fluid leak?

Did you try the handbrake? That would work.
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      07-26-2018, 05:24 PM   #13
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Dealer is saying vacuum pump? I said we need to figure out why it failed most importantly rather than just replace it and hope it doesn't happen again. Any other things I should suggest to them?
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      07-27-2018, 07:05 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jo-Sta07 View Post
Dealer is saying vacuum pump? I said we need to figure out why it failed most importantly rather than just replace it and hope it doesn't happen again. Any other things I should suggest to them?
Vaccuum pump makes sense, so you were getting no servo assist, the brakes would still work but you'd have to stand on them mighty hard! Sometimes parts do just fail, but it would be interesting to know what exactly has failed on the pump.
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      07-27-2018, 11:44 AM   #15
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If only the servo failed, then the brakes would in fact work - but just require significant additional force.


The OP suggested the brakes just didn't work at all and barely stopped the car from 5mph with huge pedal force - or am I misunderstanding?
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      07-27-2018, 11:49 AM   #16
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The brakes did work. I was just caught off guard by how little they worked even with massive force. I had never experienced anything like that before. The pedal felt spongy and lumpy with no discernible stopping force, then with the pedal all the way to the floor the car would stop with abruptly. But this was only tried at less than 10 mph. Loosing the progressive feel of the brake pedal was what really scared me.
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      07-27-2018, 11:57 AM   #17
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Definitely sounds like servo failure then.

Very likely nothing more than bad luck & a random failure. It can happen.

Lucky it was at v slow speed

Don't let it worry you about the i8.
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      07-27-2018, 12:28 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jo-Sta07 View Post
Today I'm driving, luckily very slow and an error warning flashed saying break failure and I had to stand on the breaks to stop from 5 mph. I'm so thankful I wasn't going fast or I probably wouldn't be here to type this friends. Absolutely insane! What should I do? Year left on the lease, do I demand they take the car back? Do I have grounds to even do this?

First of all I woul like to thank you for the great follow up on the brake issue you had with your i8. It appears to me that you have had a failure of a component related to the power assist of the cars brakes.

Why would you want to return the car to the dealer and terminate your lease? Have you had this issue before? Was the dealer unable to fix the problem after many attempts?
Have you had many other issues with your i8 that would make it a lemon?
Just curious.

Last edited by Coastali8; 07-27-2018 at 03:05 PM..
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      07-27-2018, 12:34 PM   #19
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I don't think the car is a lemon. Upon the occurrence of the issue I was quite concerned especially with the thought that if I had been driving at a decent pace (as I sometimes do in the i8) and the brakes failed I could have had a terrible accident. My initial thought was no damn way am I going to take that risk hence the portion of the post related to getting out of the lease. Maybe an overreaction.
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      07-27-2018, 01:26 PM   #20
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I’d always assumed there was no direct hydraulic connection between the brake pedal and the brakes. I assumed the first few cm of pedal movement step up the electrical regen on the front wheels and only the last portion actually activate the calipers? (And servo) Must be wrong?
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      07-27-2018, 03:58 PM   #21
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A brake failure of any kind is a confidence ruining experience. You have described peddle sensations from completely stiff to spongy to lumpy and right to the floor. The ABS system has the ability to shut you out of the braking process entirely or conversely to apply the brakes with full force. This happens through a set of dump valves for releasing brake pressure and another set of valves that release pressure from an accumulator to apply the brakes. This all happens very rapidly and is at the command of the ABS controller which also handles the sharing of the regenerative braking, proportioning, active stability control, etc. The dash warning seems a bit understated for your experience but it is meant for the driver, not the brake specialist that will read the codes from the brake system controller to help diagnose the failure. Modern ABS, for all the great safety that it intended to bring us, can in fact cause or have a complete failure. After all it has to have the capability to release the brakes to prevent lock-up. I'm sure BMW wants the answer to this as much as you do. Even the slightest fluid contamination from the factory can work its way through the system as the calipers retain more and more fluid- finding it is the trick! I always filter and magnet search any fluid I flush from a system looking for signs of rubber or metal.
One rookie mistake I have seen is not drawing fluid through the caliper while changing pads- this pushes fluid back through the system. Even if the system has been flushed- back flow is asking for trouble.I hope you will complete this thread with the answer.
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      09-27-2018, 04:53 PM   #22
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On a slightly different topic, if my brake failed should i put my gear to park and turn off the engine at a time of emergency?
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