DSC and xDrive Malfunction

[Rboosted717]

While driving down the highway the car jerked suddenly and the following malfunction lights came on:
"Chassis stabilization malfunction"
"DSC and xDrive malfunction" - Chassis stabilization and traction reduced. Drive moderately. Have the system checked by the nearest BMW center.
"DBC malfunction! Drive carefully"

After the warning lights came on, the car of course drove in limp mode until I got home (thankfully 1mile away). After parking the truck and restarting the error lights went away and oddly drives normally as if nothing happened.

Has anyone had this problem? I searched around a found several pre-2010 5-series owners having this issue with the cause being a faulty steering position sensor.

I have a 2010 X5M w/11k miles and it hash't been serviced/been to a dealership since the purchase last Nov.

Aside from this error, I did get the "power reduced error" once after hitting the rev limiter in 1st which went away after restarting.
Also on a few occasions, normally on my way home in traffic, I've noticed the engine would sometimes emit a large amount of white smoke after some stop and go traffic, or when up-shifting under light/moderate load. I've asked ESS and they never heard of this issue.

The truck has Akrapovic downpipes, SS catless downpipes, ESS reflash and K&N filters. I'm debating bring it in to the dealership, however I'm hesitant given the downpipes and reflash (very noticible). Any ideas?

[xDrive35i]

My X3 did this back in February. They needed to replace the transfer case.

[Rboosted717]

Its been about a month and a ~1000 miles worth of driving and I haven't had the issue reoccur. Since I'm due for my 1-year service and the upcoming water pump recall I'll have the dealership check the system, however I'll probably remove the downpipes and software first (leaving the exhaust on). Does anyone know if flashing back to the factory software will reset the trouble code memory?

[northern2020]

Originally Posted by Rboosted717

Its been about a month and a ~1000 miles worth of driving and I haven't had the issue reoccur. Since I'm due for my 1-year service and the upcoming water pump recall I'll have the dealership check the system, however I'll probably remove the downpipes and software first (leaving the exhaust on). Does anyone know if flashing back to the factory software will reset the trouble code memory?

Sorry to derail the thread...

How do you like the Downpipes, and did you install them after the Akra or at the same time?

[Rboosted717]

Originally Posted by northern2020

Sorry to derail the thread...

How do you like the Downpipes, and did you install them after the Akra or at the same time?

I installed the downpipes about a month after I installed the Akrapovic exhaust, and installed the software about a month before I installed the exhaust.

I felt the biggest performance impact from the downpipes and downpipe reflash.

ESS 91 octane software only: The truck felt much stronger off the line and in the mid-rpm range. The upper rpm range felt similar to stock. The shifts were also slightly better. Spending roughly 2k is worth it.

ESS 91 octane Software + Akrapovic exhaust: The truck felt exactly the same, no noticeable improvement in performance. The cold start was slightly louder, and while driving, the truck had a slightly louder sound though it’s almost indistinguishable from inside. The shifts did have a slightly better pop, and the truck did feel slightly more nimble from the decent weight reduction. Personally I wouldn't pay 6k for this exhaust and expect a noticeable performance impact or significant change in sound (from inside the truck). If you look at the stock exhaust you’ll understand why its not much of a restriction.

ESS 91octane downpipe software + Akrapovic exhaust + SS downpipes: The truck felt MUCH stronger and MUCH louder. The difference is stunning. The entire rpm range feels significantly stronger and the response after shifting seems much quicker, probably due to the decrease in backpressure. On cold start the truck is VERY loud. So loud that it will sound as if a race car started (and this is coming from someone who drag races 1200hp turbocharged cars). Spending 2k on downpipes is stupid, though the difference (with software) is great. A cost effective solution is only doing software and catless downpipes, though some said the exhaust sounds strange. Depending on what downpipes you get, I bet you can do software and downpipes for under 3k. Much better than the 10k setup I have, and will have similar performance to what I got, and while retaining the stock look.
In normal mode and under normal throttle conditions the truck is louder than stock and emits a faint turbo whistle in the lower rpms. On occasion I do get some slight turbo surging (typically from heat soak after being in traffic) and mild on/off throttle hesitation, typical on factory turbo cars with similar mods. Only under full throttle (when the exhaust valves open) does the truck get very loud. Also the manual shifting in normal mode feels very sluggish and actually makes a louder and longer burble sound when shifting.

In sport mode (exhaust valves always open) the truck feels very responsive and the shifting is crisp. Manual mode feels great and has a great quick pop sound. You'll also notice a stronger smell of gas/exhaust fumes in this mode as a result of the outer exhaust tips bypassing the muffler.

In M-mode (all vehicle settings set to max performance): the truck feels great. Very responsive, quick shifts, great exhaust notes, VERY loud, and very twitchy in traffic.

General Downsides:
- You will get a strong smell of gas/exhaust fumes while driving in traffic, sitting at stop lights or during cold start or after a quick pull through the gears. I've actually had a few people pull next to me and complain while in traffic (though it’s the SF Bay Area, CA so I'm surprised).
- From time to time I do get traces of detonation during partial throttle in lower rpms (exhaust is too loud to hear it in the upper rpm range).
- On a few occasions I've noticed the truck emit plumes of white smoke (smells like oil) during normal acceleration/shifting after slowing down in the highway. No idea why this happens or why it rarely happens and it’s not repeatable.
- I did have one engine malfunction error after hitting the rpm limiter in first gear under full throttle. After restarting the error went away and I've never had it happen in the past 5,000 miles).
- I had the error described in this thread, however I've been unable to neither replicate it, nor do I know the cause. Unfortunately I'll need to remove the downpipes and reflash back to stock (leaving the exhaust) to avoid dealership issues.
- The downpipe install is not fun. I did it myself (very experienced and have the correct tools) which took 2.5hrs. A normal user would have great difficulty doing this. Most shops would charge a ~5-8hrs for this job (350-1000 in labor depending on the rate)

[northern2020]

Maybe the error light came on because of the aftermarket software?

Water pump recall for what model years? I may have missed that recall.


Thanks for the detailed response on the exhaust.

Definitely doing the Akra AR design catless ESS tune.

Could you describe the Downpipe removal? Heat shields etc? Special tools to work in tight spaces?

[northern2020]

Forgot to ask above...

How many miles with the SS DP's and reflash?

[hispddj]

I have the same error on my 2012 X6. It started 3 weeks after I took the car from the dealer. Its in the shop now and BMW still can't figure it out.

[skim175]

I had a same problem plus servotronic malfunction error message on X6 about a month ago. I pulled out from my parking spot and realized that my car did not have much power with super-heavy steering wheel. I parked a car again and cursed a few times. I started to car a few minutes later and it has been okay since then. By the way, I am not suggesting that cursing fixed my car.

[Biff Grissel]

i just had the reduced power engine malfunction message come up when i wound my truck up in first gear and it wasnt in M mode and i was 500miles from home, and it was a sunday got to my destination,ate breakfast and got back in my truck heart broken and it wasnt on anymore,then it came back on next morning turned it off again and it was gone...drove 500 miles home with no issues and took it to my guy to have it checked out anyway so he did a "smoke test" and i guess what it is,is that the stock vcuum for the turbos can be prone to minor leaking therefore affecting the pressure in one or both of the turbos and that can trigger the sensor. although supposedly the leakage is minimal and its not an issue with all trucks there is an upgraded system due to this fact. so i ordered it and itll be here next week. and btw the "check engine light" has not been back on since, but they still recommended having it upgraded.

[m 135]

This just happened to my x6 after going for a walk this morning,got all the warning lights,no power steering{now it does feel like a truck).
I hope this goes away by itself,after water and oil pump replacement,i do not feel like going to the dealer again

[m 135]

Originally Posted by m 135

This just happened to my x6 after going for a walk this morning,got all the warning lights,no power steering{now it does feel like a truck).
I hope this goes away by itself,after water and oil pump replacement,i do not feel like going to the dealer again

Went for a drive later in the day,no warnings,back to normal

[hispddj]

I had the same problem with my 2012 X6. Three weeks after getting the care the error popped up. Dealer called it a glitch. The fault code would clear out once you let the car "sleep". To make a long story short (3 more visits later) the tech had to consult with BMW engineers and was told to replace the TRANSFER CASE.
I got my car back last friday, no issues overt there weekend.

[moe2010]

2013 x5 35 i M sport , 5K milage ,got following error
-parking brake malfunction
and also followings in the same time
-Braking/chassis stabilization malfunction
-FTM system error
-parking brake malfunction

both above happened few times and restarting the engine clear it.
Dealer scan the car and said left speed sensor caused the issue .the said corroded pins on left wheel speed sensor .They ordered new one and swapped it with right one to see is it the root cause or some thing else .I will go to dealer to put the new one next week ,in mean time I got couple of more malfunction messages so they will find if the sensor is faulty or some thing else.

I do not understand why 6 months old car has corroded pins ,may be water leak inside it during car wash ? I checked the wiring harness behind front wheels that go to the black box that connect to the sensors ,the wiring harness are there without any shield (surprise to see it from german engineer car).they could simply tape the wiring harness with waterproof tape and make the plastic box waterproof .

Any way , I will let you know what will happen next week when I go to dealer to scan the car and replace faulty speed sensor .

[moe2010]

Originally Posted by moe2010

2013 x5 35 i M sport , 5K milage ,got following error
-parking brake malfunction
and also followings in the same time
-Braking/chassis stabilization malfunction
-FTM system error
-parking brake malfunction

both above happened few times and restarting the engine clear it.
Dealer scan the car and said left speed sensor caused the issue .the said corroded pins on left wheel speed sensor .They ordered new one and swapped it with right one to see is it the root cause or some thing else .I will go to dealer to put the new one next week ,in mean time I got couple of more malfunction messages so they will find if the sensor is faulty or some thing else.

I do not understand why 6 months old car has corroded pins ,may be water leak inside it during car wash ? I checked the wiring harness behind front wheels that go to the black box that connect to the sensors ,the wiring harness are there without any shield (surprise to see it from german engineer car).they could simply tape the wiring harness with waterproof tape and make the plastic box waterproof .

Any way , I will let you know what will happen next week when I go to dealer to scan the car and replace faulty speed sensor .

update , front speed sensor left .the dealer ordered one , 2 days after before the order arrive I got engine light and also notice oil leak . I dropped the car to diagnose all. DTC code P15B8 -P152B-P1505-P152A (Idle-Speed Control Valve Closing Solenoid Control Circuit Electrical ). any idea? 5 months old 5000 km