2015 i3 with REX stuck in Park gear - 222C02 error

[i3UK]

Hi all,

I am new to this forum, nice to e-meet you all.

So I am a lucky owner of a 2015 i3 with REX which has been meticulously looked after by me for years, however the other day I turned on the car, but was unable to get it out of the park gear.

I tried everything, disconnecting the HV and 12v batteries, charging the vehicle, giving a park gear actuator a gentle nudge with a rubber mallet, however it wouldn't go out of the park gear no matter what I do.

Everything else is working fine, but it's just won't drive.

I also happen to have a BMW ISTA software which only found two faults, one for AUC sensor (which should be irrelevant in this case) and the other one is 222C02 - Electronic Immobiliser EWS response Implausible, which I think is somehow blocking the start/changing gears.

ISTA is suggesting renewing the EME, which I guess is a fancy way of saying replace the whole EME unit, but I am not sure at this point, especially with all the work required to get the EME unit out, let alone the cost of it.

Has anyone here had something similar or perhaps knows what else can be done to fix the problem?

Thanks

 

[EvanstonI3]

all I can think is to try using the other Key Fob to see if that works.

Anecdote: A few years ago I went to start my Toyota Tundra and it would crank and crank but I got no ignition. After checking error codes with OBDII reader, turned out the Immobilizer had gone bad and left me stranded. Had to tow to dealer and then pay $2800 to have to replaced (it was on the firewall under the dash, had to take apart whole dash)

I don't know what symptoms a failed Immobilizer would display on the i3 though.

 

[i3UK]

Yeah, I tried both keys and they both can't get the car out of the park gear.

Both are also detected and active/enabled, checked via ISTA too.

I sincerely hope that it's not the EME unit...

 

[alohart]

Long shot… Maybe the parking pawl is stuck or is binding. Try releasing the parking brake and have someone rock your i3 back and forth (longitudinally) while you try to disengage park.

 

[frictioncircle]

So I am a lucky owner of a 2015 i3 with REX which has been meticulously looked after by me for years, however the other day I turned on the car, but was unable to get it out of the park gear.

I tried everything, disconnecting the HV and 12v batteries, charging the vehicle, giving a park gear actuator a gentle nudge with a rubber mallet, however it wouldn't go out of the park gear no matter what I do.

Hello i3UK –

Any idea of the age of your 12V AUX battery?

If your 12V battery is original to your i3's build in 2015 then it's highly likely to be failing now – a failing 12V AUX battery will cause all sorts of strange behaviors.

 

[weajd]

Do you have a volt meter (digital preferred) to measure the voltage of the battery? With (under load) and without headlights on. 12 volts is its nominal voltage, it is likely to be slightly higher without load. If you are below 11 volts with a slight load from the LED headlights, I would suspect the 12 volt battery.

 

[alohart]

Do you have a volt meter (digital preferred) to measure the voltage of the battery? With (under load) and without headlights on. 12 volts is its nominal voltage, it is likely to be slightly higher without load. If you are below 11 volts with a slight load from the LED headlights, I would suspect the 12 volt battery.

Unfortunately, the DC-DC converter would turn on to charge the 12 V battery when its voltage drops to 12.0 V according to an i3 owner with a 12 V battery monitor installed. That makes it difficult to test the 12 V battery under load while connected to an i3. It might be possible to leave the frunk and doors open until the HV system shuts down (~30 minutes) and then do the load test.

 

[junjun]

Hi,
just wondering have you find out what was the problem?
Was it battery ?

 

[JohnWasser]

I tried both keys and they both can't get the car out of the park gear.

Did you try the "Place key here" spot on the side of the steering column? That uses a separate short-distance RFID chip in the key fob to let you start the car when the fob battery dies. Maybe that part of the immobilizer still works.

 

[Dharper1]

Hi all,

I am new to this forum, nice to e-meet you all.

So I am a lucky owner of a 2015 i3 with REX which has been meticulously looked after by me for years, however the other day I turned on the car, but was unable to get it out of the park gear.

I tried everything, disconnecting the HV and 12v batteries, charging the vehicle, giving a park gear actuator a gentle nudge with a rubber mallet, however it wouldn't go out of the park gear no matter what I do.

Everything else is working fine, but it's just won't drive.

I also happen to have a BMW ISTA software which only found two faults, one for AUC sensor (which should be irrelevant in this case) and the other one is 222C02 - Electronic Immobiliser EWS response Implausible, which I think is somehow blocking the start/changing gears.

ISTA is suggesting renewing the EME, which I guess is a fancy way of saying replace the whole EME unit, but I am not sure at this point, especially with all the work required to get the EME unit out, let alone the cost of it.

Has anyone here had something similar or perhaps knows what else can be done to fix the problem?

Thanks

Hey. Yes the same thing has happen to me and I have no clue what to do. I still owe on the car and it pretty much dead. If you find anything let me know. BMW wanted over 5 grand just to drop the battery to even look at it and even then wouldn’t be able to fix it. So it’s worthless. I’m thinking about starting a go fund me to get out of the situation. Sorry I know this didn’t help much but I am having the same issue.
Thanks

 

[Lauris_k]

Hello everyone.

Seems I'm facing same issue. On top of that it seems like 12V is not being charged and cooling fan is in full throttle. Service expected EME to be the fault, as it was effected by nasty corrosion and was not responding. changed it, and still same. So now they say it's EME. So now I'm in deep research mode on what and why happened, how can it be fixed.

Any news on ones why faced same issues on yours solutions?

Thanks

 

[robthebold]

Hello everyone.

Seems I'm facing same issue. On top of that it seems like 12V is not being charged and cooling fan is in full throttle. Service expected EME to be the fault, as it was effected by nasty corrosion and was not responding. changed it, and still same. So now they say it's EME. So now I'm in deep research mode on what and why happened, how can it be fixed.

Any news on ones why faced same issues on yours solutions?

Thanks

Is the cooling fan running full-blast while you're attempting to charge? When that happened to me it was a coolant pump failure, in my particular case to to wiring damaged by squirrels.