Drivetrain error.

[edhorton]

2014 REX with about 100K on the clock. Driving home and the car stalled, bucked and suddenly stopped with Drivetrain error. Could not get the car out of Park, so towed on a dolly to BMW dealer. After a little analysis, they said the HV battery pack needed replacing at a cost of $35,000 !! Of course the car is not worth a lot anyway, but nothing now. So, towed back to the house to look into options. The car is fully charged now and can move a little but has picked up ABS, TPMS and check engine lights that were not there previously. If you attempt to drive around the block, it will buck and stop suddenly and go into park with the Drivetrain error. If you turn the car off and back on, it will allow you to nudge it forward or reverse a little to get it off the street and into the garage. I have seen some suggestions about the 12V battery, and it really seems like something else than the HV battery that is the dealers only solution. Yes the battery is low on capacity, showing about 55 miles fully charged but I would think, even with diminished capacity, it would still be able to Good evening down the road, especially with the help by REX. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated since I have had little luck finding a shop to look at it outside of the local ( Sarasota, FL. ) dealer.

 

[mojo]

towed on a dolly

This is probably just a misunderstanding over the meaning of the word "dolly" but according to BMW, an i3 must never be towed in any way other than with all 4 wheels off the road - either a trailer or flat-bed truck are OK, a single-axle dolly is not - neither forwards nor backwards.

I have seen some suggestions about the 12V battery

It's important to eliminate this as a possibility, because a marginal 12V battery can cause all sorts of problems, and it's a really easy fix if that's the cause. So you really need to either test the battery yourself, or have it tested to confirm that it's within spec. They are cheap in the overall scheme of things.

 

[EvanstonI3]

towed on a dolly

This is probably just a misunderstanding over the meaning of the word "dolly" but according to BMW, an i3 must never be towed in any way other than with all 4 wheels off the road - either a trailer or flat-bed truck are OK, a single-axle dolly is not - neither forwards nor backwards.

In the States, this is what a Tow Dolly looks like:

 

[mojo]

As expected, it means something different depending on where you are.

If that's what's meant then it looks to be no problem, because (obviously) it keep all four wheels off the road.

In other countries, a "dolly" means a towing device with a single-axle lift.

 

[eye3guy]

Literally just had this issue...Got stranded at my second job till 4am. I used a bluetooth obd scanner to check the 12v battery and it was at 99%.
I got a tow home (he used a dolly as pictured) and once i got home, I plugged the car in. 2 hrs later I cleared the codes and it's working perfectly fine now.

I have come to the conclusion that it's a moisture issue on the HV cable going from the battery to the motor. (the orange HV cable that's closer to the hatch. Labeled #3 on the wiring diagram i believe).
I tried lightly tapping the parking mechanism with a rubber mallet because that can also cause a drive train malfunction error. That didn't help. It wasn't the 12v battery b/c I checked it with the scanner. It HAS been cold and rainy here for about a week though.

I also checked the part number on my HV cable, it ends in -02. My i3 is a 2014 (BEV), so this is an updated HV cable too, because the original one would end in -01.

Have you had low temperatures, and moisture where you are? I would get an OBD scanner and clear out those codes, then check the 12v. then let the car it so that the HV terminal can dry out over a day or two...so long as it's not cold and rainy, it should resolve.

Would anyone happen to have a work around for this? It's absurd to fear leaving the house in rainy weather just because my car might stop moving suddenly. Is there a way to keep the moisture out?

 

[JimBmwi3s]

Do you have friends in California or states that require BMW to warranty battery to 150,000 miles which is over the 8/100,000 miles

 

[oldeagle1]

I would recommend you look at replacing the 12v Battery because i live in Arizona and i need to replace mine every 15-20 months. If that battery is not working properly the whole car is toast.

Let me know if you have solved the problem and what the solution is, please, so i can be on the lookout in the future.

Matthew Z.
[email protected]

 

[oldeagle1]

P.S. I can confirm by my experience the information provided on the towing is correct. And please be aware that not all towing people who answer the phone know what a dolly is. Most all the drivers do, you get my drift. Key word "most".