Yellow PARK light, ABS, brake system error

[kazuholic]

I recently ran my battery empty and got a DriveTrain error; this was fixed by replacing the 12V battery. However now I have a whole nother set of problems: all these issues with the braking system. The following lights stay lit on my dashboard when they usually turn off:

- yellow PARK light
- red BRAKE light
- yellow ABS light
- yellow DSC/DTC light

While power is now going to the wheels and I can actually move the car, the steering wheel is basically impossible to turn. All of this makes me think my brakes are stuck; how can I reset this?

Also, this all happened after my car was towed home; could something have happened during the tow that would cause my brakes to seize up like this?

Thanks in advance to anyone who may have answers. I’ve done a ton of digging online and just can’t find the solution to this - at least not any that are understandable to an average person. Any help is appreciated.

 

[Neil]

Haven't heard this one before. First question, how was your car towed? Does the HV battery have an adequate charge level? Do you have an OBD scanner you can use to reset the error codes to see if that helps? Have you given the car some time to see if it can self correct? Do your parking lights work? Have you checked the various related fuses? Sorry for all the questions but some more details may help find a solution.

 

[spartacus68]

How was the car towed? Please don't say a dolly?

 

[kazuholic]

It wasn’t towed on a flat bed, which makes me think that may have been the problem. In hindsight, I really should’ve questioned it more, but I assumed the tow company knew what would be safe for an electric car, especially since my insurance actually states what my car is when calling for a tow truck.

I haven’t really done anything with it because I couldn’t understand what else needed to be done; all the lingo was gibberish to me on the sites I did find ;; so far all I’ve done is replace the battery, but this happened last Wednesday so I don’t think it will resolve itself. Maybe if I let it sit with the new battery? I tried a few times yesterday after I’d changed the battery though, but no luck.

 

[alohart]

If your car was towed with the rear wheels on the road, that could have damaged some electronics. I don't see any problem towing with only the front wheels on the road other than no steering lock which would require that the steering wheel be prevented from turning while towing.

If the new 12 V battery wasn't fully charged before it was installed, DTC's (diagnostic trouble codes) that were set when the previous 12 V battery died, the DTC's could remain which could cause problems like you're experiencing. Just because a 12 V battery is new doesn't mean that it is fully charged, especially if it had sat on a shelf for a few months before being installed. However, DTC's should be deleted with something like BimmerLink or a code reader that can delete codes.

 

[kazuholic]

How does one charge a 12V? Sorry, I’m completely new to this, only attempting it myself because I know the dealership is going to charge me some ridiculous amount I can’t afford rn and it’s already hard enough getting to work now to earn said money

It was towed by the rear wheels, yes, so only the front wheels were on the road. My concern was the fact that the car does turn off by itself after a while if it’s not actually on (which I couldn’t leave it as such cuz the battery was dead), and I wasn’t sure the car would stay in neutral once it did.

That being said, the car WAS towed for about a block very slowly by the front wheels for the tow driver to test whether the car would stay in neutral… not sure if that was what did it.

 

[spartacus68]

The fault lies with the tow company. This is no different to hauling an Audi Quattro as you'll overwind the rear diff. On the i3 there's a danger that the drive wheels engage the high voltage circuit. At the very least it will need to be scanned to see the exact errors being thrown up. Recovery companies will have liability insurance so that's what I would be checking out.

 

[alohart]

How does one charge a 12V?

Using a standard 12 V battery charger. The high-voltage disconnect to the right of the frunk box should be disconnected.

That being said, the car WAS towed for about a block very slowly by the front wheels for the tow driver to test whether the car would stay in neutral… not sure if that was what did it.

An i3 can be towed or pushed for a short distance at a slow speed, so you might be OK.

However, testing whether your car would remain in neutral demonstrates a misunderstanding of how EV's work. There is no transmission, so the rear wheels are always connected to the drive motor. "N" just means that no propulsive power would be sent to the drive motor, but the motor would rotate when the drive wheels rotate. That rotating motor would generate power that could cause damage.

Regardless, the DTC's that result in warning lights illuminating should be deleted.

If you are new to this, charging the 12 V battery and deleting DTC's would require purchasing some equipment and a smartphone app.

 

[kazuholic]

So the issues with the steering wheel are all fixed and everything on the dashboard looks normal after I cleared the codes! However now my car is making a sort of quiet chugging sound and feels a bit sluggish. . . not sure if that's because of the new battery or some other problem? The car's new complaint that the system is picking up is that my tires are flat, so I'm assuming that's it. I do find it weird that there's suddenly an issue with the tires though. . . I hope it's not actually the battery that's having problems and making the noise? I only tried driving it around my apartment to see if the steering wheel issue was fixed; there's a 15 mph speed limit, so I haven't pushed it very hard (and frankly am scared to at this point).

 

[Neil]

Glad to hear you are getting your issues resolved. Regarding your tires, make sure they are all properly inflated, the recommended pressures for front and back should be visible on the door frame. Once this is done, perform the TPMS reset procedure as shown in this short video. Hope this solves your final issue but let us know the result.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NoVz1m8OPE