Seems like a lot of iX owners have or had experienced these issues. There were a few owners reported battery coolant pump caused the problem and replacement did fixed the issues. It wasn't just a software issue as some owners experienced and updates didn't fix it at all. In my case on my M60, it was the high voltage cable to one of the motor was installed incorrectly from factory and moisture went in to the cable plug on one of the motor. They ended up replacing the entire high voltage cable and it was fixed. It happened back in February and didn't have any issues after that.

 

I had this very same scenario occur last week. I was in the middle lane on a major interstate, when the big red Drive Train Failure warning displayed and the car was automatically shifted into neutral. There was a lot of traffic, but fortunately I was able to steer the car to a side shoulder. I never had the yellow wrenches or any prior indication of a problem. While the warning was active, I could start the car, but was unable to shift it out of park, even though there was a safe to drive message, but contact the dealer. I tried multiple times to start the car and shift out of park to no avail. I thought this might be a problem for towing, if the car couldn't be put in neutral. Had to wait two hours before towing services arrived. After reading towing instructions, there was a stated protocol for securing the car in neutral. By this time, the car would shift into drive, but I was rather leery of more trouble, so proceeded with having the car towed to the local dealership. We've had the car for 6 months and this is the first trouble we've had. Very curious to understand what happened from other owners who've experienced the same. Even if it turns out to be a system glitch, it was a hair raising experience that sucked up 3 hours on a hot & busy afternoon. Have a loaner car at present, & awaiting their inspection/diagnostics report etc. Will update soon.

 

I had a simillar problem, was lucky I was not on the highway. Was wondering if I would be killed if I was on high speed and the engine just shut or whent to park. Cars flying past at 110km would ram straight into me. Bmw need to take responsibility for so many people having a similar problem. May need to recall all their cars and fix all problems, software, coolant pumps, loose wires...( or has BMW lost its attention to quality )

 

Same thing last week for me as well..."Drive Train Malfunction, May continue to drive" but could not...stuck in park. While impatiently waiting for a tow truck (in traffic) I decided to reboot (got out, closed the door to power down, got back in) and that allowed me to restart and drive off...warning still present. This was at 9:30 at night, so I couldn't call the dealer. Called BMW roadside the next morning and while pulling out of the garage and turning the car around it died again. After a few days at the dealer they said it was the coolant compressor that had leaked and damaged something. I'm on the east coast and they said they have to get the part from CA, so will be a few more days...fingers crossed that's the last of it. Will update when I have it back.

 

UPDATE: After replacing the compressor, there continued to be faults/errors. Several more days back and forth with Germany and it turns out there is "manufacturing debris" in the casing of the rear motor. They cleaned it out and are now waiting for "fluid and parts" to put it back together. Almost a full month now. Original breakdown was on 3/28.

 

For those of you that ended up in loaners, what did you get? I have an appointment next month and curious to see what the loaner will be. Not looking forward to having to get gas again, I have become quite spoiled lol.

 

the dealer had me choice

the dealer had me choose between an i4 or ix

 

I had exactly the same experience with my iX 40 on March 3rd with same error messages and full stop. My car was collected by BMW Roadside Assistance and taken to my local Dealer. The Technicians performed a diagnosis and sent a "Tech' Report" to BMW... I was told that the High Voltage System had sustained damage and replacement parts and a "special tool" were required. Waited 6 weeks for these parts to arrive, and the repair was finally carried out last week. For the duration of the repair BMW provided a loan car which was a 520D. Collected my car yesterday (April 19th) and the repair is documented as an issue with the brush gear in the rear motor where metal swarf was causing a short circuit - this correlates with other posts that I have read from other owners having the same diagnosis. Swarf was cleared out and defective parts were replaced. Software was also upgraded from 07/2022.33 to version 11/2022.77 - This is a requirement to address a known BMW Recall Notice issued as "Technical Action 0061390700"... this upgrade was not possible as a Remote Upgrade. I have since taken my iX for a couple of long journeys - so far all is good.

 

6K. They stated it was debris from the manufacturing process, not wear. It sounded like it was something they (Germany) had seen before, so not sure if its an occasional one-off, or if they have budding recall situation. Hopefully they will provide more info when I finally get it back.

FYI, loaner was an X5 40i M Sport...

 

Received my baby back last Friday and so far so good. While the X5 was a great ride, it really made me appreciate the get-up-and-go the iX has. Dealer confirmed it was both issues. First the compressor leak that triggered the drivetrain error message, but after repairing that, during testing, they got rear drive motor faults. It's something BMW is aware of and tracking...burrs on the motor brushes from the manufacturing process that eventually come off and cause a short and trigger the faults. All and all, 1 month in the shop.

 

We had the exact same issue which I reported on the forums earlier. We were told 6 weeks wait for something to come from Germany to repair the battery coolant. After some back and forth we were able to switch to a different car since we had a planned trip coming up a week later in the car. Kudos to the dealership for realizing this was a bad situation and agreeing a good way out. We have been driving our new new IX without drivetrain errors but do have a passenger restraint error that keeps coming up. At least it doesn't prevent driving the vehicle.

 

They gave you a new iX to keep or to borrow?

 

They replaced the one we bought (keep). They happened to be able to get a nearly exact match. Note that our problem happened on the morning of the day after we bought it (on way to work).

 

Short update:
After a week in the workshop I was informed that the heat pump in the drivetrain was defect, delivery of new heat pump could take up to four weeks. After five weeks in the workshop I could get my IX40 back. So far - after the repair, the car has again given the perfect driving experience. I hope that this drivetrain error/failure will be a one-time experience.

 

Its pretty clear that the "drive train error" is a generic error for a number of different underlying situations. Mine was caused by a battery coolant system issue.

 

Did the coolant system repair fix the issue for good ?Mine ixM60 had the same issue and is in dealership for issue repair

 

Same thing happened to me today. It is debris in the brush motors also. I am very apprehensive because servicing will take at least 2 weeks and the dealership is not sure they can give me a loaner for this period, which sound insane to me. Have anu of you had problems not getting loaner cars?

 

I had the same issue. But in my case the car just stalled and had to be towed. BMW stevens creek is looking into it. Question I have is what if it stalls in the middle of the highway. Please let me know once your car is fixed. Please let me know the reason you had this issue. I have been told it has got something to do with HV motors which has debris.

 

Mine stalled four days ago. Stuck in rush hour traffic. Got drivetrain error and red wrench. Car towed to dealer. 2024 with 2600 miles.

Lots of error messages but no answer. They are likely going to blame it on software which I don’t believe.

 

Lots of error messages but no answer. They are likely going to blame it on software which I don’t believe.

I wouldn't be surprised. BMW's software has thus far proven to be less than stellar.

 

Got car back this week. Was some fault with the high voltage battery. The dealer sent the error info to BMW who sent a patch over. At least that’s what I’ve been told. Fingers crossed.

 

Experienced a very similar issue with our i4. Only displayed the more serious stop message once in a car park and disappeared after turning on and off. Had the less serious amber message appear a couple of times separate to that - I ignored it at first as I’d read about a buggy software update. Seems like it was a real issue. Never affected driving but read a few stories on the forums about loosing power mid drive and thought I’d better get it sorted.

Disappointed it happened since it was barely two years old but to be fair it was covered by warranty, I got a loan car and the dealership had it fixed within a couple of weeks. Most of that time was apparently spent in contact with BMW and waiting for parts. Here are the service notes for anyone interested in what they found/did:

Description of Goods / Services

fault stored for drive unit module, performed programming, hasn't resolved issue, technical case raised, removed drive module + drive unit, replace the brush module and cleaned the housing, carried EOS test, test passed, refit drive module + carrie refit drive unit, bleed cooling system, ........
........ carried out KDS and road test, all ok
no faults in vehicle.

I guess time will tell if it comes back - will update if it does

 

Took 1.5 months to turn from orange to red on an iX3. Still no word from the dealer when this will be resolved and so waiting for a loaner. Replacement parts for the motor are already here, but the tools aren’, with mo definitive date. Waiting for loaner. Thinking that those brushed motors aren’t as reliable as permanent magnet motors. Rare earth minerals still rule I suppose.

 

@micomor reached out to your local dealer about it yet? Curious to know what they do or say about it. Hopefully the turn around time for a fix isn't long.

 

Well the iX3 is still in the shop. They tried to clean the motor and brushes, but the error message still keeps appearing. They have consulted with BMW Germany and sent all the log files there. Awaiting solution to the problem. Got another iX3 as a loaner so they can take as long as they want in fixing it.

 

I think the way these warnings work regardless of what the problem is: " Yellow....owner didn't respond...I'll give em' a week. Second week...Yellow...Hey, Drive Cautious...take the car in....then three weeks later...RED...continue, and drive directly to BMW dealership!....last warning is basically a tow truck.

 

My iX had such drive train problem. Bought brand new and 6months and 7500kms later drive train problem. Dealership impounded the car for 2 months, took apart the car including engine, did all sorts of testing on it with BMW Germany, changed a couple of things and now, without stating what was exactly wrong with it, the dealership says it's all fixed and 100% reliable and safe...do you really believe this BS?
In Australia, there is a legislated law called Australian Consumer Law and in it there is the consumer guarantees laws, beyond that of manufacturing warranty. It states simply that if a reasonable consumer, if had prior knowledge of whatever problem that has happened, would not have bought the car, then they are entitled to a replacement or refund. I'm in the process of evoking this law to make a precedent for other consumers in the future. Companies needs to be more responsible for their actions. I will let you know how I go. By the way if you wish to help this cause, I need a show of hands whether you will still buy my iX if you knew that the above problems will occur? This has nothing to do with the iX in general, it is specific for my iX.
No, for "will not buy"
Yes, for "still will buy"
Thanks.

 

After a couple of months in the shop, they finally replaced the whole Electronic Drive Unit (EDU). That seems to have fixed the problem for now. Asked if the dust from the brushes caused the problem and they think that yes it could have been that. The initial cleaning of the EDU didn’t work, so they decided to replace the whole thing. Whether or not this will last is the question. Going with brushed motors instead of permanent magnets was an odd choice. Brushed motors are cheaper certainly, but that dust is an issue. I ran this iX3 at 180 km/h and soon after that the problem came up. Hard to do that again w/out getting caught. I want to do it just to see if the problem will come out again.

 

Can anyone comment on whether the drivetrain or other warranty covered repairs related to the drivetrain issue? Seems like a manufacturer defect or issue that should be covered. Thanks!

 

In the US the iX motor/drivetrain warranty is 4 years/50k miles. The battery warranty is 8 years/100k miles.

 

I had a similar issue and it was covered by BMW warranty

 

This is where people with this "drive train" problem need to exercise their rights for a replacement car if the car is relatively new. Why accept a repair under warranty? This is not a cheap car and should not have any issues for the first 2 years at least. If you buy a rolex and your rolex need to be fully dismantled after 6 months, then you would want a new rolex! Why accept anything less?

 

This is where people with this "drive train" problem need to exercise their rights for a replacement car if the car is relatively new. Why accept a repair under warranty?

Because that's what a warranty is for.

This is not a cheap car and should not have any issues for the first 2 years at least.

Says who? What law or warranty or advertising claim stipulates that a "not cheap" car should not have any issues for the first 2 years? I think that is a very unrealistic expectation. What is the definition of "not cheap", because that can vary quite a bit depending on income level.

If you buy a rolex and your rolex need to be fully dismantled after 6 months, then you would want a new rolex! Why accept anything less?

Replacing a motor under warranty is not equivalent to "fully dismantled". It is more equivalent to replacing a damaged spring or a component in the horology. Equating the replacement of one component in the iX to fully dismantling it is quite hyperbolic.

 

Currently have my iX50 in the shop for going on 4 weeks with the same issue. Was driving and the yellow wrench warning came on and said could continue to drive. Got a few blocks further and it put me in park in traffic. After a few minutes while on hold with roadside assistance, it allowed me to put back in drive. Happened to be close to a dealership so continued on way to get there. Happened 2 more times but eventually let me back into drive each time and was able to get to the dealer about a mile away. They have said they had to drop the motors down and then put it back together. They drove it a day and said they thought it was good but waiting on BMW to confirm with the results. Then they said "BMW engineers got back to us based off the information they received from the sessions, and they would like for us to drop the front electric motor and take it apart so that we can clean it." I thought they had already done that once but waiting for next update and hoping to get it back soon. Have loved the car so far. Had it about 18 months and it's been great other than this and an issue with software updates not updating over the air recently.

 

The need to "clean" the motor would be a little concerning to me. Clean it of what? I suspect you have an issue with debris from the brushes infiltrating other parts, or perhaps there is something going on inside the motor that is causing metal shavings to get into the coolant (this issue plauged Tesla for years). Either way, I would get details from the dealership on what actually occurred, what caused it, and whether replacing the motor would not just be a better approach because you don't want to have this problem again.

In my mind, cleaning something doesn't remove the source of the debris. What are they doing to make sure it doesn't get "dirty" again?

 

Bought a 2023 CPO BMW iX M60 less than a month ago, drove it for 3 weeks everything great, even took on it on a 3.5 hour drive. 11K miles on it. Then I got the same drivetrain error, drive cautiously which then turned into drivetrain error pull over. But it was still intermittent because by the morning it went back to drive cautiously.

The BMW dealership I go to is awesome, they explain everything to me and even let me go in the shop.


Got some great pictures when they let me in the shop...

They dropped the whole rear drive unit + suspension down from the car.

Took the motor out.

Then the rear drive unit had carbon dust in it which was causing the error (see pic).

The lead technician said the procedure they have to follow is to clean the carbon dust out of the rear drive unit, reassemble the motor, and test it stand alone. If it passes the tests it's good to go.

If it fails the tests, they said they are not allowed to work on the rear drive unit. They will order a new one from Germany and swap it out and return the old one.

The lead tech there told me they currently do not have any procedure for replacing the brushes. That will probably get defined in the future.

This doesn't look like a cheap and easy job, and I imagine at some point won't every iX out there need this procedure, along with maybe replacing brushes?!? Better buy extended warranties!!

 

Thank you for all of this information as well as the photos. Wow that thing is big! And yes, eventually all iX cars will need to have those brushes replaced or serviced during the car's lifetime. It was my understanding that the drive units were designed to be locally serviceable. Let's hope BMW is able to get dealers what they need to perform on-site service of parts so they don't have to swap out these expensive motors.

 

 

At least they drop the whole drive unit to the ground so it's much easier to work on than an ICE!! No nooks and crannys....