Electric System Malfunction

martieg · 11-07-2006, 08:26 PM

While I was driving yesterday (quite aggressively), at about 70-80mph, in manual mode, and when downshifting a warning light showed up in the dashboard's onboard computer (shaped like a red device, I can vaguely recall it) and then on the iDrive screen it said "Electric System Malfunction".

It went away quickly, and I didn't notice any systoms in the way the car behaved. Moreover, it hasn't showed again (I haven't driven as aggressively eversince though).

You guys have any ideas what could've it been?

martieg · 11-16-2006, 11:54 PM

Well, it didn't happen again, so I guess it was nothing I should worry about ...

martieg · 11-17-2006, 12:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NaViT

slow down!!

Yeah, I guess I should ....

martieg · 11-20-2006, 10:36 PM

It happened again, but this time I was not speeding - I had been driving for about 10 minutes in cruise control at about 65 mph, normal automatic, when suddenly the alarm went on, the message Electric Malfunction showed on the iDrive screen, the cruise control went off (hence the car slowed down).

I will definitively take to the shop ASAP.

Has anybody experienced something similar?

ward · 11-20-2006, 10:38 PM

maybe a bad optical steering angle sensor like I have

it'll also throw check warnings for tire pressure, brakes, cruise......

when the car's acting up try activating your turn signals, if they don't cancel automatically when you're done turning that's your culprit

martieg · 12-12-2006, 09:53 PM

Update - the car has been in the shop for five days now, and they cannot replicate the problem - however it was happening to me so often before I took it - I didn't leave the iPod connected though, so maybe it's the iPod!!

combatcarry · 12-13-2006, 09:19 AM

My car flashed "ECC malfunction" once very briefly. It turned off the cruise control immediately.

Sounds similar to your problem. Did yours actually say "Electronic malfunction" or did it pop up a certain acronym like ECC, etc.?

martieg · 12-13-2006, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by combatcarry

My car flashed "ECC malfunction" once very briefly. It turned off the cruise control immediately.

Sounds similar to your problem. Did yours actually say "Electronic malfunction" or did it pop up a certain acronym like ECC, etc.?

It actually said Electric System Malfunction (on the iDrive). On the cluster I got the red symbol that looks like a car on the lift, plus the ABS and DTC symbols. All of the above are light just for a second or two and then they vanish without leaving a trace. The mechanic said he cannot find any register of a malfunction on the car's computer.

e90 330 · 12-14-2006, 08:07 AM

This happened to Artz 330 and he got a new car because of it...

JKing3 · 12-14-2006, 09:33 PM

This has been happening to me on and off since i've had the car. I'm not at 15k miles, and they replaced the cluster assembly last itme I was in, about a month ago.

However, I just started getting the same thing again this week. Not fun, I have zero confidence in the reliability of my 330i.

Jesse

martieg · 12-15-2006, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JKing3

This has been happening to me on and off since i've had the car. I'm not at 15k miles, and they replaced the cluster assembly last itme I was in, about a month ago.

However, I just started getting the same thing again this week. Not fun, I have zero confidence in the reliability of my 330i.

Jesse

Question: do you have iPod adapter installed? What's exactly the message you're getting? Thanks!

martieg · 12-16-2006, 02:41 PM

Update - they finally found the problem - the electrical unit (fuse box) needs to be replaced. It has been ordered and car will be ready Tuesday. Hope it really works, I miss my ride.

martieg · 12-20-2006, 12:15 AM

The saga continues - the car is still in the shop - they replaced the fuse box, and the problem persists. They now think it might be a loose cable making false contact or touching the car's metal body. It'll be 2 weeks this Friday.

MacAttack · 12-20-2006, 12:48 AM

Hope they're providing a rental for you. Anything after two weeks should equal an M6 loaner.

martieg · 12-20-2006, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacAttack

Hope they're providing a rental for you. Anything after two weeks should equal an M6 loaner.

Nah, just a 325i (ZPP/ZSP) with 16K miles on it.

JKing3 · 12-21-2006, 08:40 PM

Hmm, Interesting.

No, I don't have the Ipod adapter...

Keep us updated with your progress...

I just had a key fob stop getting recognized by the car while I was 1.5 hrs away from home where the spare keys where, had to get towed.

anca · 08-05-2010, 01:14 AM

i have the same problem
can you tell me what happend?

garached · 10-24-2011, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lecatrache

The saga continues - the car is still in the shop - they replaced the fuse box, and the problem persists. They now think it might be a loose cable making false contact or touching the car's metal body. It'll be 2 weeks this Friday.

Hi,

I know this is an old post but I’m currently experiencing the same problem and i have been through all this (cluster change, fuse box...) w/o success.
I would appreciate if you can tell me what was your problem at that time? did you solve it or you just burned out the car like I’m willing to do

martieg · 10-27-2011, 05:38 PM

The problem was solved in another dealership - the root cause was a lose cable (false contact) and it was solved easily - the big problem was finding the root cause - the BMW dealerships are too dependant on the car's diagnostics systems and their technicians forgot how to think - they have a recipe approach to troubleshooting, but don't go the extramile. My problem was easy to fix, but it costed BMW thousands of dollars as they replaced many unnecessary parts (steeting wheel column, sunroof mechanism), many man-labor hours, reprogramming and my almost 3-months of free loaner car.

My car has been problem-free for more than three years now.

white08135i · 01-31-2013, 11:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lecatrache

The problem was solved in another dealership - the root cause was a lose cable (false contact) and it was solved easily - the big problem was finding the root cause - the BMW dealerships are too dependant on the car's diagnostics systems and their technicians forgot how to think - they have a recipe approach to troubleshooting, but don't go the extramile. My problem was easy to fix, but it costed BMW thousands of dollars as they replaced many unnecessary parts (steeting wheel column, sunroof mechanism), many man-labor hours, reprogramming and my almost 3-months of free loaner car.

My car has been problem-free for more than three years now.

i have the same issue on my 135i, first one was yesterday and got a couple today.
which cable was it?

11-07-2006, 08:26 PM	#1
martieg Texas 311 Rep 769 Posts Drives: 330i Black Sph PP/SP/NV/MTk Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Texas iTrader: (0) Garage List 2006 330i [0.00]	Electric System Malfunction While I was driving yesterday (quite aggressively), at about 70-80mph, in manual mode, and when downshifting a warning light showed up in the dashboard's onboard computer (shaped like a red device, I can vaguely recall it) and then on the iDrive screen it said "Electric System Malfunction". It went away quickly, and I didn't notice any systoms in the way the car behaved. Moreover, it hasn't showed again (I haven't driven as aggressively eversince though). You guys have any ideas what could've it been?
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11-16-2006, 11:54 PM	#2
martieg Texas 311 Rep 769 Posts Drives: 330i Black Sph PP/SP/NV/MTk Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Texas iTrader: (0) Garage List 2006 330i [0.00]	Well, it didn't happen again, so I guess it was nothing I should worry about ...
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11-20-2006, 10:36 PM	#4
martieg Texas 311 Rep 769 Posts Drives: 330i Black Sph PP/SP/NV/MTk Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Texas iTrader: (0) Garage List 2006 330i [0.00]	It happened again, but this time I was not speeding - I had been driving for about 10 minutes in cruise control at about 65 mph, normal automatic, when suddenly the alarm went on, the message Electric Malfunction showed on the iDrive screen, the cruise control went off (hence the car slowed down). I will definitively take to the shop ASAP. Has anybody experienced something similar?
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11-20-2006, 10:38 PM	#5
ward Major General 155 Rep 6,158 Posts Drives: F Join Date: May 2005 Location: T iTrader: (0)	maybe a bad optical steering angle sensor like I have it'll also throw check warnings for tire pressure, brakes, cruise...... when the car's acting up try activating your turn signals, if they don't cancel automatically when you're done turning that's your culprit
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12-12-2006, 09:53 PM	#6
martieg Texas 311 Rep 769 Posts Drives: 330i Black Sph PP/SP/NV/MTk Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Texas iTrader: (0) Garage List 2006 330i [0.00]	Update - the car has been in the shop for five days now, and they cannot replicate the problem - however it was happening to me so often before I took it - I didn't leave the iPod connected though, so maybe it's the iPod!!
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12-13-2006, 09:19 AM	#7
combatcarry Private First Class 24 Rep 177 Posts Drives: '06 325i Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Utah iTrader: (3)	ECC Malfunction My car flashed "ECC malfunction" once very briefly. It turned off the cruise control immediately. Sounds similar to your problem. Did yours actually say "Electronic malfunction" or did it pop up a certain acronym like ECC, etc.?
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12-14-2006, 08:07 AM	#9
e90 330 Enlisted Member 8 Rep 41 Posts Drives: Jet Black 330i Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Florida iTrader: (0) Garage List david david [0.00] 42 sdf [0.00]	This happened to Artz 330 and he got a new car because of it...
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12-14-2006, 09:33 PM	#10
JKing3 New Member 0 Rep 19 Posts Drives: E90 Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: NH iTrader: (0)	This has been happening to me on and off since i've had the car. I'm not at 15k miles, and they replaced the cluster assembly last itme I was in, about a month ago. However, I just started getting the same thing again this week. Not fun, I have zero confidence in the reliability of my 330i. Jesse
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12-16-2006, 02:41 PM	#12
martieg Texas 311 Rep 769 Posts Drives: 330i Black Sph PP/SP/NV/MTk Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Texas iTrader: (0) Garage List 2006 330i [0.00]	Update - they finally found the problem - the electrical unit (fuse box) needs to be replaced. It has been ordered and car will be ready Tuesday. Hope it really works, I miss my ride.
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12-20-2006, 12:15 AM	#13
martieg Texas 311 Rep 769 Posts Drives: 330i Black Sph PP/SP/NV/MTk Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Texas iTrader: (0) Garage List 2006 330i [0.00]	The saga continues - the car is still in the shop - they replaced the fuse box, and the problem persists. They now think it might be a loose cable making false contact or touching the car's metal body. It'll be 2 weeks this Friday.
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12-20-2006, 12:48 AM	#14
MacAttack Colonel 29 Rep 2,134 Posts Drives: fast enough Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Afghanistan iTrader: (0) Garage List 2007 BMW [0.00]	Hope they're providing a rental for you. Anything after two weeks should equal an M6 loaner. __________________ 2007 E92 335i Coupe: Monaco Blue/Premium/Sports/Winter Package/Nav/CA/6MT/TT/Active Cruise/Active Steering/iPod/Rear Shade/Tint/Short Shifter/OEM Alum Pedals//
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12-21-2006, 08:40 PM	#16
JKing3 New Member 0 Rep 19 Posts Drives: E90 Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: NH iTrader: (0)	Hmm, Interesting. No, I don't have the Ipod adapter... Keep us updated with your progress... I just had a key fob stop getting recognized by the car while I was 1.5 hrs away from home where the spare keys where, had to get towed.
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08-05-2010, 01:14 AM	#17
anca Registered 0 Rep 2 Posts Drives: bmw 325xi e90 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: romania iTrader: (0)	same problem i have the same problem can you tell me what happend?
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10-27-2011, 05:38 PM	#19
martieg Texas 311 Rep 769 Posts Drives: 330i Black Sph PP/SP/NV/MTk Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Texas iTrader: (0) Garage List 2006 330i [0.00]	The problem was solved in another dealership - the root cause was a lose cable (false contact) and it was solved easily - the big problem was finding the root cause - the BMW dealerships are too dependant on the car's diagnostics systems and their technicians forgot how to think - they have a recipe approach to troubleshooting, but don't go the extramile. My problem was easy to fix, but it costed BMW thousands of dollars as they replaced many unnecessary parts (steeting wheel column, sunroof mechanism), many man-labor hours, reprogramming and my almost 3-months of free loaner car. My car has been problem-free for more than three years now.
	Appreciate 0 Quote