BimmerFest BMW Forum banner

TRANS FAILSAFE Prog Error

39K views 28 replies 16 participants last post by  DONB119 
#1 ·
Need some help .. The other day .. I was up on a very steep incline road ... I had the AC on and started up the incline ... before I moved forward the car slight rooled backwards .. like a manual car would do on a step incline ... all of sudden ... my dash indicated Trans Failsafe Prog .. Car had a hard time moving ... I pulled over and shut her down ... then restarted the vehicle ... Trans Failsafe Prog came on quickly and disappeared ... I was able to move normally and drive her home without any problems or any message popping up .. Started the car today .. and no message ... I will go home tonight and take her for a spin to see if I get the message again ... Would rolling backwards would create this message ?


I had reviewed the search ... I will have codes read to determine the exact cause of this message. In addition, i was wondering what are some of the results with others who had this issue. Did you have to rebuild your Tranny or was it just connectors, or cables ... or something really minor ? Please share your outcome. Thanks!
 
#2 ·
Happened recently to me...alternator failed. Have your electrical system checked, and a load test performed on your battery. Many auto parts stores will do this for free. Please report back your findings.
 
#3 ·
battery is only 2 years old .. Not sure about the alternator .. Do you know if I got the computer read ... it will let me know the exact problem .. would hate to rebuild a tranny ... Only have 80K ... Also, wondering if rolling backwards on a steep incline in an automatic car would create this message or maybe the fluids were out of stuck in one sectoin of the tranny ? Does that make sense?
 
#4 ·
unlock your OBC and see what the voltage is reading. i can help you do this... or did i show this to you way back before? you know how right? add up the vin, input it and select i think test #7 and you get volt readings.

PS: i was on the can when you called.
 
#5 ·
More information than I needed to know about your bodily function ...

you should me but .. you went really fast through the process ... Contacted Bill and he indicated that I need to connect the readings from the Tranny to get the code ... going for a drive 2 night ... hopefully will be okay ...
 
#6 ·
Took the car for a drive last night ... No error message came on ... :) What I did notice was a slight increase is rpm when shifting from 2 to 3 but only when the car was in sport mode. Maybe a slight slipage ...

I have 80K miles .. Should I change the tranny fluid? I know there are pros and cons!
 
#13 ·
I have 80K miles .. Should I change the tranny fluid? I know there are pros and cons!
If you have the life time bmw trans fluid, I would not recommend changing the fluid. From my experience, the new fluid has some chemical in it that helps break in the new clutches of a trans. When you add this to the used clutches, it may cause the transmission to slip when it was fine before. This is just my experience from it. I'm not sure if this applies to the 5 series, but the 7 series have a problem with the transmission harness. The harness develop high resistance and cause shifting problems. Good luck.
 
#10 ·
cool .. Can I be first in line ..?
 
#12 ·
was it constant with the failsafe prog error ? does the error code happen everytime you start up the car ? and also was your car in like 3 or 4 gear and it picked up very slowly ?
the light was on constantly, and happened everytime. i didn't have any gear issues, but after about 3 starts my car wouldn't even start.

did you also have a check service engine light on ?
i don't remember, but i don't think so.

how much did it cost you to change the alternator and where did you do it ?
i had it done at a local independent shop. the battery was covered under warranty, and i had some other work done at the same time, but i think around $400 CND.
 
#16 ·
I Jusy Recently Also Got That Message When I Was On The Thruway My Car Just Turned Off And Wouldent Start It Said Trans.failsafe Prog I Drive A 2003 Bmw X5 4.6is With Only 37k I Dont Understand What This Means But Im Taking My Sav To The Dealer Today But A Little Later. Can Anyone Tell Me What This Means I Will B Very Thankful.......thanks....
 
#19 ·
BEWARE, the Trans Failsafe Prog may or may not be a real problem. This mode limits you to third gear to allow you to limp to a dealer. I got it two years ago on a rainy winter day when I had 50K on the clock. I took it to the dealer who spent two days troubleshooting it. They even called BMWNA. They finally said I need a new tranny. I said No F'in Way! I asked them to reset the OBC and the tranny has been fine since (now 69K). I have never returned to that stealer.
There have been many posts regarding possible causes. Some are related to alternator, some battery, some a sensor. Very rarely has it been a true tranny problem. I believe mine was sensor related. Not sure a Peake can reset the OBC. If not, take it to a dealer or indy. It'll cost you 1 hrs labor but it is cheaper than a new tranny.
 
#21 ·
never had any issues since that day .. never got it checked out .. my guess .. i was on a steep incline hill and maybe the fluids shifted causing the trans failsafe .. check out roadfly.org and do a search on that board ..
 
#22 ·
Hi all. Kaptom, I dont believe its got anything to do with the incline or the fact that your car rolled backwards, since i have the same issue. I drive a 530 2003 btw, this happens to me rarely if i step on the gas after a complete stop and the RPM goes beyond 5 or 6. Also seeking help if someone had this issue before and got it resolved.
 
#23 ·
Trans failsafe prog

Yep, I had the same thing. I drive a 530 diesel (2002) and had the same warning a couple of times after driving "sporty" so to say;). My wife never had this problem since she drives it slow and gentle. It has definitely something to do with the torque and/or slip. I assume the tranny is protected for uncontrolled slip or something. Mine has 390 000 km on it BTW... :thumbup:

Still going. :D
 
#25 ·
well .. this thread came back to life .. might as well give you an update .. no issues ..:thumbup:
 
#26 ·
I've started getting this problem in the last few days.

I drive a 2002 e39 540i

My first clue was a flashing battery light whilst i was driving.

Then suddenly i get the TRANS FAILSAFE Prog

It seems only likely to happen when i've just started the car. If it starts and i drive it for about 10 minutes and doesn't appear i seem to be ok.

Any ideas what the problem might be? Battery? I am due an oil service as well
 
#27 ·
i would go with battery.

try this: get a jump box (you know that box where you connect to a household outlet to charge and use it as a "spare" battery thing) and hook it up to your car before you start it. see if it does it. if it does, then that's your problem. if not, you've got bigger issues.
 
#28 ·
2003 525iA with step/ sport/prem./winter pkgs. 96K. Got the Trans Failsafe message and some assorted lights on the dash, radio faded out and car downshifted to 4th gear, or that's at least what the dash indicator read. I was going about 65 on the highway, car was in 5th and it downshifted. I maintained my speed and made it to my destination. (about 45 minutes away, mostly highway) Parked. For the fun of it, tried to restart, nothing, just the dreaded dead battery click. Still enough juice to lock car though. Left car as I was going to Hospital to see my mom, so car wasn't immediate priority. A few hours later, while waiting for AAA, I tried to start and car started . Still had message and various warning lights. AAA towed it to my indy. Needed new alternator and battery. Tried to charge old battery which was less that a year old, but to no avail. Dead. However, the car performed as is should have. It got me to my destination, never stalled, didn't just die on the highway--conserving energy by shutting down non-essential systems. Many cars would just leave you high and dry. It cost my 800 bucks for new alternator, battery, install. Also replaced ps. hose above alternator as well.
PS---the battery that I had in there was less than a year old and had the charge status indicator windows--I noticed around December that the green glow was no longer, and it was black. But, I was driving the car everyday, and it was starting fine even in single digit temps. I did do a search, and most posts said to disregard those indicators. I was thinking maybe in cold weather a black glow was normal. Now I'm not so sure. Maybe I should have paid more attention to this. I do maintain the car well. Had the car checked out when I put winter tires on and oil change in early November . Belts fine etc.. Guess it was just one of those things, and very lucky the car got me to where I was going.
 
#29 · (Edited)
1998 bmw 540i trans failsafe message

My 1998 BMW 540I has trans failsafe message can anyone give me any ideas? I had a mechanic take a look at it (Not BMW Dealer) and he says it's the transmission. I do not have any symptons of low battery it's the only message which is popping up. The car acts as if it's in 3rd or 4th gear as the engine rev's really high on take off. Once moving it seems to be ok. I would definitely appreciate any response and help
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top