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Steering Malfunction Warning...

140K views 77 replies 47 participants last post by  MarkieMarkH 
#1 ·
I got that message when I started her up Sunday morning. As the warning suggested I parked it immediately.

Message stated that the malfunction warning could be due to low hydraulic fluid level in the steering and/or suspension system...

Drove it to the dealer monday morning and immediately noticed that the anti-roll suspension was "de-activated" (if that's possible). Active steering appeared to be in order and it was not driving "poorly" or anything like that but you could tell there was more body roll than you feel when driving a "sport" edition under normal circumstances

BMW called me to say they couldn't find anything wrong with the car so they replenished the fluid levels and I get it back today.

Anyone else had this one??
 
#2 ·
I had the same thing a while back. Steering malfunction indicated. Dealer tested system & checked for leaks, but found none. Fluid was low so they topped it off. No issue in the year since.

The active roll stabilization system uses the same fluid for the active stabilizer bars as the power steering, so this could be why you felt more body roll.
 
#4 ·
Wow, I came here to post this same message, and found this thread! :yikes:

It happens every morning when I start the car (2 yrs old, 30K miles). I have found if I drive for a minute or two, then stop the car, then restart it, the warning goes away. And the warning *only* appears the first time in the morning. Never later in the day.

I figured I had a low fluid. And when the car is cold it is even lower. Once it's warmed up, it goes away.

Is this (the low fluid) something the BMW dealer will do while I wait, or am I gonna have to make a ***%$ appt for the car?
 
#6 ·
Any good dealer is going to check for leaks and run diagnostics to ensure there are no issues other than low fluid before topping it off, so I wouldn't imagine you'll get this done on a walk in basis--unless you don't mind waiting quite a while.
 
#5 ·
astrohip,

I'm not sure but I would bet you may be sitting there a while when you have this checked out.. appointment or not... if you want to wait around. I took mine in to BMW of Nashville and they called me a couple of hours later to tell me there was nothing wrong with the car, that the fluid was low...

Now I will say that they were already planning to have my car for a couple of days as they were tending to an unrelated issue...mine is in for the seat heater recall that is out for my year/build date... Who knows, maybe if you have an appointment they can run through their protocol on this malfunction pretty quickly!!
 
#7 ·
I took my car in last week for this same problem. It tripped the light every time I went up an incline while driving, and if i was parked on an incline it would trip it right at startup for about 2-3 weeks constantly. I figured it was a loss of fluid problem, or a sensor. Took it to my mechanic, and they ran diagnostic. Apparently it only stored the fault ONCE. They checked everything and nothing was amiss. They just reset the Active Steering system through the computer somehow, and now no problems at all. :thumbup:
Unless you notice any weird sounds or toughness in steering, it probably isnt anything major.
 
#9 ·
well I've been in an out of the dealer for the Steering Malfunction Warning over the last week...they finally just replaced the sensor so we'll see if that fixes it!
 
#11 ·
They mentioned the possibility of the cold temperature as a cause to me as well... I picked up the car thursday night after the first bout with the steering malfunction warning and the car ran fine with no issues.

Parked it at home (10 minutes away), it sat for a couple of hours, then I went back out later that night and everything was still fine.. it was actually snowing at that point and the temp was in the mid 20's (pretty cold for this time of year in Nashville)...

Left for work the next morning (temp in the low 20's) and of course I got the steering malfunction warning again. Active steering is working fine, but the Active roll suspension was not working... parked it at work (10 minutes away) for an hour until I could break away to get to BMW- Nashville. When I start the car for the quick trip over to the dealer everything is fine. No warning... I talk to my service manager for a second and we decide that I will keep it for the rest of the day and see what happens when I start it after work. If it comes up again I will bring the car in saturday morning. Temperature is in the low 30's when I leave work and here comes the Steering Malfunction Warning again... I take the car home, park it, and start it up the next morning to head to the gym.. literally across the street... it's like 18 degrees outside and the warning is still there.. so I take it in and they just decide to replace the sensor altogether..

So far, so good.. and it's still pretty cold here.

The cold temp excuse is okay I guess, but for a car that was originally 60K + I want to be able to drive it at it's full potential in cold weather...
 
#12 ·
Twice in the last week I have received the Steering Malfunction warning when I first started the car in the morning. Both times the car was in my garage so was not all that cold, upper 50's. The steering was very stiff backing out of the garage but after a minute warm up the light cleared and the steering was fine. The odd thing was that both times I also received a 'Set Time and Date' notice and found that they had been cleared from memory.
 
#13 ·
Got the same message last year about this time. Took it in, dealer told me no issues. They topped-off the fluid. No problems until last week or so. Get it every day. Going to drop it off at the dealer for that and vehicle check II. Hoping they just have to top it off again since I'm out of warranty now. . .
 
#18 ·
Even if my steering wheel is off-center, re-initializing the A/S will bring it back to center?

If not, would I need to go through a wheel alignment in order to bring it back to center? I was told by a BMW specialist that I will have to do a wheel alignment to re-center the steering wheel!

I don't think so, but I'm not absolutely certain!
 
#21 ·
Interesting!! I got the same warning 4 weeks ago on my 07 530I Sprt/Prem. Unfortunately the North Hollywood dealer stated that I needed a new active roll bar; $600 later. I was told that it was not covered by the warranty. I knew that we have tough roads in LA but I do not recall hitting any potholes, curb or etc since I bought the car in May of this year. Next time I'll ask for the parts. In addition they said my 2 front wheels should be replaced because they were slightly out of round. Interesting since I have no tire pressure problems of any kind. It tracks straight and true no shakes. It just makes me wonder .....
 
#23 ·
Steering Malfucntion: Seems like a chronic issue



It sounds like your dealer is taking advantage of you, I have had my 545i since March 04, have received this error about once or twice per year.
It seems to occur during cold mornings and or during quick sharp turns, this could be attributed to low fluid levels.
I had brought it in back in 2006, and like others the dealer declared nothing found out of normal and just topped off the levels and charged me for the fluid.
Hopefully in the new F10 build, they will resolve this issue as it seems to be a phantom issue that can't be sourced, but is more of an annoyance than anything.
 
#22 ·
I got my 545 back from the service center. They claim no leak found in the steering/hydraulic system. They did manage to find a trans problem, leaking mechatronic sleeve. Sounds like BS to me but it was covered by my CPO. I'll see if the steering malfunction comes back in time. Sorry to say i don't really trust the service center I go to. They supposedly changed my oil as well, but it looks like they just topped off my old oil, the dipstick very dirty and foul smelling still.

SteveO
 
#25 ·
Just thought to add my experience.
I have for the past 2 years had Active Steering Malfunction message during the Winter on maybe 2 or 3 occasions. I notice this only happens on a real frosty morning, however at some point during the day or the next day when it gets warmer, the error goes and it all starts working again.

Never happens in the Spring or Summer, I think it has something to do with a sensor that gets blocked with ice or something.
 
#36 ·
I concur. The weather has been a bit extraordinarily cold lately here. This last three weeks, I had the the malfunction active steering light on twice. Both times, I drove the car off without letting the engine warm up first. Both times, I was able to reinitialize it and got it to run normal again.
 
#28 ·
Got this warning this past week. I am waiting for the car to cool and plan on checking the fluid level. Owners manual has nothing on this. I hope/assume the cap has a dipstick.

My wife said that once the warning comes, the steering has a shake to it. We have also noticed an unbalance coming from the front end. No idea if they are all related.

Is Dextron III ATF the correct fluid to add?

thx
 
#29 ·
follow-up: My reservoir says Pentosin CHF-11S fluid. My local NAPA carries it. nice.

However, the fluid WAS VERY LOW. the dipstick was DRY. I can see fluid down in the reservoir but probably .25 or 0.5" from the dipstick. Makes me wonder if the dealer even checks this fluid!!
 
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