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4x4, yellow brake, and airbag light all on

41K views 25 replies 17 participants last post by  Tashier 
#1 · (Edited)
Note: I've searched and seen the 'terrible triad' of lights, but this appears to involve the ABS light which I do not have on.

I have a 2008 X3 M-sport with 75k miles.

The other day I left the key in the number 2 ignition spot overnight which killed the battery. I jumped started the car and it started up fine, but now whenever I start the car, I immediately get the red airbag light, yellow brake light, and the 4x4 light on the dash. These appear almost immediately while the car is still in park and idling. They are on all the time while driving and are not intermittent. Also, it appears that the DTC and hill descent control buttons don't work because nothing happens when I press/hold them.

Car seems to drive just fine, but I've noticed that there appears to be more power coming from the front wheels than the rear. Almost as if the car is in 4wd. Although it's subtle enough that this could just be in my head.

From other searched, I've confirmed that there is no clicking sound underneath indicating a bad actuator. The hidden OBC menu confirms the battery looks good (i did a full trickle charge after I jumped it). I did a full lock-to-lock steering wheel turn and that didn't do anything.

Before I take it in, is there anything else I can check to get rid of the lights? My battery is 6 years old and I'm tempted to replace it, but not sure if that would fix the immediate issue.

Thanks in advance.
 
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#2 ·
battery etc

you've done good intro troubleshooting but 6 years on a battery is time to swap if only for insurance purposes of not getting stuck someplace you don't wanna be....also ....the lack of the killer clicking sound is good news

also .....get access to a low cost/friends multimeter and see for sure what's going on at the terminals ......gotta be ~12.5 volts static and 14 ish volts charging from alternator with engine idling

you might try the ignition on 1st position but no engine running with foot pressed down all the way on accelerator pedal for a minute ....this often resets gremlins ......or the disconnect the battery for ten mins at both terminals trick

also ......do you have the obd2 code reader reset gizmo .......loads of folks do .....so .....beg/boorow etc one......do a quick reset and see if all goes well ......hopefully it's a simple battery issue
 
#3 ·
Thanks for the quick reply.

I haven't heard of the gas pedal reset before. Tried it but nothing changed.

I did try resetting the lights by disconnecting the negative terminal for a night which didn't work. I'll try disconnecting both posts and see if that makes a difference.

I don't have an odb2 reader. Any tips on where I could buy/borrow one?
 
#4 ·
obd2

there are some very low cost ones on ebay .....or search this site to see recommendations ......joylove is top notch name to search on

also .....you can go to a local auto supply store ...we have car quest/auto zone....o'reilly etc but I don't know about Ca ......these guys will always read and reset codes for the locals here in the swamp
 
#6 ·
I got stuck in a field a couple weeks ago. I have had the same lights come on. They do not show up on my scanner and is only intermittent like twice in 3 weeks. Since it was caked with mud around the transfer case I am thinking that it may be a short in the wiring. A couple years ago I had to replace the actuater. I drove it for a couple days without one in it and got the same lights. I just haven't had time to get it checked by my Indy.
 

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#7 ·
I'm also having the same problem with my 2008 BMW X3. 4x4 light, yellow brake light, airbag light, and seat belt lights all came on and I can't shot it off. 195 and 3gunshooter, how did you fix the problem in your X3? Please anyone with ideas, please help on how I can get rid of these lights. I would really appreciate it. Thanks
 
#9 ·
1. Get codes read and reset
2. Disconnect battery as described above
3. Get battery tested at autozone/etc
4. consider getting a new battery - at 6 years old, it could easily just be that
 
#17 ·
I had the same problem and it turned out to be a bad ignition switch. The ABS system get un-switched power but the DSC is power from the ignition switch. The circuit to fuses 1-15 was getting about 8 volts. There are about four different switch controlled circuits so check all of fuses for a proper voltage before you assume the voltage is good.
 
#18 ·
I ran through this with a 2009 x3. Transfer gear fix cost 10.00 and took half hour. Problem not fixed. Change tc fluid cost 45 . Problem not fixed. It turns out that it was a combination of minimum spec battery in trunk and bad ground strap. I was glad to have found the before tackling steering sensor. With battery in trunk there is no extra heat and more power needed with long lines to front
 
#22 ·
Check and replace the two under-car ground straps first. There's 1 behind the front passenger wheel grounding the engine to the subframe, and another grounding the exhaust to the chassis just ahead of the rear drive axle.

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Will give a try by replacing ground straps first.

If my understanding is correct then your theory about bad ground strap is that there is under-voltage condition to possibly steering angle sensor that is causing the problem, right? So

1. Is there a good place to insert with oscilloscope to measure voltage drop as close as possible to the steering angle sensor? Would it be most important to measure the voltage before cranking, during cranking or when running on alternator?
2. In ISTA/D I have seen that angle during the calibration process (with engine on) sometimes is jumping back and forth. Can this information be used to prove whether issue is with voltage or with sensor itself?
3. If there were electrical connection issues, then would there be a dedicated code visible in ISTA/D or any other codes? I have few other codes 000004 LWS slider fault (adjustment operation), 00001e IHKA AUC sensor, 000020 IHKA AUC heating, 0000A1 MRS No message from DSC control unit or message incorrect, 0000A3 MRS no message from DSC control unit or message incorrect, 002ef8 DME: Map thermostat, activation
 
#23 ·
I don’t know how much voltage drop is allowable by the time the energy gets to the SAS, but replacing the ground straps and then shorting the capacitors cures the various odd electrical gremlins in these 9 out of 10 times. The various sensors and capacitors are extremely sensitive to voltage, and if the electrical current between the battery terminals isn’t perfect, all sorts of weird red herrings appear. Many of us have added extra ground straps at various places under the hood using insulated 4ga cable, as even the slightest corrosion begins to cause random codes to appear (the DME needs to read proper voltage from its various sensors in order to report properly). Even mirror/seat memory is heavily dependent upon resistance.

If proper earthing followed by a capacitor short doesn’t fix the SAS, then yes tire likely due for one. Ground straps on these cars are a maintenance item.


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#26 ·
I've had this issue twice, other than dead or removed battery which is quick fix with lock to lock on the steering wheel. First time was the transfer case actuator. It's not terrible, just getting the actual actuator open is quite a pain. Second time it was the Steering Angle Sensor which is quite a job to get the column out. The sensors are expensive but you can replace the contacts in them but they do not come with instructions and I installed them upside down and ruined them. If you get a Creator C310 scanner you can determine your problem before just taking guesses. It will save you a ton of time and money.
 
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