Stuck in neutral at 70mph??

Jonsnow77 · 05-28-2017, 11:21 PM

Gents and ladies,
Was driving to work the other day in eco-pro mode at about 70mph(110kmh) when the car out of nowhere went into neutral and was unable to get out of it.
Moved the gearshift up down left , tried braking and using gearshift and nothing helped.

Had to pull over to the side of the road and restart the engine to get it working again. This obviously happened as the car was coasting in neutral , just decided it didn't wanna leave.. This is the second time in a few weeks its happened , and can't seem to find anything written on the forums.

I've got a 420i , wondering if anyone else has had this happen ?

Cheers

bimmer456 · 05-29-2017, 12:24 AM

It is the coasting mode in eco pro to save fuel. Did it let you rev the engine in neutral? You may need to have the dealer look into it.

Jonsnow77 · 05-29-2017, 12:46 AM

Yeah I know it was coasting, problem is that when I stepped on the gas to get moving it stayed at neutral and the transmission shifted into neutral. And yeah if I stepped on the gas I just revved the engine

Zentan · 05-29-2017, 08:08 AM

Were you on cruise control or just regular driving on Eco mode? Have you tried shifting it into Comfort or Sport mode? Also, when attempting to move into Drive, did you put some pressure on it? I noticed that moving it from N to D or D to N, it needs a bit more pressure than usual.

Jonsnow77 · 05-29-2017, 10:17 AM

I didn't really have time to think about changing modes, was too much traffic and was more concerned about getting off the highway safely. Was just cruising ! And on a bit of a downhill stretch I let it coast. Definitely tried every possible way with the gearshift, upto neutral back into drive even tried braking to put it into drive.

Just had a quick chat with the BMW service centre today and they've never heard of this happening, they assume it's just a software problem but it is obviously hard to diagnose in shop

JamRWS6 · 05-29-2017, 09:59 PM

Stepping on the gas should re-engage as you know. Brakes won't do anything unless you brake with a bit of force. I'd be on the lookout for it to happen again, it's possible if you were panicked and hit the shift lever up you accidentally put into neutral. My recommendation would be to try in eco mode to see how it works. Press accelerator to re-engage or changing to Comfort mode will get it out of coasting. Coasting can also be disabled in I drive FWIW.

Jonsnow77 · 05-29-2017, 11:32 PM

Yeah I thought I might have accidentally flicked it into neutral but surprised it wouldn't go back into drive. This is the second time it's happened so I'm not sure. If it happens again I might just turn coasting off, is that in the ecopro page then configure page ?

05-28-2017, 11:21 PM	#1
Jonsnow77 Registered 0 Rep 4 Posts Drives: 420i Join Date: May 2017 Location: Hong Kong iTrader: (0)	Stuck in neutral at 70mph?? Gents and ladies, Was driving to work the other day in eco-pro mode at about 70mph(110kmh) when the car out of nowhere went into neutral and was unable to get out of it. Moved the gearshift up down left , tried braking and using gearshift and nothing helped. Had to pull over to the side of the road and restart the engine to get it working again. This obviously happened as the car was coasting in neutral , just decided it didn't wanna leave.. This is the second time in a few weeks its happened , and can't seem to find anything written on the forums. I've got a 420i , wondering if anyone else has had this happen ? Cheers
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05-29-2017, 12:24 AM	#2
bimmer456 Major General 2966 Rep 6,001 Posts Drives: 340i Join Date: Nov 2016 Location: Pasadena, CA iTrader: (0)	It is the coasting mode in eco pro to save fuel. Did it let you rev the engine in neutral? You may need to have the dealer look into it.
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05-29-2017, 12:46 AM	#3
Jonsnow77 Registered 0 Rep 4 Posts Drives: 420i Join Date: May 2017 Location: Hong Kong iTrader: (0)	Yeah I know it was coasting, problem is that when I stepped on the gas to get moving it stayed at neutral and the transmission shifted into neutral. And yeah if I stepped on the gas I just revved the engine
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05-29-2017, 08:08 AM	#4
Zentan First Lieutenant 132 Rep 302 Posts Drives: 2019 M2C / 6MT / SO Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Queens, NY iTrader: (0)	Were you on cruise control or just regular driving on Eco mode? Have you tried shifting it into Comfort or Sport mode? Also, when attempting to move into Drive, did you put some pressure on it? I noticed that moving it from N to D or D to N, it needs a bit more pressure than usual.
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05-29-2017, 10:17 AM	#5
Jonsnow77 Registered 0 Rep 4 Posts Drives: 420i Join Date: May 2017 Location: Hong Kong iTrader: (0)	I didn't really have time to think about changing modes, was too much traffic and was more concerned about getting off the highway safely. Was just cruising ! And on a bit of a downhill stretch I let it coast. Definitely tried every possible way with the gearshift, upto neutral back into drive even tried braking to put it into drive. Just had a quick chat with the BMW service centre today and they've never heard of this happening, they assume it's just a software problem but it is obviously hard to diagnose in shop
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05-29-2017, 09:59 PM	#6
JamRWS6 Captain 191 Rep 603 Posts Drives: 2022 X3M Competition Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Dallas, TX iTrader: (0)	Stepping on the gas should re-engage as you know. Brakes won't do anything unless you brake with a bit of force. I'd be on the lookout for it to happen again, it's possible if you were panicked and hit the shift lever up you accidentally put into neutral. My recommendation would be to try in eco mode to see how it works. Press accelerator to re-engage or changing to Comfort mode will get it out of coasting. Coasting can also be disabled in I drive FWIW. __________________ - 2022 X3M Comp - 2021 X5 xDrive 40i - 2018 F80 M3 (sold)
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05-29-2017, 11:32 PM	#7
Jonsnow77 Registered 0 Rep 4 Posts Drives: 420i Join Date: May 2017 Location: Hong Kong iTrader: (0)	Yeah I thought I might have accidentally flicked it into neutral but surprised it wouldn't go back into drive. This is the second time it's happened so I'm not sure. If it happens again I might just turn coasting off, is that in the ecopro page then configure page ?
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