Was driving home from work last night and hit an invisible pothole or something and the connected screen threw up a message about DSC being inactive and hill assist no longer functioning, drive slowly, etc, have your dealer check out the car.

I've seen a few posts about this same error on various BMW and MINI boards suggesting that some sensor probably got jarred and threw the code. Apparently one post suggested that the dealer told them "sometimes it happens when you hit a bump--we found nothing" or some similar story. Others report the error after lowering their BMW and having to take it to the dealer for a recalibration of the steering angle sensor.

In several cases, they say it resets itself after a while. I haven't driven it much since but will monitor it and if it doesn't go away or something seems wrong over the next couple days, I'll take it in of course.

I also plan to check under the car to make sure all the wheel sensors are intact and connected.

I should note that the bump felt very sharp but there was no visible external tire or wheel damage.

...

Just wanted to report it here and see what others have experienced or if you all have thoughts.

 

You could disconnect the battery for over 20 min... That would reset the computer in the car (I believe)... Have you tried turning DSC off and then back on again? These are just my thoughts... No real technical basis behind them.

I went over some railroad tracks with a lip i didnt see in my CM and it definitely got quite a bit of air, everything was fine fortunately.

Hope you find the answer, but give those two things a try... You never know

Kyle

 

good news. started and drove for about 5 minutes and the error messages cleared and all is well again. the hill assist works fine. I have not tested the DSC.

 

Funny to have found this when I hit a pothole yesterday night.. There was a sharp sound but I could find no visible damage on the wheels and undercarriage.. Could be the absorber bottoming out or something..

No errors though.

 

Let's see...please excuse me for getting some unexpected air...right, Kyle.

 

two plus months later: nothing interesting. just wanted to follow up here.

i know the most vocal customers are usually the unhappy ones. I want to be a vocal happy customer!

 

I hit a pothole yesterday. Same thig dsc errors etc. parked the car turned it off and then back on everything reset... But my right front tire got a huge bubble on it inside and outside of the tire! Dealer says 235 to replace Goodyear tire 18" found a tire on eBay for 140 that has 9/32nd tread on it so ordered that. Dealer wants me to get an alignment $199 for that! It's a FWD not all4 once I get the tire should I do an alignment? And should I do alignment at some other place then the dealer?

 

yes, dealer is a rip off....usually a awd alignment is 75 bucks around here...

 

Had the same problem with my Clubman. Pulled over, turned the car off, started it back up, and everything was fine. That's all you need to do...A bit of an annoyance but these cars aren't perfect unfortunately.

 

Agreed, no reason to pay dealer prices for alignment...$80 to $90 would be about the going rate here in NJ for chain auto repair/tire stores.

 

I had this issue arise last night on my way home. Only thing is, I didn't hit a pot hole. I was cruising on the HWY with the cruise set to 65mph, and then used the buttons on the wheel to lower it to 55mph. Then there was a very loud pop/crash that I could feel throughout the car. Then the dash lit up like our Christmas tree!! I drove on for quite a ways until my exit off the HWY. Pulled over, restarted the car, and then drove on. The warnings and lights all went away within a mile or two.
The loud noise that I got is a bit disconcerting since there was nothing on the HWY, and no pot hole to hit!!!???

:sigh: I really wish I didn't feel like this $35K car was so damn fragile!!

 

somehow I have a feeling your wheel hit something you didn't see.

 

sorry to dig up an old thread, but... I'm pretty sure I've found the largest pothole in Florida.. it was raining and the depths of hell opened and in I go. bent rim, DSC light yellow brake light. I pulled over turned the car off, started it back up still on... drove it for 2 miles and bam it goes away by itself. took it to the dealer (happened to be due for a service) luckly I have the road hazard warranty. they installed a new tire, but wouldn't change the rim cause it was holding air.. (bs).. anyways, I had them do an alignment ($105). they did tell me that the computer said to service the brakes (change pads), but since its only got 23k miles it was unlikely. so they checked them out and confirmed they are within spec and that the brake sensor and ECU were no longer in calibration with each other to determine when to change the pads.. I assume from when I hit the hole. the service rep told me that there has been a rash of Countrymans coming in with a similar calibration issue (without the pothole).. they did a 4 hour re-calibration (under warranty) and it drives like a new car again. (even with the bent rim).. so I would suggest that if anyone has a similar issue (pothole or not) take it in (especially if its under warranty) and have them check it out.. something may need to be recalibrated.

 

Yeah, I'm one of those that had to have the brake re-calibration. That was at 15,000 miles, but no potholes were involved. Now it says I have plenty of pad left.

 

Following up here again. I've started getting repeated DSC Inactive errors with no additional potholes. Just driving down the highway or any road when the error shows up. It does clear itself on my next drive, but when it shows up, the car actually has a physical issue I can feel.

It's hard to describe, but it almost lurches or hiccups when the error comes up. In addition, the transmission/diff/whatever has started making a bit of a rough howl. Whether that's related or not is up to MINI to decide, but it's very audible and only happens at certain speeds, loads, and RPM. I took an audio recording to play for the service dudes.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/rd84t6e90xjon6h/MINIhowl.m4a

 

Mine keeps doing this for the first time this year- it is a freeze up issue. The dealership could not even find any codes and told me there was nothing wrong. Well we have been having below zero temps and when they put it in the heated garage overnight to thaw out all the snow so they can work on it- poof no lights or codes in the morning. I still got charged a fee for the diagnostics and they went out and abused my clutch to see if it would go back on - I could smell it when I got in.
It has returned 3 more times at -5 degrees and goes away at 5 degrees. Always comes on with no warning. I will have Chad at Detroit tuned take a look and post you if I find out anything.

 

I'm still under warranty and the car is currently at the dealership. They said the key fob was indicating worn front brake pads but visually confirmed they were fine. They are going to upgrade the braking software to see if it fixes that and the DSC issue.

Unfortunately I don't think the brakes have anything to do with the transmission noise.

 

Update:
I'm VERY GLAD I'm still under warranty. I got a phone call today to update me on the situation. A transfer case is on its way to my dealer.

 

Hey Guys,

Anyone have news or updates regarding the DSC error? Had this problem happen with my other half about 1.5 weeks ago and it caused the steering to lock up and she couldn't do anything but run the car up on the curb until she could get it stopped.

The car has been at the dealership since then and BMW overseas is telling us they can't find anything wrong at all despite multiple engineers looking at the vehicle. Just seems kind of mind boggling. All my googlefu powers show me that it seems to be more prevalent (and has been in past models too) then they are letting on.

Any insight you might have would be much appreciated!

 

Are you saying that something amiss with the DSC made it impossible to turn the steering wheel? If yes, I don't see how that's mechanically possible.

You mention that you have seen other reports of the same thing, but I've been active on this website for many years and never heard of even one report of this. Can you point us to others who have reported the same thing? It goes without saying that if even just a few owners are experiencing this, it's about as serious a safety issue as there could be. I would be the first person in line to accuse BMW of not being as forthcoming as they should be with admitting to issues, but the DSC system locking the steering is one I have never heard of.

 

...

uh oh.

big pot hole (technically road maintenance with improper repair)

funky engine howl

random dsc / brake issues

I saw the price of the transfer case replacement when this happened before. I'm nervous.