[Rapid]

Esteemed members, I urgently need your advice. This decides whether our BMW X1 will be even kept in the family any more.

As a preview, this thread is about my father's pre owned 2017 BMW X1 sDrive20D xLine, with a TwinTurbo 2.0 diesel under the hood.

Now, the main point. Today, while one of my father's daily drives around the city in the evening, doing errands, he stopped outside a dhaba and accidently turned the steering wheel fully to the left and some more. Now, the steering did not come off, but a message came up on the instrument cluster, saying 'Steering Stabilisation, Drive moderately', and on the screen that automatic initialisation had started. The steering wheel locked itself, and he had to switch off the car and stay outside for a full five minutes before the steering released. This was the first time, on the side of the road.

Next, he came home, albeit with another such message on a steep turning. After a few hours he again went out with me in tow this time, to drop my friend and his mother off at the mouth of their alley. We dropped them off easily, however on the way to return on a straight road, my father misread a pothole and jumped right into the pothole. The message popped up again and the steering locked itself in the middle of the road. With great difficulty, he unlocked the steering wheel by moving it back and forth several times. This repeated itself about 3 more times on the way to home, every time he turned the steering wheel more than a few degrees. Finally he stepped out again. And the steering released itself. He had to limp back home and here I am, writing this report.

This is a turning point in our not so long ownership of this flawed beast and we are doubting whether to keep this car anymore or sell it and get a 2023 Virtus or Slavia.

Mods, please join with another thread if deemed necessary.

[suhaas307]

The only way to properly diagnose the issue is to scan the car for error codes, preferably with a BMW specific scanner available at the authorised dealership / service centre.

I am certain a few error codes have been registered on the DME and that will give you a clearer picture of what the issue could be.

From a casual reading of your post, it appears that it’s an electrical issue with the steering rack.. perhaps an issue with the rack’s adaptation? This is assuming that you haven’t experienced any mechanical problems while turning the steering wheel? Are there any sounds / noises that you may have caught from the from the front axle while turning the wheel? If not, then it could be an electrical / adaptation related problem.

These sort of errors / issues are also generated when the wheels / tyres are extremely low on air or severely off alignment.

Let’s hope that a simple re-adaptation of the steering rack will resolve the issue.

All the best!

[Sanidhya mukund]

BMWs throw those errors when there's something wrong with the suspension or steering components. It could either be a mechanical fault or a failed sensor (ABS sensor, Steering angle sensor etc.). My Aunt used to drive an older BMW X1 in the UK. Her car also had the same error, which was resolved by a replacement of the ABS sensor.

None of these are very expensive to fix, especially at an FNG. Since you mention an operator error, I am inclined to think that the steering system must have suffered some sort of mechanical trauma, causing the EPS motor to get damaged.

Your best bet would be to have the BMW dealer or a German car specialist garage scan the OBD for any errors and physically inspect the stuff underneath the car. Worst case scenario - You might have to replace something expensive like the EPS motor/steering column/rack. However, If you are lucky, it could be something minor like a ball joint or some inexpensive sensor somewhere.

Either way, getting it fixed makes a lot more sense than replacing the car.

Do keep us updated about the diagnosis.

[Rapid]

By mechanical POV, nothing other than the said problem of steering getting locked when hitting potholes at high speeds, or turning more than few degrees not possible due to the car locking the steering wheel that I know of. Keep in mind, that this is Kolkata we are talking about, so totally avoiding potholes or not making sharp turns is not possible, either technically or practically.

My father has visited the BMW workshop. They are saying in this rainy, pothole filled roads of Kolkata, these problems are common on many BMWs. In fact, four more cars are at their workshop for the same issue. Dont know what to say anymore. Also, if it is relevant, my father had waded through a bit of water before any of this happened, thickness as much as an average iPad lying horizontally.

Anyway thanks to @suhaas and @Sanidhya. Will keep the thread updated.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by Rapid

My father has visited the BMW workshop. They are saying in this rainy, pothole filled roads of Kolkata, these problems are common. In fact, four more cars are at their workshop for the same issue. Also, if it is relevant, my father had waded through a bit of water before any of this happened, thickness as much as an average iPad lying horizontally.

Anyway thanks to @suhaas and @Sanidhya. Will keep the thread updated.

In that case, it could be something really small and trivial, like an ABS sensor or something similar. Getting that replaced and a quick re-adaptation / calibration of the steering should fix the problem.

[Rapid]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

The only way to properly diagnose the issue is to scan the car for error codes, preferably with a BMW specific scanner available at the authorised dealership / service centre.

I am certain a few error codes have been registered on the DME and that will give you a clearer picture of what the issue could be.

Dear suhaas, not BMW but an FNG ran an OBD scan and nothing, not even a hint of a problem showed up. My father contacted the technical support person from where we bought the car and they are also saying that their issue is common in many premium cars and told us to avoid driving in water. Thank you for the suggestion but I do not think there is any chance of us keeping this car any more, with repair prices that can climb up to 3 lacs.

[ike]

Originally Posted by Rapid

Dear suhaas, not BMW but an FNG ran an OBD scan and nothing, not even a hint of a problem showed up.

That's super weird, an error popping up and then there being no trace of anything upon scanning. Maybe just get it scanned from a different Garage or perhaps at the dealership itself.

I understand the car had been to the dealership but they sent it back without even running an OBD scan saying it's common?

[dhanushs]

The BMW X1 should have an Electronic Assist Power Steering. The feeling of "Steering locked" is nothing but the steering getting no assist. ie. the motor in the rack is not sending any torque to assist your steering effort.

The logic of the amount of assist given by the motor for precice sterring feedback and returnability is based on a multiple sensor input. Like the ESP (For Speed, X,Y,Z sensors, G sensors), the steering angle sensor, then then the wheel speed sensors etc..

If any of these sensors that decide the logic for the assist at the moment is not functioning you will have an issue, or, the motor itself is a pretty high powered one and the problem can be something as simple as a wiring harness failing to provide the current for assist.

I'd advise to start checking the wiring harness and the steering assist motor.

[HammerHead]

I own 2020 BMW X3 and with all the info that you have provided, I can say that it would be either wiring harness or sensor issue. I'm surprised to hear that BMW Authorized service center did nothing?? The first thing that they do is OBD scan.

I had an incident where in rat chewed off few cables just under right rear wheel arc protection. Car threw suspension related errors. Also Add-blue went to 40% which was not correct as the car had gone through annual service just a month back!

I consulted with the service head and drove to the service center. I could feel that something was wrong with the suspension. Drove slowly, below 40KMPH.

They fixed the problem efficiently.

[adi58]

Originally Posted by Rapid

Also, bear in mind that before any of this happened, he had waded through a bit of water,
thickness as much as an iPad lying horizontally(sorry for the bizarre example).

An X1 owner myself. In this case, steering rack replacement is likely the option. Either new or refurbished. And avoid taking any BMW in water henceforth.

[Rapid]

Originally Posted by HammerHead

I had an incident where in rat chewed off few cables just under right rear wheel arc protection. Car threw suspension related errors. Also Add-blue went to 40% which was not correct as the car had gone through annual service just a month back!

I consulted with the service head and drove to the service center. I could feel that something was wrong with the suspension. Drove slowly, below 40KMPH.

They fixed the problem efficiently.

Ah yes, but you are forgetting that this is a BS4 engine, and this does not have adblue(I am not sure). Considering this is Kolkata, I do not think there is any infestation of rats, as they are unheard of, and random cats constantly keep prowling the society.

[ssjr0498]

Have you got an opportunity to scan your car? Use Bimmerlink or some other OBD scan tool and get the codes, it seems that you have a sensor failure or because of the steering motor being way down on the x1 and other BMW's as well and your water wading, it could be that the pump has packed up.
If BMW is not assisting, please visit Alok Automobiles and speak to the owner Suman da. I am sure the issue is not a major one and would not require you to replace your rack.

Originally Posted by Rapid

Ah yes, but you are forgetting that this is a BS4 engine, and this does not have adblue(I am not sure). Considering this is Kolkata, I do not think there is any infestation of rats, as they are unheard of, and random cats constantly keep prowling the society.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by Rapid

Dear suhaas, not BMW but an FNG ran an OBD scan and nothing, not even a hint of a problem showed up. My father contacted the technical support person from where we bought the car and they are also saying that their issue is common in many premium cars and told us to avoid driving in water. Thank you for the suggestion but I do not think there is any chance of us keeping this car any more, with repair prices that can climb up to 3 lacs.

If there is a physical issue with the electronic steering motor itself, there may not be an error code. It is probably due to water ingress.

Best to get a competent FNG to open it and check wiring and for water ingress.

Worst case you can look at a used steering rack which should be under a lac.

[jkt]

Originally Posted by Rapid

"this thread is about my father's pre owned 2017 BMW X1 sDrive20D xLine, with a TwinTurbo 2.0 diesel under the hood.
.
.
"accidently turned the steering wheel fully to the left and some more. Now, the steering did not come off, but a message came up on the instrument cluster, saying 'Steering Stabilisation, Drive moderately', and on the screen that automatic initialisation had started"

"Next, he came home, albeit with another such message on a steep turning"

"...on the way to return on a straight road, my father misread a pothole and jumped right into the pothole. The message popped up again and the steering locked itself in the middle of the road"

"This repeated itself about 3 more times on the way to home, every time he turned the steering wheel more than a few degrees"
"Finally he stepped out again. And the steering released itself."

I had seen many error messages in my Vento TSI recently, like ABS error, when battery had low voltage due to alternator failure. These warnings vanished when battery was fully charged again.

When was the battery changed last time for your car?
1. It might be a weak battery which is not able to supply enough current to the motor which assists steering movement.
2. During steering movement, battery might be getting overloaded which may cause voltage to drop below minimum required level and which in turn may cause error in measurements related to steering control.

As it is a seven year old vehicle, it may be the second battery and may be near the end of its life.
If you have a multimeter, you may check the battery voltage before and after starting the car.
You may also check battery voltage under different electrical load conditions, by turning on different combinations of electrical loads, like headlights, AC, different Fan speed, defogger, etc.
When the engine is running, battery voltage is expected to be in the range of 13V or 14V.
Easier method is to simply replace the battery with a good battery temporarily and see if it helps resolve the issue.

Good luck!