E70 X5 40M Propshaft failure

[Watto1976]

Hi Guys and Girls,

I am very interested to share any experiences with other E70 X5 drivers who have had a propshaft failure. On Wednesday I was driving along a dual carriageway with my wife on our way back to the kids when bang... the car nearly lost control and I had to pull across the lanes and carry out an emergency stop on the hard shoulder.  The prop shaft had broken in two, tearing a hole in the oil sump and damaging the power steering pipe and the pipe to the auto gear box cooler.

I have seen posts from other people about this and it appears that BMW are aware of the problem. We were very close to having a bad accident, if this is happening with any kind of regularity that is very concerning. The car was well looked after, has done circa 52,000 miles and has always been serviced by a BMW main dealer. I will wait for the final verdict from BMW but we are looking at a big bill. I wonder if BMW will contribute to the costs or not want to know? Really appreciate any insight or help from others experiences?
Best
Watto

[Riggie]

What year is your car? Have a look here:  https://www.facebook.com/bmwpropshaft/

[RickUK]

So sorry to hear about the massive problem/s this propshaft failure has caused and it could have been so much worst,this has me concerned is it on just this one specific model and from 2010/1 -2014 models ?? mine is a 56 plate and was wondering if that would have been affected as well and worth getting it checked out.

Once again sorry to hear about the massive problem.

[X5Sport]

There was a BMW recall a few years ago for the E70 & E71 due to propshaft issues.  Mine was replaced and there have been a number of failures reported, all with the same catastrophic effect on the engine.

Worth checking whether yours was done..... even if a bit late now.

RickUK.....no impact in the E53 series cars.

[Watto1976]

Thank you everyone for comments. I will look at the facebook page. I will also update how I get on with BMW and more information on the damage when I have it. The car is a late 2010 model, never skipped a beat up till now!!

[Watto1976]

Wow Facebook page makes interesting reading. X5Sport I will ask that question.. I am guessing it wasn't replaced and hence the accident?? That said, I think one big question for all affected owners is can we rely upon the replacement propshaft? Have BMW solved the problem? I thought my car was bullet proof, if I get it repaired I want to be able to drive it with confidence again.

[kgeddes]

Scary stuff! Is there anywhere in the X5 service history documents I can check to see if mine (a 3.0D registered November 2012) has been replaced? Thanks

[PokenH00D]

[quote="kgeddes"]
Scary stuff! Is there anywhere in the X5 service history documents I can check to see if mine (a 3.0D registered November 2012) has been replaced? Thanks
[/quote]

Mine has full main dealer SH and nowhere does it mention this QE.
On the back of that I emailed BMW UK earlier and asked them to check.

[CB40D]

Mine was replaced under the QE "recall" 2010 plate 40D

[kgeddes]

[quote="PokenH00D"]
[quote="kgeddes"]
Scary stuff! Is there anywhere in the X5 service history documents I can check to see if mine (a 3.0D registered November 2012) has been replaced? Thanks
[/quote]

Mine has full main dealer SH and nowhere does it mention this QE.
On the back of that I emailed BMW UK earlier and asked them to check.
[/quote]

I've done the same, emailed BMW UK requesting the recall history for my vehicle....interesting to see if we get a response.......

[X5Sport]

The check that was required was for excessive backlash in one of the couplings.  If the backlash wasn't evident then no change.  The concern I have is just how it was measured?  By a gauge or someone giving the shaft a twist and feeling for movement? 

If the latter then (to me) that is highly subjective and unrepeatable with any accuracy - two people checking the same part with one not seeing it as needing changing and the other one faulting it!

It has all the hallmarks of the transmission issue that plagues the E53.  In the US BMW were forced to do something about it, but in the EU they just put their feet up and watched as everyone paid for new/repaired transmissions.

[kgeddes]

Just got this back from BMW UK.......can I sleep easier now?


Thanks for your email enquiring about the recall history for your BMW X5.

I can confirm that there are no recalls or quality enhancements outstanding for this vehicle.

There has only been one quality enhancement on this vehicle which has already been carried out. This was for the Program Control Units.

I hope this resolves your query, but if there’s anything else that I can do for you, please feel free to contact me.

Kind regards

Tanya

BMW Group
United Kingdom
Tanya Zaman
Customer Support Executive
Summit ONE
Summit Avenue, Farnborough
Hampshire , GU14 0FB
Tel:  +44 (0) 800 325 6000
Mail to:  customer.information@bmw.co.uk
URL:    www.bmw.co.uk

[PokenH00D]

[quote="kgeddes"]
Just got this back from BMW UK.......can I sleep easier now?


Thanks for your email enquiring about the recall history for your BMW X5.

I can confirm that there are no recalls or quality enhancements outstanding for this vehicle.

There has only been one quality enhancement on this vehicle which has already been carried out. This was for the Program Control Units.

I hope this resolves your query, but if there’s anything else that I can do for you, please feel free to contact me.

Kind regards

Tanya

BMW Group
United Kingdom
Tanya Zaman
Customer Support Executive
Summit ONE
Summit Avenue, Farnborough
Hampshire , GU14 0FB
Tel:  +44 (0) 800 325 6000
Mail to:  customer.information@bmw.co.uk
URL:    www.bmw.co.uk
[/quote]

I just got this

Thanks for getting in contact about your vehicles recall status.

Below I have enclosed your vehicles recall status.

Defect Code              Defect Description                                                                            Done 
0026230100                E7x Check the front propeller shaft, replace if applicable                    Yes   
0061210400                E70 E71 Program control units (CAS)                                              Yes

If you require further information on this matter then I must advise you to contact your local BMW Centre as they will be able to explain the work carried out.

[X5Sport]

Reading more on line now information has become available, it appears the problem was that the ac drain was causing the propshaft to rust through and fail.  Corroded shafts were replaced and the drain rerouted.

This doesn't match the QE data I was given as that refers to backlash!

[kgeddes]

From what I received from BMW UK can I assume that there was no recall/QE for my year of X5 as the modification detailed by X5Sport had been standardised by that time? Thanks