BMW i8 Throttle Valve Failure: Emergency Mode Symptoms

Hey there! I have some experience working on cars, and this sounds very similar to what I dealt with on my 2012 BMW i3 Hybrid last year. Those symptoms are pretty much identical to what I experienced, sluggish response, limp mode, and that annoying check engine light. Took it to my regular workshop, and after diagnostics, they found it was a faulty accelerator pedal module. The electronics inside were shot. Got it replaced for about 265 Euro, and the car's been running perfectly since then. The i8, like my i3, has pretty sensitive electronics, so these things can happen. Before I can give you more specific advice, could you share: How many miles/kilometers on your i8? Are you getting any specific error codes? Did these symptoms appear suddenly or gradually? BTW, if this is the same issue, don't drive it too much until it's fixed, could damage other components.

Hey, thanks for your detailed response! I'm at 86285 KM and actually just had my service done last month. Really helpful to hear about your experience with a similar issue. My symptoms popped up quite suddenly, was fine one day, then boom, all these problems the next morning. Haven't pulled the error codes yet since this just happened, but I'm planning to do that tomorrow. Your accelerator pedal module fix is interesting, definitely sounds similar to what I'm experiencing. Mind sharing which workshop you used? The repair cost seems reasonable, especially for our type of cars.

Hey again! Yeah, when you mentioned it happened suddenly, that's exactly how mine went too. I was literally driving home one evening, parked it, and the next morning, total drama queen of a car! I got mine fixed at my trusted local BMW specialist, been going to them for years. They're great, but honestly, any certified workshop that knows their way around BMW hybrids should be able to handle this. The 265 Euro I mentioned included labor, but prices might've changed since then. Looking at your mileage (86285 KM), you're actually pretty close to where mine was when it failed (around 82000 KM). These pedal modules tend to give up around this range in our cars. The fact that it happened right after your service is probably just coincidental, these electronic components just decide to quit whenever they feel like it! Quick tip from my experience, when they replace the module, make sure they do a proper calibration. Mine needed a second visit because the first calibration wasn't quite right and the car felt a bit jumpy. After they redid it, smooth as butter. Let me know what those error codes say when you get them. If they're anything like what I had, we might be looking at the same exact issue.

Thanks so much for sharing all that detail, especially about the calibration issue! That's super helpful to know. I'll definitely make sure they do that properly when I get it fixed. Pretty wild that yours failed around the same mileage too, makes me feel better knowing it's probably a common thing and not just bad luck. I've decided to get it checked tomorrow first thing. Going to show them your comments about the pedal module, sounds way too similar to be a coincidence. Really appreciate you mentioning that second calibration visit too, might've ended up with the same jumpiness issue without knowing what was up. Thanks again for all the help! I'll probably be back to update once I get those error codes and figure out what's really going on with my drama queen of a car!