BMW X5 Steering Shake & ABS Light: Connected Issues?

Hey there! I have some experience working on cars, nothing too fancy but I've learned a lot from my repairs. I had a similar issue with my 2013 BMW X3 3.0i last year. The symptoms were almost identical, steering wheel vibrations, stiff turning, and those same warning lights. Initially thought it was just low pressure too, but turned out to be a faulty tire pressure monitoring valve in one of the wheels. Took it to my regular workshop where they diagnosed the issue pretty quickly. They had to replace the valve and recalibrate the tire pressure monitoring system. The whole thing cost me around 280 Euro, but it fixed all the problems at once. Haven't had any issues since then. Before jumping to conclusions though, could you share some more details? Like how long has this been happening? Have you noticed if it gets worse at certain speeds? Also, when was the last time you had your wheel alignment checked? Let me know these details and I might be able to help you narrow down if it's the same issue I had with my X3.

Thanks for your detailed response! My X5 has 132729 KM on the odometer, and I just had it serviced last month. The shaking started about a week ago and gets worse at higher speeds, especially above 100 km/h. I haven't had the wheel alignment checked in a while, but I recently hit a pretty nasty pothole which might have thrown things off. I'll definitely check those tire pressure monitoring valves you mentioned. Just curious, when your valve failed, did you notice any drastic pressure drops, or was it more of a gradual thing? I've been topping up my tires every few days now, which seems excessive.

Ah, that pothole detail rings a bell! My X3 went through something similar actually. When my valve failed, I noticed the pressure dropping gradually at first, but after hitting a bad bump, it got much worse, had to refill every 2-3 days just like you. But given what you're describing, especially that high-speed shaking and the ABS light, I'm starting to think your issue might be more than just the valve I had. The fact that it got worse after hitting that pothole makes me wonder if you might have damaged a wheel bearing or knocked your alignment out pretty badly. In my earlier days with the X3, I ignored similar symptoms thinking it was just tire pressure, and ended up having to replace both the wheel bearing and the TPMS valve. Cost me way more than if I'd dealt with it right away. I'd strongly suggest getting it checked sooner rather than later. The constant need for tire pressure top-ups definitely isn't normal, but those other symptoms you're mentioning sound suspiciously like wheel bearing issues too. Don't want you ending up with a bigger repair bill like I did! Have you noticed any humming noise when you're driving? That's another thing that showed up with my bearing problem.

Thanks so much for sharing your experience! You've got me worried about the wheel bearing now, and yes, actually, I have been hearing a slight humming noise that I thought was just road noise. Guess I can't ignore these symptoms anymore, especially after what you went through with your X3. I'll book it in for a proper check tomorrow. Better to catch these things early than wait until it gets worse and costs me even more money. Really appreciate you taking the time to explain your similar experience, at least now I know what to mention to the mechanic when I take it in. Will definitely have them check both the TPMS valve and the wheel bearing. Hopefully it won't be too expensive, but based on what you've said, it sounds like it needs sorting out asap. Thanks again for the help!