BMW XM Clutch Switch Chaos: Multiple System Failures

Hey there! I have some experience working on BMWs. I actually had a really similar issue with my 2021 BMW X5 last winter, and it was driving me nuts! Those symptoms sound exactly like what I went through, the whole electrical gremlins with the gear display, cruise control acting up, and the weird start-without-clutch thing. Took it to my regular workshop, and they found it was just a faulty cable connection to the clutch pedal sensor. Pretty straightforward fix actually, they replaced the connection and recalibrated the system. Cost me about 95 Euro and the car's been running perfectly since then. Quick question though, are you getting any specific error codes on your dash? Also, when did these issues start? If you could share that info, I might be able to tell you if it's exactly what I dealt with on my X5. Those newer BMWs have pretty similar electrical systems across models, so I have a feeling you're dealing with the same gremlin I had. Let me know the details and I'll try to help more!

Thanks for sharing your experience! My XM has 148774 KM on the clock and just had its service last month. I'm getting the P0704 error code on the dash. The issues started suddenly last week after a cold morning start. Haven't noticed any warning lights before that. Really appreciate the heads-up about the cable connection, that's actually a relief to hear it might be something relatively simple rather than a major electrical problem. Did your mechanic have to order any special parts, or was it mainly just fixing the connection? Just trying to get an idea of what I'm in for when I take it to the shop.

Hey again! Yep, that P0704 code definitely rings a bell, that's exactly what my X5 was showing. And the cold start trigger? Same story here! In my case, the mechanic didn't need to order any fancy parts. They had the basic wiring connector in stock, and the repair was pretty straightforward. The most time-consuming part was actually the system recalibration after the fix. The whole thing took about 2 hours, and like I mentioned before, cost around 95 Euro. Since you mentioned your car just had service last month, you might want to check if they did anything near the clutch pedal area. Sometimes these issues can pop up if something got knocked loose during routine maintenance. My mechanic mentioned that these sensors are pretty sensitive to any disturbance. I'd say take it to the shop sooner rather than later though. I made the mistake of driving around with this issue for a couple weeks, and while it wasn't dangerous per se, it's just better to get it sorted quickly. Plus, these symptoms tend to get more annoying over time, trust me, I learned that the hard way! Let me know how it goes when you get it checked out. I'm curious if it'll be the same fix as mine.

Thanks so much for all that info! You're absolutely right about getting it checked soon, I've already scheduled an appointment for tomorrow morning at my local BMW specialist. It's really reassuring to hear it was such a straightforward fix on your X5. You make a good point about the recent service possibly being connected. Now that you mention it, they did have to access the pedal area to check something else, so that could definitely be the trigger. I'll make sure to mention this to the mechanic tomorrow. Just to update everyone, since my first post, I've noticed the issue seems more pronounced when the engine's cold, which matches what you experienced. I'll report back once I get it sorted. Really glad I asked here first, definitely feeling less worried about it now! Thanks again for sharing your experience.