hey guys

ive had a problem with my car when i turn it on it says on the screen GEAR ENGAGED WITHOUT BRAKE DEPRESS., what doe this mean and it stays on the whole time ??
plz someone help me thank you

 

Almost a year ago I had that happen after a long drive (4 hours) in very heavy rain. After stopping and restarting 2 times it disappeared and hasn't returned since (10K miles ago). My SA was unable to isolate or cause the error to reappear and he suspects it was an isolated situation caused by dampness in a connector associated with the transmission that hasn't reoccurred. If it had not self-healed (as some computer/electronic gremlins do these days) he would have to interrogate the electrics associated with shifter interlock and transmission etc. Like I said, I've since driven through rain, snow, sleet, and hail w/o any similar problems. Hope you are as lucky!

 

thanks bro for responding and ive been driving like this for two months and drives normal well, i think its probably an sensor error but i just need to know which one and where its located at

 

I have this error come up occasionally, about half dozen times over the past 2 months. Goes away after I switch off n restart. Also twice had a "transmission error" come up and car refused to start. I've checked n cleaned connections etc at the lever and at the gearbox but not been able to cure or find what's causing it. Guess it'll be a trip to a dealer to hand over a huge wedge of cash.

 

When it happened to me my SA said he'd have the tech check transmission switches / sensors and depending on the specific transmission installed in the car - there are two or three ... but when it disappeared and didn't return we never had to pursue it. I saw him yesterday at the "BMW open house" at my dealership and we talked about that and his personal experience with the new 5 series and his comment was that he's had 25 years of experience growing up at the same shop and BMW are getting more complex and sometimes these glitches pop up and go away .. but when they don't they are very very difficult to chase down. And, he added, some techs don't want to take the time to go in deep and they spare customers the shock of a big bill (after warranty) to find something,

That said, if you're a BMWCCA member I suggest emailing tech talk and see if you can get some help narrowing it down. If you are NOT I personally recommend signing up!

 

I had this error too. It was bad trunk seals, leaked in the trunk. They (Stealer) had to replace all trunk seals and RDC Control Unit. $800. I knew it was not the transmission and they said the car has a defect and all the electronics are in the trunk beneath the spare.

 

I’m getting the same error message: “Transmission Malfunction - gear

can be engaged without depressing the brake. Drive Moderately!”

Major difference though is that I cannot switch my gear out of park into drive or anything else. I got that message for the first time two days again and didn’t drive it at all since. Today I got ready to drive and it won’t shift.

 

Ok what work was trying to be completed before the error message showed

 

This is an old thread. Start a new one with your car specifics.

 

A bad brake switch could cause this. Do your brake lights work?
Also, believe it or not, a dying battery could be the culprit. I had many errors like the one you showed, spent many hours investigating. The problem went away when I coded a battery replacement.