I drove it home since it was Sunday. Car has less than 1,000 miles on it, will call dealer tomorrow and see if i can get a loaner. Usually an i-drive reset or turning the car off for 10 minutes gets rid of the message but not this time.

Side note - someone please confirm this so it's not in my head- i'm convinced the new software update messed with the steering. I have the new software now (the one that has new expressive modes). I'm so sure the car drives different but need confirmation from someone else.

Looks like you have owned enough BMWs to know, but a pure software glitch aside, Drivetrain malfunctions happen when a code is thrown by the computer when one or more of a number of sensors registers a value out of norm. Some codes are stored and will not go away unless they are cleared manually and some reset automatically with an engine restart or timeout. I would definitely want to know what the codes are that are underneath "drivetrain malfunction". Dealer should tell you. I would not be happy seeing these so early on with less than 1k miles, but often if some part, especially electronics, has a defect it will fail early so it not some automatic bad omen for the future of the car.

As for the steering being different due to the software update, I cannot speak to it, but if you are noticing a change it could be that it is the source / error code of the drivetrain malfunction you are seeing. Good luck

There is a recall regarding steering rack failure.

Check you VIN if it is affected by the recall.

https://www.bmwusa.com/safety-and-emission-recalls.html

That means your steering rack is going out. I had the same issue and I just bought mine September 4 ,2025. My x3 m50 is a 2026 model with under 5,000 miles when it happened to me. And there were no recalls for my VIN. I had to get mine towed to the dealership cause it went out completely to where I could not turn the wheel. It was in the dealership for 5 weeks cause they did not have the part in stock and it was on back order. So if I were you I would not drive it take it to the dealership and have them change the steering rack cause what if goes completely out while driving you could get into an accident and possibly kill yourself or others. Definitely take it to get it replaced

mc81637 wrote

That means your steering rack is going out. I had the same issue and I just bought mine September 4 ,2025. My x3 m50 is a 2026 model with under 5,000 miles when it happened to me. And there were no recalls for my VIN. I had to get mine towed to the dealership cause it went out completely to where I could not turn the wheel. It was in the dealership for 5 weeks cause they did not have the part in stock and it was on back order. So if I were you I would not drive it take it to the dealership and have them change the steering rack cause what if goes completely out while driving you could get into an accident and possibly kill yourself or others. Definitely take it to get it replaced

So i was going to take it to the dealer on Monday morning but when i woke up the error codes were mysteriously gone, and they haven't come back since. Now i am concerned because i have a 500 mile drive down to North Carolina tomorrow for thanksgiving. Did you start getting the same error code? How long before the rack completely went out? I bought mine September 30, it's a 2026 but a 3.0.

I ordered mine about 5 weeks before I picked it up on Sept 4. I did not get any error codes at all until the morning I tried to go to the post office. I would take a copy of this

Similar story here - took delivery of a 2026 X3 M50 on Tuesday 12/9/25...that evening it threw "Drive carefully. Power supply." as a check control message. Flatbed back to the selling dealership, initial checks show "no codes" stored, but the warning message is persistent. Now in the midst of a "3 to 6 day process running tests, with BMW reviewing the results...could be nothing, but we'll see."

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

BMW —Be ashamed!!
More tests need to be done by factory before shipping off to dealers.
IMO There is absolutely no excuse acceptable for a premium priced vehicle to have notices come up on a brand new vehicle. ID9 system is more than just glitchy, it’s scary.
Why does not BMW understand when they allow such things to pass inspection on a new vehicle it’s a real turn off for the owner against the Brand, not just the specific vehicle?