BMW stalling with warning "maximum drivetrain output not available"?

Tiny
BRIANICK26
  • MEMBER
  • 2014 BMW 328
  • 2.0L
  • 4 CYL
  • TURBO
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 78,000 MILES
So about 3 days ago my fiancés car randomly started to stall and then die while she was driving and the dash said the maximum drivetrain error as stated above. We turned the car off and back on and continued our day and there were no issues. Put my obd2 on it and the only code it came up with was a secondary code and that was 420665 shift paddle signal invalid. I thought maybe the clock spring but the horn works, cruise control works and all the steering buttons work. Car has done it every day once since the first time. The car is driven for about an hour before the stalling happened. Yesterday I replaced the spark plugs because I don't think they've ever been touched in hopes that it would fix the issue, but it did not. They are OEM NGK iridium's. Coils looked fine but in time ill replace those too. Today we were parked and idling and the rpms went haywire for a second and then the car stalled but all lights stayed on. None of the dash lights flickered.

What should my next step be for this and what could it be?

Thank you in advance!
Thursday, January 15th, 2026 AT 3:40 PM

1 Reply

Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 54,998 POSTS
The 420665 code paddle signal invalid will make the car go into limp mode and it can still be the clock-spring, it has many circuits through it and if one fails this is what happens. So I assume the shift pedals are not working? We need to do some tests, first I would service the throttle body, here is a guide to show you the steps and I have included how to do the job on your car in the images below:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/throttle-actuator-service

Next, lets do a smoke test to see if there are any vacuum leaks, please go over this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRKWV4Are5c

I have seen the high pressure fuel pump start to go out and cause this issue as well, can I ask if the engine makes a slight ticking noise at idle near the HPFP? This car is diesel, correct? Please upload a short video in your response of the problem, so I can see what's going on. Ken
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Saturday, January 17th, 2026 AT 10:06 AM

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