When you are calmly driving your Infiniti QX80 and suddenly see the “BCI Malfunction” you aren’t likely to be very happy. Any error message is distracting, especially if you don’t understand what it means.
In short, the “BCI Malfunction” error message in your QX80 means that the Back-up Collision Intervention system is not able to work properly. This may happen due to some obstructions for sensors, software or hardware issues, or battery problems in your Infiniti.
In this article, I’ll try to cover all possible reasons for the “BCI Malfunction” message and show you some ways how you can solve these problems. And some of them will certainly surprise you!
Why can your QX80 show the BCI error message?
So, the BCI is the system that is aimed to prevent collisions while you are reversing in your Infiniti SUV. This BCI system is known to be pretty faulty and you shouldn’t rely on it much. I’ve spoken to Nissan mechanics, Infiniti QX80 owners, Infiniti dealerships and now I know quite a lot about this BCI Malfunction problem.
Here are the reasons why it may get on your nerves in the QX80:
1. Brake switch
The QX80 has several switches connected to the brakes. There is a switch that sends information to the control modules and also another switch that sends a signal to the brake lamp in your taillight. There is also a special switch for the cruise control. And you know what? All of these switches can cause this illogical error message saying “BCI Malfunction”.
The bad news is that you just can’t locate the problem with the help of a scanner or something. The good news is that these switches are not that expensive.
If your dealership or repair shop will offer you to start with a several-thousand-dollar repair, ask them to just replace all these switches first. You will spend two or three hundred and, most likely, the problem will disappear. At least, this is what happened to other QX80 owners that had this issue.
2. Blocked BCI sensors and other sonars
Your Infiniti QX80 is a luxury vehicle and it’s equipped with countless systems that should help you drive safely. Instead, they sometimes throw some error messages that are hard to understand and resolve and can even lead to no-start issues or unwanted automatic braking on the road!
The Back-up Collision Intervention system is one of these units. Its sensors are located under the rear bumper. But if the cruise control sonars under the front bumper are affected, the “BCI Malfunction” message may also appear on your dash.
Sensors aren’t usually blocked by mud but they can be affected by road debris, water, and other factors. Check them immediately after you got this annoying message. This is the second most common culprit of the problem.
3. ABS braking system
I’ve read several reports where QX80 owners claimed they had to replace the entire ABS braking module to get rid of the “BCI Malfunction” error message in their Infiniti SUVs. And this sounds scary because the price of the system is over $4,500 plus labor costs.
The ABS system takes part in automatic braking and it brakes when the BCI system detects some objects on the road when you are reversing. If the ABS isn’t working properly, this may be registered as a problem with the BCI system.
But in this case, you will find some codes in the ECU and they will directly point to the ABS module.
4. Battery failure
One more reason why you can see the “BCI Malfunction” message in your vehicle is the problem with the 12V battery. Actually, all Infiniti and Nissan cars will go crazy when the battery is low and can only send very low voltage to the system. While, in most cases, you will not be able to even start the engine, sometimes the low-voltage problem can cause some errors and glitches on the dash.
You may see all warning lights flashing on the dash, one error message can follow another one, and so on.
If this is the battery problem, the natural way to solve the issue is to recharge or replace the 12V battery. The healthy and full 12V battery is extremely important for the optimal work of your Infiniti QX80.
5. Software issues
I’ve heard from quite a lot of Infiniti owners that they couldn’t resolve the nasty “BCI Malfunction” error message and their cars went crazy and didn’t even start after that. Also, the dealerships just didn’t know what to do and started replacing one sensor after another without any result.
If this is the case, just check if you have any official software updates available. Infiniti and Nissan perfectly know about this problem and they have issued several updates that would exclude the BCI system from all major processes in your SUV.
Insist on installing the latest updates for the software of your vehicle in the dealership before you agree to buy any sensors, sonars, switches, etc.
3 main ways the “BCI Malfunction” problem may act
To understand the issue better, you may want to know how exactly this may happen in your Infiniti QX80 and what can accompany this error message. Unfortunately, it’s not always just your stress from observing an unknown and pretty rare acronym on the dash of your luxury SUV.
Here are the three most common scenarios you can have in the QX80:
- BCI Malfunction and the dash going crazy. One of the most common things that happen along with this message is the dash warning lights going on the dashboard and gauges losing their positions. Better stop your vehicle, turn it off, wait for 5 minutes, and then turn it on again.
- BCI Malfunction and nothing changes. You may notice that the car slightly changed its behavior on the road, but other than that there is nothing happening with your QX80. This is a really good scenario and you can keep driving and ignoring this message for now.
- BCI Malfunction and car not starting. After you turn off the car and hope to see no error messages when restarting it, you find your vehicle not starting at all. This means that the BCI system is not the main problem – there is another issue with something like ABS or a very important brake switch or sensor.
According to these three scenarios, you can immediately reduce the range of possible problems to two or three potential issues. So, always keep an eye on what’s happening with your car along with the “BCI Malfunction” error message on the dashboard.
What should you do when you see the “BCI Malfunction” message?
I know at least two different ways how you can try to resolve (at least temporarily) this error message and keep driving your vehicle.
Here they are:
- Stop the QX80 and turn off the engine. Then wait for 5-10 minutes to let its ECU come back to normal and start the engine again. In most cases, you will not see the message, and the vehicle will go well. But once you saw this message, it will reappear soon, no doubt at all.
- Stop the Infiniti and turn off the engine. Open the hood and locate the 12V battery. Disconnect both the positive and negative terminals for at least five minutes and then connect them back. Start your QX80 and see if the problem is gone now.
Also, you will need to get a scanner to catch the codes that trigger the BCI Malfunction error message. In most cases, you will not have any codes saved after you turn off the engine, in this case. The codes are temporary and only appear when the problem is in progress. For catching the codes, connect the scanner permanently to the OBD2 port and once you see this annoying message again, check the scanner’s software on your phone or tablet.
This will help you catch the code right at the moment when it triggers the message. Google the code and see what it points to. In most cases, you will find a faulty sensor or switch that works intermittently.
Can you drive your QX80 with the “BCI Malfunction” error?
Whether you can drive or not, depends on what happens with your car when it shows this message. If everything works well and you see no issues, you may keep driving. Also, you may want to plan a visit to a trusted repair shop immediately to use the scanner and see what it shows.
If your dash is going crazy, I wouldn’t recommend driving the QX80 further in this condition. The best thing is to turn the engine off and then on again to reset the system. This will help you fix the issue for some time and continue driving safely.
But if the car doesn’t start or shows any other serious issues, driving it further may not be a good idea.
What you should do is plan a visit to an experienced mechanic. Dealerships are not always helpful but start with the Infiniti dealership if the car is still under the warranty. Also, you may want to figure out whether there are service bulletins, software updates, or recalls regarding your situation. If there is nothing like that, better find a good mechanic who will dig deeper and find the actual problem triggering the “BCI Malfunction” message in your Infiniti QX80.
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