Drive Train Malfunction
 

I did a search for this issue and it said no matches. I have a 2014 Mini Cooper S that starting in the winter of 2015 started to give me a Drive Train Malfunction warning when I start the car - it starts fine but won't go out of Safe Mode. I the beginning it only happened for a few times and would usually clear its self if I turned the car off and restarted it. Each winter it has gotten worse, now it happens every time I start the car and on a recent trip I went 80 miles in Safe Mode, stopped for a smoke (I don't smoke inside the car), started it back up and the warning was still there - drove 20 seconds and it cleared its self. The car runs fine and after it clears it runs as well as it ever did. From what I've researched it sounds like a faulty computer. The service manager at Tucson Mini says he's never heard of this problem. During the summer (for 8 months) it only does this about once a month - now in the winter it does it every time I start the car - very strange since in Arizona we don't have that drastic of a change in winter from summer. my dealership is 18 miles away and I'm afraid that if I schedule a diagnostic test it will probably clear its self by the time I get there. I'll probably have to leave the car with them and instruct them to do the test as soon as they start it - one problem - my dealership has almost no loaner cars these days. Though I'm disabled, I can probably work with them and whine hard enough to either get a loaner or use their LYFT program. If there are open threads on this topic I'd really appreciate how to get there - or if you have knowledge on this issue, please share it.