🚨 2021 BMW M5 F90: Emergency Neutral
The F90 M5 uses an electronic console-mounted gear selector lever (similar to F10 but updated design) with Park, Reverse, Neutral, and Drive positions.
✓ Expert-verified by Chris Hackleman & Jeff Moore — master technicians, 20+ years each.
⚠️ Chock the wheels first — neutral means the car can roll. Set the parking brake while you work, never stand downhill of the vehicle, and try a 12-volt jump before any override: power fixes most stuck-in-park problems instantly.
The procedure
- Ensure the vehicle is on a level surface and apply the parking brake if functional.
- Turn the ignition to accessory mode (press START/STOP button without pressing the brake pedal, press twice to reach accessory) to provide power to the shifter electronics.
- Press and hold the brake pedal firmly.
- Move the gear selector from Park to Neutral by pulling the lever rearward once.
- If the shifter will not move electrically due to brake-light switch failure or other interlock issue, locate the shift lock override.
- Look for a small removable trim cap on the left side (driver's side) of the gear selector base - it may be rectangular or circular.
- Carefully pry off the trim cap using a small flat tool or your fingernail.
- Insert a small flathead screwdriver, key, or similar tool into the override slot and press down firmly.
- While holding the override down, press the brake pedal and move the gear selector to Neutral.
- Release the override tool and confirm Neutral is displayed on the instrument cluster.
- The vehicle can now be moved - use a flatbed tow truck; do NOT tow with any wheels on the ground due to the xDrive all-wheel-drive system and 8-speed automatic transmission.
Shift-lock override location
Small trim cap on the left (driver's) side of the gear selector base, near the lower portion of the shifter assembly. Override slot is beneath this cap.
With zero electrical power
With zero 12V power, the electronic shifter lock cannot be released even with the manual override. You must provide external power (jump box or jumper cables) to bring the vehicle to at least accessory mode. Once power is available, use the override procedure above. If the 12V battery is completely dead and inaccessible, flatbed towing with dollies under the rear wheels is required.