Can anyone tell me what fail safe means I left my car running for like 30 minutes got in & it wouldn't go but it was running the whole car locked up so I shut it on & off 3 times & it went back to normal... Yestarday I was stuck in traffic for an hour & the fail safe warning came on & the car wouldn't move I had to shut it off & on in the middle of traffic... I looked in my Manuel for this fail safe warning & couldn't find it...

 

Perhaps someone with the service manual for it will know specifics for this car, but as with most modern cars, it basically means the computer has determined that the car is either not safe to drive or continuing to drive it could damage the car.

Since this keeps happening its not a random false error so you should get this to the dealer as soon as possible. If the dealer is not close to you, have them transport it, don't risk doing any further damage.

 

Would assume it to be the AM verion of "Limp Mode" in BMW. Built-in engine nanny, likely related to high engine temperatures based on the 2 situations you describe. Have your fault checked, likely a thermostat issue.