10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 2 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 0 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 46,733 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
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« Read the previous 20 complaints
Steering become - notchy/sticky. This makes small steering corrections very difficult during highway driving. The problem seems to be temperature related in my case. With colder the outside temperatures, the behavior is delayed until the a longer driving duration has occurred. This problem was evident within one year of my purchase. I did not notice it very often, since I was only driving to and from my work, low mileage and short times. As I have now been driving the car more often, I have found this problem evident on all trip. I have reported this to the BMW dealership where I purchased the car (new). They informed me that I would need a complete steering column replacement at my expense (approximately $4000). The also suggested that I contact BMW customer service. I did and basically got a null response. The car has always been well maintained, no accidents, parked in a garage and has less than 57000 miles. The warranty of course has expired. I cannot believe that the solution to my problem is due to any type of normal wear and age. I have also found that there are now numerous reports of the same steering issue. The car is drivable, however with extreme caution at highway speeds. The issue is control of the car at highway speeds - when changing lanes or even attempting to maintain a straight path within the lanes. As the temperatures increase in longer drives, the steering difficulty becomes worse. When the problems starts, the smallest control corrections for the steering is more than 5 degrees. This causes a large effect on the cars path and making it nearly impossible to drive in a straight line when attempting to stay in the driving lane. I would like BMW to correct this problem at their expense. In my view, this is a design defect introduced by BMW.
- Clarksville, TN, USA
Basically the steering becomes stiff in warm weather. The stiffness occurs in my car after a half an hour or so of driving at temperatures over about 75 to 80 degrees. I believe it's dangerous, especially when changing lanes on the highway at speed during heavy traffic, and am very surprised that there hasn't been a recall so far. It also takes most of the pleasure out of driving in warm weather with the top down, which is the reason I bought the Z4 in the first place.
- Westborough, MA, USA
Lost of power steering.
- Bristol, RI, USA
Steering is sticky during warmer weather and sticks on center and is difficult to turn from center.
- Hendersonville, TN, USA
Steering wheel sometimes is "sticking" while driving making turning a little more labored than normal.
- Ypsilanti, MI, USA
Same problem as all other 2003 BMW Z4 steering complaints. Vehicle started sticking when making even slight steering adjustments. Always starts this about 5 minutes into a drive. Has continued to this date in March 2014 but now in addition to sticking get a loud squeal when turning wheel while driving.
- Coos Bay, OR, USA
The problem with this car is "sticky" steering. It occurs mostly at high speeds in hot weather. Many BMW forums out line the same problem with the 2003 Z4. It is extremely dangerous to be traveling at a high rate of speed and have the steering become so stiff you can hardly steer the car. BMW will not acknowledge the problem even though many people have complained. I am sure you have received similar complaints and I hope will do something to force BMW to correct this engineering defect and repair those cars which are affected.
- Rock Hill, SC, USA
Insert this link to read the same problem I am having: www.aboutautomobile.com/complaint/2004/BMW/Z4/steering.
- Petaluma, CA, USA
My 2003 BMW Z4 is extremely dangerous to drive, while I am on flat surfaces traveling on the freeway the steering wheel all of a sudden will pull to the left and then to the right constantly and I have to correct it every 2 seconds and sometimes it just locks into a left turn position when I am on the freeway and all I am trying to do is keep the car straight going down the freeway. At this point I am afraid an accident will happen sometime in the future and I have been reading thousands of posts on the web with people with this same car. At what point are you guys going to activate a vehicle recall to fix the steering column design, perhaps after I either get into an accident or I or a family member gets killed, enough is enough, I am begging you please issue a recall to fix the flawed design of the steering of this car.....!!!! [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
- Petaluma, CA, USA
About a week after I purchased the 2003 BMW Z-4 I noticed the steering wheel sticking, BMW refused to correct the situation or do anything about it. The cost to repair is $3600. It is an extremely hazardous driving condition, that I do not have the extra funds to repair. After research on the web it is apparent that this is an all around issue with the Z4 BMW for years 2003-2005. This should of been recalled and repaired at BMW's expense many years ago and has gone with out the proper recall for far to long. This issue has nearly caused many accidents for me since having the vehicle. I can not afford the repair, I can not consciously sell the vehicle in the condition it is currently in, and I can not afford an accident or worse the loss of life. I am stuck with a non drivable vehicle, making $350 payments for nothing. Please NHTSA help rectify a sticky situation (literally, no pun intended) before all these Z-4's cause many deaths.
- Santa Rosa Beach, FL, USA
When steering sharply or turning the wheel frequently like to parallel park for example, the electrical suddenly completely shuts down in my car. The car's power completely dies and I lose ability to steer. Sometimes this is while making a quick turn with oncoming traffic approaching quickly. I must stop turning, wait for the power to turn back on, and resume driving as soon as possible. This is very dangerous and I am scared to drive my car.
- Newbury Park, CA, USA
The problem is that the steering wheel does not return to center without considerable assistance. The problem is definitely worse when car is "warmed up" and is also worsened by increased outdoor temperature. This is a real safety concern. My dealer charged me $104 for diagnostics and told me to keep the battery charged. This has had ne effect on the problem.
- Moneta, VA, USA
I have had my 2003 BMW Z4 for seven years. The steering has a tight place at dead center. It takes extra force to turn left or right until you pass center. It is real tricky on a curved road. I only drive it on special days; but, I noticed it really started sticking bad this summer. I do not have $3200 to fix a dealer related problem. I am making this report on behalf of myself and the additional complaints that I have read about since this problem has become dangerous for me as well as for all Z4 owners. I trust and hope BMW stands up and does something to get this problem fixed. I love my Z4. It use to be fun to drive. It is has become a bit scary to drive and a great worry for me when my wife takes it out I hate filling this form out; but, I feel that it is necessary or nothing will get done. If your having this problem ; also, I pray that you join in and fill out your complaint before someone is killed or seriously hurt thanks, D. in Texas.
- Andrews, TX, USA
Electric steering motor started malfunctioning.
- Northport, AL, USA
While driving on the interstate I noticed that there seems to be a dead spot or catch in the steering. You turn left or right very much and its like you have to pull harder to get it to turn. By then you have pulled too hard and the car jerks to whichever way you were turning. It does not happen all the time. I can be driving along and forget about it sticking and take a curve and it happens. Very unnerving.
- Lisbon, OH, USA
This vehicle has electric steering and it works intermittently and you have to fight the wheel to stay in your lane. Very dangerous !
- Merrimac, MA, USA
The steering in the Z4 starts to get "sticky" when the temperature outside gets hot (~ >85 deg F). It doesn't return back to center on it's own and it feels like there are dead spots in the steering where you have to force the wheel back to make it move. It doesn't happen when the weather is cool - the wheel turns and returns to center normally. It only seems to happen in hot weather.
- Virgnia Beach, VA, USA
When driving in a straight line the car handles as it should. However, when an adjustment needs to be made to move the car to the right or the left the steering wheel will lock up until enough force is used to jerk it free. When this is done the car oversteers to the right or left. As the problem is getting worse the car is jerking more violently to the right or left when the steering wheel finally lets the steering adjust to the right or left. Taking the car to the BMW dealership, they diagnosed the problem as the entire steering mechanism including the electric motor assist will have to be replaced. Fields BMW in lakeland, Florida is the dealership that I took my car to have the problem diagnosed for $85. When I bought this car from furman Chevrolet in tampa, they cleverly forgot to write it into the contract even though I complained about the small hangup of the steering wheel at that time and they assured me that they would fix it. Now I am going to take what I consider a very unsafe car back out onto the highway and have to drive a piece of junk for the next 10 years unless there is a recall for their poor engineering or, worse yet, lousy parts. I have found that the BMW emblem at $35 is a hot seller and that the cup holders at $55,00 each are in great demand as it seems BMW can't engineer those to last either. I can hardly wait for the next failure. No wonder they had no Z4S on the lot for resale. I imagine they are staying as far away from these as possible as they must know they are cute cars, but really just junk!
- Plant City, FL, USA
This is for a 2003 BMW Z4 with just over 25,000 miles. As soon as I began driving on an access road and then a county road, I noticed the vehicle was not going in a straight line even though I was not turning the wheel. There was some play in the steering and the wheel felt stiffer than normal with a sticky feeling a few degrees left or right. As I drove down this straight road, the car continued to pull towards one side or the other and controlling it became very difficult. From behind, it would appear as though I was swerving while trying to control the vehicle. I felt like I could lose control of the vehicle so I drove as slowly as possible to the dealership. I explain the situation to the administrative staff and they took the car in for inspection the next day. The following day I received a call from the head mechanic to ask more questions. Again I provided more details about how the vehicle felt while driving and they requested permission to road test it. At first they thought the issue was related to wheel alignment, but upon further testing they realized it was more than that. The sticky steering column appears to have been damaged, the motor drive for the power steering. I was quoted $3,176 to replace. I spoke with the head mechanic, and expressed my displeasure with what appears to be a qa or design issue with this car and the fact I found hundreds of other reports and investigations launched into this exact problem with the Z4. In my opinion this manufacturing defect should be reason enough for a recall given the hazardous conditions created by the malfunction of a relatively new/unused part. BMW's insistence that I cover the cost of this part is also unreasonable, as I doubt they can attribute this malfunction to typical wear and tear given the light use of this vehicle.
- Doylestown, PA, USA
- Lake Oswego, OR, USA