Sticky steering after car warms up. Steers like a boat. Dangerous at highway speeds or winding road.

- Port Ludlow, WA, USA

The contact owns a 2003 BMW Z4. The contact stated while driving at various speeds in hot weather, the steering wheel became difficult to turn and would also jerk the vehicle into the next lane. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive to the residence. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the battery to be replaced. The dealer replaced the battery however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 24,000.

- Owensboro, KY, USA

During very warm days in the summer the steering wheel tends to stick during turns. It requires extra force to continue to turn the wheel which becomes problematic during a tight turn or on highway on-ramps.

- Warwick, RI, USA

Car has 15,000 miles and always stored in climate controlled garage. Drove it today and within 1/2 mile the electronic power steering failed making it very, very hard to steer. Shut vehicle off and restart and the problem goes away but only for a minute or two and then returns.

- Lockport, NY, USA

I purchased this BMW Z4 from a private seller on Thursday (3/10/22) located in Myrtle Beach, SC. On the way home (187 mile trip), about ¾ of the trip, I was driving about 55 mph on 701 North and the steering felt as if it was sticking to the point where moving the wheel took a effort to unstick it which put me into oncoming traffic in the other lane. I almost was involved in a head-on collision! The vehicle has only 39K miles on it. The previous owner had this issue in April of 2008 and took it to a BMW dealer who advised them that the repair would cost $2,950. The previous owner declined the repair because they couldn-€™t afford it and the dealer told them that BMW will probably issue a recall AS HUNDRES OF Z4 OWNERS HAVE HAD THIS SAME ISSUE. The vehicle also drifts to the left and attempts by the previous owner to have the vehicle aligned to correct this have failed. The vehicle had only 13K on the odometer at the time BMW advised of the faulty steering column.

- Franklinton, NC, USA

On hot days the steering becomes sticky like there is a catch. It will also pull to one side or the other making it very dangerous to drive especially on the interstate.

- Boiling Springs , SC, USA

I just purchased Z4. Did not notice any problem during test ride. On my way home during purchase steering became an issue. The car would be driving fine then what I would a dead spot would appear. The steering wheel will suddenly shift left or right what seems a few inches. This causes driver (me) to compensate to avoid going in ditch or crossing a lane or getting into an accident. This happened many times on my 70-mile trip home.

- Burnsville, MN, USA

The first issue is that the power steering will go out during normal operation of the vehicle making the wheel hard to turn. Additionally, at right about the straight position of the steering wheel the steering will stick (consistently fighting the wheel to stay centered). Staying straight is nearly impossible as you constantly battle the resistance back and forth to keep the vehicle moving in a straight line. It is quite disconcerting and has almost resulted in me side swiping oncoming vehicles on several occasions. I have learned that this is a common problem that BMW never addressed. Researching the matter I've learned that a steering column replacement and labor would be in the $3000-4500 range and the problem would likely reoccur in the future due to faulty design. Worse, as most people in my position are unable to perform a repair at that cost, I've found numerous people manipulating their steering columns with mixed success ultimately creating an even more dangerous potential situation. These methods include drilling into the steering column and adding greases and lubricants that were not designed to work with the vehicle. This is a well-known problem, with no shortage of records and accounts establishing this isn't a "if it happens", but when it happens. Drive a vehicle with this problem, I dare you, and tell me it is not a major safety hazard. Disappointed. I'd appreciate if BMW would reach out to me and remedy the issue. There is no reason that a steering wheel, one of the most basic and necessary systems on a car to maintain control, should have been permitted to be defective with no remedy at the cost of the manufacturer. The lack of accountability by BMW and "do it yourself" remedies will undoubtedly result in injury or death if they have not already. BMW should provide a fix for those Z4S affected still on the road before someone is killed.

- Petoskey, MI, USA

I have a 2003 Z4 with 25K miles. The steering wheel sticks while driving making it difficult to steer. Spoke with a BMW mechanic and was informed this is a known issue for this particular vehicle and that I will need to replace the steering column to correct the problem. The cost is $3000. Why is there not a recall??

- Marion, AR, USA

After some investigation my Z4 is diagnosed as having 'sticky wheel' evidently this was found in many Z4's in or around my year of car. I was sure that I would see a recall for my particular vehicle but never received one. My vehicle has had the issue for many years, but the BMW dealerships said they could not find the problem. When I learned of this rash of 'sticky wheel' issues with many Z4's... I questioned BMW. Their response was that my particular vehicle (based on my VIN #) was not recalled while others were. I only use the car around town at slow speeds as I am in fear to use it on the highway. The problem occurs at all times when steering but is worst as speed increases. I fear that I could even lose control of the car at some point.

- Englewood, FL, USA

From day one I had airbag problem for the passenger side. Air bag never worked. BMW had recall and extended warranty for 10 years, but they don't accept responsibility steering column has problems too

- Augusta, GA, USA

When the car warms up or has been in the warm sun the steering sticks. This creates a dangerous issue where the steering wheel will pop over rather than smoothly turning. The problem creates and oversteering that is very dangerous at highway spreed and in traversing corners.

- Johnston, IA, USA

After the car was parked in the sun for 4 hours, the car was hard to steer. The steering was sticky and made it feel unsafe to drive. We researched on the internet and found this is a common problem for this year/model BMW Z4.

- Cohutta, GA, USA

I just purchased this 2003 Z4 from a dealer about a month ago. When I test drove it, it drove fine and the steering was smooth as you'd expect. It was a little chilly as it was still in the morning. By afternoon, during my 6hr drive home from the dealer, it got hot outside, as it is summer and all, and the steering started to become very jerky, causing me to swerve back and forth in the lanes. It has now become a dangerous car. The initial dealer from whom I purchased from played dumb and said they were unaware of any problems. Before buying this car, which has 57K mi on it, I did my research. Seemed like no major problems with it. Not until after I purchased it, and specifically searched 'steering problems' did I discover this had been a BMW design flaw from the beginning and countless people have been dealing with this almost from the get go. No recall had been made, and now I'm stuck with a dangerous car. Going forward, I have notified friends and family, that should I get killed because of this defect, start litigation against BMW, as this is now documented by myself, as well as countless others.

- Buffalo, NY, USA

Over the past couple years I've noticed sticky steering but am just reporting now. At most speeds I've had the steering stick and not return to neutral. Often needing to react or overcorrect. I've noticed an increase in occurrence and severity the warmer the ambient temp is. When steering around a curve the steering wheel doesn't want to come back to neutral without corrective action. This afternoon the ambient temp was about 90F and with occured at every movement of the steering wheel. I fear that this is going to be the cause of an accident and really takes away from the enjoyment of driving this car. I've read many complaints on this site and all over the internet describing the same issue. Other reports I've read state that the dealers recommended repair is replacement of the entire steering column at a cost of $3000-$4000.

- Deforest, WI, USA

Rigid steering with over correction, usually during warm weather. If going at highway/freeway speed, easy to loose control and may cause major injury. Experienced this today driving speed limit of 70 mph and decided to sound off. I hope BMW is not waiting to address this problem until something like this happens. Many other owners of same model car, and possibly all, are having the same problem but not complaining. It took today's experience for me to write.

- Goldsboro, NC, USA

For several years my Z4 has had steering sticking issues. I thought it was a problem with my car until I joined a national BMW Z4 owners club and discovered that the years 2003 through 2005 all have this issue when the weather is very warm. The steering will be affected and will be difficulty to manage steering on the highways. I was told BMW is aware and opted to ignore. My grandaughter drove my car in New York and the temperature was over 80 degrees and she oversteered and almost went off the highway due to oversteering and almost caused an accident on the expressway. She will not drive my car now due to this issue. This is a safety issue and this cars must be recalled and repaired. Numerous owners have complained and no recall has been implemented. How can we proceed to repair this without an expense that that is more than the car's worth and not related to misuse. I have done a survey and the symptoms are always the same. Please look into this safety issue and advise my how to share with my fellow BMW Z4 owners how to proceed as it appears it is a safely issue and due to deficits with manufacturing of our vehicles. I affects the steering and will pass inspection as the car is not always driven in hot weather at speeds to notice the defect. I thank you in advance for looking into this issue that could affect other drivers on the road and their safety.

- Cicero, NY, USA

Steering jerks to the left or right while driving on city street or on hi way.

- Mission, TX, USA

On warm days the steering at higher speed gets hard to steer ; to the point of being unsteady. At lower speeds and cooler temps the hard steering can bs handled but is still troublesome. Need someone to talk to BMW.

- Palm Bay, FL, USA

2003 BMW Z4 steering I experience sudden jerks in the steering wheel, more so at higher speeds, around 60mph and above.the jerks are unpredictable and can be either to the right or the left. It makes the car really unsafe to be driven at these higher speeds! I believe this is a known problem by BMW and should be a recall issued to correct it! from what I understand it requires a complete steering column replacement and is very costly. BMW should step up and cover this very dangerous steering situation.

- Kingsport, TN, USA