Seats Problems of BMW Z3

Driver seat sliding back and forth while driving in motion.

See all problems of the 1996 BMW Z3 🔎.

The seat tracks of both the driver and passenger side of the vehicle allowed the seats to move at least 10mm forward and rearward under braking and acceleration. This movement causes a partial loss of control of the vehicle.

See all problems of the 1997 BMW Z3 🔎.

Driver and passenger seats move forward/backwards during acceleration and breaking at any speed, gas gauge reads empty on full tank or fluxes on dash and air bag light stays on for 3-5 min. At a time when starting up ignition.

The driver seat moves forward when the brakes are applied hard. My mechanic says that this is a common problem with the Z3's.

Seat rails do not lock properly thereby allowing seat(s) to slide forward during braking. Can potentially lead to loss of control of vehicle.

March 2007 driving at 40 mph and upon stopping at red light seat jolts forward causing foot to slip off of brake and nearly causing accident. This happens constantly now on both driver and passenger seat of 1998 BMW z-3. Upon taking car to shop after shop and dealer I was told it would cost $470. 00 a seat to fix. I was also told that this part was determined defective by BMW and changed in the next model after it was discovered. This is a very dangerous situation and these parts should be recalled and replaced to save the public from useless and avoidable accidents.

See all problems of the 1998 BMW Z3 🔎.

The contact owns a 1998 BMW Z3. While driving at any rate of speed, the driver's seat moves backwards and forwards without warning. The dealer is aware of the failure. The vehicle has not been repaired. The current mileage was 82,000 and failure mileage was 80,000.

The contact owns a 1998 BMW Z3. During acceleration and deceleration the front passenger and driver seat adjustor rail failed. As a consequence, the seat moved back and forth while the contact was driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection, but no repairs were made. The failure mileage was 50,000. The current mileage was 65,000. Updated 11/09/09 the consumer stated BMW knew there was a problem and therfore, they changed material used in the isolater pads. Updated 11/09/09.

Both the driver seat and passenger seat rails are defective causing the seats to move back and forth during stops especially downhill. This creates a safety hazard for the driver and an uncomfortable situation for the passenger. BMW says that it will not provide a repair at its cost or at a reduced cost because it is not covered by the expired warranty. I believe that this is a manufacture defect inherent to this vehicle. I have found it on other Z3s that I test drove. It should be repaired at cost by BMW.

Seats move forward and backward when vehicle accelerates or decelerates, its a known issue of defective equipment that should not fall on the consumer for repair.

Driver seat became loose and would slide forward when brakes were applied and backward on acceleration. The movement was abrupt enough to be disconcerting, especially in an emergency maneuver. BMW dealership advised it was expensive to repair and not dangerous because the seat was not at risk of fully detaching. I have lived with it, but it is a potential cause of accidents and it feels unsafe - as if the seat might come loose. It is very distracting to any driver who is not accustomed to it and even to me - a likely cause of driver error or loss of control during abrupt maneuvers. Recently as I looked on the internet for solutions I found that this is an extremely common problem with 1999 m roadster version of the Z3. I think it is sufficient to merit recall, but that is what you folks do for a living. . . I hope you will look into it carefully. The date that I entered is a very rough estimate. I do not recall precisely when the problem first occurred. Thank you.

See all problems of the 1999 BMW Z3 🔎.

Driver's seat moves back and forth which can be a safety hazard, I have seen other BMW Z3 while at a dealer for service with the same problem. Yet BMW has not recognized this as a factory defect.

The consumer noticed the passenger front seat rocked back and forth. He took the vehicle to the dealer and was told it would cost him. Now the drivers seat has the same defect, he took it back to the dealer and was told that the manufacturer came out with a retro kit and there would be a charge for that. The manufacturer has denied his claim for any assistance. (seat rail problem).

Driver seat rail is defective and it moves back and forth as you stop or accelerate posing a driver control safey hazard. BMW will not fix at their cost and says it is a consumer request repair. I disagree that seat structure failure is a manufacture defect that should be handled.

First failure, driver and passenger seats are coming loose from the track that the seats move back and forth on. The seats can move back and forth a few inches, without depressing on the level to move the seats back and forth. The automobile dealership diagnosed the problem to be the track and it required replacement. The automobile manufacturer and dealer contends this is a repair item and does not believe it to be defect in the seats or a safety problem should an accident occur. The fact that both seats now do this and it is not something that should happen under normal wear and tear would indicate otherwise. The automobile has only 42,000 miles and is less than 4 years old. Second failure: the outer trim of the dashboard housing of the passenger side airbag has come loose. We are concerned that this defect may disrupt or alter the deployment of the airbag should a collision occur. Dealership and automobile manufacture contends this situation would not cause the airbag to malfunction and therefore not correct the problem. They would not supply information or data to support their assessment.

The seat tracks of both the driver and passenger side of the vehicle allowed the seats to move at least 10mm forward and rearward under braking and acceleration. This movement causes a partial loss of control of the vehicle. The vehicle had only 32k miles on it. This appears to be a premature failure and a defect of both tracks. This failure mode is documented both on this site and on many BMW forums. The entire track assembly of both seats had to be replaced.

Vehicle driver and passenger side seat will launch forward when brakes are applied. Please provide more details. Ts.

This defect was not caused by an accident, however the potential danger to the passengers in the vehicle is an open question. The driver's seat in my 2001 Z3 rocks back and forth when accellerating, coming to a stop or even when merely shifting my weight on my right leg when moving my right foot from accellerator to brake. I have notified both my dealer, BMW cleveland, and BMW north America of the problem. The dealer initially denied that a problem existed then, after getting BMW north America's customer service involved, admitted the problem and attempted to fix the problem. However, by October of 2002 the problem has returned. The dealer has now upon a later visit stated nothing can be done. I am once again in contact with BMW north America who denies that I have a problem and denies being aware that this problem is a pervasive design defect among Z3's. I have located and forwarded to BMW north America documentation that loose seats are in fact a pervasive problem among Z3's. That countless owners have reported this problem to their dealers and that other owners have communicated the existence of this problem to BMW north America representatives. I have also directed BMW to an internet forum where at least 70 other owners have corroborated that they have the same problem. In addition, one of the owners on that website has engineered nylon bushings in an attempt to remedy this problem. He has reported to me that he has distributed bushings to approximately 150 Z3 owners. However, to date, BMW north America has not responded to my most recent allegations and supporting documentation. Dt.

See all problems of the 2001 BMW Z3 🔎.

The seat does not lock on the track, it shifts back and forth while accelerating or braking, it was a defect when manfured but manufacturer will not correct, many z 3 owners have the problem, I feel it could cause an accident or kill someone, if it was a us company like gm, Ford, or chry I know they would have repaired the defect, why do we allow foreign companies to get away with producing a defective vehicle we would not allow one of our companie to produce. My wife is afraid to drive the car because of this faulty seat. By the way BMW has agreed it was a defect and should be repaired but they want to get another $4-500 bucks to fix a problem that was plainly a design and manufacturing problem by their own admission. I ask you help on behalf of all those z 3 owners who might end up in an accident. I have written BMW but they did not even give me the courtesy of an answer. Help please.

Both seats come off track and move when stopping, can not be repaired, normal operation. Mjs.

Seats jump out of guides causing them to jump both drivers and passenger dealer says they will not fix and is a problem with all BMW's which I find questionable to the safety of all.

1997 BMW Z3 with sliding seat problems customer states that the seat would slide forward when he pushed on the brake and slide back when he accelerated* the consumer was told the worm gear on the seat bracket had worn out beyond repair and a complete seat bracket was needed.

The bracket which held the driver's seat to the floor became loose. This caused the seat to rock back and forth when a stop was made. The dealer stated the problem was normal and they were not responsible for fixing the seat. The dealer witnessed alot of this problem.

Passenger seat belt tightens around passengers neck and chest, causing pain and shortness of breath. I have informed my dealership and was told that it was a design problem.