Suspension Problems of BMW Z3

Rear subframe suspension weld bolt crack from the body subframe, can observe on the truck of the car the fracture weld bolds. Critical, because it hold on site the differential and rear drives components.

See all problems of the 2000 BMW Z3 🔎.

The BMW e36 Z3 1996-2002 (I have the 1998 1. 9) are prone to having a separation of the rear subframe from the differential causing the drivetrain to hang off the vehicle and/or rip out of the trunk's weak aluminum sheet subframe. BMW germany has acknowledged the problem for a few individuals over the past decade and a half and kept it on the low for them to not spread it further. BMW north America fails to acknowledge the design flaw during their manufacturing process in the north american plant during the late 90s. The spot welds' quality is subpar and worrisome as this catastrophic failure of the subframe to driveline structure has various ways of presenting it self which chiefly includes popped spot welds in the truck which comes hand in hand with a cracked differential ear bracket. * to simply understand why this happens: the issue is that the metal of the trunkfloor is too thin and not adequete at holding up to the forces of the differential tugging at it. There have been documented cases of similarly "repaired" Z3's that end up basically pulling out and/or deforming the entire trunkfloor panel. The metal panel the diff crossmember is structurally tied to (and the trunkfloor itself which is above it) is simply too weak for the forces being applied through it. Adding more welds simply changes where the failure occurs - from pulling out spotwelds, to deforming the trunk floor/crossmember itself if there are too many welds for them to be able to be pulled out. There are a few kits going around that other owners have addressed to their vehicles for a few thousand dollars which includes welding and a re-fabrication of the trunk floor's structure to the subframe/chasis. It has two "caps" that sit on the framerails at either side and a "crossmember" piece which is a strong piece of metal that spans between the two frame rails and sits on top of the "caps". When installed, the differential ends up tugging at the crossmember, which then distributes the forces. . . . .

See all problems of the 1998 BMW Z3 🔎.

I heard a creaking from the rear of my car, I put it on jacks to check it out. To my surprise I found extensive damage to the floor pan mainly around the differential mount. The car is claimed to be undrivable by BMW, but yet they will not take full responsibility for the matter. I see it as a safety issue as if I did not check it and continued to drive the cracks and tears in the body metal that exist could have continued even further and led to an accident or worse. I was estimated at a whopping 5200 dollars which BMW said they would only pay 3000 of. I believe it is a manufacturer defect, so it should be paid in fully by the company, but they will not stand up the their fault. I have at this time no choice but to drive the vehicle in its current state, I am a college student who doesnt have the largest income around so picking 2000 or more dollars out of nowhere is quite impossible. And I still have to go to work for the remainder of the time I am home, and so without a loaner from BMW or them taking full blame and paying in full I am forced to drive an unsafe car, for however long. I hope this situation can be taken care of as there are cases of similar subframe problems popping up all over forums online. Enthusiasts of the Z3 will recognize this issue if they tediously and carefully inspect their cars, however the average person who just buys their car and drives it around has absolutely no idea of the problem at hand and the possible safety issue that it may lead up to if not taken care of properly.

I have a 1998 Z3 m roadster and the trunk welds holding the subframe is failing. This is a commonly documented issues. BMW dealers acknowledge the issue but BMW north America will not fix it. This is a welding/manufacturing defect that can lead to the differential and suspension components in the rear to completely separate.

Very well known failure, just search for "BMW Z3 subframe failure". It is a design flaw by BMW that affects a lot of Z3's through all model years. Mine started to pop one weld at 88k miles. It can cause the rear alignment to be off, in worst case the trunk floor is torn out and the differential falls to the ground. Clunking from the back while shifting in the first two gears is one indicator this damage is not far away. . Read more...

See all problems of the 1999 BMW Z3 🔎.

A loud clunking sound coming from rear end was noticed. Upon inspection, by BMW dealership it was determined the rear subframe holding rear differential has separated from the body of the vehicle (spot weld failure). I was told it is extremely dangerous to drive and to fix immediately. Upon further research, this appears to be a very common problem with these vehicles. Higher displacement models are a higher occurrence due to creating more torque on the rear differential bracket. Mine is the m version which is almost a guaranteed failure.

Rear subframe / trunk floor / differential mount failure.

Vehicle jerks, shutters and pulls to the right. Rear sub frame and differential bushing failure.

See all problems of the 1997 BMW Z3 🔎.

As I have learned as I research what I though was an isolated dangerous steering issue is that there are many many BMW z4 dangerously driving on our public roads. My car steers in many directions just driving down the road, especially in hotter weather where as the temperature starts to get hotter it seems that my newly purchased used BMW z4 losses all power steering, its like driving a car that is turned off from the steering perspective. I live in the dallas metroplex so as it been getting hotter I have found out first hand that this car is extremely dangerous to drive with 100% full attention to work the steering. Please have BMW face up to what they know is a serious recall and a matter of life and death on our highways and byways. Sincerely [xxx] owner of a 2003 BMW z4 with less than 30k miles. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2003 BMW Z3 🔎.

The rear differential housing is separating from the subframe of the car, under or near the trunk area. This is a well documented issue with the Z3 series of vehicles. This could be a safety hazard while operating the vehicle if the read differential separates from the subframe, and could cause a hazard to other motorist. This appears to be due to a design flaw. The frame was designed for a 1. 9l engine, and BMW did not redesign the subframe to allow for the larger engines it later sold in the Z3 series of cars. BMW also had this same issue on 3xx series of vehicles, and agreed to repair those cars due to a class action law suite settlement. BMW should be held accountable for the design issue, and acknowledge the safety hazard.

I heard a creaking from the rear of my car, I put it on jacks to check it out. To my surprise I found extensive damage to the floor pan mainly around the differential mount. The car is undrivable. , but yet BMW will not take full responsibility for the matter. I see it as a safety issue as if I did not check it and continued to drive the cracks and tears in the body metal that exist could have continued even further and led to an accident or worse. I was estimated at a whopping 5200 dollars which BMW said they would only pay 3000 of. I believe it is a manufacturer defect, so it should be paid in fully by the company, but they will not stand up the their fault. I have at this time no choice but to drive the vehicle in its current state, there are cases of similar subframe problems popping up all over forums online. Enthusiasts of the Z3 will recognize this issue if they tediously and carefully inspect their cars, however the average person who just buys their car and drives it around has absolutely no idea of the problem at hand and the possible safety issue that it may lead up to if not taken care of properly.