Power Steering Failed problems of the 2003 BMW Z4

Power steering completely failed. Car is very difficult to drive creating an unsafe condition. Car has 23,256 miles. I stored the car from October 10, 2015 until March 27, 2016. Took the car out on easter Sunday for about 10 miles, car ran fine. Pulled it out of the garage on March 29, 2016 and steering assist failed completely. Did not drive the car on the road. Called my local BMW dealer and scheduled a service appointment for April 14, 2016.

On my drive home from work, after the car had been parked outside, I experienced "sticky steering. " just like the complaints from investigation pe10020 and countless internet posts over the past decade, the steering wheel movement was stuck in place and required extra force, then it would release unexpectedly causing me to over-correct. Worse than just heavy steering is the fact that it needs extra force to get the steering wheel "unstuck" but then the assist kicks in and you're over-compensating which causes zig-zagging. It was almost impossible to maintain my lane on the interstate and at one point I dropped two wheels on the shoulder. I have now contacted BMW corporate and they tell me they're being generous by replacing the known-faulty steering rack -- so long as I pay $1,000+ in labor. I think this is outrageous. It is wrong that this known defect costs the consumer any money to replace. BMW should cover parts and labor. They know this part is faulty, everyone I've talked to says "OH, the Z4, yeah I've seen this steering problem on lots of them" but they're quick to remind me that it was not an official recall so they aren't obligated to do anything. This is a safety issue and should be the basis for a mandatory recall (you know, like the one they are doing on current models with similar power steering failures!).

The power steering assist has failed on the car making it very difficult to steer. Luckily it failed while on a straight part of an interstate as my daughter was driving the car and this severely frightened her. She did not overreact and we took appropriate measures to get the vehicle home. Online research indicates that this issue was being investigated by NHTSA in 2010 but can not find any indication that an actual recall is in place. This is a very dangerous thing to happen, especially in a state with a lot of winding roads (tennessee). I purchased the car used last year and also had a water pump failure that resulted in a blown engine. I wish this issue had been investigated also as I understand that it is a common failure with this particular engine. There is also a problem with the speedometer and fuel gauges reading incorrectly. I read that one owner was contacted by BMW north America after they filed a complaint regarding the power steering with NHTSA and BMW voluntarily fixed the problem for the owner. I hope I have the same luck after posting this complaint. Thank you.

BMW Z4 power steering fails when outside temp is above 80 degrees. BMW acknowledges the problem, but will not recall for this issue updated 05/14/10.

Power steering column failed in 2003 BMW Z4 3. 0i with less than 45,000 miles. Best way to describe the steering was that it became magnetic and twitchy. This would usually happen after driving the car for a period of time at highway speeds. I first experienced this driving back from orlando, FL to jacksonville, FL on I-95. BMW dealer comped the part ($3,000. 00) but made me pay for labor ($600. 00). I was not happy as I truly felt that this was a safety issue. I pushed, but was told that was their best offer so I took it. Car was out of factory BMW warranty.

The contact owns a 2003 BMW Z4. The contact stated that when driving at speeds above 60 mph or when driving in high temperatures above 80 degrees the power steering would fail, making it difficult to steer. The dealer did not offer any assistance. The manufacturer was aware of the failure. No repairs were performed. The approximate failure mileage was 10,000. The current mileage was 43,000. The VIN was unavailable.