Steering Column problems of the 2004 BMW Z4 - part 2

The contact owns a 2004 BMW Z4. The contact stated was driving 25 mph when the steering column began sticking. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised that the steering column would need replacing. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 12,500.

The contact owns a 2004 BMW Z4. The contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the vehicle would pull from side to side. The contact stated that the failure would only occur during extremely high temperatures. The dealer advised that the entire steering column needed to be replaced. The contact did not take the vehicle to a dealer for a full diagnostic test. The failure mileage was 37,000.

A year or so ago I noticed the steering on my BMW Z4 would get "notchy" and feel "sticky" at the end of the day. Eventually I was able to recognize the problem would occur when parked outside in direct sunlight. I found it odd this would be brought on by time in the sun, but after some research online discovered many people with similar complaints. Unfortunately it appeared experiences with BMW service varied, and since my car was out of warranty a "fix" would be a replacement of the steering column at the tune of 3-4 thousand dollars. When I heard this issue was under investigation I decided to wait for a decision as it seemed likely such issues with steering would be addressed. I have followed the case closely and have been reading BMW's responses to NHTSA. Several of their arguments against addressing this are especially disturbing. BMW appears to recognize the issue, but claims the effect is "minor". I am not an expert and cannot say whether it presents risk, but as a driver I can tell you any steering effects are disturbing and distracting. BMW claims the effect only occurs during specific/limited conditions - high ambient temperatures and direct sunlight. What really upsets me about this statement is that it's a convertible sports car marketed for these conditions, so while they may be "specific and limited", they are primary conditions for this car. Finally, BMW claims this is not an issue of safety, but one of quality. From my perspective, there are some subsystems where quality should not be compromised, and steering should be considered one of these. I do believe this is a safety issue, and anxiously await NHTSA findings in hopes I can have this safety issue addressed by BMW. I sincerely hope this issue is not swept under the rug and the manufacturer takes responsibility for the quality and safety of their automobiles.

2004 BMW Z4 steering issue. While driving my Z4 over the past month I have had incidents of my steering locking to the left or right. I never know when the time will come and it is very scary. My wife had happen to her yesterday and almost lost control. I brought it to the dealer today and they told me they could not recreate the issue but would replace the steering column for $3000,00. After some research I noticed many complaints and feel a recall should occur because this is safety issue.

I have a BMW Z4 that has steering issues. The car is hardly ever driven and only has 24k miles. The dealer is telling me that I need a new power steering column at approx. $3500. How can that be that bad in what I thought was supposed to be a fine engineered car?.

While driving on the highway at about 60 mph eps light came on and the car lost it's power steering. I got off the highway parked the car, turned the engine off and back on and eps light went off. After a couple of days the eps light started to turn on everyday, specially in the afternoon. Took the car to a BMW dealer and they said it was just a loose cable. The day after I got my car from the dealer and nothing had changed. Took it back and they said they had to replace the whole upper section of the steering column quoting me a total of repair costs of $3000. 00 after discounts. Could not afford the repair costs at that moment and car hasn't been repaired till this day.

While driving on the freeway, it became difficult to make small adjustments to the steering wheel. Once this abnormally high resistance was overcome, the intended adjustment would become excessive and require immediate correction. This correction would in turn be excessive, resulting in zigzagging while simply trying to maintain a straight line. Also, the steering wheel would remain in its rotated position upon release when exiting a turn, rather than naturally returning to center, thus requiring deliberate effort to bring the car straight again. This behavior is unnerving under ordinary conditions and could be quite dangerous, particularly in situations involving skids or emergency manoeuvers. Soon after the initiation of the 2010 NHTSA investigation into this issue, I brought the car to a local BMW dealer who claimed to know nothing about this prevalent issue and who was reportedly unable to replicate the issue. Since then I figured out it can replicated simply by setting the heater to full blast and leaving the windows rolled up for 20-30 minutes to allow the heat to soak into the electric-assist steering column: this issue occurs if the steering column gets warm by any means: park in direct sun on a hot day, park in shade on a very hot day, run the heater on high for a while, etc. I took the car to a different BMW dealer on a moderate day in March 2013 and replicated it using the heater while their service foreman drove it; he was astonished by its perverse handling characteristics and immediately made the diagnosis: faulty steering column requiring complete replacement. BMW north America has declined to cover any of the cost to resolve this factory defec because the 4yr/50k mi warranty is expired. My Z4 still has under 40,000 miles and it is abundantly clear that this issue is not caused by "wear and tear".

2004 BMW Z4 - steering problem: I just recently moved to south florida from denver and now have notchy/sticky steering when driving at highway speeds (60 mph) when it is warm (70 degrees). Making small corrections requires a large input causing the car to go outside of it's lane. Have had several very close calls. Took the car to dealer, BMW south in south miami and they want to replace the steering column for $3,200. This problem is a matter of public safety and soon a driver or the public will be hurt or killed. BMW needs to stand behind their product and make the steering safe or the NHTSA needs to direct them to recall the cars to fix this problem.

1. The vehicle was parked all day outdoors on a hot sunny July day in temecula, CA. While driving it home on i15 at approximately 70 mph, the steering wheel became much more difficult to turn and would not stay on center, making it challenging to simply stay within my lane. This lasted for 10-15 minutes, then the steering returned to normal. Fortunately, this section of freeway is relatively straight and the traffic happened to be moderate. 2. This failure has occurred only once in the 6 weeks I have owned the vehicle. 3. I have not yet taken steps to correct the failure. However, I have searched online for steering issues with this year, make and model and learned that many other owners have experienced exactly the same issue. Those who have attempted to have the issue corrected by their local dealership say the repair reportedly involves replacing the entire steering column at a cost of nearly $4000. My vehicle has under 20,000 miles but is beyond the 48 month warranty period. Having read recently in the newspaper that NHTSA is investigating power steering issues in 2003-2005 BMW Z4's, I am trying to find out if there is a known solution to this problem that is less costly or that is covered by the manufacturer before committing to a $4000 repair on a low-mileage used vehicle that I only recently purchased.

The steering wheel "sticks" at various and unpredictable times. It will stick and resist going into a curve, then hold the car in the curve and need to be unstuck to bring the car out of the curve. The sticking is not exaggerated or impossible to correct, but some small amount of pressure is required to unstick the wheel from its directional course. Because it happens at unpredictable times it is unsettling and feels very unsafe on curves or when making lane changes. I've brought the problem to the attention of the BMW dealership on several occasions but they claimed they couldn't duplicate the problem on several visits. On the most recent visit the dealership conceded the faulty steering column, but argues that the age of the vehicle makes it ineligible for warranty coverage. I believe that faulty steering columns are a documented problem on Z4 roadsters from 2003 - 2005. The car currently has 22,500 miles on it. Classifying the problem as resulting from age or wear is irresponsible. The steering column was designed or manufactured with this fault, and BMW should correct the problem at its expense before needing to record accidents or injuries.

Steering wheel "sticks/catches" both to left and right of top center. Problem is only evident when temperatures are above 80f and at speeds above 40 mph. Have experienced this problem since buying the car over two years ago but it is sporadic. Have taken it to the dealer several times but they were not able to duplicate the issue until this week. Dealer was finally able to experience the problem and will replace the entire steering column (scheduled for week of 7/12/2010). BMW will pick up cost of parts but I must pay for labor.

Only in hot weather the steering becomes very hard and sticky and requires increased force to turn the steering wheel. The BMW dealer claims they cannot find an "internal bulletin" #4515500-02, released on 05/05/06. It's almost impossible to stay in your lane, and two hands are needed to control the vehicle when this defect acts up after sitting in the sun or hot weather. This is not noticeable until you have reached speeds of 30 mph or over at which time you are pretty much committed to fight the steering. This becomes very scary and dangerous. BMW is aware of this problem and claims it's not a "safety issue". I brought my car to the dealer because of this problem and they say I need a steering rack for over $4000. 00. The "bulletin" says they need to replace the eps column with a modified one which was available since weeks 17 and 18 of 2006. Unfortunately, I bought my car used and was never informed of the steering dangers. It took some time to research this problem and yet, BMW is not willing to fix this defect.

When my Z4 has been sitting in direct sun for a while the steering becomes sticky. Making it very difficult to drive. Causing the car to swerve into other lanes. BMW have quoted 3500 to replace the steering column, I'm currently negotiating with them to reduce this cost.

The steering sticks while driving. Very scary so I don't drive the car for more than 4 or 5 mile trips. Won't take it on a highway anymore, since I have no confidence in the steering. I was told that the tires had broken bands and that might have been what I was feeling, so I replaced all four tires but the problem continued. I wouldn't be able to afford to replace the steering column and whatever else might be necessary. The tires were a huge expense. I can't very well sell the car, since I don't feel it is safe. Please help. Too many people have the same complaint, for this to be expected and acceptable.

After the car sits in the hot sun (anywhere above 75 degrees) the steering starts binding/locking up at all speeds. Although it seems to be worse when driving at hwy speeds. When driving around a slight curve the steering does not return to center as it should nor is it easy to get the car to straighten back out. I have to force it back to center which usually ends up causing me to over correct and move close to or in the other lane. I first noticed the problem last summer, but since I only drive the car on weekends I didn't pay much attention to it last summer. It was fine during the winter, but got significantly worse when it got warm this year. I took my car to BMW of nashville and was told that the problem was the steering column and that it needed to be replaced. (I'm currently waiting on the replacement column to come in and be replaced) after doing some research about the problem I've found that there are hundreds of other Z4 owners that have experienced the same problem and Bmwna has not acknowledged that there is a problem. I contacted Bmwna myself and although they didn't acknowledge there was a problem, they did offer me a 10% discount on the $3900. 00 repair. I believe this is a factory defect in the car and that they all should be recalled before someone gets killed if there haven't already been fatal accidents.

The contact owns a 2004 BMW Z4. While driving at approximately 55 mph, the contact noticed that the steering wheel stuck when driving above 50 mph. The failure occurred daily if the temperature was above 65 degrees. It was difficult to keep the vehicle centered. The vehicle was at an authorized dealership at the time of the complaint and the dealer suggested that the entire steering column be replaced. The contact called the manufacturer who stated that they were unaware of that particular problem. The failure mileage was approximately 42,500. The current mileage was approximately 43,000.

BMW Z4 2004 sticking steering. The steering gets knotchy, sticky, or locking when trying to make micro-steering adjustments while driving at highway speeds(60-70). The problem exists when the ambient outside temp is greater than 60 degrees. The steering locks and has to be budged to change steering direciton. It gets worse with hotter weather. This is a big safety issue and with all the other reported claims of the same issue, this should be looked at for a recall. BMW diagnosed the problem to being the eps module being defective and said the whole steering column will need to be replaced. This is a $3400 fix. The car has ~46k miles. I would not expect steering to break within 46k miles and reading over other complaints this is a much wider issue than this one Z4. Please investigate this issue due to the safety implications.

Steering feels "sticky" similar to other reports filed, previous odi case number 10288772 reported 06/30/09. On 11 November 09 mileage 82,745, electrical power steering (eps) failed completely, warning light on dash, car still drivable without power steering for limited distance to dealer. Cause found to be code 611c3 failed eps unit. Repair was steering column replacement & reprogramming iaw sib32-06-05. All previous problems are gone, car steers like brand new, didn't know what I'd been missing. Repair cost was $50 deductible under extended BMW factory warranty, no idea of actual retail cost.

Steering of the car seems to bind, that is, after turning the steering wheel to either to left or right, it does not return to center in a smooth or linear fashion, as if the power assist is inconsistent. Although my car has not been examined,other owners of the same make and model report the same experience. Replacing the eps unit does not seem to help, nor does replacement of the steering column. This inconsistent steering response could be a safety hazard.

2004 BMW Z4 purchased used in July 2009 with approximately 69000 miles. Noticed immediately that when driving the vehicle in temps above 75 ambient, or when vehicle has been sitting in sun for extended periods, steering becomes very "sticky" or notchy when making slight turns such as lane changes or slight curves. Steering seems to want to stick wherever the driver puts it and needs to have pressure applied to break the position. Appears to be a common complaint with a BMW known fix being a complete replace of the steering column. Vehicle is out of warranty and the fix too expensive. This seems to me to be a serious safety concern and should be covered under recall regardless of mileage. Email sent with Bmwna was never responded to.

The contact owns a 2004 BMW Z4. It becomes difficult for the contact to control the steering wheel when the weather is cold; therefore; he doesn't drive the vehicle during the winter months. The dealers diagnosis confirmed that the steering column needed to be replaced at an estimate cost of $3,000. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 42,000 and the current mileage was 52,000.

2004 BMW Z4 current mileage 81k bought used with 35k in 2008. Beginning in summer 2008, steering feels "sticky" in slow turns to right/left such as on /off ramp. With different tires, symptoms eased, but still evident, especially at ambient temps 70 deg f or above. At 71k car in for service including this complaint. Dealer noted "binding/noisy lower column joint" & replaced lower section of steering column joint "per sib 32 03 06", but problem persists. Problem not as severe as that noted in some other complaints on line but similar in persistence and annoyance.

The contact owns a 2004 BMW Z4. The contact stated when driving at a minimum of 50 mph in warm temperatures, the power steering would sporadically fail. In addition, the vehicle would abnormally veer from left to right. The dealer advised that the steering column would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 25,000 and the current mileage was 34,388.

When ambient temperatures are high (e. G. >85-90f) (compounded by car being in direct sunlight), the steering becomes difficult to control. Specifically, normal steering wheel input translates into erratic, jerky movements on the road. The steering wheel will not return to center and the car generally is difficult to control (I. E. Maintain a straight course, requiring constant and exaggerated steering wheel input). This condition is transient (I. E. Steering returns to normal when the ambient temperature drops); however, driving when the steering is compromised as described above is unnerving and without a doubt increases the risk of an accident occurring due to a potential loss of driver control (e. G. On wet roads, multi-lane highway traffic). When this occurred a second time, I immediately took the car to the BMW dealership to report it. The BMW dealership subsequently confirmed the problem as described above and diagnosed a failed steering column unit. BMW na has offered to pay for 50% of the repair with the other 50% being owner's responsibility (car was approx. 2. 5 months out of warranty). Judging from the proportion of similar complaints filed with NHTSA on the Z4, this issue doesn't appear to be isolated and warrants further investigation.

2004 BMW z-4 , steering problem. Feels like steering locks up or binds at highway speeds. Force must be applied to overcome lock-up. Impossible to drive car smoothly, change lanes, pass other cars. I purchased the car used with only 21,000 miles, but warranty was up in 6/2008, purchased in 8/2008. Tom bush BMW of jacksonville says car needs a steering column assembly replacement at a cost of $2575. 08 cost to me. I feel problem has been on the car since purchased new. Car came from off lease in ohio and driven only limited amount. Steering lockup more noticeable on warm to hot days, which is when we drive the car here in florida. Please offer assistance. Car seems unsafe to drive.

The contact owns a 2004 BMW Z4. The steering wheel failed when the temperature was over 85 degrees. It was difficult to make right and left turns and drive normally without veering into another lane and loosing steering control. The dealer stated the failure was located in the steering column assembly. The estimated cost to repair the steering assembly was $3,400. The manufacturer is aware of the failure and stated that they will investigate and let her know if they will assist with the repair cost. The failure mileage was 62,938. Updated 10/5/09 updated 10/07/09.

The contact owns a 2004 BMW Z4. The contact stated that when the vehicle was sitting idle for long periods, the steering wheel would become tight and would not operate properly. When the contact was finally able to maneuver the steering wheel it would only move in one direction. Once the vehicle was turned on and warm, the steering wheel would operate normally. The vehicle was taken to a personal mechanic who confirmed that the failure was within the steering column, but was non-repairable. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 25,000 and the current mileage was 53,000.

I own a BMW Z4, and it is my second one I own, and it has a sticky steering column that acts up in hot weather, and it creates for very unsafe steering. I have had my entire steering rack replaced in my last Z4, and now my second car is doing the same thing, but BMW of fremont cant duplicate the problem.

Driving at highway speeds when the temperature was above ninety degrees the steering became 'catchy' meaning when I tried to do normal corrections it would 'stick' like it was stuck in some kind of groove, requiring me 'force' it past the sticking point, which would result in an over correction, which in turn would require me to correct in the other direction - resulting in a weaving in the lane. The issue continued and on occasion, seemingly related to temperature, was bad enough to force me off the highway and on to surface roads where the speed was less. I mentioned it to the dealer and he said he cold not repeat the problem. This occurs every year when it gets hot and the last time I was at the dealer he said the electronic assist steering in the steering column needed to be replaced at a cost of $4,000. I researched this problem on the internet and it seems there are quite a few other people who have the same issue with the steering with this car and other Z4's from 2003 on, some with mileage less than the 29,000 miles I had on my vehicle when it first occurred. I find it interesting that the dealer discovered what the issue was after my vehicle was out of warranty.