Steering Is Tight problems of the 2004 BMW Z4

The steering is hard to control while driving. Almost locking up or very sticky sensation to it. Happens very regularly.

After starting car, eps light comes on and steering is very tight, near impossible to turn or maneuver in parking lots, etc.

When the car is warmed up the steering is sticky and prevents you from steering correctly and/or over-correct your steering. Multiple mechanics have looked at this and the factory lube used to grease the steering column components is inadequate. However, the only way to fix it is to replace the entire steering column ($4-5k for parts and labor). The steering column could fail at any time and cause the car to lose steering capabilities, very dangerous, especially at highway speeds. Apparently BMW is aware of the issue and has recalled 2006-2008 model years but not 2003-2005.

As I am driving this car my steering is sticking and jerking as I turn from left to right and back again. It is hard to turn and not smooth as it used to be. This problem occurs at high speed, low speed and on all road surfaces. I changed the tires hoping that that would address the problem, however it did not help. It should not operate this way and it seems unsafe to drive. I see that many owners have complained about this ongoing safety problem, please advise.

Bought this car in may 2016 with 58000 miles. Almost 2 yrs later and less then 5000 more miles, steering is sticky! we bought an extra warranty, so we took it to an authorized BMW mechanic. He told us that the steering column is bad. And since it seems to be a common problem the warranty won't cover it. They want $4000. 00 to repair it. Hundreds of complaints on this problem and BMW won't issue a recall!.

Takata recall. . . . . Steering notches and locks. . . . Unsafe to drive. . . . When car is is in warm weather the steering is very sticky.

The vehicle has 62,000 miles. The steering is very sticky. It seems to "notch" making it harder to move the wheel. This problem is worse in warmer temperatures.

The steering is very sticky and binds up frequently, especially in warm weather. It can be difficult to control in low and high speeds and could put you in another lane and could cause an accident. This is a known manufacturing defect and the only resolution is to change the whole steering column in which BMW does not want to pay for. This is a highway safely issue and should be fixed by doing a recall. Most Z4s have this problem. I have contacted BMW about this issue. They want me to pay for the replacement when this should have been recalled.

Steering is sticky and notchy at hidhway speeds. Unnoticeable at low speeds, but at highway speeds, it hard to keep the car in your lane. Sticks,then over turns bait , causing an over correction to return. Turning feel no hay as if it was clicking from one notch to another. I don't feel safe driving this car on the highway. The dealer has diagnosed this to be the steering column, which needs to be replace at the cost of $4600. 00. I feel this is a very dangerous situation which needs to be addressed.

The steering has become sticky or notchy and over time has gotten worse. It is extremely dangerous, and as a result I was forced to either sell the car on to an unsuspecting buyer, or fix it. I chose the later as I didn't want to put somebody else's family in danger. The car was not drivable in heat over 80 degree's as the steering was tight, and would stick in position causing excess force to move it, and cause severe oversteer situations. After having to complain to BMW for weeks, they directed me to have it diagnosed (for $180) and then decided they would pay half of the cost to repair their engineering issue. While I found their willingness to admit a mistake and cover half the repair a step in the right direction, I just don't think its enough. A new steering column was quoted at $3750, and I paid almost $1800 plus diagnostics fees. I wasn't going to bother with this complaint, as the NHTSA has shown it is not interested in holding BMW accountable for this wide spread issue (unlike Toyota’s sticky gas pedals), but an incident on the freeway this week changed my mind. I was traveling in the left lane crossing a major river, and the car in front of me suddenly swerved toward the guard barrier. I had milliseconds to react to the steel garbage can set in the center of the left lane, with a 18 wheeler to my right. I swerved as the car in front of me did, toward the guard barrier into the breakdown lane and safely negotiated the can. Thank god I had the steering fixed, as it stuck worse turning right, and I am certain my life would have ended on the bridge as I would have oversteered, lost control, and went under the 18 wheeler. Fix this issue before its too late for us citizens who are stuck riding in, and around these vehicles. I certainly hope if you do, people who have been forced to pay for BMW's mistakes have an opportunity to be reimbursed.

On a warm day steering is sticky, needs a lot of effort and car feels unsafe to drive.

Steering is sticky, meaning extra energy is needed to steer the car at speeds above 35 mph. The vehicle will not track down the high way in a normal manner. . .

The vehicle steering developed a sticky area that was very hard to get past. The steering was very hard to turn to avoid an accident. It continued and I slowed so another accident does not occur. The problem has continued at low speeds ,but not as bad. I just got the car and was driving home.

The steering has a hesitation. I have noticed it this summer around town, thinking the steering is just very tight since it is a sports car. BMW did some rebuilding of the front end last fall and there was no issue in the steering at that time. On 9/06/14 I realized at highway speed I was pushing hard occasionally in a curve to activate the steering. BMW gave the diagnosis on 9/24/14 that the steering column/electric motor r&r program eps (steering unit) -all, for an estimated fee of 3551. 63. So BMW tells me they are sorry this has happened to my car and they offer me no assistance through the BMW company. I am not ready to pay this expense at this point. If the problem gets worse or to the point I fear for my safety, then I will have a repair made, at least at this point, I know I need to be prepared for hard steering on occasion.

Steering is very sticky and hard to steer in warm weather.

Steering was sticking and feeling funny. Seemed to take more force to turn the wheel. It felt magnetic in the center or ribbed like. Then it would suddenly go when turning. Had to be very careful. After doing research I find that the BMW Z4's have had problems with steering columns in the 2003, 2004, 2005 and some 2006 year cars. Has to do with the metal worm gear clearance in the nylon cog gear being a poor design. On hot days the clearance goes to zero making the gears to tight. Also nylon absorbs moisture after a while which would cause the nylon gear to increase in size decreasing the clearance even more. I just purchased this car and now am somewhat afraid to drive it or let my family drive it. BMW has replaced many of these. I hope mine can be replaced as right now I'm not sure what my recourse may be.

My 2004 BMW Z4 steering is choppy and sticks even when driving in a straight line. Making normal driving maneuvers to maintain control of the car awkward. Note, this car has less than 36000 miles. I took the car to the BMW dealership and without even taking it into the shop to look under the hood, the maintenance crew told me exactly what was wrong. The upper power steering mechanism is faulty, which BMW has a recalled for certain vins but not ours. Its pretty clear that this is an across the board BMW problem and such a prestigious automobile manufacturer should not have to be coaxed into doing the right thing. So I go on the web to this site and I find 233 complaints for the same problem in just this year alone. What's it going to take for BMW to do a recall and fix the problem.

Steering is sticking pulls to the left then to the right very difficult to keep car straight on the road sudden jerking of car when turning the steering wheel turns but car doesn't turn with the turn you have to force the turn and then you get pulled in other direction very very unsafe! feels like you're going to be pulled into a crash! these steering columns need recalled and fast!.

The steering is very sticky and jolts left and right. I have found through some research to be a common problem among 2003-2005 BMW Z4 owners. It is not safe to be cruising down the highway jolting back and forth.

Steering became somewhat unresponsive while driving at highway speeds. It was as it the steering wheel was sticking. Reducing speed did not seem to help, temp outside was 71 degrees and sunny. Checking web forums, this is a problem with this car. Bought this used approx 4 weeks ago, concerned that if steering continues to function this way, could cause an accident as you try to over compensate for sticking issue.

I recently bought this car and the dealer talked about a steering issue with the Z4 models where they don't feel like the steering will center. I didn't have a chance to put miles on the car until today where I found out what he was talking about and had time to research it. This is a very well known issue and it looks like you have investigated it previously but it still is a very real problem and makes the car unsafe to drive. While driving after the car is warmed up the steering will feel as though it sticks as you try to drive a straight line. At around 40+mph the car will pull right or left with the steering nearly impossible to adjust to center. You can have the car pulling to one side, say traveling at 60mph, it will pull you to the right at a rate of 2 feet for every second. You have to nudge the steering wheel as it is not fluid (feels like it is stuck) back to the left and then it will pull left at the same rate. It is a battle of constant adjustment to fight in trying to center the car. If you have traffic around you it could be an accident waiting to happen. I request that this issue is re-opened as a safety recall. I have reviewed the information you received from BMW regarding steering warranty claims and with just over 12,000 BMW Z4's produced and nearly 10% (1,1xx) of them having a filed claim regarding steering issues, one would see that this is a major flaw. Warranty work is not always requested, thus why there are still more on the street that need high cost repairs and causing unsafe driving conditions for the driver/passenger as well as surrounding vehicles.

Immediately after purchasing this vehicle we noticed difficulty steering the car. The steering is very sticky and eratic. It is actually scary to drive. Has a tendency to veer off and possibly wreck. I just hope it does not take x number of accidents/deaths for the manufactuer (who is aware of the problem) to fix this unacceptible steering problem. My personal research has revealed that there are many many owners of this make and model vehicle have complained to the manufacturer about this exact same problem. If any information is needed or if you wish for me to elaborate, please feel free to email or call me. Thank you.

Steering sticks when outside temperatures are hot 90deg+. I noticed this condition last year in the summer months every time I drove the car in the heat (n. Texas summer) the car had about 39000mi. On it. The steering wheel literately feels stuck in a position and takes abnormal amount of effort to turn/change direction then it's like it just suddenly releases and causes you to over-steer the car it feels unsafe driving especially in traffic or driving close to a hwy barrier/construction zone etc. . My wife started driving the car today and said the steering felt like it was sticking, and that she had to use considerable force to change direction and the car would dart due to having to overcompensate for the stuck condition, she said it scared her. Best description I can give is to compare the steering to an electrical switch e. G. (fan blower switch) that has a detente or click between the speeds and how it takes additional effort to change from one speed to another. I have been reading the forums and blogs and there are many people experiencing the same problems with 2003-2005 BMW Z4's so I am adding mine to the list. Since this is a safety issue I believe BMW should step up and recall or take care of this apparent design flaw within the steering system. These cars become unsafe to drive when this condition arises.

Steering is sticky not allowing steering wheel to return to center. Takes constant pressure to steer and keep centered. Very difficult to keep in center of lane at highway speeds.

I own a 2004 BMW Z4. While driving the car last evening I noticed the steering wheel felt like it was sticking as I tried to turn the wheel. I t was so bad at one point that I strugled to steer the car around a curve. When it stuck, it caused me to oversteer throwing my car into oncoming traffic. Fortunately no cars were coming and a dissaster was avoided. This is not the first time this occured. It appears to be intermittent. The BMW dealer can not find any thing wrong. A source of this problem needs to be determined before people get killed.

2004 BMW Z4, VIN:[xxx], 63000 miles the BMW is having a severe steering problem on hot summer days. Traveling at 70mph on the highway the car can be unsafe to drive. This problem is related to an electric steering. The steering is supposed too tighten some depending on speed and driving conditions. In many cases that I have found in research it gets to tight and makes it difficult to make the minimum of steering corrections. In my case it can make the car move into another lane on the highway from a small correction. I have been told there are similar problems in the Mini cooper, Z4, and 3 series BMW's. I have taken the car to a BMW dealer (sunbelt motors, inc. , meridian, ms) for diagnosis. Their solution is to replace the steering column in the car at a cost of $2600. 00 (parts only) plus labor. I contacted BMW and open a case study with them regarding this matter. The car is out of warranty and they do not feel any responsibility to repair or offer any assistance with the repair. All it takes is a quick google search for: BMW Z4 steering problems to see how many people have been affected by this. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

I have 2004 Z4 BMW the steering is sticky it feels like that is binding and have to use extra effort to control car. At times I have to jerk it back into line. At times it feels like im fighting with it .

Steering problem at 45+mph with vehicle, steering is very sticky going straight, constant corrections cause over steering, steering wheel does not return to neutral position on curves leading to dangerous conditions, tested to 75 + mph, gets worse at higher speeds of freeway driving. Just took possession of used vehicle under warranty.

2004 BMW Z4 3. 0. The steering is sticky when ambient temp over 90 degrees outside. Dealer states no problem. Read the news and saw the NHTSA is investigating. You guys are welcome to drive mine to see the problem in action. When it is hot outside (as it often is in jacksonville, FL) the car is difficult to drive in a straight line because of the "sticky steering. ".