Power Steering Light On Problems of BMW Z4

Have had the car for several years and have noticed a steering issue that seems to be getting worse. I researched this on multiple forums and it appears that there are numerous examples of similar problems. Most relate to issues in hot tempatures, mine is more related to speed. Problem was very noticable last evening at 70 degrees. Here are the symptoms. . . At low speeds (under 20mph) steering is very light and smooth, no issues at all. As speed increases, the steering gets heavier (as it should) but develops a "detent" at straight center. The faster the speed, the more effort needed to overcome the detent resistance, to the point that it becomes easy to oversteer the car. This can be real scary during avoidance maneuvers and quick lane changes. I have had my car worked on for other service and the mechanic also noticed the issue as it was driven to have the wheels aliened.

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When turning at low speeds, like into parking spots, the steering will lock up, cut power to head lights, radio. This is intermittent. First started at 70k miles, now at 90k miles the steering column is pretty much dead. Also after these hiccups happen my car wont turn over when I try to start it up. I wait a couple minutes and it'll start up then . Stay away from this car or any early model BMW with electric power steering. BMW also doesn't want to own up to their lack of engineering and recall this total pile of crap. . . Tisk. . Tisk.

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Since owning the car in florida I notice that the steering will get sticky when left I the sun on hot days. With out using a sun shield in the wind screen. I took it in several times and the dealer said they could not find a problem now a steering light came on and they are telling me that it needs a column costing $5000.

At low speeds (under 20mph) steering is very light and smooth, no issues at all. As speed increases, the steering gets heavier (as it should) but develops a "detent" at straight center. The faster the speed, the more effort needed to overcome the detent resistance, to the point that it becomes easy to oversteer the car. This can be real scary during avoidance maneuvers and quick lane changes.

Suddenly unable to steer. When moving it was very hard to steer. When stopped at a red light it was again unable to steer. But again was very hard to steer when moving as well. Steering light came on. Problem is intermittent. Getting worse. Turn off and restart engine and the problem goes away for a short while then returns. Seems to be a very dangerous issue.

Tl- the contact owns a 2004 BMW Z4 roadstar 2. 5i. The contact confirmed the contact was about to drive the vehicle, when the steering wheel warning light illuminated and seized. The vehicle can restart but can not be driven. The vehicle has not be taken to the dealer to be diagnosed and repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 140352. Jo.

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I was driving the car at approximately 45 mph and the car sterring got stiff. I couldn't control it. The power steering malfunction light came on. I got very concerned and somehow made it home. Luckily I was close to home when it happened. The car after turning off and turning back on got normal. The symptom did not come back for 2 days but then came right back on. Now I'm scared to drive this car. This is so dangerous and can cause an accident. I did some research and found I'm not the only one with this problem. A lot of other people had the same issue. BMW should fix this issue at no cost and there should be a recal on this.

Electronic power steering light came on while driving down the highway lost power assisted ability. Steering wheel was difficult, back to the old manual days. . Never thought to ask why. . But vehicle always had a detent quirk since 2003. . Just thought it typical for how a sports car was designed. After checking others similar problems I guess I've been misled into believing that was typical after all this time. Taking it to the dealer in the next few days to service problem. If you have a problem like this detent thing get it checked out before a bad situation really happens.

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I just purchased a 2006 Z4 3. 0i with 21000 miles from a dealership in wilmington, nc. During the test drive I noticed that the steering was unusually stiff and at higher speeds the car was somewhat hard to keep in a straight line. I dismissed the issue as a possible alignment or worn out tire issue. On the 120 mile drive home to raleigh, nc the steering became more and more erratic, pushing the car half way to the other lane. I noticed that the steering was getting really sticky and jerky the longer I drove. When trying to slightly correct the trajectory of the car to any side, the steering would not react to light torque on the steering wheel as it would with any other car I've driven before. When applying more force the steering would suddenly jump a degree or more, causing the car to oversteer and making for some rally scary and erratic maneuvers at highway speeds. When trying to correct this unexpected jump, the car would do the same thing in the other direction, causing me to swerve right and left. Later, when coming out of a long right turn on a narrow two lane road, the steering was stuck in the right turn position and suddenly popped into a left turning position, almost causing a collision with an oncoming semi truck. Since the behavior is so unpredictable and hard to control, I consider this a very serious safety issue that needs to be addressed immediately. I got lucky and I am convinced that it is only a matter of time until someone gets hurt or killed.

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I have a 2004 Z4 3. 0 with 69k miles. Have had the car for several years and have noticed a steering issue that seems to be getting worse. I researched this on multiple forums and it appears that there are numerous examples of similar problems. Most relate to issues in hot tempatures, mine is more related to speed. Here are the symptoms. . . At low speeds (under 20mph) steering is very light and smooth, no issues at all. As speed increases, the steering gets heavier (as it should) but develops a "detent" at straight center. The faster the speed, the more effort needed to overcome the detent resistance, to the point that it becomes easy to oversteer the car. This can be real scary during avoidance maneuvers and quick lane changes.

While driving the steering light comes on and the steering locks in place. When u try to force it the car stalls out and the steering stays locked . . Extremely dangerous!!!.

The car steering "sticks" at highway speeds. It becomes a pain for keeping the car in the lane. It is as if the power steering for fine adjustment turning quit working. The car may be tracking straight, all is fine until a slight drift right or left. To adjust the car takes considerable effort making fine steering nearly impossible. When alert and no other cars on the road, not a problem. With moderately heavy beltway traffic moving at high speed and must stay in lane, it can get frightening. The problem is worse when it is warm out, but appears intermittent. When severe, it is highly dangerous. It requires a lot of concentration, any lapse in concentration could be disastrous. There is no indication of a problem from the power steering warning indication light. I had a 4 wheel alignment, balancing and tire rotation performed at 105,000 miles. The car seemed to run true then, but it may have first happened as early as 112,000 miles, but barely noticeable. It has become pronounced enough at 115,000 miles to make a complaint. I checked the websites and found many other owners experiencing the same issue and nothing anyone can find anything wrong to fix it. Realignments don't fix the problem. Ultimately, extremely expensive repair suggestions like "replace the entire steering column for $3000" are made. This is totally unacceptable. To be honest, it feels more like an issue with the power steering fine steering ability to me and shouldn't require replacement of all steering linkage components. It is a safety issue and BMW should issue a recall to fix all cars with this problem.

My steering wheel light goes on then the car handling becomes very difficult to control. The problem started one day on the highway. The wheel was suddenly hard. This problem happens several times a day: when I start the car and at any random time while I'm driving. I have to restart the car in order to get the power steering back (before the next failure). This is very dangerous since nothing is telling me when the next issue is going to happen. I'm always scared to make a turn or to change lanes.

The power steering becomes "sticky" in wam weather. There is no problem with the steering in cool weather. I keep the car in covered parking at most times making the steering only slightly sticky although enough to make freeway driving a contant state of over-correction to keep the car in a lane. On one occaision I left the car parked in full sunshine on a 100 degree day and the power steering did not work at all at highway speed making the car unsafe to drive.

The contact owns a 2003 BMW Z4. While traveling 20 mph and attempting a left turn, the power steering warning light illuminated as the power steering assist simultaneously failed. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer yet the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The current and failure mileage was 66,000.

When my 2003 BMW Z4 is left out in the sun during the summer months, it is very hard to drive and almost non-responsive. Additionally at times the electric power steering indicator light will come on, resulting in the loss of power steering control (and the shutoff of other electrical equipment in the car). This typically is only for a few seconds, however that can be extremely dangerous.

On days over 75 degrees f, during highway driving, if I turn the steering wheel slightly and release it, steering does not return to top dead center. Instead, the Z4 continues to turn on it's own until I steer the car back to a straight line. The steering wheel does not return to the straight-ahead position when I release it. A great deal of strength is required to steer at all when this happens. Power assist does not seem to work over 75f and the steering feel is notchy. On cool days, the steering is fine. This steering failure has been going on for several years, it is getting worse and is no longer safe. The dealer is not helpful. It is a us car and I live in canada. I thought you would want to know because there is a lot of discussion about this in forums. The cars are not safe to drive on hot days. Interim solution don't drive my Z4 roadster on hot days?! so much for the ultimate driving machine.

The contact owns a 2003 BMW Z4. While traveling 10 mph the contact noticed that the steering wheel will suddenly lock and that the power steering warning light would appear on the dashboard . The vehicle had not been diagnosed. The contact noticed prior that the failure tends to occur during warm weather. The failure mileages was 28000 and the current mileage was 30000.