Steering Problems of BMW Z4 - part 1

Steering is binding up, very hard to steer and control. Car starts out running fine after parked in hot weather and restarted it is almost uncontrollable. Looking for corrective action. Only 39,920 miles on car. Would like to use it or sell it, can do neither in current condition. Steering column needed or components.

See all problems of the 2003 BMW Z4 🔎.

Twice this month, while operating the vehicle, the power steering completely stopped functioning, causing the vehicle to be almost uncontrollable. No prior warning light. When I purchased the vehicle in 2018, the same problem occurred and the dealer replaced the steering column under warranty. In researching online I find that this is a common problem with this model. I am surprised to find that there is no recall notice for what is a major safety concern.

See all problems of the 2004 BMW Z4 🔎.

Power steering wheel went out of power during a trip at about 70mph. Yellow light at the dashboard went on then so, car became imposible to drive or so.

While moving, especially in warm weather, the steering will stick. This requires excessive force to move the steering wheel which results in a "jump" when the steering moves (breaks loose). This sudden "jump" results in vehicle moving excessively, especially scary in traffic! I have not had the vehicle inspected by a mechanic but reading various forums this appears to be a common problem with BMW Z4s.

See all problems of the 2005 BMW Z4 🔎.

Electrical power steering system failed, warning light came on. Vehicle suddenly became very difficult to impossible to steer. Failed to negotiate a turn and nearly hit a tree. I have an appointment set with an independent service dealer near me, but I’m afraid to drive it there, so I may have it towed. The warning light came on just moments before the initial failure.

See all problems of the 2011 BMW Z4 🔎.

Power steering stopped working.

Steering assist failed almost resulting in head on collision. Failure is serious and likely to cause fatalities.

The electric steering gets sticky when very often. It feels locked in its position and requires extra force to unstick, once its past the sticking point it over corrects and causes the vehicle to swerve. This failure seems to be quite common and is well known. It seems to be a manufacturing defect inside the electric steering column. I believe it should be investigated by NHTSA. The last time it happened my car went off onto the soft shoulder. The manufacturer should repair the steering. It’s a widely known issue.

The contact owns a 2012 BMW Z4. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 mph and turning to the left, the steering wheel seized, and the contact had to use force to return the steering wheel back to center. The contact stated that the failure occurred at various speeds while turning left or right. The contact stated that the vehicle was shuddering while the steering wheel was turned to the left or right. The vehicle regained normal steering functionality when the vehicle was stopped and turned off and restarted. The contact stated the "steering wheel" warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was a recurring failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 12v302000 (steering). The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 16,000.

See all problems of the 2012 BMW Z4 🔎.

When outside temp is 80degrees or higher it becomes difficult to maintain the vehicle in the correct driving lane due to a stickyness in the steering wheel. I will not allow anyone to drive the vehicle when the temp is over 80 degrees . . . Sucks to have a convertable that you can't drive in warm weather!.

Power steering is intermittent where assist goes from working to not working changing the effort required to turn the wheel. When power assist goes off it is difficult to steer the car.

Electric power assist intermittently fails without warning making steering impossible. Similar to 2012 Z4 recall.

Reporting premature part fail. -the 2019 BMW has 14,300 miles. The vehicle recently failed vt state inspection for "play in control arm ball joints" normal ball joint replacement is usually in the 60,000 mile range. The 1st recommended check of steering components per BMW service manual is is "6th engine oil service (approx 60,000 miles)". There was no warning of the premature fail. The failed parts will be replaced and used parts preserved for inspection if needed.

See all problems of the 2019 BMW Z4 🔎.

When driving the steering is loose or sticky. The problem gets worse when the weather is warm. Sometimes it’s hard to keep the car driving in a straight path. This is scary and dangerous. His occurs whenever the car is driven. Other Z4 drivers are having the same problem.

The electronic steering has failed several times while driving. This makes it very difficult to maintain a lane and avoid other vehicles. This problem continues intermittently. Thousands of Z4 owners have reported the same issue in online forums.

See all problems of the 2006 BMW Z4 🔎.

My girlfriend, [xxx] , purchased a used 2003 BMW Z4 2. 5i. It is pristine with 47k original miles. Always maintained, garaged and never driven in foul weather. I, [xxx] , drove it home for her and noticed the steering to be "sticky". This showed on the highway traveling at 65 mph. It was very unsettling to feel the car want to track in a direction that I could not control. I used "more force" to pull the steering wheel to get tracking correctly and stay in my travel lane. Lucking I did not overcorrect and lose control or cause and accident. Once it happened it continued to happen the balance of the drive on the highway and back roads. I've owned and driven many different makes and models of vehicles from Dodge, renault, Toyota, GMC, Chrysler, Volvo, Geo, etc. And never has "steering" been an issue. Once we got home I looked up "sticky steering" issue for the 2003 Z4 and this is a known issue. Driving this BMW was unsettling and unsafe. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Generally described as sticky steering. Steering wheel binds up and needs pressure to overcome, then released and the car overcorrects so steering is erratic. This is particularly dangerous when cornering. Issue seems temperature related and is worse in high temperatures. This is a well known problem in 2003-2005 BMW Z4. The car has been sittting in my garage for a year as it is unsafe to drive. When is the recall?.

In hot weather, the steering binds, making keeping the car in the correct lane extremely difficult. The car will dart from one side to the other. The car will be nearly impossible to keep in the correct lane.

Upon starting the car, power steering does not work making car unmanueverable.

The steering is sticky, like the steering system is locking up. It isn't smooth but instead very jerky, and requires serious effort to manage. It is becoming dangerous and is very unsafe. I have seen a lot of complaints on the internet and can not believe this isn't a recall item!.

When the car gets hot (parked in the sun) the steering becomes knotchy or sticky and the car becomes difficult to control. No problems whatsoever when the car is cool or on a cooler day. This problem has been witnessed by a BMW technician and there are no warning lights. This appears to be a fairly common issues with these cars.

Sticky steering steering wheel hard to turn and stops intermittently when outside temperature is hot.

The steering in this BMW Z4 gets "sticky" in warm or hot weather. It drives fine in cold weather. The steering has to be constantly corrected as it pulls to the left. It will not track in a straight line and needs constant corrections from side to side to compensate for the problem. If you do not pay close attention and correct the steering input, you will go off the road. On a warmer day after driving for a while I suddenly experienced a unexpected binding of the steering and almost ended up steering into oncoming traffic. This car is not safe to drive. The 2003 model has electric power steering. There are no codes or warning lights. I took the car to the local mechanic and he was easily able to reproduce the issue when he drove it less than 1 mile. This issue not only puts me at risk but others because of the constant correction of the steering to keep a straight. If you drive this car in warm or hot weather distances more than 20 miles then shut if off, then attempt to restart there is no steering at all. Please view the 2 websites listed below from BMW owners. Https://automotivesblog. . Read more...

This 2005 BMW z3 was bought from a dealer who sold the car to the original owner and maintained it. The car has 45,000 miles on it, and I am the second owner. I have only owned the car for one month. Yesterday was the first day of 80 degree weather, and the steering is now "sticking". It will not track in a straight line and needs constant corrections from side to side to compensate for the problem. If you do not pay close attention and correct the steering input, you will go off the road. I have now read about others with the same problem, and that BMW is aware of its design flaw. There should be a recall issued for them to correct the problem. My understanding is that it is a costly repair, and it will most likely reoccur after the fix. Needless to say, I am very disappointed with the dealer as I feel they knowingly sold me this car with the steering problem. We are in the south, so warm weather for nine months out of the year is common.

Component or system failed: steering column. It is available for inspection. Safety or the safety of others put at risk: when driving the steering column will lock or stick into place until it is forced back into a normal driving position. This consistently occurs when driving on a corner or making slight steering adjustments on a straight road. Has the problem been reproduced by a dealer: unknown has the vehicle or component been inspected: unknown were there any warning lamps: none.

Steering is "sticky" with a feel of detents in the steering instead of expected smooth engagement. At highway speeds this is concerning and feels unsafe. Difficult or impossible to steer smoothly.

The electric steering gets sticky when hot. It feels locked in its position and requires extra force to unstick, once its past the sticking point it over corrects and causes the vehicle to swerve. This failure seems to be quite common and is well known. It seems to be a manufacturing defect inside the electric steering column. I believe it has already been investigated by NHTSA but a recall has not yet been called to protect the consumer. This failure only happens when it is hot or the heater is on in the car, there is no warning before it occurs. Thank you for your attention in this matter. Please help by re-investigating this common failure.

Sticky steering after car warms up. Steers like a boat. Dangerous at highway speeds or winding road.

The the vehicle sits out in the sunlight or its warm outside (usually over 80f) the steering wheel will get very notchy and “stick” towards the center position at highway speeds. This makes minor steering corrections at highway speeds very difficult to make without unintentionally leaving your own lane possibly into another car. This is very much a safety issue! this has happened on multiple occasions since the week after I got it in may 2022. Tonight its only 65 degrees and it was acting up (this is 2 hours after sunset).

Car has 15,000 miles and always stored in climate controlled garage. Drove it today and within 1/2 mile the electronic power steering failed making it very, very hard to steer. Shut vehicle off and restart and the problem goes away but only for a minute or two and then returns.

The steering wheel is "sticky" and has play in it when you are driving it. It appears to have steering drift. I feel this car is not safe to drive and is hard to control. No warning messages have come on. When I searched online, it appears that many others are having trouble with their 2004 Z4 steering.

The steering wheel gets hard, looks like power steering gets disabled automatically while driving, making it almost impossible to steer. This has started to happen after hot weather had started few months back. I have tried to reproduce this issue several times, but it happens randomly and not all the time. I don't drive the car much. But this is definitely a serious issue, I checked the BMW community and a lot of people are facing this issue. Not sure how many have filed a complaint here. But this definitely should be addressed by BMW as this is not just one person facing this issue, there are hundreds and thousands of them. Level of severity is high, as someone who might have not faced this issue yet might suddenly face it on the highway could result in an extremely fatal accident. Havent reported to BMW yet, but found this issue is being faced by alot of people I thought to file my complaint here. I will soon get it repaired or replaced. There were no warning lamps or messages prior to this. It started happening in September 2021.

I own a 2004 BMW Z4 2. 5i I bought it used in 2010 with 22,000 miles. It was on a cool December day when I test drove the car and I loved it. No sign of any steering problems. On a warmer day after driving for a while I suddenly experienced a unexpected binding of the steering and almost binding ended up steering into oncoming traffic. This really scared me and I started investigating. Yes, this is a known safety defect, but BMW doesn’t do anything about it. Nhtsa, which supposed to protect us from unsafe vehicles, did not do their job either. I am a retired automotive engineer with fiat-iveco and NHTSA made my company recall vehicles for much less. The defect gets worse in hot weather and I don’t let my son, friends or anybody else drive the vehicle, as I am afraid that they could get hurt, aside from a liability issue on my side. I can’t really sell the vehicle with a known safety defect from a moral standpoint and I definitely would be liable should the car get involved in an accident caused by a known defect. . Read more...

Whenever the temperature is above 80 degrees the steering becomes very stiff with no power assist due to a design defeat within the steering column. The vehicle because very dangerous to drive due to the lack of steering control. This problem effects all BMW Z4s from 2003 to 2006. BMW wants the owners to have the dealer replace the steering column for $6,000. Please assist us in having BMW issue a recall for a very dangerous situation they created with a defectively designed steering column.

When the outside temperatures are warmer (mid 80's and above) the steering wheel will stick in the center position and require it to be jerked a bit to keep control. This occurs at all speeds, but does not seem to be the case when stopped. Since it requires the steering wheel to be jerked to correct, it can cause the car to swerve. I have had the car for several years began noticing the issue once the weather got warmer. The date entered below is today's date, but I have had the issue for perhaps 5 years.