This vehicle has a "sticky steering" issue in warm or hot weather, the steering sticks and requires a lot of effort to get the wheel to turn. If I am doing any speeds over 40 mph and keep adjusting the steering, I have almost wrecked the car on more than one occasion. The problem is the electric steering on the early year models of the BMW Z4. Mine is a 2003, the first year the car was on the market.
The worst 2003 BMW Z4 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Steering342
- Airbags31
- Electrical13
- Engine12
- Body8
- Transmission7
- Acceleration6
- Fuel system6
- Locks4
- Seat belts4
- Suspension4
- Brakes2
- Driver assistance2
- Lights2
- Tires2
- Visibility2
Specific symptoms reported on the 2003 BMW Z4
Jerking 37Power steering loss 30Airbag light 23Steering lock-up 15Pulling 12Engine failure 8Loss of power 8Stalling 7
Recalls 4
Air bags
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger vehicles, incompatible electronic air bag system processors may have been installed.
- Risk
- In the event of a crash, air bag deployment may not occur, increasing the risk of injuries to the driver and/or front passenger.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the air bag system processors. The recall began june 11, 2004. Owners should contact bmw at 1‑800‑831‑1117.
Recall number 04V247000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger vehicles, under certain environmental conditions, a vapor lock in the fuel pump could occur causing the engine to stall. If this were to happen, the engine would not be able to be restarted for approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
- Risk
- If stalling were to occur, the driver would be unable to maintain vehicle speed or accelerate, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a resistor in the electrical line powering the fuel pump in order to prevent an occurrence of vapor lock. The recall began may 11, 2004. Owners should contact bmw at 1‑800‑831‑1117.
Recall number 04V182000 · Recall details
Tires
- What is wrong
- On certain vehicles equipped with 18" tires, it is possible that the tire has been damaged during the mounting process to the rim.
- Risk
- Consequently, a loss of tire pressure, or a tire failure, could occur. Depending on traffic conditions and the driver's reactions, this could lead to a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will unseat the tire from its rim, inspect for any damage, and then reseat the tire to its rim. If inspection reveals that a front tire has incurred damage during the mounting process, it will be replaced. Owner notification began july 14, 2003. Owners should contact bmw at 1‑800‑831‑1117.
Recall number 03V214000 · Recall details
Seat belts: front: buckle assembly
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger vehicles, the connection of the safety belt buckle to the steel rope of the tensioner does not meet bmw specifications. In severe frontal crashes, this connection can detach.
- Risk
- If the connection detaches, the protection provided by the safety belt is likely to be impaired, and serious injuries to the driver and/or front passenger could occur that might otherwise be mitigated.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect both front safety belt tensioner and buckle assemblies, and if necessary, replace these parts. Owner notification began march 19, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact bmw at 1‑800‑831‑1117.
Recall number 03V032000 · Recall details
See all 4 recalls for the 2003 BMW Z4
Defect investigations
Sticky Steering
ODI has evaluated the sticky steering condition, which included reviews of complaints and warranty claims, interviews and surveys of owners of complaint vehicles, road tests of complaint vehicles, and a review of BMW's engineering and test data.ODI found the sticky steering condition does not result in a significant steering effort, thus the impact on the driver's ability to control the vehicle does not appear to be significant.A safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that no safety-related defect exists.The agency will monitor the issue and reserves the right to take future action if warranted by the circumstances.See the attached report for additional information.In addition, during this investigation, ODI became aware of allegations of failure or loss of electric power-assisted steering on the subject vehicles.As a result, ODI is separately reviewing this issue to determine whether additional agency action is needed.
PE10020
Technical service bulletins for the 2003 BMW Z4 45
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- The basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met.
- Vehicle cannot be opened or closed using comfort access, engine start is not possible, and the vehicle may...
- Diagnosis of Compound Brake System Complaints in M Vehicles: 1. Visible cracks are caused by high thermal...
- Power Reduction FC2A82 Intake VANOS and/or FC2 A87 Exhaust VANOS Camshaft Fault: The "Service Engine Soon"...
- "Outside Door Mirror Moves when Locking or Unlocking the Vehicle
- Navigation system: reporting missing or incorrect road map data
- Whistling Noise Coming from the Center Vent
- Valve Stem Replacement with Wheel Electronics
- "?SI B01 09 14 September 2014 WarrantiesWarranties This Service Information bulletin supersedes SI B01 09...
- Check Control Messages Related to Battery Charge During Cold Ambient Temperatures
2003 BMW Z4 fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5L 6‑cyl | RWD | 18 | 26-27 | 21 |
| 3.0L 6‑cyl | RWD | 18 | 25-27 | 20-21 |
What 2003 BMW Z4 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
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
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!
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)
Dealer sold me a car and the next day the car no turn on engine and have a full leaking under
The contact owns a 2003 BMW Z4. The contact stated that the coolant warning light illuminated. The contact then stated that she noticed smoke underneath the hood of the vehicle. The contact stated that upon inspecting the vehicle, she noticed a leak on the ground located near the rear passenger’s side tire. Additionally, the contact then stated that while operating the convertible drop top, she heard an abnormal sound in the motor. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 64,000.
Upon starting the car, power steering does not work making car unmanueverable.
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.com/e85-e86-bmw-z4-steering-problems-how-to-fix/ https://www.carproblemzoo.com/bmw/z4/steering-problems.php One website had almost 700 complaints with the steering. I dare not let my kids behind the wheel of this car. It is not a question of "if" someone gets killed, but "when." BMW North America would only say there are no recalls. When I asked if there have been issues reported, they declined to give me that information. Please help. It would be interesting to know how many accidents were listed with the steering being the cause of the MVA. I would gladly allow someone with the federal safety agency drive this car in warm weather. Then you would see how dangerous the steering is in these vehicles.
Sticky steering steering wheel hard to turn and stops intermittently when outside temperature is hot
DRIVERS DOOR WOULD NOT OPEN. Couldn't get out of the car. Had to get assistance to get out of car.. Had car towed to BMW dealership.. The spent hours trying to get door open. They had to go down through the convertible top to remove the drivers seat in order to get panel off to remove parts to get door to open. This is major safety hazard which should be addressed. See what was repaired below.. MECH MECHANICAL LABOR 22642 COXW 1320.00 1320.00 1 51-21-7-202-143 SYSTEM LATCH, LEFT:512011 241.92 241.92 241.92 1 51-21-7-197-313 CARRIER, OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLE:H51210 202.32 202.32 202.32 12 51-41-8-224-768 CLIP WITH WASHER, NATUR:889520 1.08 1.08 12.96 1 51-48-7-016-655 SOUND INSULATION, DOOR LEFT:H51480 57.68 57.68 57.68 36204 LEFT DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR & OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLE CARRIER FAULTY. 5.50 VERIFY COMPLAINT,FOUND DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR FAULTY & OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLE CARRIER FAULTY,TIME SPENT TO UNLOCK DOOR, R&R DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR & OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLE CARRIER.FUNCTION Total cost of repair - 1877.36
Compare the 2003 BMW Z4
Other model years
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Questions about the 2003 BMW Z4
Is the 2003 BMW Z4 reliable?
Owners have filed 414 complaints about the 2003 BMW Z4, 59.1 times a typical Z4 model year. It is one of the years we flag to avoid.
What is the most common problem with the 2003 BMW Z4?
Steering, with 342 complaints, typically around 42,600 miles. Next is airbags (31).
How many recalls does the 2003 BMW Z4 have?
4 recalls, covering air bags, fuel system, gasoline and tires.
What gas mileage does the 2003 BMW Z4 get?
Official estimates for the 2003 BMW Z4 range from 20 to 21 mpg combined. The most efficient version (2.5L 6-cyl, RWD) gets 18 city and 26-27 highway.
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