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.
2003 BMW Z4 steering complaints
Page 2 of 13: complaints 11 to 40 of 342, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I purchased this BMW Z4 from a private seller on Thursday (3/10/22) located in Myrtle Beach, SC. On the way home (187 mile trip), about ¾ of the trip, I was driving about 55 mph on 701 North and the steering felt as if it was sticking to the point where moving the wheel took a effort to unstick it which put me into oncoming traffic in the other lane. I almost was involved in a head-on collision! The vehicle has only 39K miles on it. The previous owner had this issue in April of 2008 and took it to a BMW dealer who advised them that the repair would cost $2,950.00. The previous owner declined the repair because they couldn’t afford it and the dealer told them that BMW will probably issue a recall AS HUNDRES OF Z4 OWNERS HAVE HAD THIS SAME ISSUE. The vehicle also drifts to the left and attempts by the previous owner to have the vehicle aligned to correct this have failed. The vehicle had only 13K on the odometer at the time BMW advised of the faulty steering column.
On hot days the steering becomes sticky like there is a catch. It will also pull to one side or the other making it very dangerous to drive especially on the interstate.
I just purchased z4. Did not notice any problem during test ride. On my way home during purchase steering became an issue. The car would be driving fine then what I would a dead spot would appear. The steering wheel will suddenly shift left or right what seems a few inches. This causes driver (me) to compensate to avoid going in ditch or crossing a lane or getting into an accident. This happened many times on my 70-mile trip home.
The first issue is that the power steering will go out during normal operation of the vehicle making the wheel hard to turn. Additionally, at right about the straight position of the steering wheel the steering will stick (consistently fighting the wheel to stay centered). Staying straight is nearly impossible as you constantly battle the resistance back and forth to keep the vehicle moving in a straight line. It is quite disconcerting and has almost resulted in me side swiping oncoming vehicles on several occasions. I have learned that this is a common problem that bmw never addressed. Researching the matter I've learned that a steering column replacement and labor would be in the $3000-4500 range and the problem would likely reoccur in the future due to faulty design. Worse, as most people in my position are unable to perform a repair at that cost, I've found numerous people manipulating their steering columns with mixed success ultimately creating an even more dangerous potential situation. These methods include drilling into the steering column and adding greases and lubricants that were not designed to work with the vehicle. This is a well-known problem, with no shortage of records and accounts establishing this isn't a "if it happens", but when it happens. Drive a vehicle with this problem, I dare you, and tell me it is not a major safety hazard. Disappointed. I'd appreciate if bmw would reach out to me and remedy the issue. There is no reason that a steering wheel, one of the most basic and necessary systems on a car to maintain control, should have been permitted to be defective with no remedy at the cost of the manufacturer. The lack of accountability by bmw and "do it yourself" remedies will undoubtedly result in injury or death if they have not already. Bmw should provide a fix for those z4s affected still on the road before someone is killed.
I have a 2003 z4 with 25k miles. The steering wheel sticks while driving making it difficult to steer. Spoke with a bmw mechanic and was informed this is a known issue for this particular vehicle and that I will need to replace the steering column to correct the problem. The cost is $3000. Why is there not a recall??
After some investigation my z4 is diagnosed as having 'sticky wheel' evidently this was found in many z4's in or around my year of car. I was sure that I would see a recall for my particular vehicle but never received one. My vehicle has had the issue for many years, but the bmw dealerships said they could not find the problem. When I learned of this rash of 'sticky wheel' issues with many z4's ... I questioned bmw. Their response was that my particular vehicle (based on my VIN #) was not recalled while others were. I only use the car around town at slow speeds as I am in fear to use it on the highway. The problem occurs at all times when steering but is worst as speed increases. I fear that I could even lose control of the car at some point.
From day one I had airbag problem for the passenger side. Air bag never worked. Bmw had recall and extended warranty for 10 years, but they don't accept responsibility steering column has problems too
When the car warms up or has been in the warm sun the steering sticks. This creates a dangerous issue where the steering wheel will pop over rather than smoothly turning. The problem creates and oversteering that is very dangerous at highway spreed and in traversing corners.
After the car was parked in the sun for 4 hours, the car was hard to steer. The steering was sticky and made it feel unsafe to drive. We researched on the internet and found this is a common problem for this year/model bmw z4.
I just purchased this 2003 z4 from a dealer about a month ago. When I test drove it, it drove fine and the steering was smooth as you'd expect. It was a little chilly as it was still in the morning. By afternoon, during my 6hr drive home from the dealer, it got hot outside, as it is summer and all, and the steering started to become very jerky, causing me to swerve back and forth in the lanes. It has now become a dangerous car. The initial dealer from whom I purchased from played dumb and said they were unaware of any problems. Before buying this car, which has 57k mi on it, I did my research. Seemed like no major problems with it. Not until after I purchased it, and specifically searched 'steering problems' did I discover this had been a bmw design flaw from the beginning and countless people have been dealing with this almost from the get go. No recall had been made, and now I'm stuck with a dangerous car. Going forward, I have notified friends and family, that should I get killed because of this defect, start litigation against bmw, as this is now documented by myself, as well as countless others.
Over the past couple years I've noticed sticky steering but am just reporting now. At most speeds I've had the steering stick and not return to neutral. Often needing to react or overcorrect. I've noticed an increase in occurrence and severity the warmer the ambient temp is. When steering around a curve the steering wheel doesn't want to come back to neutral without corrective action. This afternoon the ambient temp was about 90f and with occured at every movement of the steering wheel. I fear that this is going to be the cause of an accident and really takes away from the enjoyment of driving this car. I've read many complaints on this site and all over the internet describing the same issue. Other reports I've read state that the dealers recommended repair is replacement of the entire steering column at a cost of $3000-$4000.
Rigid steering with over correction, usually during warm weather. If going at highway/freeway speed, easy to loose control and may cause major injury. Experienced this today driving speed limit of 70 MPH and decided to sound off. I hope bmw is not waiting to address this problem until something like this happens. Many other owners of same model car, and possibly all, are having the same problem but not complaining. It took today's experience for me to write.
For several years my z4 has had steering sticking issues. I thought it was a problem with my car until I joined a national bmw z4 owners club and discovered that the years 2003 through 2005 all have this issue when the weather is very warm . The steering will be affected and will be difficulty to manage steering on the highways. I was told bmw is aware and opted to ignore. My grandaughter drove my car in new york and the temperature was over 80 degrees and she oversteered and almost went off the highway due to oversteering and almost caused an accident on the expressway. She will not drive my car now due to this issue. This is a safety issue and this cars must be recalled and repaired. Numerous owners have complained and no recall has been implemented. How can we proceed to repair this without an expense that that is more than the car's worth and not related to misuse. I have done a survey and the symptoms are always the same. Please look into this safety issue and advise my how to share with my fellow bmw z4 owners how to proceed as it appears it is a safely issue and due to deficits with manufacturing of our vehicles. I affects the steering and will pass inspection as the car is not always driven in hot weather at speeds to notice the defect. I thank you in advance for looking into this issue that could affect other drivers on the road and their safety.
Steering jerks to the left or right while driving on city street or on hi way.
On warm days the steering at higher speed gets hard to steer ; to the point of being unsteady. At lower speeds and cooler temps the hard steering can bs handled but is still troublesome. Need someone to talk to bmw.
2003 bmw z4 steering I experience sudden jerks in the steering wheel, more so at higher speeds, around 60mph and above.the jerks are unpredictable and can be either to the right or the left. It makes the car really unsafe to be driven at these higher speeds! I believe this is a known problem by bmw and should be a recall issued to correct it! From what I understand it requires a complete steering column replacement and is very costly. Bmw should step up and cover this very dangerous steering situation.
I experience sudden jerks to the left, ot to the right when the road surface is sleghtingly uneven. I can never predict which way the car pulls me. I struggle a lot to keep the steering centered when stopping at any red light. Also make a weird sound when a try to turn right
Sticky steering which was diagnosed as caused by a poorly designed bearing in the steering column estimated cost of repair $3500. A wide spread problem dangerous especially at high speed. Power assist is electrical on steering.
Car is hard to steer when driving and bmw knows this issue, car is not safe to drive
Steering gets stick and its hard to turn while driving
Sticky steering issue. Known issue among countless other bmw z4 owners. Presents considerable danger as steering will jerk either left or right for no apparent reason and without warning. Unbelievable that no recall exists for this known defect as it clearly puts drivers and those around them in constant danger.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 bmw z4. While driving between 4 to 40 MPH, the steering lost power without warning. The contact stated that the same failure was experienced several years ago. At that time, the vehicle was taken to kelly bmw (614‑471‑2277, located at 4050 morse rd, columbus, oh 43230) and repaired. The contact was not informed about the cause of the failure. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the recent failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired again. The failure mileage was 145,000. *tt consumer stated dealer and manufacture made aware of recent failure. 01/03/19. Dealer made repairs at consumers cost 1/11/19. Eps steering column was replaced.
At 3844 miles in december 2017 I brought my vehicle for standard service at the bmw dealership where I bought it and I mentioned that the steering at times was sticking and it would take force to get it out of the locked position while driving. It was of serious concern. The bmw service consultant told me that it was a steering column problem and required replacement at $5,200. With only 3,844 miles on the vehicle I couldn't understand how it could happen. I am filing an official complaint and believe this should be a recall. The dealer charged me $1,911.96 to replace sensors and faulty steering angle sensor. After the repair there was no difference with the sticking steering problem.
2003 bmw z4 steering is binding up and difficult to steer. Problem gets worse as the temp increases. Numerous online complaints and no recall. Why? Bmw will do nothing , not even a cost replacement of the steering column which seems to fix the issue.
On july 2018 bmw issued an important limited warranty information notice related to this vehicle. Bmw would cover repairs to the front passenger seat occupancy for the SRS/air bag system. Unfortunately this warranty repair will not cover my vehicle because the 15 year period does not include my vehicle that was put into service in january 2003. I believe that bmw should cover any 2003 bmw z4 rather than cutting off those made in the prior 6 months. Bmw refuses to cover. The other concern I have relates to the servo motor/electronic steering control unit. Recently this failed and I note that other bmws have had this problem too. I believe your agency should determine whether or not this warrants a recall too. It is very dangerous to be driving and the power steering ceases to function. People will be killed. In my case the vehicle had been in the shop for unrelated repairs and when I picked it up the power steering was out. The shop had noticed the steering seemed tight and told me the unit needed to be replaced at a cost of $4,000. I was able to drive the vehicle home without incident. I had the battery replaced and the steering is back to normal. Research on the web indicated this is something that has happened with numerous other bmws.
Car suffers from sticky steering making is so you feel like your incapable of doing smooth lane changes.
Since purchasing the car new in 2003, and since, the steering get very "tight" or "sticky" making the car almost undrivable. In hpot weather if is worse. It becomes very hard to steer the car as it requires extra effort to keep it straight or turn the wheel slightly to stay in a lane or turn. There are thousands of comments on the internet and bmw sites with this known problem with the bmw z4s.
The steering sticks at warm outdoor temperatures and creates a dangerous driving condition. I have seen other complaints same as mine online. No accident yet.
The steering wheel gets stuck while driving
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