Beginning early in 2010, we began to notice that the steering, particularly at speed, was 'sticky'; eg, it would take more force to turn the wheel and then it would break free of the sticky and turn. It behaves as though it sticks when the wheel isn't being turned, but then moves freely once it turns. The result is erratic steering, particularly in a highway situation where small corrections are needed. In traffic, on a multilane highway, this behavior causes the car to be hard to keep smoothly in lane; there were several times that the rumble strip was encountered due to overcorrecting the steering. Warmer temperatures tend to make the problem worse. I have read on numerous bmw forums of others having very similar problems with this with this vintage of z4; apparently the only solution is to replace a $2500 steering unit if the dealer can be convinced there actually is a problem. I have jacked the vehicle up and 'felt' the steering with the car 'off', but the switch on to release the wheel lock, and that stiction (my physics background is showing) was somewhat evident (to a much smaller level than experienced in normal driving on a warm day) even with no load on the steering and at a normal room temperature. This is a very serious safety issue and I hesitate to drive the vehicle in this condition.
2004 BMW Z4 steering complaints
Page 10 of 14: complaints 251 to 280 of 378, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 bmw z4. The contact stated he would have difficulty steering the vehicle while driving at speeds of approximately 55 MPH. The vehicle would respond slowly when the steering wheel was turned. The contact also stated the failure recurred more often when the air conditioning unit was being operated. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where they were unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 39,500 and the current mileage was 39,878. Updated 06/06/11 *bf updated 01/24/2012 *ln
My 2004 bmw z4 steering sticks special y when driving at high speeds on the highway. I have to exert excessive pressure to correct it. It's no longer a pleasure driving my car that I love so much.
My z4 is a 2004 3.0i with 22120 miles... Out of nowhere my steering became less fluid and smooth. Sometimes I think I don't have power steering. Almost couldn't avoid being cut off by a taxi in manhattan I'm afraid I may die while driving or possibly harm others. This is my only car and I can't just wait for a recall.
My 2004 bmw z4 steering sticks when temperature is above 85f. So far it has not caused an accident, but it seems to be more frequent and happening at lower temperatures than last summer. The car has 58,000 miles.
I have experienced the same problems described in your investigation pe10020. On numerous occasions the steering wheel of my 2004 z4, sticks and I am required to exert excessive pressure to correct it or to turn the wheel. Speed does not seem to be a factor, it happens at both slow and faster speeds, but it is more pronouced at higher speeds because the car travels much further before I can correct the problem. This only happens in the summer when it is very hot in tallahassee, florida. This has been occurring for the past two summers. I saw the investigation on your website and decided to wait until there was a recall before taking it to the dealer. However, summer is approaching again, so I thought I would add my complaint to the others in hopes of expediting a re-call. This can be a dangerous condition and if it recurs when the weather gets hotter, I will have to get it repaired, recall or not.
The steering mechanism in my car "sticks" when driving. It happens when the car gets warmed up. When I go to work, no problem. When I leave in the afternoon and I am driving home, I have a hard time keeping the car in the lane because the steering wheel seems to "stick." I mean, I am literally having to fight with the car to keep it from going into another lane. Tires are new so that is not the problem. Plus, I see that this has been a problem with a lot of these cars. I bought the car december, 2010 with 79,442 miles on it. I now have a little over 81,000 miles. I do not drive the car much... Mostly weekends, but what a major problem it is to drive and have the car not steer properly.
After driving the car for 20 or so minutes, when it starts to warm up, the steering wheel starts to stick. It takes a little more pressure to turn the wheel causing me to over steer and swerve a little bit. It gets worse the longer distance I have to drive.
Reading bmw forums I read that other owners are experiencing the same problem as me.. I have a bmw 2004 z4 with 43k miles and the steering notches or sticks a lot as I drive. There seems to be a steering problem that could cause a serious wreck. Are there any recalls on the problem?
When you turn the steering wheel right or left it sticks when you try to turn back to center and requires extra effort to move the wheel. The problem seems to get worse when temperatures get warmer (75 degrees or higher). I'm concerned that I may not be able to turn the wheel if this problem gets worse and I'm not sure if the car is safe enough to drive, especially at higher speeds.
My 2004 bmw z4 experiences "stickiness" in steering. It has 59,000 miles and the problem has been gradually increasing. I have not noticed any differences in the steering response with increased ambient heat, but it does seem to be worse when at higher speeds.
Steering extremely sticky when car temperature is hot. Steering will not self center.
I have read reports that nhsta has received numerous reports of 2003-2004 bmw z4's with powersteering issues. My 2004 z4 has this issue as well. The steering seems to bind and the severity is increased as speed increases. While driving on the freeway on a recent trip I had to exert a good amount of force to stay out of the other lanes. I am 5'10 - 200 lbs. My concern is that slighter persons may not be able to handle the steering problems. I fear someone might be injured if the issue is not fixed immediately. Hopefully a recall can be generated before casualties occour.
Driving the car on a relatively warm day (70 degrees) with top down, the power steering became very stiff and steering the car became difficult. A noise was also heard when trying to steer the car. 20 minutes after this the check tire pressure warning light came on. I stopped at a service station to check tire pressure but it was fine. Stopped, started the car several times without any help. Next morning, the problem disappeared completely. I manually reset the tire pressure warning light and since then the problem hasn't come back.
Sticky steering when temperature is elevated. When the car is parked in the sun and warms up, the steering wheel becomes sticky leading to an increased effort to move the wheel and makes it easy to overcorrect.
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.
I have a 2004 bmw z4 with 67,517 miles. Ever since I have owned it, it has had a "twitchy" feel to the steering, which I have been told is due to electric steering in this vehicle. However, the problem has become more pronounced lately. Any unevenness in the surface of the road will cause the tires to jerk to one side or the other, requiring constant steering adjustments to keep the car going where you want it to. The only way it will track in a straight line is on a perfectly smooth road. I have tried jacking up the car and flexing the tires back and forth manually to see if there is any looseness in the steering, but I haven't found any. I'm afraid that one day I will find myself on a really rough road and be unable to control the car. I have noted that lots of other z4 owners have reported steering problems, so bmw needs to issue a recall to address it.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 bmw z4. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH and trying to make a turn, it suddenly became difficult to steer. The vehicle was inspected by a dealer who could not diagnose the problem. The vehicle had not been repaired for the power steering. The failure mileage was approximately 28,000. The VIN was unavailable.
2004 bmw z4 - regardless of the conditions, the steering wheel is "notchy" or sticky while driving straight down the road. Naturally, when driving down a road, you are required to make minor rotational movements with the steering wheel to remain in a driving lane. In order to keep the vehicle in the lane with this sticky steering wheel, extra force is required to rotate the steering wheel, causing the driver to swerve slightly. This problem is a major concern as sometimes it becomes problematic and dangerous when the wheel sticks around turns and narrows lanes. Dealership states this is "normal" and has not been resolved.
2004 bmw z4 'sticky steering'; follow up to earlier complaint, in response to bmw letter of 9/24. Bmw describes the condition as a gradual increase in steering effort noticeable when the car is first driven off, and not a significant increase in effort. This is incorrect. Not a gradual increase in effort, but an unexpected 'catch' that occurs, for example, when changing lanes.
A year or so ago I noticed the steering on my bmw z4 would get "notchy" and feel "sticky" at the end of the day. Eventually I was able to recognize the problem would occur when parked outside in direct sunlight. I found it odd this would be brought on by time in the sun, but after some research online discovered many people with similar complaints. Unfortunately it appeared experiences with bmw service varied, and since my car was out of warranty a "fix" would be a replacement of the steering column at the tune of 3-4 thousand dollars. When I heard this issue was under investigation I decided to wait for a decision as it seemed likely such issues with steering would be addressed. I have followed the case closely and have been reading bmw's responses to the federal safety agency. Several of their arguments against addressing this are especially disturbing. Bmw appears to recognize the issue, but claims the effect is "minor". I am not an expert and cannot say whether it presents risk, but as a driver I can tell you any steering effects are disturbing and distracting. Bmw claims the effect only occurs during specific/limited conditions - high ambient temperatures and direct sunlight. What really upsets me about this statement is that it's a convertible sports car marketed for these conditions, so while they may be "specific and limited", they are primary conditions for this car. Finally, bmw claims this is not an issue of safety, but one of quality. From my perspective, there are some subsystems where quality should not be compromised, and steering should be considered one of these. I do believe this is a safety issue, and anxiously await the federal safety agency findings in hopes I can have this safety issue addressed by bmw. I sincerely hope this issue is not swept under the rug and the manufacturer takes responsibility for the quality and safety of their automobiles.
When driving in hot weather, the steering wheel get very sticky and need extensive force to be maneuver. I went to my dealer and they said they need to change the eps and that its not cover since it happened 1 month after the end of the warrantee. Its seem that a lot of owner have the same problem but their is still no recall from bmw. I now live in canada but my car is from the state and I am filling a complaint so that bmw would be force to act on this dangerous problem.
When car sits out in the hot sun 100 degrees or better for an extended period of time, is difficult. Steering wheel stays in a tuning position and does not return to center, it sticks in whatever turn you put it in. You must manually force the steering wheel back to center. Just today 10/26/2010 all of the warning lights came on and power steering completely failed while driving and the car would not change gears.
The steering wheel sticks, it feels like it is binding which required increased steering effort that made it difficult to control the vehicle because it seems to over-steer when making hard and abrupt steering wheel movements. The failure is more noticeable at higher vehicle speeds (highway speeds) and in warm/hot weather (85 f).
2004 bmw z4 - steering problem: I just recently moved to south florida from denver and now have notchy/sticky steering when driving at highway speeds (60 MPH) when it is warm (70 degrees). Making small corrections requires a large input causing the car to go outside of it's lane. Have had several very close calls. Took the car to dealer, bmw south in south miami and they want to replace the steering column for $3,200. This problem is a matter of public safety and soon a driver or the public will be hurt or killed. Bmw needs to stand behind their product and make the steering safe or the federal safety agency needs to direct them to recall the cars to fix this problem.
On warmer days (80+ f), my 2004 bmw z4 steering will stick in one position while driving, requiring excessive force to unstick. This is especially noticeable at higher speeds (45+ MPH) where smaller movements are required, and the tendency is to over correct when the sticks occur.
2004 bmw z4 steering system fails to perform properly and is unsafe when the temperature is somewhere above 80 degrees (f). On all warm days, the steering becomes unsafe - heavy, and does not perform properly - it becomes hard for the driver to control and "notchy" to steer.
When air temperature is greater than approximately 80 degrees f, the steering on my 2004 bmw z4 becomes "sticky" requiring a much higher level of effort to make steering adjustments. Initially this higher level of effort is applied with no change in vehicle direction and then with additional effort vehicle direction changes significantly requiring re-correction to keep vehicle in lane and/or on the road.
Steering wheel "sticks". Requires force to move to either side from current position. Happens almost daily when temperature is above 85 degrees.
While driving on the highway at about 60 MPH eps light came on and the car lost it's power steering. I got off the highway parked the car, turned the engine off and back on and eps light went off. After a couple of days the eps light started to turn on everyday, specially in the afternoon. Took the car to a bmw dealer and they said it was just a loose cable. The day after I got my car from the dealer and nothing had changed. Took it back and they said they had to replace the whole upper section of the steering column quoting me a total of repair costs of $3000.00 after discounts. Could not afford the repair costs at that moment and car hasn't been repaired till this day.
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