I experience sticking steering that progressively gets worse as I drive my vehicle. My steering tends to stick to the right and will not self align itself until I forceable center the wheel. The same problem occurs turning left but currently it is not as severe. The problem is present on city streets, highways and while turning.
2005 BMW Z4 steering complaints
Page 3 of 7: complaints 41 to 70 of 173, newest first, as owners wrote them.
While driving in warm weather steering has tight spots left and right when moving steering wheel, causing car not stay straight on road. Very dangers while driving.
Sticky / notched steering at highway speed. Feels unsafe jerks after about 30 minutes of driving. Just bought this used z-4 in september 2016. Only has 98000 miles service mgr tells me that the only fix is to replace the steering column at a cost of $4300. Issue should be corrected by a bmw recall before a serious accidents happens. Car is unsafe to drive and parked in garage.
Sticky / notched steering. Feels unsafe jerks when temperature is hot or after about 30 minutes of driving. Just bought this used z-4 from bmw dealer 1 week ago. Only has 58000 miles which is low for 2005. Just came back from the dealer and the service agent tells me that the only fix is to replace the steering column at a cost of $4300. Waiting to hear back from dealers management since that is 1/3 of what I bought the car for. I can not afford to pay another $4300 for the dream car I finally got and only driven one week. From what I read and after seeing all the complaints, a recall should occur. Happens under normal driving conditions. Must be corrected by a bmw recall before serious accidents happen.
Sticky or notched steering. Feels unsafe. Less than 35000 miles. From what I read a recall should occur. Happens under normal driving conditions. Must be corrected by a bmw recall before serious accidents happen.
I have the well know sticky steering issue, worse when it is warm outside (above 80f), where the steering sticks in a position and you have to over correct to get it to respond. Feels dangerous on the highway.
In hot weather, while driving at any rate of speed, my steering is "sticky" or "notchy". The steering has a sticky place both left and right of center position. I have to jerk it to unstick the steering wheel. This causes an over correction and results in a dangerous weaving motion. I purchased this car earlier in the year and was excited because the mileage is only 36,000. I now understand why it has low mileage. It is terribly hard to stay a straight line in your lane due to this steering condition. I've researched and found numerous complaints. I think bmw needs to step up and correct this dangerous safety issue before someone gets badly hurt.
In warm weather the steering on my bmw z4 is sticky and unresponsive at highway speeds. The steering becomes notchy and I am force to "unstick" the steering wheel by jerking the steering wheel to make minor lane corrections, this over steers the vehicle and I am then forced to unstick the wheel again and jerk the wheel in the opposite direction. This results in dangerously weaving through the lane close to oncoming and passing traffic. The vehicle is dangerous to drive in conditions warmer than 75 degrees fahrenheit.
I would urge you to reopen the case that was closed back in 2010 on the steering on this vehicle. I have experienced very frightening loss of control when the steering wheel is hot and the "stickiness" is at it's worst. Maybe the fact that I live in the south and it gets hotter here is a factor, but it gets so extreme that I can barely hold it in the lane. This year I have hardly driven it because I am afraid to. I don't feel right selling it and passing it off to someone else. I absolutely love the look of the car, but I feel like I was just taken for a large amount of money when we paid for it, because of this situation. At the least, I fear getting a ticket because it looks like a drunk is driving the car when it's weaving like that. At worst, I fear an accident. If the stickiness is accompanied by a bumpy road, the loss of control is substantial. And in answer to the questions below, this is an ongoing situation and it doesn't matter what speed I'm going when it occurs.
Steering doesn't respond properly in high temperatures when in motion. Steering feels "notchy" deviating from dead-center, and difficult to properly control the vehicles direction when this occurs. Could lead to over-correction and/or loss of control.
I know I am repeating what many others have already said, but this sticky steering situation is very dangerous...I hadn't related it to temp sensitivity until reading other posts. This condition spoils all the fun that this brand should have. What ticks me off is the dealer acts like I am the first one to complain. Come on , you could get away with that years ago but not now. We must speak up and be heard. As far as I'm concerned this vehicle is a piece of junk the way it is. At highway speeds this car will wear you out trying to overcorrect the steering. My wife is afraid to drive it. This is the first and probably last bmw I'm going to own.first couple of years it was a dream to drive but the last 4 years we have hardly put any miles on it..
I purchased a 2005 bmw z4 in october, 2015. I noticed when steering the car there was a sticking point that required extra effort to steer past. Upon researching this problem on the internet I found this website and was surprised to find that between 2004 and 2007 there have been 470 complaints for this same problem. I am adding 471. This is an issue that should be corrected by bmw as it can have dangerous implications.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 bmw z4. While driving 10 MPH, the steering wheel seized without warning. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the eps failed and needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 69,773.
Stiff steering to the left or right. Hard to turn. Jerks when I put on brakes.
I just bought a 2005 bmw z4 on 5/31/16 as a gift for my daughter for her accomplishments of setting multiple athletic records at her high school while maintaining a 6.0 gpa. I test drove the car in the city streets and it drove excellent. I liked the car very much and purchased in the city of st. Petersburg florida. Since I live in tampa, florida I had my wife follow me back while I drove the z4 back. The car function perfectly until I got onto the interstate. The second I got up to around 50 miles per hour. I found myself terrified as the steering began to stick at almost dead center, causing the car to shift dangerously as I overcompensate to keep the car in the lane. My daugher is a bit disappointed, because of my fear to let her drive the car. It seemed so strange that I felt duped by the dealership. I got suspiscious, pulled a carfax and it was clean. I then researched the issue on the internet and found that many people have been experiencing the exact situation. It's an obvious mechanical defect that can contribute to a fatal accident. So why has there not been a recall for this issue? It's puzzling.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 bmw z4. The contact stated that the steering wheel was extremely tight. In warmer temperatures, the steering wheel veered to the right or left independently. The contact had to apply force to correct the failure each time it occurred. The vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency action number: pe10020 (steering). The vehicle was not inspected and diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided no permanent remedy or recommendation to correct the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 40,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 bmw z4. While driving 40 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The failure occurred constantly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the electric power steering unit failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 40,000.
Found a used 2005 bmw z4 3.0i with right at 11,200 miles for sale online. Car was located approximately 4 hours from home. Went and looked at car, took it for short test drive, saw no apparent issues and purchased car. Car had been garage kept and was very clean and consistent with such low mileage. Proceeded on with journey home. Drove a while and started to notice steering felt a bit strange, but wrote it off that I "just wasn't used to the car" and it would simply take a while to get used to it. Later, still on my journey home, while driving on the interstate, I came to a gentle left hand bend in the road. I went to add a little correction to the steering wheel and discovered that it simply would not let me turn it. I was driving at normal interstate speeds close to 70 MPH. It happens quickly and you don't really know what to do. While trying to slow the vehicle, the natural response is to grab the steering wheel with both hands and try and overcome the resistance. I did this with a substantial amount of force, and the steering wheel did "let go" and let the car turn left. Since such force had to be applied to the wheel in order to overcome its resistance, it is very difficult to "catch the wheel" at the proper location and avoid an abrupt and extreme overshoot. Extremly tense and dangerous situation! I slowed down, made sure there were no other cars close and operated the steering wheel back and forth some. Things seemed to be ok. I continued my journey very cautiously at reduced speeds. Once home, I looked online to see what might possibly be wrong and discovered that a multitude of people describe exactly what happened to me with 2003-2005 bmw z4's. It is my sincere hope that this issue can be recalled as I truly believe human lives are in the balance, especially if a garage kept car with less than 12,000 miles is at risk. Thank you.
I being having problems with the steering is sticking while driving over 35 miles and specially in the evening in hot days. I always have to hold the wheel with two hands because the steering sticks and is harder to turn and it becomes very dangerous. I went to the mechanic and he recommend to replace the steering: electric power assist system. We tried to ordered via bmw and we were told that is back order and it may take a month or more to get it because many similar cars are having the same problem. It that is the case why there is not a recall?
Driving at highway speed, very hard to keep vehicle in lane due to stiff steering. Required heavy torque to move steering wheel, which resulted in abrupt movements in lane and LED to deviation into adjacent lanes. Situation improved once I got off highway.
I have had a recurring serious problem with the steering input effort, especially when hot outside. The steering seems very heavy and sticks when close to the on-center position, and is very heavy and difficult to return back to the on-center position. It is a problem that has been a concern for my wife and I now for several months. The vehicle has been in and out of service very frequently since april of 2010. It is in service for the forth time now regarding the problem with the steering. The vehicle this time has been in now for almost a month and has not been repaired yet.
At speed 25 to 70 and tempertures over 70 the steering wheel gets sticky and locks up. Very hard to turn. The only way to turn it is use both hand and turn it forcefully causing over-turns and running off the road or to oncoming traffic. Updated 12/06/2017
Steering seems to lock in a position, or at least stop. I then have to use extra force to get to go past the lock / stop point. And then after a little more time the situation repeats itself again. The problem is that not every time that I use the car does it do it, about 25% of the time. I am concerned that it may sometime lock in position and then there will be an accident. There must be a fix easier than a steering rack replacement, which was recommended by one shop....updated 10/01/15*bf updated 12/04/2017
Steering has become very stiff and steering wheel does not center after making slight turns. Seems to be worse in hot weather. Have to really concentrate on steering and is becoming dangerous. Appears to be a common problem with the z4 according to blogs. Recall by bmw should be issued.
Experienced what appears to be known problem with erratic steering at any speed. Design flaw known to both bmw na & reported numerous times to your org based on the numerous complaints at url below: http://www.bmwcoop.com/2010/07/06/steering-problems-for-bmw-z4-in-the-u-s/#comment-87602. Problem recurred 3 yrs ago and I simply garaged it & used my subaru. Last week had car towed to local service center which acknowledged the problem and alerted me to the numerous websites documenting this design flaw. Having car towed to bmw dealership today as I refuse to drive it. But because there has not been a recall which there should be I am on the hook to pay for its design flaw or I can garage it or sell it. Btw, car only has 4400 miles on it due in large part to this recurring defect. I cannot believe no one has not been killed or seriously injured due to this defect. After the takata airbag debacle it is my hope that the federal safety agency takes these numerous customer complaints re: z4 dangerous steering column design flaw seriously & acts quickly.
Sticky steering starts in spring, continues in summer, ends in fall. Must be temperature related. A recall needs to be made!
Steering response was sticking while driving. Difficult to drive in a straight line down the road.
On a hot day while traveling over 40 MPH, the steering becomes "sticky"; that is it get stuck in a position and you have to physically jerk the wheel to adjust the steering which is very dangerous at higher speeds. This only happens in warm weather-above 70 degrees fahrenheit. I recently experienced this on I-95 while traveling to philadelphia. I noticed this before and I reported this to bmw of alexandria (now arlington) and they replaced the steering box, lower joint assembly - total cost $1,721 - this was at 69,000 miles. The problem is back and as bad or worse. I have read of this problem on bmw forums where the entire steering column must be replaced at about $4,000. What I don't understand is why this isn't a recall item as it definitely is a safety issue. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Steering seems to stick, I just bought the car the same day and was driving it several hundred miles home. It felt like the car was in a rut, and I had to jerk the wheel to "unstick: it . It was scary. It happened several times during the trip, and has happened since then.
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.
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