The steering sticks when the cab temp gets high it does not lock complete when I try to correct I will over correct or under correct . This is the most dangerous car I have ever driven.
2005 BMW Z4 steering complaints
Page 4 of 7: complaints 71 to 100 of 173, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The electric power steering on the car is dangerous. The steering is erratic and very twitchy. The problem is noticeable at lower speeds but at highway speeds it is dangerous to drive the car. The steering wheel starts out stiff, like an old car without power steering, but then the electric motor suddenly provides too much power assistance. The electric assist results in a sharper turn than you need and therefore requires immediate correction. It consistently does this; it is not a one-time thing. It requires constant attention, with both hands on the wheel at all times. This makes the car both mentally and physically exhausting to drive on the highway. Driving at lower speeds is annoying but at highway speeds it is dangerous. The correction and subsequent overcorrection problem makes the car drive down the highway like a snake. It is difficult to keep the car in the correct lane. The rougher the pavement the more difficult it is to drive the car. There have been a few times where the overcorrection has resulted in accidentally veering out of the correct lane. Fortunately, no accident has occurred yet. Please feel free to contact me and come drive the car to see for yourself. It only has 55,000 miles on it and based on the other complaints this is a systemic problem with the 2005 bmw z4.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 bmw z4. While driving various speeds, the vehicle veered out of its lane independently. The contact had to use excessive force to regain steering control. The failure occurred intermittently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.
Steering started to seem stiff or sticky on occasion at various speeds, now occurring much more frequently. The car seems to drift back and forth and one must keep frequently correcting to keep car going straight. More so than you would normally expect and much more for a car of this caliber I would think. It sticks then there is a "dead space" until you catch it to correct it. I think this type of occurrence can be very dangerous. I was checking everything I could to find the issue, I.e. : tire pressure, balance, alignment, bearings etc. To no avail. Even tried to locate the power steering fluid reservoir but obviously now I know there is none! One would think that bmw would correct this issue for generally honorable reasons. All it will take is for that steering to stick, the "dead space" to occur and at 70 MPH on the freeway no time to correct until you hit the concrete divider and well you can guess the rest. How many could be killed ? Especially in heavy traffic? And for a obviously faulty electric motor? I'm sure there are many more people who own these cars and may not know what to do about it. We need you to make this right before someone dies, perhaps this has already happened and its not known and is related to a poor driver or error? Be cautious when near a z4 on the highway you or someone you love or know may be the next unwilling victim! Just saying. Help!!!
The steering seems to stick and force is needed to move in either direction.
I bought a 2005 bmw z4 2.5i in 2013 and it only had 19,000 mi. On it. At about 22,000 miles I started noticing that the steering would stick, but I thought it might be my tires out of alignment, I then put a new set of tires on the front and had it checked and it made no difference in the problem. My car now has 30400 miles on it and the problem has just recently gotten much worse, I'm now afraid to drive the car. After reading about the number of people with the same problem, I'm hoping we can get a recall on a serious problem.
This steering in this vehicle is downright dangerous! I purchased the car used 6 months ago in the winter and only drive it a few times. As I've been driving more in the nicer weather, the steering started to "stick" causing me to oversteer. I am terrified to even drive this car on the highway because it gets worse as you increase speed and because of the unpredictability of the steering mechanism. The steering problem intensifies in hot weather. It nearly impossible to stay within your lane on a road with slight curves. I brought the car to bmw service center and was told the steering column needed to be replaced at a cost of $3500. I came online to do some research only to find hundreds of other people with the same exact problem. Bmw must be aware of this potentially fatal flaw in their vehicle. I don't understand why there was not a recall issued. My fear it that one day the steering is going to lock completely. Until we try to get a better estimate on the price of the steering column replacement we will not be driving this vehicle. Please look into this, it is an accident waiting to happen.
When car is sitting in sun for the day the steering gets stuck in position will not center while driving at highway speeds feels like something is holding it in place. Went to dealer to see if it has a recall none at this time looked into the matter on line there are lots of other problems with other cars and years what is going to be done about this before life is lost !
My 2005 bmw z4 has a steering issue that has affected thousands of similar vehicles. The steering column is faulty and results in loss of stability at speeds between 65-75 MPH. The steering "drifts" and is difficult to control the vehicle. Steering also "sticks" and requires force to turn. There is much talk about a recall being forced onto bmw for their faulty steering column. Please move this forward for the thousands of drivers bmw has put at risk by not acknowledging and correcting this problem for their drivers.
First time was on the interstate approximately 65mph. The steering wheel felt like it had tight spots requiring the need for both hands on the wheel. The car seemed to wander left and right and when corrected it was insensitive. It felt like a goose neck bearing that had been over tightened on a bicycle, it had a tight feel, yet it was only in the center position. When making lane changes it felt normal, back to center the feel returned as before. It happened again yesterday on a state highway. The car has the sport mode and in both occurrences it was in sport. I have 60 years of driving experience and many cars have been high performance and sport vehicles. This is a dangerous condition because it is intermittent and requires both hands on the wheel to counter.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 bmw z4. The contact stated that while traveling 35 MPH, the power steering assist malfunctioned and prevented the vehicle from moving. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 95,000. The current mileage was 120,000.
While driving on the straight highway at a normal speed I noticed the car began to pull to the right. In order to correct, you would have to pull the steering wheel to the left causing the car to sometimes over correct with a jerking sensation and pulling to far to the left. Car was taken in for repair. After diagnostics I was told that it was a problem with the steering column electric motor and you could not just replace the motor, but would have to have the entire steering column replaced. I did have the steering column replaced with good results. The new column was ordered by my repairman from bmw. My worry is if the last column was defective, will this one be also.
The car had been sitting outside in approx. 85 degree weather for about 2-3 hours. My wife and mother in law were driving done the highway. She initially noted that the steering felt "sticky" or "different". A few moments later while traveling at approx. 55mph the steering failed to respond or more accurately felt stuck. She was unable to turn the steering wheel and the car started to move to the right side of the road toward the guard rail. After slowing the vehicle and continuously trying to turn the wheel it finally responded. She pulled off the road and sat for a few moments to regain composure and check vehicle. There was nothing outwardly apparent, no flats, nothing under car, nothing wedged in engine compartment or underneath car. She exited the highway and drove slowly back to the house. The car did exhibit signs of "sticking" again, but did not lock up. A quick search on the internet has revealed this is a very common complaint on the z4. This is a very serious safety concern and now my wife is afraid to drive the car.
After car sat outside all day at work in 75 degree temp steering was notchy and sticky during the entire 20 min drive home. After the car cooled down in the garage steering was normal during drive later that night. This happens every time the car gets warm from sitting in the sun. There is no excuse for this and is extremely unsafe as the steering does not function properly. Besides who wants a convertible you can only drive in cold weather??
Steering "sticks" in hot weather. For example, when going around a slight curve, you turn the steering wheel and when you loosen your grip on the wheel to allow the steering to go back towards center, the steering wheel stays in the same position and you have to use force to get it back towards center. This problem became noticeable last summer and has occurred again recently as spring temperatures are getting higher. Most noticeable after driving the car home from work in late afternoon after it has been sitting in uncovered parking lot. Problem seems to be more pronounced now than it was last summer. In looking at various bmw forums on the web, this particular problem is very widespread, known to be a problem by bmw, and very dangerous. Amazing there have been no recalls.
I drove this 2005 bmw z4 without incident while in illinois for the first 53,000 miles. After 53,000 miles I let my son drive the car exclusively while in scottsdale arizona and he continuously experiences unexpected drastic steering pulls to both the left and right sides. Correction of the steering requires both hands on the wheel and is very difficult to correct the sudden and extreme pulling. The steering pulling is not easy to replicate but occurs a few times a week during daily driving. When the steering pulls it is very dangerous and almost causes crashes. I have researched the problem on the internet and it appears this is a design problem very common with 2003-2005 bmw z4s which bmw is aware of but has failed to take any corrective measures. I presently have 63,000 on the car and is driven in the warmer climate of arizona. The steering continues to pull sporadically even though I have replaced all 4 tires with 4 new matching tires.
Car's steering sticks on center position making normal steering corrections noticeably difficult. An extraordinary amount of force needs to be applied to the steering wheel in order to make the necessary steering correction which can cause an over-correction. Once off center, it is then difficult to return the wheel to the neutral position this can be very dangerous at highway speeds. This always happens in warmer weather or if the car has been outside in the sun for a couple of hours.
Car is very dangerous to drive when car is warm and driven at highway speed. The car acts as if the steering is sticking or locking up> you have to pull on the steering wheel hard to left or right to get the wheels to turn. You must be very care and keep your mind on what you are doing at all times or you could be in crash.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 bmw z4. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the power steering failed and the steering wheel tightened. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 38,000. Updated 10/31/13*lj the consumer stated the steering wheel was sticky and it extreme effort to drive the vehicle. The dealer informed him, the entire steering component needed to be replaced. The consumer stated the steering incident happened after the vehicle was parked for 4 hours in 85 degree weather. Updated 11/12/13
Car's steering stick on center position making normal steering corrections noticeably difficult. An extraordinary amount of force needs to be applied to the steering wheel in order to make the necessary steering correction which can cause an over-correction. Once off center, it is then difficult to return the wheel to the neutral position. This has happened repetitively, most often in hot weather. Dealer where we bought the car and who does regular maintenance has been unable to replicate the problem, or so they say. Bmw USA has been contacted about the problem; and, their response was "take it to the dealer." by what I have read on the internet, I am not the only one experiencing this problem. I am ready to seek advice from my attorney.
Driving my 2005 bmw z4 has become a non option when the ambient temperature exceeds 85. The steering wheel becomes resistant to turning left, or right from center. And then you have to fight it back to center as it will stay in the turned position. This is a real shame, I don't know if their engineers realize this, but convertibles are for warm weather. I would expect this from a gm or ford product, but not from bmw who touts as being "the ultimate driving machine". This is a very common problem and can not believe it hasn't been issued a recall.
Driving straight at 55 MPH and could not turn steering wheel left or right without a great deal of effort. Very dangerous. Same concerns as others with this model. Will not let my wife drive. Something needs to be done as these cars will crash and hurt someone. Please e-mail with some sort of a plan in place please.
First a description of the problem: my steering column turns similar to the fan control switch on the z4 ? From detent to detent and not smoothly like a volume control on a radio. If you reach forward to the fan control console and turn it you will note that it does not turn smoothly it goes from stop to stop to stop about every 5 degrees. Each stop is called a detent. So as you turn the knob it starts in a detent then as you turn it clicks into the next detent and stops then you have to twist a bit harder till it clicks into the next detent. That is how my steering column acts when it is hot outside. It clicks into one detent and that position may not keep you driving straight down the road. You try to correct it and it will not turn unless you push extra hard then it goes past the point that would keep you going straight down the road into the next detent and you are progressively headed off the other side of the road. As you try to correct it by turning back, it will not smoothly turn back, it resists till you push extra hard then it goes past the point that would keep you going straight and stops in the next detent and now you are headed off the road in the other direction.
After the car runs for a little, the steering gets very sticky. It's very challenging to steer properly and when trying to negotiate turns, I must jolt the wheel to move passed the stickiness, resulting in an over correction. There is no way to safely drive, maneuver or control the steering. Very dangerous.
Steering became sticky when trying to do minor corrections. It is very difficult to keep car straight without exerting considerable force in both left and right directions. Problem is worse when outside temperature is above 80f and steering is "normal "when car is cold. Subsequently, steering wheel does not easily return to center, occasionally car will pull in either direction, not sure when it will go left and when right. Dealer wants to replace steering column for $3500. Replacement is oem part so no dealer guarantee that replacement will not perform the same way.
The steering gets very sticky on warm days, above 75 degrees fahrenheit. It restricts the steering to the point that it is hard to turn the wheel. This problem is definitively a safety issue.
The steering sticks in place and you need to jerk the steering wheel to get the car to slightly turn. After jerking the steering wheel, you have now over corrected and must jerk it the opposite direction. The problem is worse when the temperature is higher. In tight confinements or traffic, there is many times not adequate room for the vehicle to dart in various directions because of the sticking steering.
Steering wheel sticks, mostly when making left turns. Bmw is aware of the issue with these vehicles but states "not a safety issue, simply a nuisance" this is not true. When turning to the left, the wheel sticks causing driver to exert more pressure, when the wheel frees, the vehicle veers to the left, occasionally causing the vehicle to cross the center line into oncoming traffic. This is a significant safety issue and ongoing!!
Bought the 2005 z-4 bmw used from a dealer in high point nc. Drove it and enjoy driving until the warm weather. The steering sticks to a point of being dangerous. To compensate, I steer to the left and car pulls to the left then I bring the steering back towards the center and feel it sticking so I compensate by steering to the right. The whole time down the highway I fear for my life driving this car. I really had to concentrate to keep the car from steering off the road and I'm sure it appears I'm driving erratically to others on the road. The warm weather will soon be here in north carolina and I'm just scared to drive it. The car otherwise is beautiful. But if I'm going to be a repeat customer to the bmw line I need to get this fixed or they should recall it and I don't feel that I should have to pay for this problem and sounds like many many others have had the exact same problem from what my research shows me. Please help before someone is killed. Seriously I'm scared ! I contacted bmw in ohio and they need me to validate the problem through a dealer which I will do but I have to wait til the weather is warm again. Luckily I am employed and will be able to pay the $125.00 diagnostic fee. *tr the consumer also stated every time she rode over a bump in the road, the radio would shut off and then come back on at random times. The dealer was unable to find any loose wires. Also, the oil filter housing was leaking and an oil leak separator was sauing air to dispel into the engine. Updated ivoq 04/16/13
Steering jerks to the point of being unsafe. At highway speeds the car will drift. When you correct, it jerks either right or left. A few times almost veering into the next lane of traffic. Brought into bmw of ft. Myers. *tr they said I needed a new steering column. $3,487.60 plus $153.44 to calibrate, plus tax. Very, very disapointed in bmw not having a recall on this. It is a serious safety issue aside from speding a lot of money to purchase a "quality????" car.
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