The electronic steering has failed several times while driving. This makes it very difficult to maintain a lane and avoid other vehicles. This problem continues intermittently. Thousands of Z4 owners have reported the same issue in online forums.
2006 BMW Z4 steering problems
55 complaints (60% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 52,488. 1 crash reported.
- owner complaints
- 55
- of this car's complaints
- 60%
- typical mileage
- 52,488
- crashes
- 1
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
Owners did not name a specific part.
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
BMW Z4 steering problems in other years
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
What 2006 BMW Z4 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
In hot weather, the steering binds, making keeping the car in the correct lane extremely difficult. The car will dart from one side to the other. The car will be nearly impossible to keep in the correct lane.
When the car gets hot (parked in the sun) the steering becomes knotchy or sticky and the car becomes difficult to control. No problems whatsoever when the car is cool or on a cooler day. This problem has been witnessed by a BMW technician and there are no warning lights. This appears to be a fairly common issues with these cars.
The Steering wheel gets Hard, looks like power steering gets disabled automatically while driving, making it almost impossible to steer. This has started to happen after hot weather had started few months back. I have tried to reproduce this issue several times, but it happens randomly and Not all the time. I don't drive the car much. But this is definitely a serious issue, I checked the BMW community and a lot of people are facing this issue. Not Sure how many have filed a complaint here. But this definitely should be addressed by BMW as this is not just one person facing this issue, there are hundreds and thousands of them. Level of severity is high, as someone who might have not faced this issue yet might suddenly face it on the highway could result in an extremely fatal accident. Havent reported to BMW yet, But found this issue is being faced by alot of people I thought to file my complaint here. I will soon get it repaired or replaced. There were no Warning lamps or messages prior to this. It started happening in September 2021.
When the outside temperatures are warmer (mid 80's and above) the steering wheel will stick in the center position and require it to be jerked a bit to keep control. This occurs at all speeds, but does not seem to be the case when stopped. since it requires the steering wheel to be jerked to correct, it can cause the car to swerve. I have had the car for several years began noticing the issue once the weather got warmer. The date entered below is today's date, but I have had the issue for perhaps 5 years.
During warm weather the steering will momentary stick while driving which requires additional force to overcome. This happens at all speeds but is more noticeable at highway speeds while trying to maintain vehicle in driving lane. There are numerous complaints of this on the federal safety agency site. I have written to BMW North America about this safety problem and mentioned the multitude of similar complaints but they refuse to address the problem and suggest I purchase a new steering column at $2500+!
Vehicle steering becomes "sticky" after vehicle has been exposed to warm temperatures. This causes the steering to center and require greater than usual force to off center the wheel, causing the car to be difficult to control especially at highway speeds.
Very sticky steering, dangerous in hot weather, this happens at all speeds. It sometimes requires significant effort to correct it. This is a serious safety issue.
Steering appears to be sticking or staying at a certain point in the steering radius. I almost veered into oncoming interstate traffic. I compensated immediately, but it released its "stick" and turn to much and almost veered into traffic I was in. Very scary, very dangerous. There was a possibility of much injury or death because of this issue. Bad
Recurring problem with steering input effort when driving on highways. The steering sticks when in the center position. Resistance is felt and is difficult to return back to the center position. Sticking problem seems worse at higher speeds and with warm outside temperature above 80 degrees. The faster the speed, the more effort needed to overcome the detent resistance, to the point that it becomes easy to oversteer the car. This can be real scary during avoidance maneuvers and quick lane changes.
Questions about the 2006 BMW Z4 steering
Does the 2006 BMW Z4 have steering problems?
Owners have filed 55 complaints about the steering of the 2006 BMW Z4, 60% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.
At what mileage do 2006 BMW Z4 steering problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 52,488 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2006 BMW Z4 steering?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the BMW Z4 have bad steering?
The BMW Z4 model years with the most steering complaints are 2004 (378 complaints), 2003 (342 complaints) and 2005 (173 complaints).
Other 2006 BMW Z4 problems
Airbags 14Electrical 13Engine 9Lights 4Seats 3Acceleration 2Body 1Fuel system 1Tires 1Transmission 1Visibility 1
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2006 BMW Z4?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history