2006 BMW Z4: jerking or lurching

5 of the 91 complaints about the 2006 BMW Z4 describe jerking or lurching.

owner complaints: 5
of this car's complaints: 5%
recalls: 0

Is there a fix? 2 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Jerking or lurching by model year

2006
5
2005
30
2004
42
2003
37
2002
1

What owners say

Filed Aug 12, 2021 · Steering · TN

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.

Filed Aug 10, 2015 · Steering · 36,748 miles · IN

The steering on the bmw is extremely jerky and erratic. It seems to jump and does not steer easily. It's hard to keep the car on the road because it all of a sudden will turn rather .quickly. The steering sticks, and then all of a sudden will jerk to the side that you were trying to steer too. It's extremely dangerous and bmw needs to have a recall on these vehicles and get the problem fixed before someone dies. Once someone gets killed, I can see a huge lawsuit against bmw because they know they have a problem with these model of cars but won't fix the problem. Please make them recall the z4's that have this problem and let them fix this dangerous problem. Thanks

Filed Sep 21, 2014 · Steering · 21,500 miles · NC

I just purchased a 2006 z4 3.0i with 21000 miles from a dealership in wilmington, nc. During the test drive I noticed that the steering was unusually stiff and at higher speeds the car was somewhat hard to keep in a straight line. I dismissed the issue as a possible alignment or worn out tire issue. On the 120 mile drive home to raleigh, nc the steering became more and more erratic, pushing the car half way to the other lane. I noticed that the steering was getting really sticky and jerky the longer I drove. When trying to slightly correct the trajectory of the car to any side, the steering would not react to light torque on the steering wheel as it would with any other car I've driven before. When applying more force the steering would suddenly jump a degree or more, causing the car to oversteer and making for some rally scary and erratic maneuvers at highway speeds. When trying to correct this unexpected jump, the car would do the same thing in the other direction, causing me to swerve right and left. Later, when coming out of a long right turn on a narrow two lane road, the steering was stuck in the right turn position and suddenly popped into a left turning position, almost causing a collision with an oncoming semi truck. Since the behavior is so unpredictable and hard to control, I consider this a very serious safety issue that needs to be addressed immediately. I got lucky and I am convinced that it is only a matter of time until someone gets hurt or killed.

Filed Jun 17, 2014 · Steering · 58,000 miles · FL

I picked up this car used with 57000 miles on in may 2013. The steering has always been 'touchy' but the dealer told me that it's because it's a sports car. When driving car in temperatures around 85 and up the steering gets really 'jerky' . This started in june 2013 as the weather warmed up. It's my 2nd car so don't drive it every day and did not notice this problem until the weather turned hot . High 80's into the 90's. I didn't use it much during the really hot weather last year. But the problem was there. I thought it was the tires, had them checked and had no issues. Took the car in for an alignment in the spring. These past few days the weather has turned really warm. I drove the car to work, left at 4pm yesterday with the temp over 90 and thought I was going to have an accident! The steering wheel would not glide smoothly left or right. It's like it gets stuck, you pull it back causing you to oversteer, you pull it back the other way. I fought this all the way home for 23 miles. The temperature and the erratic steering was so bad yesterday that I will not drive it. It is sitting in my garage today. I called the dealer, tom bush bmw in jacksonville fl, to inquire about the service bulletins I found and this website where others are reporting it. I also called bmw na and they told me I had to go to the dealer first. I have left 2 messages and I have a feeling I will have to keep calling. They are aware of this issue. You cannot keep the car going straight without jerky it back and forth when outdoor temperature is above 85. This causes you to oversteer and drive erratically. It's very hard to control the car. I live in florida. This is a safety issue! Why is there no recall? Does someone have to die first? There have been numerous complaints, what has the federal safety agency done to investigate?

Filed Aug 15, 2013 · Steering · 64,000 miles · SC

Steering is jerky from center position. Extra effort is required to move sterring wheel from center position causing over correction in either direction. Sometimes this extra effort puts the car into oncoming traffic or the ditch. This is a very dangerous situation an I am afraid to drive in this condition. Bmw wants to replace the steering system (expensive). There should be a recall for this item because there are too many complaints for the same issue.