2004 BMW Z4 Complaints

STEERING BECOMES DANGEROUSLY SLOPPY AND TWITCHY AT SPEEDS OVER 35MPH. CORRECTING THE STICKY STEERING CAUSES AN OVER-CORRECTION AND WEAVING ON THE HIGHWAY MAKING IT VERY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM BY THOUSANDS OF BMW OWNERS, YET NOTHING SEEMS TO BE IN THE WORKS TO ADDRESS. *TR

AS I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN I HAD TO TURN DUE TO A CURVE IN THE ROAD, THE STEERING WOULD NOT RETURN TO CENTER. I HAD TO FORCE THE STEERING BACK TO CENTER. THIS ALMOST RESULTED IN A CRASH WITH ANOTHER CAR. THE STEERING IS VERY JERKY,, IT STICKS IN ONE SPOT. UNTIL YOU FORCE IT WHERE YOU NEED IT TO BE. THIS SAME PROBLEM HAS NOW HAPPENED MANY TIMES AND IS GETTING WORSE. IT SEEMS TO HAPPEN MORE, THE HOTTER THE OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE IS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BMW Z4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED AND BECAME DIFFICULT TO TURN WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS LATER TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE MECHANIC INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 222,000.

SINCE I PURCHASED MY 2004 BMW Z4 ON MARCH 13, 2013 I HAVE EXPERIENCE VERY ANNOYING AND MORE IMPORTANTLY UNSAFE ISSUES WITH MY VEHICLES STEERING ESPECIALLY AT HIGH SPEEDS. AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT COULD HAVE BEEN THE ALIGNMENT BUT AFTER DOING EXTENSIVE RESEARCH ONLINE AND BMW FORUMS IT APPEARS THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR THE E85 (2003-2005) BMW Z4 ROADSTERS. "NEED A NEW STEERING COLUMN TO FIX "STICKY STEERING" PROB WITH THE EPS @ $3,300. MY 2004 Z4 IS A "PLEASURE" CAR WITH 17,000 MILES. NOT A PLEASURE TO FIGHT THE STEERING ON THE ROAD." -TAKEN FROM ONE OF THE FORUMS. FORTUNATELY I HAVE ANOTHER VEHICLE I DRIVE DAILY AND DON'T HAVE TO COMMUTE DAILY IN THIS VEHICLE. HOWEVER WHEN I DO DRIVE IT IT'S DEFINITELY NOTICEABLE NOT ONLY BY ME BUT MY PASSENGERS, IT'S SCARY EVEN. I PURCHASED MY CAR WITH 69,500 MILES WHICH REALLY IS QUITE LOW CONSIDERING THE YEAR AND I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED TO FIND SOMETHING THAT HAS COST ME SO MUCH TO OBTAIN GIVES ME AN UNEASY FEELING EVERYTIME I DRIVE IT. WISH I COULD AFFORD TO HAVE THE PROBLEM FIXED BUT BEING A COLLEGE STUDENT I SIMPLY DON'T HAVE AN EXTRA $3,000+ TO SPARE TO SPEND TOWARDS THE REPAIR. ANYWAYS HOPING ENOUGH GRIEVANCES WILL BE FILED AND EVENTUALLY BMW WILL OWN UP TO THE PROBLEM AND BE WILLING TO WORK WITH ITS MANY UNHAPPY CUSTOMERS WHO ARE LITERALLY HAZARDS ON THE ROAD DUE TO THIS "STICKY STEERING" PROBLEMS AT HIGH SPEEDS. THANK YOU *TR

MY BMW 2004 Z4 DOOR ON THE PASSENGER SIDE WOULD NOT OPEN. THE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE HANDLES WOULD NOT OPEN THE DOOR. SHORTLY AFTERWARDS THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR HANDLE BEGAN TO FAIL INTERMITTENTLY. I WAS LOCKED INSIDE MY VEHICLE WITHOUT THE ABILITY TO GET OUT. *TR

EPS(ELECTRIC POWER STEERING), DOES NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY. THE STEERING BINDS INTERMITTENTLY,AND ATTEMPTS TO CORRECT CAN THROW THE VEHICLE INTO ANOTHER LANE OR INTO A DANGEROUS SITUATION ON A CURVE. *TR

2004 BMW Z4 PURCHASED USED IN 2011 WITH JUST OVER 60K MILES ON THE ODOMETER. AT JUST UNDER 70K MILES THE DRIVER NOTICED STEERING SEEMED STIFF AND WHEN ENTERING A CURVE THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD FREEZE IN LOCKED POSITION UNTIL MANUALLY CORRECTED UPON WHICH TIME IT WOULD FEEL AS IF THE FRONT WHEELS WERE ON A PATCH OF BLACK ICE MOMENTARILY! OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE WAS ABOVE 80 DEGREES. DID A SEARCH ON THIS VEHICLE NO ACCIDENTS. HOWEVER IT WAS DISCOVERED MANY COMPLAINTS (242) ON THIS OR SIMILAR STEERING PROBLEMS. I CALLED BMW OF NORTH AMERICA AND SPOKE TO A PUBLIC RELATIONS REP. WHO INFORMED ME THAT BMW WAS UNAWARE OF ANY SUCH PROBLEMS WITH THIS YEAR MODEL STEERING. I REPLIED THAT THIS SEEMS ODD SINCE I HAD JUST LOOKED AT 17 PAGES OF SUCH PROBLEMS ON-LINE? I SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT WITH MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND ASKED TO SPEAK WITH AN EXPERIENCED TECHNICIAN CONCERNING THE PROBLEM. THE SERVICE MANAGER CHECKED WITH ONE OF THEIR TECHNICIANS! HE CONFIRMED THAT HE HAD SEEN THIS BEFORE AND THE STEERING COLUMN WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. WHEN I PURCHASED THIS CAR I ALSO TRANSFERRED OVER AN EXTENDED WARRANTY AT A COST OF $1,000.00. SO I WILL ONLY BE OUT MY $100.00 DEDUCTIBLE. PARTS AND LABOR WILL BE IN EXCESS OF $4,000K IF A DEALERSHIP TECH IS AWARE OF SUCH PROBLEMS WITH A PARTICULAR MAKE OR MODEL YOU WOULD SURELY THINK THAT BMW OF NORTH AMERICA WOULD ALSO BE AWARE OF THE SAME SUCH FINDINGS! SOMETHING SMELLS AND ITS NOT GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE!

STEERING WAS STICKING AND FEELING FUNNY. SEEMED TO TAKE MORE FORCE TO TURN THE WHEEL. IT FELT MAGNETIC IN THE CENTER OR RIBBED LIKE. THEN IT WOULD SUDDENLY GO WHEN TURNING. HAD TO BE VERY CAREFUL. AFTER DOING RESEARCH I FIND THAT THE BMW Z4'S HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH STEERING COLUMNS IN THE 2003, 2004, 2005 AND SOME 2006 YEAR CARS. HAS TO DO WITH THE METAL WORM GEAR CLEARANCE IN THE NYLON COG GEAR BEING A POOR DESIGN. ON HOT DAYS THE CLEARANCE GOES TO ZERO MAKING THE GEARS TO TIGHT. ALSO NYLON ABSORBS MOISTURE AFTER A WHILE WHICH WOULD CAUSE THE NYLON GEAR TO INCREASE IN SIZE DECREASING THE CLEARANCE EVEN MORE. I JUST PURCHASED THIS CAR AND NOW AM SOMEWHAT AFRAID TO DRIVE IT OR LET MY FAMILY DRIVE IT. BMW HAS REPLACED MANY OF THESE. I HOPE MINE CAN BE REPLACED AS RIGHT NOW I'M NOT SURE WHAT MY RECOURSE MAY BE.

I HAVE A 2004 BMW Z4 WITH 32,000 MILES ON IT. I HAVE AN ISSUE WITH WHAT I WILL CALL STICKY STEERING. WHEN HOT, THE STEERING WHEEL WILL BIND AND REQUIRE EXTRA EFFORT TO MOVE, RESULTING IN OVER STEERING IN ORDER TO CORRECT THE STICKING. AT ALL SPEEDS THIS CAN BE DANGEROUS AND AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS THIS CAN BE PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS. *TR

IMMEDIATELY AFTER PURCHASING THIS VEHICLE WE NOTICED DIFFICULTY STEERING THE CAR. THE STEERING IS VERY STICKY AND ERRATIC. IT IS ACTUALLY SCARY TO DRIVE. HAS A TENDENCY TO VEER OFF AND POSSIBLY WRECK. I JUST HOPE IT DOES NOT TAKE X NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS/DEATHS FOR THE MANUFACTURE (WHO IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM) TO FIX THIS UNACCEPTABLE STEERING PROBLEM. MY PERSONAL RESEARCH HAS REVEALED THAT THERE ARE MANY MANY OWNERS OF THIS MAKE AND MODEL VEHICLE HAVE COMPLAINED TO THE MANUFACTURER ABOUT THIS EXACT SAME PROBLEM. IF ANY INFORMATION IS NEEDED OR IF YOU WISH FOR ME TO ELABORATE, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO EMAIL OR CALL ME. THANK YOU. *TR