2004 BMW Z4 Complaints

THE STEERING WHEEL STICKS AND IT'S VERY HARD TO KEEP THE CAR CENTERED. I AM TOLD IT WILL NEED A NEW STEERING COLUMN AND THIS WAS AN ISSUE BMW HAD FOR A COUPLE YEARS ON THESE MODELS. *TR

ONCE THE CAR HAD WARMED UP I NOTICED THE STEERING WOULD "STICK"AND I HAD TO USE FORCE TO GET IT TO STAY ALIGNED WITH THE ROAD. *TR

THE STEERING IS THE ONLY PROBLEM BUT YOUR WEB SITE INSISTS ON MY SELECTING AT LEAST 3 AFFECTED PARTS. IN ANY CASE, THE STEERING RECENTLY BECAME JERKY AND NOTCHY WHILE DRIVING. AFTER SEVERAL DAYS OF THIS, I TOOK IT MY LOCAL FOREIGN CAR REPAIR SPECIALIST AND THEY DIAGNOSED A PROBLEM WITH THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING. ULTIMATELY, THEY REPLACED THE ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN AT A COST TO ME OF $4100. THIS WAS A VERY UNSAFE CONDITION MAKING MY CONTROL OF STEERING TENUOUS AT BEST AND ONE THAT YOU HAVE RECEIVED NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT. *TR

THE STEERING BECOMES "NOTCHY" OR "MAGNETIC" DURING HOT WEATHER. IT GETS STUCK IN A POSITION AND REQUITES FORCE TO MOVE IT FROM THAT POSITION. THIS OFTEN HAPPENS TURNING THE VEHICLE AT LOW OR HIGH SPEEDS WHEN TURNING THE WHEEL TO CHANGE LANES, FOLLOW A CURVE, OR MAKE A TURN. IT IS DANGEROUS AND CAN RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT. *TR

DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY STEERING BECAME VERY STICKY, WHEEL WOULD JUST JERK BACK AND FORTH WHENEVER I TRIED TO SWITCH LANES. BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER THE NEXT DAY WHO SAID, OH YEAH THAT'S JUST STIFF STEERING. WHEN I EXPLAINED IT MORE, HE FESSED UP THAT OH YEAH HE HAD HEARD OF THAT TOO AND IT WAS A POWER STEERING ISSUE AND NOT A GOOD THING AND DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. HE SAID THAT THE WHOLE STEERING COLUMN WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED, THE QUOTED WAS $4100 TO FIX IT! AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH ON LINE I'M FLABBERGASTED BY HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS ISSUE AND HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL HAVE THIS PROBLEM AS THIS IS A RECREATIONAL VEHICLE FOR MOST PEOPLE AND THEY PROBABLY HAVEN'T DRIVEN IT ENOUGH YET TO FIND OUT THIS WILL OCCUR. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL NO COMPANY SHOULD GET AWAY WITH PUTTING OUT A DEFECTIVE PRODUCT AND MAKING THE OWNERS PAY FOR IT LATER. *TR

MY 2004 BMW Z4 STEERING IS CHOPPY AND STICKS EVEN WHEN DRIVING IN A STRAIGHT LINE. MAKING NORMAL DRIVING MANEUVERS TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE CAR AWKWARD. NOTE, THIS CAR HAS LESS THAN 36000 MILES. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE BMW DEALERSHIP AND WITHOUT EVEN TAKING IT INTO THE SHOP TO LOOK UNDER THE HOOD, THE MAINTENANCE CREW TOLD ME EXACTLY WHAT WAS WRONG. THE UPPER POWER STEERING MECHANISM IS FAULTY, WHICH BMW HAS A RECALLED FOR CERTAIN VINS BUT NOT OURS. ITS PRETTY CLEAR THAT THIS IS AN ACROSS THE BOARD BMW PROBLEM AND SUCH A PRESTIGIOUS AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURER SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BE COAXED INTO DOING THE RIGHT THING. SO I GO ON THE WEB TO THIS SITE AND I FIND 233 COMPLAINTS FOR THE SAME PROBLEM IN JUST THIS YEAR ALONE. WHAT'S IT GOING TO TAKE FOR BMW TO DO A RECALL AND FIX THE PROBLEM. *TR

VEHICLE BECOMES DIFFICULT TO STEER. STEERING BECOMES STICKY AT TEMPERATURES ABOVE 75 DEGREES F., AND IS JERKY AND DIFFICULT TO STEER. BMW DEALERSHIP STATE IT WAS THE TIRES. I HAVE REPLACED THE TIRES AND THERE WAS NO CHANGE. *TR

FIRST NOTICED THE ISSUE IN 2009 AFTER A LONG DRIVE ON A VERY WARM SUMMER DAY IN NEW YORK. STARTED NOTICING A "STICKY/CHOPPY" REACTION TO THE AUTOMATIC STEERING WHICH BECAME PRONOUNCED WHILE ON A CURVE, AND REQUIRED QUICK ACTION TO "RIGHT" THE WHEELS TO AVOID A CROSSOVER TO THE OPPOSITE LANE. I BECAME MORE AND MORE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AS IT SEEM TO RELATE TO LONG DRIVES ON HOT DAYS. SINCE THIS VEHICLE IS ONLY DRIVEN IN THE SUMMER TIME, I CAN NOT TESTIFY TO THIS STEERING PROBLEM IN THE COLDER WINTER MONTHS. HOWEVER, I AM CONSTANTLY VIGILANT TO THIS ISSUE NOW. CONTACTED BMWNA TO CHECK FOR RECALLS, BUT RECEIVED NO RESPONSE OR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THAT THE STEERING WAS FAULTY. THIS COULD BE A DANGEROUS SITUATION, AND I ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT IN CONTACTING THEM. THANKYOU *TR

THE STEERING ON THE CAR BECOMES NOTCHY AND TWITCHY, ESPECIALLY AT HIGHER SPEEDS AND IN WARM WEATHER. THE STEERING WHEEL HANGS UP LIKE THERE IS A FLAT SPOT SOMEWHERE IN THE SYSTEM. IT TAKES EXTRA PHYSICAL EFFORT TO MOVE THE STEERING OFF THAT FLAT SPOT. THE STEERING WHEEL WILL INTERMITTENTLY STOP RESPONDING TO DRIVER INPUT FOR A SHORT RANGE. THEN SUDDENLY START WORKING AGAIN AFTER EXTRA APPLIED PRESSURE ON THE WHEEL. WHEN THE STEERING IS IN THE NOTCHY/TWITCHY CONDITION IT WILL PULL TO ONE SIDE. THIS IS NOT A SAFE SITUATION BECAUSE YOU ARE CONSTANTLY CORRECTING THE STEERING TO GAIN CONTROL OF THE CAR. I HAVE BEEN ADVISED THE PROBLEM IS GREASE ON A BEARING IN THE STEERING COLUMN. THE BEARING IS NOT SEALED AND THE GREASE IS EXPOSED TO HOT TEMPERATURES. THE PROBLEM CAN BE REPAIRED BY REPLACING THE BEARING WITH A NEW IMPROVED VERSION, BMW DOES NOT OFFER THE BEARING ON IT'S PART LIST, BUT DOES RECOMMEND REPLACING THE STEERING COLUMN AT A COST OF $4000.00. *TR

STEERING IS STICKING PULLS TO THE LEFT THEN TO THE RIGHT VERY DIFFICULT TO KEEP CAR STRAIGHT ON THE ROAD SUDDEN JERKING OF CAR WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL TURNS BUT CAR DOESN'T TURN WITH THE TURN YOU HAVE TO FORCE THE TURN AND THEN YOU GET PULLED IN OTHER DIRECTION VERY VERY UNSAFE! FEELS LIKE YOU'RE GOING TO BE PULLED INTO A CRASH! THESE STEERING COLUMNS NEED RECALLED AND FAST! *TR