2004 BMW Z4 Complaints

YOUR QUESTION ABOUT THE INCIDENT DATE ONLY ALLOWS FOR ONE DATE. THE KNOTCHY ,STICKING STEERING WHEEL HAPPENS ALL THE TIME WHEN OUTSIDE TEMPERATURES HIT 75 DEGREES. THIS STEERING MALFUNCTION HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED MANY TIMES ONLINE IN BMW Z4 FORUMS. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS PULL UP Z4 STEERING ONLINE TO READ A MULTITUDE OF CONCERNS AND EXAMPLES OF BMW STONEWALLING. THIS STEERING ISSUE ON 2004 Z4S IS VERY SERIOUS!!! THE CORRECTION NEEDED WHEN THIS HAPPENS CALLS FOR A QUICK JERK OF THE STEERING WHEEL TO STAY STRAIGHT. UNUSUAL EFFORT IS NEEDED TO KEEP THE CAR IN IT'S LANE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BMW Z4. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH THE POWER STEERING FAILED AND THE VEHICLE BECAME DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS AND THE STEERING COLUMN WAS REPLACED. SIX MONTHS AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE RECENT FAILURE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 48,000. UPDATED 6/25/13*CN UPDATED 7/1/13 *CN THE CONSUMER STATED THE STEERING WOULD NOT RETURN TO CENTER BY ITSELF. UPDATED

THE STEERING IS VERY STICKY AND JOLTS LEFT AND RIGHT. I HAVE FOUND THROUGH SOME RESEARCH TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM AMONG 2003-2005 BMW Z4 OWNERS. IT IS NOT SAFE TO BE CRUISING DOWN THE HIGHWAY JOLTING BACK AND FORTH. *TR

STEERING HAS A RUBBING AND SCRAPING NOISE WHEN CAR IS BARELY MOVING, SUCH AS IN DRIVEWAY OR PARKING LOT. AT SPEED, STEERING BECOMES STICKY AND JERKY. I JUST BOUGHT THE CAR IN MARCH 2013 AND IT HAS 50,000 MILES ON IT. DOES NOT SEEM TO BE CAUSED OR AFFECTED BY TEMPERATURE. I AM TOO CONCERNED ABOUT THIS ISSUE TO LET MY WIFE OR DAUGHTER DRIVE THE CAR. I HAVE HAD THE STEERING SHAFT LUBRICATED, BUT THAT DID NOT HELP ANYTHING. *TR

STEERING BECAME SOMEWHAT UNRESPONSIVE WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. IT WAS AS IT THE STEERING WHEEL WAS STICKING. REDUCING SPEED DID NOT SEEM TO HELP, TEMP OUTSIDE WAS 71 DEGREES AND SUNNY. CHECKING WEB FORUMS, THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR. BOUGHT THIS USED APPROX 4 WEEKS AGO, CONCERNED THAT IF STEERING CONTINUES TO FUNCTION THIS WAY, COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT AS YOU TRY TO OVER COMPENSATE FOR STICKING ISSUE. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY, IT BECAME DIFFICULT TO MAKE SMALL ADJUSTMENTS TO THE STEERING WHEEL. ONCE THIS ABNORMALLY HIGH RESISTANCE WAS OVERCOME, THE INTENDED ADJUSTMENT WOULD BECOME EXCESSIVE AND REQUIRE IMMEDIATE CORRECTION. THIS CORRECTION WOULD IN TURN BE EXCESSIVE, RESULTING IN ZIGZAGGING WHILE SIMPLY TRYING TO MAINTAIN A STRAIGHT LINE. ALSO, THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD REMAIN IN ITS ROTATED POSITION UPON RELEASE WHEN EXITING A TURN, RATHER THAN NATURALLY RETURNING TO CENTER, THUS REQUIRING DELIBERATE EFFORT TO BRING THE CAR STRAIGHT AGAIN. THIS BEHAVIOR IS UNNERVING UNDER ORDINARY CONDITIONS AND COULD BE QUITE DANGEROUS, PARTICULARLY IN SITUATIONS INVOLVING SKIDS OR EMERGENCY MANOEUVERS. SOON AFTER THE INITIATION OF THE 2010 NHTSA INVESTIGATION INTO THIS ISSUE, I BROUGHT THE CAR TO A LOCAL BMW DEALER WHO CLAIMED TO KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THIS PREVALENT ISSUE AND WHO WAS REPORTEDLY UNABLE TO REPLICATE THE ISSUE. SINCE THEN I FIGURED OUT IT CAN REPLICATED SIMPLY BY SETTING THE HEATER TO FULL BLAST AND LEAVING THE WINDOWS ROLLED UP FOR 20-30 MINUTES TO ALLOW THE HEAT TO SOAK INTO THE ELECTRIC-ASSIST STEERING COLUMN: THIS ISSUE OCCURS IF THE STEERING COLUMN GETS WARM BY ANY MEANS: PARK IN DIRECT SUN ON A HOT DAY, PARK IN SHADE ON A VERY HOT DAY, RUN THE HEATER ON HIGH FOR A WHILE, ETC. I TOOK THE CAR TO A DIFFERENT BMW DEALER ON A MODERATE DAY IN MARCH 2013 AND REPLICATED IT USING THE HEATER WHILE THEIR SERVICE FOREMAN DROVE IT; HE WAS ASTONISHED BY ITS PERVERSE HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS AND IMMEDIATELY MADE THE DIAGNOSIS: FAULTY STEERING COLUMN REQUIRING COMPLETE REPLACEMENT. BMW NORTH AMERICA HAS DECLINED TO COVER ANY OF THE COST TO RESOLVE THIS FACTORY DEFEC BECAUSE THE 4YR/50K MI WARRANTY IS EXPIRED. MY Z4 STILL HAS UNDER 40,000 MILES AND IT IS ABUNDANTLY CLEAR THAT THIS ISSUE IS NOT CAUSED BY "WEAR AND TEAR". *TR

MY 2004 BMW Z4 EXHIBITS SEVERE STEERING ISSUES WHEN DRIVEN DURING WARM (=> 75 DEGREES) TEMPERATURES. UNDER THESE CONDITIONS THE ABILITY TO STEER THE VEHICLE CAN BECOME VERY UNPREDICTABLE TO DOWNRIGHT DANGEROUS. DURING THE SUMMER OF 2012 AND AS RECENTLY AS THIS WEEK I'VE EXPERIENCED INCIDENTS WHERE THE INABILITY TO EFFECTIVELY STEER THIS VEHICLE HAS LED TO SEVERAL 'CLOSE CALLS' WHICH NEARLY RESULTED IN A COLLISION WITH OTHER VEHICLE. WHILE THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE THAT PLAGUES HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF BMW Z4S PRODUCED IN THE EARLY TO MID 2000S, BMW HAS NEVER ISSUED A RECALL. IT ALSO APPEARS THE WHILE THE NHTSA HAS INVESTIGATED THIS PROBLEM THEY RULED THAT A 'SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT TREND HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AT THIS TIME AND FURTHER USE OF AGENCY RESOURCES DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE WARRANTED'. HOW CAN THIS BE?! HOW CAN A MANUFACTURER ASSUME NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR VEHICLES WITH A POTENTIALLY LIFE-THREATENING ISSUE? HAS THERE EVER BEEN A MORE APPLICABLE CASE FOR A RECALL?! FURTHER, HOW CAN THE NHTSA, AN ORGANIZATION THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE 'DEDICATED TO ACHIEVING THE HIGHEST STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE IN MOTOR VEHICLE AND HIGHWAY SAFETY' PERMIT THIS TO HAPPEN? THIS VERY WELL-KNOWN DEFECT HAS RENDERED MY Z4 UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND I FEEL IT'S BMW'S RESPONSIBILITY TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM SO THAT IT NO LONGER EXISTS. I WOULD ALSO URGE THE NHTSA TO REEXAMINE THIS POTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING ISSUE BASED ON THE NUMBER OF VEHICLES (AND DRIVERS) IF EFFECTS. *TR

AT HIGH AMBIENT TEMPERATURES THE STEERING STICKS. IT SOMETIMES IS JUST A DISTRACTION, WHEN IT IS AT IT'S WORSE I BELIEVE IT IS DANGEROUS, NOT SO MUCH ON WIDE OPEN ROADS, BUT VERY MUCH SO ON NARROW ROADS. WHEN IT IS AT IT'S WORSE THE CAR MAY DART AS MUCH AS TWO FEET. *TR

STEERING WHEEL / RESPONSE FEELS "STICKY AND NOTCHY" WHEN STEERING COLUMN IS HOT. HAVE TO FIGHT STEERING WHEEL WHEN TRAVELING AT HIGH SPEEDS. DOES NOT HAPPEN IN COOLER TEMPS. I HAVE READ THAT THIS IS AN INTERNAL BEARING ISSUE WITH THE STEERING COLUMN. DANGEROUS! *TR

BOUGHT USED 2004 BMW Z4 IN AUG 2012, STEERING SEEMED FINE, IT HAD 39K MILES ON IT. NOW AT 44K MILES THE STEERING HAS BECOME NOTCHY, WOBBLY FEELING AND THE CAR DARTS AROUND. HAD ALIGNMENT DONE IN JAN 2013 BUT STILL A PROBLEM. LOOKING AT THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS FILED ALREADY, I AM NOT ALONE. I WOULD BE HAPPY TO PAY OUT A SMALL AMOUNT TO FIX THIS BUT IT SEEMS TO BE A 3K-4K FIX FROM WHAT I'VE READ. BMW NEEDS TO RECALL OR ELSE COME UP WITH A FIX THAT DOESN'T INVOLVE REPLACING THE WHOLE STEERING COLUMN. WHAT DO YOU SAY BMW? *TR