2003 BMW Z4 Complaints

POWER STEERING COLUMN FAILED IN 2003 BMW Z4 3.0I WITH LESS THAN 45,000 MILES. BEST WAY TO DESCRIBE THE STEERING WAS THAT IT BECAME MAGNETIC AND TWITCHY. THIS WOULD USUALLY HAPPEN AFTER DRIVING THE CAR FOR A PERIOD OF TIME AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. I FIRST EXPERIENCED THIS DRIVING BACK FROM ORLANDO, FL TO JACKSONVILLE, FL ON I-95. BMW DEALER COPED THE PART ($3,000.00) BUT MADE ME PAY FOR LABOR ($600.00). I WAS NOT HAPPY AS I TRULY FELT THAT THIS WAS A SAFETY ISSUE. I PUSHED, BUT WAS TOLD THAT WAS THEIR BEST OFFER SO I TOOK IT. CAR WAS OUT OF FACTORY BMW WARRANTY. *TR

WHILE DRIVING MY 2003 Z4 AT MODERATE (ABOVE 45MPH) AND HIGHER SPEEDS THE CAR BECOMES DIFFICULT TO STEER IN A STRAIGHT LINE DOWN THE ROAD. THIS DOES NOT APPEAR TO HAPPEN ON PERFECTLY SMOOTH ROADS. THIS APPEARS IN TWO WAYS. ON BUMPY ROADS, THE CAR WILL SUDDENLY JERK TO EITHER THE LEFT OR THE RIGHT AND REQUIRE AGGRESSIVE CORRECTIONS TO THE STEERING WHEEL TO KEEP THE CAR FROM VEERING OUT OF IT'S LANE. THIS SUDDEN JERKING TO THE LEFT OR THE RIGHT OCCURS WITHOUT WARNING, SO CORRECTIONS TO THE STEERING WHEEL TO KEEP THE CAR IN ITS LANE CAN NOT BE MADE UNTIL THE CAR HAS ACTUALLY JERKED ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS THE CAR HAS CROSSED THE CENTER LINE INTO THE ONCOMING LANE OR ONTO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD BEFORE I COULD REACT. DRIVING THE CAR AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS (65-70MPH) TAKES CONSTANT VIGILANCE AND REQUIRES SLOWING DOWN TO SPEEDS FAR BELOW THE SPEED LIMIT (45-50MPH) ON THE ROUGHEST OF PAVEMENT TO MAKE ME FEEL I CAN KEEP THE CAR UNDER CONTROL AND IN MY LANE. THE SECOND WAY THIS CAR IS DIFFICULT TO STEER IS WHEN THERE ARE RUTES WORN IN THE ROAD FROM HEAVY TRAFFIC. (MOST HIGHWAYS) WHEN ATTEMPTING TO CHANGE LANES, THE CAR WILL NOT MOVE TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT AS INPUT IS GIVEN TO THE STEERING WHEEL. AS MORE INPUT IS GIVEN, THE CAR WILL SUDDENLY JUMP IN THE DIRECTION OF STEERING INPUT, REQUIRING INPUT IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION TO KEEP THE CAR FROM MOVING OVER TO FAR AND CROSSING INTO A LANE NOT INTENDED. THIS DIFFICULTY IN STEERING IS DETECTABLE WHEN CHANGING LANES IS STARTED AND THE CAR DOES NOT REACT TO THE INITIAL STEERING INPUT. WITH PRACTICE, I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DEVELOP THE SKILL TO TIME MY CORRECTIVE INPUT TO THE STEERING AS THE CAR COMPLETES ITS LANE CHANGE. EVEN WITH MY GETTING USED TO THIS CONDITION, LANE CHANGES ARE NOT SMOOTH, BUT JERKY MANEUVERS INSTEAD. THIS CAR TAKES AN EXTRA ORDINARILY HIGH LEVEL OF SKILL AND ALERTNESS TO DRIVE SAFELY AT MODERATE TO HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND SEEMS OUTRIGHT DANGEROUS TO ANYONE UNAWARE OF THIS CONDITION. *TR

THE STEERING MECHANISM OFTEN BECOMES STICKY AND JERKY, MAKING THE CAR LESS PREDICTABLE TO DRIVE. IT OCCURS MOST OFTEN WITH THE TEMPERATURE ABOVE 80 DEGREES F. THIS CONDITION HAS OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY OVER THE LAST 3 YEARS. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION REGARDING THIS ISSUE WAS FOUND ON A BMW SITE: NHTSA CALLED ME TODAY! THEY ARE INVESTIGATING...BMW HAS ADVISED THEM IT IS DUE TO EXPANSION OF A GEAR IN THE STEERING COLUMN DUE TO HEAT. THEY KNOW ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND CORRECTED IT IN LATE 2006 MODELS. NOT TREATING THIS AS A SERIOUS ISSUE HOWEVER HAVE REPAIRED "UNDER WARRANTY" THOSE STILL UNDER WARRANTY AND NOT REPAIRING OTHERS WITH THE $2-3,000 REPAIR. NHTSA SAYS PROBABLY NOT GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL BASED ON FINDINGS TO DATE. THERE HAVE NOT BEEN THAT MANY COMPLAINTS TO THEM. THIS ISSUE IS NOT DRIVER OR WEAR RELATED AND SHOULD BE COVERED BY THE MANUFACTURER. TO FORCE THE CAR OWNERS TO PAY RETAIL FOR PARTS AND LABOR TO FIX A DESIGN FLAW THAT IS DANGEROUS IS WRONG. *TR

2003 BMW, Z4-CAR STARTED FINE, THEN IT SHUT OFF, TRIED TO RESTART AND WOULDN'T. HAD VEHICLE TOWED, THEY TOLD ME THERE WAS A DEFECT IN THE HEAD GASKET OF THE ENGINE. *TR

I OWN A 2003 BMW Z4 3.0. THE STEERING MECHANISM OFTEN BECOMES STICKY AND JERKY, MAKING THE CAR LESS PREDICTABLE TO DRIVE. IT OCCURS MOST OFTEN WITH THE TEMPERATURE ABOVE 80 DEGREES F. THIS CONDITION HAS OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY OVER THE LAST 3 YEARS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 BMW Z4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE WOULD PULL TO THE LEFT AND THE VEHICLE WAS DIFFICULT TO TURN. THE FAILURE WAS INTERMITTENT. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN INSPECTED BY THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 30,000. UPDATED 02/03/11*LJ UPDATED 03/17/11

2003 BMW Z4. CONSUMER STATES THAT THE POWER STEERING SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING. CONSUMER STATES THAT THE DEALERS HAVE TOLD HIM THAT THEY HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE NHTSA BULLETIN. *KB THE CONSUMER STATED PRIOR THE POWER STEERING SHUTTING OFF, THE ICON ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD. *JB

I OWN A 2003 BMW Z4 WITH 27K MILES. RECENTLY THE STEERING HAS BECOME STICKY AND DIFFICULT TO OPERATE. THE DEALER STATES THAT THE VEHICLE NEEDS A NEW STEERING COLUMN COSTING $3300. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE MANUFACTURE. *TR

IF CAR IS PARKED OUTSIDE IN THE SUN AND IT GETS HOT (AND UNTIL YOU DRIVE IT AND HAVE THE A/C ON LONG ENOUGH TO COOL OFF THE CAR) THE STEERING STICKS. IT MAKES STEERING JERKEY AND HARD TO HANDLE. IT DOES THIS EVERY TIME IT GETS HOT.

THE STEERING ON A 2003 BMW Z4 2.5I WILL "STICK" AND MUST BE MANUALLY FORCED TO ALLOW STEERING TO CONTINUE. THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED I NEARLY DROVE INTO A WALL BECAUSE I THOUGHT I JUST NEEDED MORE FORCE TO TURN THE WHEEL - HOWEVER ONCE THE WHEEL IS NO LONGER IN THE "STICKING SPOT" STEERING IS NORMAL, WHICH CAUSES OVERSTEER AND ACCIDENT POTENTIAL. *TR