2004 BMW Z4 Complaints

2004 BMX Z4, STEERING BECAME UNRESPONSIVE WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. OVER CORRECTION TO REGAIN CONTROL NARROWLY AVOIDING TRAFFIC AND CENTER DIVIDER. AT SLOWER SPEEDS IT FELT LIKE THERE WAS NO STEERING FLUID IN CAR. VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN. BMW DEALER HAD REPLACEMENT STEERING COLUMN IN STOCK IT TOOK 2 DAYS TO REPLACE AT A COST OF $2942.02. *TR

THE POWER STEERING ON MY 2004 BMW Z4 PERIODICALLY BECOMES VERY FIRM WHILE DRIVING, MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO SMOOTHLY MAKE MINOR CORRECTIONS TO THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL. ONE TIME IT WAS SO SEVERE THAT IN THE RAIN I ENDED UP BRIEFLY LOOSING CONTROL OF THE CAR. THANKFULLY I MANAGED TO REGAIN CONTROL WITHOUT HITTING ANYTHING OR ANY ONE. MY PARTNER AND I HAVE SINCE BEEN VERY ATTENTIVE TO THE STEERING IN THIS CAR AND HAVE NOTICED MANY ANOMALIES, ESPECIALLY IN HIGH TEMPERATURES. REPEATED INQUIRES AT THE DEALERSHIP -- INCLUDING TEST DRIVES -- HAVE TURNED UP NO IDENTIFIED PROBLEMS AS FAR AS BMW IS CONCERNED. *TR

I HAVE A BMW Z4 2004 WITH 24000 MILES. THE CAR HAS A SERIOUS STEERING PROBLEM SO I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE IT. THIS CAR WILL NOT STEER STRAIGT AND WONDERS ALL OVER THE ROAD. I TOOK THE CAR TO BMW DEALER AND THEY WANTED $2500. TO LOOK AT IT. *TR

I OWN A BMW Z4 AND RECENTLY HEARD THE NEWS OF POSSIBLE STEERING PROBLEMS. I AM EXPERIENCING THESE PROBLEMS NOW. MY CAR HAS 26000 MILES AND THE STEERING SEEMS TO STICK AND RELEASE AS I TURN THROUGH GRADUAL TURNS. THE FEELING IS VERY NOTICEABLE. *TR

I AM STUCK WITH A 2004 Z4 WITH THE STICKY STEERING SYNDROME. AFTER IT IS WARMED UP THE STEERING STICKS IN POSITION AND IS DIFFICULT TO MOVE FROM POINT TO POINT. WE HAD BEEN DRIVING FOR 50 OR 60 MILES WITH THE TOP DOWN AND THE HEATER ON SO THE ENGINE WAS WARMED UP. THAT IS WHEN THE ISSUE FIRST APPEARED AND WE ALMOST HAD A HEAD ON ACCIDENT ON HIGHWAY 101 SOUTH OF CANNON BEACH, OREGON. THE SYNDROME SEEMS TO APPEAR ONLY AFTER THE CAR IS WARMED UP. WE BOUGHT THE Z4 ONE YEAR AGO AT ABOUT 37000 MILES AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 42667. BMW REGIONAL MANAGEMENT HAS DECIDED NOT TO SUPPORT ANY REDUCTION OF THEIR $3259.00 CHARGE TO REPLACE THE STEERING MECHANISM WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THE STICKY STEERING SYNDROME IS WELL KNOWN AS A SAFETY HAZARD ON THE NHTSA SITE AND ELSEWHERE ON THE WEB YET NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE ABOUT IT TO THIS DATE. THIS LOOKS LIKE ANOTHER TOYOTA LIKE SAFETY ISSUE. IS THE NHTSA LISTENING OR DOES SOMEONE NEED TO DIE BEFORE A RECALL IS ISSUED? *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BMW Z4. WHILE TRAVELING AT SPEEDS OF 25 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO STEER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE RACK AND PINION WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THERE WERE NO PRIOR WARNINGS. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 32,000.

AFTER THE CAR SITS IN THE HOT SUN (ANYWHERE ABOVE 75 DEGREES) THE STEERING STARTS BINDING/LOCKING UP AT ALL SPEEDS. ALTHOUGH IT SEEMS TO BE WORSE WHEN DRIVING AT HWY SPEEDS. WHEN DRIVING AROUND A SLIGHT CURVE THE STEERING DOES NOT RETURN TO CENTER AS IT SHOULD NOR IS IT EASY TO GET THE CAR TO STRAIGHTEN BACK OUT. I HAVE TO FORCE IT BACK TO CENTER WHICH USUALLY ENDS UP CAUSING ME TO OVER CORRECT AND MOVE CLOSE TO OR IN THE OTHER LANE. I FIRST NOTICED THE PROBLEM LAST SUMMER, BUT SINCE I ONLY DRIVE THE CAR ON WEEKENDS I DIDN'T PAY MUCH ATTENTION TO IT LAST SUMMER. IT WAS FINE DURING THE WINTER, BUT GOT SIGNIFICANTLY WORSE WHEN IT GOT WARM THIS YEAR. I TOOK MY CAR TO BMW OF NASHVILLE AND WAS TOLD THAT THE PROBLEM WAS THE STEERING COLUMN AND THAT IT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. (I'M CURRENTLY WAITING ON THE REPLACEMENT COLUMN TO COME IN AND BE REPLACED) AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH ABOUT THE PROBLEM I'VE FOUND THAT THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF OTHER Z4 OWNERS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM AND BMWNA HAS NOT ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM. I CONTACTED BMWNA MYSELF AND ALTHOUGH THEY DIDN'T ACKNOWLEDGE THERE WAS A PROBLEM, THEY DID OFFER ME A 10% DISCOUNT ON THE $3900.00 REPAIR. I BELIEVE THIS IS A FACTORY DEFECT IN THE CAR AND THAT THEY ALL SHOULD BE RECALLED BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED IF THERE HAVEN'T ALREADY BEEN FATAL ACCIDENTS. *TR

I RECENTLY PURCHASED THE Z4 USED WITH ~60K MILES. AS THE WEATHER HAS WARMED UP IN NJ RECENTLY I HAVE NOTICED THE STEERING BECOME STICKY. THE WARMER IT IS THE MORE PREVALENT THE PROBLEM. WHEN THE STEERING LOCKS IT IS NECESSARY TO JERK THE WHEEL TO BREAK THE LOCK RESULTING IN AN OVER CORRECTION. IT IS DIFFICULT TO KEEP THE CAR CENTERED IN THE LANE AND I'M WORRIED THIS WILL RESULT IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. *TR

IN WARM WEATHER (> 75 DEGS F)STEERING BECOMES STIFF. DIFFICULT TO KEEP CAR ON STRAIGHT TRACK. STEERING WILL NOT SELF-CENTER. SAFETY CONCERN AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. *TR

MY VEHICLE IS A BMW Z4, 2004 APPROX. 43,000 MILES. AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, ONLY OCCASIONALLY AT LOWER SPEED, THE STEERING BINDS WHEN I ATTEMPT TO TURN INTO ANOTHER LANE. THE DEGREE OF BINDING VARIES, I HAVE NOT ENCOUNTERED A POSITIVE LOCK; I ALWAYS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FORCE THE STEERING FREE TO EXECUTE THE TURN. THE INCIDENT DATE IS MERELY THE MOST RECENT. *TR