2004 BMW Z4 Complaints

STEERING STICKS WHILE DRIVING. HAPPENS AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS. TAKES EFFORT TO "FREE UP THE STEERING WHEEL" VERY ANNOYING AND DANGEROUS.

WHEN DRIVING WITH AIR TEMPERATURE ABOVE 80 DEGREES THE STEERING BECOMES STICKY/NOTCHY MAKING IT DIFFICULT/DANGEROUS TO KEEP THE VEHICLE IN THE TRAVEL LANE AT ANY SPEED.

STICKING MANLY WHEN HOT OUT SIDE BUT ALSO WITH THE HEATER ON, AT HI WAY SPEEDS IT TAKES MORE EFFORT TO MAKE SMALL CORRECTIONS NEEDED TO KEEP THE CAR IN THE LANE.

PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY DETECTION MAT HAS A DEFECTIVE SENSOR. IT INDICATES THAT A CHILD'S WEIGHT IS IN THE SEAT AND THEREFORE WILL NOT PERMIT THE AIR BAG TO DEPLOY. THE FAULT CODE CAN BE RESET, THE LIGHT GOES OUT; STAYS OUT FOR WEEKS AND LIGHTS UP AT RANDOM AGAIN! CLEARING THE FAULT CODE IS BURDENSOME AND DISABLING THE AIR BAG INAPPROPRIATELY IS A SAFETY DEFECT.

IN THE SPRING OF 2018 THE POWER STEERING STARTED TO FAIL BECOMING STUCK, NOTCHY AND QUICKLY TERRIFYING TO DRIVE. THE LACK OF RESPONSE, OVER CORRECTION ONCE ENGAGED, OVERALL JUMPINESS AND UNPREDICTABILITY CAUSED ME TO STOP HIGHWAY DRIVING IMMEDIATELY. NON HIGHWAY DRIVING CEASED WITHIN DAYS FOR THE SAME REASONS AND IT HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP SINCE WAITING FOR A USED STEERING COLUMN TO BECOME AVAILABLE FOR $800 INSTEAD OF $3500 PLUS INSTALL. I BOUGHT THE CAR IN 2011 WITH 110,000 MILES AND IT FAILED AT 130,000. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THE ENGINE SHOULD BE GOOD FOR ANOTHER 100,000 EASILY. THIS STEERING FAILURE APPEARS TO BE COMMON IN THIS CAR WITH MANY GARAGE KEPT LOW MILEAGE CARS YET TO BE IMPACTED.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BMW Z4. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED. THE STEERING UNLOCKED ON ITS OWN AFTER FIFTEEN MINUTES OF DRIVING. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED FROM AN INDIVIDUAL BACK IN APRIL OF 2018 AND THE FAILURE OCCURRED EVER SINCE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO BMW OF CHATTANOOGA (6806 E BRAINERD ROAD, CHATTANOOGA, TN 37421) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING COLUMN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.

TAKATA RECALL.....STEERING NOTCHES AND LOCKS....UNSAFE TO DRIVE....WHEN CAR IS IS IN WARM WEATHER THE STEERING IS VERY STICKY

MY 2004 BMW Z4 WITH FEWER THAN 50,000 ACCUMMULATED MILES HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING SIGNIFICANT "STICKING/DEDENT" STEERING PROBLEMS UNDER HIGHWAY DRIVING CONDITIONS THAT RESULT IN UNSAFE STEERING RESPONSIVENESS. THIS PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE COMMON TO US AND EUROPEAN BMW Z4 MODEL YEARS 2003 THROUGH 2005 AND HAS BEEN EXTENSIVELY REPORTED ON THE INTERNET AND TO BMW ITSELF. BMW TECHNICIANS HAVE INDICATED THAT THE PROBLEM CAN RENDER A VEHICLE "UNSAFE TO DRIVE" AND HAVE FURTHER INDICATED THAT THE PROBLEM CAN ONLY BE CORRECTED BY REPLACING THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING UNIT AT A COST OF SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLARS. THE PREVALENCE OF THIS IDENTICAL PROBLEM IN HUNDREDS, IF NOT THOUSANDS OF BMW Z4S CLEARLY POINTS TO AN ENGINEERING DESIGN FLAW. EVEN SO, BMW REFUSES TO TAKE RESPOSIBILITY FOR THIS PROBLEM AND HAVE REJECTED ANY ASSISTANCE TO BMW Z4 OWNERS WHO HAVE SOUGHT SUCH ASSISTANCE. CONSIDERING THE SIGNIFICANT NEGATIVE IMPACT THAT THIS STEERING CONTROL PROBLEM MAY HAVE ON SAFE VEHICLE OPERATION, THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD BE FORCED TO UNDERTAKE A RECALL OF ALL THE VEHICLES AFFECTED BY THIS MANUFACTURING DEFECT.

THE ELECTRIC STEERING IS NOTCHY- IT SEEMS TO FIXATE IN THE CENTER AND GETS HARD TO STEER FROM THE CENTER POSITION. IT HAPPENS MOSTLY WHEN WE ARE ON THE OPEN ROAD GOING OVER 35 MILES PER HOUR. IT SEEMS TO GET STUCK IN THE MIDDLE- AND YOU GET THE FEELING THAT IT IS STUCK THERE. IT IS HARD TO MOVE THE STEERING WHEEL AWAY FROM THE CENTER WHICH RESULTS IN OVER STEER AND OVER CORRECTION. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE SEWICKLEY PA BMW DEALER AND THEY SAID THERE IS NOTHING WRONG BUT IT SEEMS TO BE GETTING WORSE. THE CAR ONLY HAS 60,000 MILES ON IT. IT IS HARD TO KEEP THE WHEEL STRAIGHT WHEN THIS HAPPENS AND I HAVE READ ONLINE THAT OTHERS HAVE ALSO HAD THIS PROBLEM.

ELECTRICALLY ASSISTED STEERING IS VERY SLUGGISH WHEN THE AIR TEMPERATURE IS ABOVE 80 DEGREES. 2011 AND 2012 MODELS HAVE GOT THE SAME PROBLEM AND THEY HAVE A RECALL FOR THAT ISSUE