The steering in the 2003 BMW Z4 is extremely notchy, or sticky. The issue is considerably worse on warmer days, however, it is not limited to only happening in warm weather. Recently, the steering has become much worse, almost locking in place while turning. Even while attempting to make minor corrections in steering due to curves in the road, the wheel will lock up and then jerk the car violently when it does allow the correction to be made. It is only a matter of time before this issue causes a fatality. BMW has denied any issue or recall and has refused to comment regarding others' complaints of the same problem.

- Covington, LA, USA

Power steering seems to be sticking at higher speeds, 45 and above on my 2003 Z4. Car only has 42000 miles, its new to me.

- Westbrook, ME, USA

I am having a problem with the steering on my 2003 BMW Z4. I constantly must keep the steering wheel centered as it sticks to one side then the other as I drive. It wants to go right or left and I need to try to keep it going straight.

- Watertown, NY, USA

Sometimes when I go over a depression or rough area in the road the car will veer into the other lane. (cross the center line) I also feel the steering wheel sticking. You can turn the wheel to left or right and the car will continue in that direction even when there is no pressure on the wheel?

- Antlers, OK, USA

The contact owns a 2003 BMW Z4. The contact stated that when driving at speeds above 60 mph or when driving in high temperatures above 80 degrees the power steering would fail, making it difficult to steer. The dealer did not offer any assistance. The manufacturer was aware of the failure. No repairs were performed. The approximate failure mileage was 10,000. The current mileage was 43,000. Updated 8/29/11 the consumer also stated the traction control light would illuminate. Updated 09/26/11

- Wallace, ID, USA

Sticky steering wheel on 2003 BMW Z4. Feels as if its hard to change directions when the car is warmed up or when it has been sitting in the sun. Its almost like a magnetic resistance. The force required to turn the wheel is 3-4X normal and is intermittent so it is a major safety problem imo. If you are in a corner and don't expect it, it can be quite hard to change directions on the wheel, and possibly can overcorrect.

- Niskayuna, NY, USA

My 2003 BMW Z4 automobile has the same problem as numerous other owners of this vehicle have. The steering mechanism "sticks or partially locks when driving. On occasion it tends to pull to the left at most speeds causing concern regarding highway driving. There are numerous examples of the exact same problem from other 2003 Z4 owners. In some case there were close calls in averting head on crashes when driving on two lane highways due to the steering pull to the left side. This seems to be a problem unique to the 2003 Z4 series which has electronic steering. It apparently gets worse with time. My Z4 has less than 21,000 miles.

- Pewaukee, WI, USA

My son and I purchased a used 2003 BMW Z4 with only 57,000 miles on it. It had a slight pull to the right so we decided to have an alignment done. The BMW dealership that we took it to said that the alignment was ok and that the electric steering motor was probably going bad. They wanted $ $3,500 to repair it. Since the pulling to the right was very slight I asked if the car was safe to drive since it my son that will driving the car. They said that the car was safe to drive. After arriving home we did some research and found that this was a common problem with these cars. I called the dealership and spoke with our service adviser and he acted like he was totally unaware of it being a problem and again assured us that the car was safe. On the way home form work my son was driving at highway speeds and had a loss of power steering. The steering had a dead spot at the center position. I then did more research and found that there is an investigation on these cars for the same problem my son is having with his car. I talked to other independent repair shops and they won't even get involved in repairing this because the cars still have problems after being repaired. I then called the BMW dealership and asked him if the problem has been solved or are they just installing a new part that is the same as the old part and will fail again. He said he would get back to me. And surprise he has not. We would not mind so much as to spend $3500 to have a potentially deadly problem fixed, but to just have the same problem again it truly unfair. Something needs to be done about this. I have found out that they no longer use this type of steering system. I assume that they just want this problem to go away as the cars get older and sold to people like us with no warranty. Original owners probably know of the problem and won't mention the problem so not to hurt resale value.

- York Haven , PA, USA

2003 BMW 2.5L Z4 steering locks and requires excessive force to move wheel while driving. Problem appears to be worse on hot days. No corrective action to date.

- Mobile, AL, USA

2003 BMW Z4 sticky steering. When I drive my 2003 BMW Z4 during warm weather, the steering wheel sticks. It is hard to turn the steering wheel. This leads to very dangerous driving conditions. It is sometimes hard to turn the steering wheel, as it feels like it is sticky/stuck.

- York, PA, USA

The steering begins to feel sticky. It is hard to make steering corrections during normal driving without jerking the wheel either left of right. This appears to happen most often during warm weather. I noticed it last night during the cool of the evening, however. It was under 60 degrees at the time.

- Rochester, WA, USA

I own a 2003 BMW Z4 that is in excellent condition with has 27,000 miles on it and that I"ve have had since it was new. The car has never driven in winter and kept in a heated garage. I just got the car back from BMW service and repair. When the car was new, every once and a while the steering would get sticky or notchy, and extra force would have to be used to break the steering wheel loose and turn the wheel. It was very intermittent and happened very infrequently when new; however, the last year or so it has gotten much worse and happens whenever the car is driven. I recently took it to a dealer for repair and got it back yesterday. The dealer replaced part of the steering column at a cost of over $3,000. It seems to have corrected the problem. I called BMW customer service to see if they would do something and assist with the repair cost and they basically gave me the finger because the car is out of warranty. From reading on-line there is definitely a problem with the steering on these cars, otherwise so many people would not be complaining about the same thing. I don?T understand why BMW won?T admit there is a problem with the steering on these cars and step up to plate when it comes to the repair" these are not inexpensive Kia!!! BMW is really hurting their customer relations with the individuals who own these cars. I know that this incident has damaged their reputation with me. My wife owns a Ford edge and we were thinking of replacing it with a new X3 next spring. Well guess what!!!!

- Oswego, NY, USA

The contact owns a 2003 BMW Z4. While the contact was driving approximately 65 mph, the steering wheel locked temporarily without any prior warning. The intermittent failure would occur at various speeds whenever the vehicle was in operation. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnosis and repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 10. The VIN was unavailable.

- Oswego , NY, USA

The steering wheel on my car sticks and does not return when I turn a corner. This also happens when I am going straight and try to correct a little bit. If I were to turn the wheel a couple of degrees and let go of the wheel the car would go right into oncoming traffic or go off the road. Warmer temperatures seem to make the problem worse.

- East Northport, NY, USA

2003 BMW Z4 erratic steering when driving. The steering control fluctuates between easy and more difficult in required effort to move wheel.

- Columbia, MO, USA

Driving my 2003 BMW Z4 on a warm day and the steering locked up like it was sticky. Almost hit someone it occurs on any warm temp days and any speed I paid to have the software updated and it didn't help. My BMW repair shop thinks it the steering column. Has heard of this problem before.

- Clarkston , MI, USA

The contact owns a 2003 BMW Z4. The contact was driving 45 mph when the steering wheel became stiff and locked abnormally. The contact would have to allow the vehicle to cool off before the steering would reset itself. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis ut the technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 38,000.

- Sherman, CT, USA

Sticky steering and difficulty maintaining steering when the vehicle has been sitting in the sun parked for several hours. This happens every time these conditions occur ie. Afternoon commute. The feeling is unnerving makes you afraid you will hit someone or something if you do not fight back against the wheel.

- Wilmington, NC, USA

Steering becomes sticky or unresponsive while driving. This especially occurs when the outside temperatures are hot (+75' F). When the condition occurs extra effort is required to correct the problem.

- Fredericksburg, VA, USA

Power steering on 2003 BMW Z4 3.01I is "twitchy" / non-responsive at center point causing handling problems for the car. This non-responsive power steering on 2003 BMW Z4 contributed to a failure to steer around road debris which damaged the vehicle.

- Indianapolis, IN, USA