This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
I purchased a 2004 BMW Z4 convertible 2 months ago. For the first month, the car drove perfectly. The last month, the car has become undriveable due to a "sticky steering wheel" and the steering wheel locking (the steering wheel will not move). I have taken it to 2 separate dealerships and they have told me that the steering column needs to be replaced. The car is quite dangerous to drive at the moment and after reading about this issue online, it appears to be an issue in which a factory recall was set to be released.
When driving the vehicle the steering constantly gets stuck on the left side and you have to straighten the car by pulling the wheel firmly to the right causing over correction. You have to constantly fight the steering wheel to keep the vehicle straight. Very dangerous and irritating.
The contact owns a 2004 BMW Z4. The contact stated that the steering wheel was unstable while driving. The failure occurred intermittently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 125,000.
Steering got sticky in a middle of a 90 degree turn nearly resulting in a crash as power steering motor failed temporarily. We understand this is a common problem for this particular BMW vehicle, especially on hot days. Today it was around 85 degrees F. we have owned the car for 5 months and this is the first time this problem occurred, likely because this is the hottest day since the day we bought it in September of last year. We understand that BMW has received almost 50,000 complaints related to this issue and we also understand that NHTSA has seen it fit to close their investigation. We are baffled by this decision as steering problems can be fatal and obviously the defect lies in the manufacturing process and should be corrected by BMW before fatalities start to occur.
Steering is sticky, meaning extra energy is needed to steer the car at speeds above 35 mph. The vehicle will not track down the high way in a normal manner...
The contact owns a 2004 BMW Z4. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 mph, the steering wheel locked without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician stated that the steering column should be replaced, however, the repairs should not be considered a permanent fix since the failure occurs during warm weather conditions. The failure recurred on various occasions. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 68,000. The VIN was not available.
On warm days, vehicle steering is sticky, hard to turn. Feels like lose of power steering. Vehicle also pulls either right or left depending on last movement. Hard to steer back to center. Upon further research, problem has been found to be the steering wheel column, but no action or recall has been taken. It needs to be recalled.
The vehicle steering developed a sticky area that was very hard to get past. The steering was very hard to turn to avoid an accident. It continued and I slowed so another accident does not occur. The problem has continued at low speeds, but not as bad. I just got the car and was driving home.
The steering has a hesitation. I have noticed it this summer around town, thinking the steering is just very tight since it is a sports car. BMW did some rebuilding of the front end last fall and there was no issue in the steering at that time. On 9/06/14 I realized at highway speed I was pushing hard occasionally in a curve to activate the steering. BMW gave the diagnosis on 9/24/14 that the steering column/electric motor R&R program eps (steering unit) -all, for an estimated fee of $3551.63. So BMW tells me they are sorry this has happened to my car and they offer me no assistance through the BMW company. I am not ready to pay this expense at this point. If the problem gets worse or to the point I fear for my safety, then I will have a repair made, at least at this point, I know I need to be prepared for hard steering on occasion.
The steering on this vehicle seems to stick at times and you have to jerk it back to center to keep it in line on the road. Once it starts, it happens all the time. I am real concerned about the safety of driving since it is hard sometimes to jerk it back in line or straight. This has been happening for many months now and I am very concerned and don't drive it as much now.
The contact owns a 2004 BMW Z4. While driving approximately 45 mph, the steering wheel seized without warning. The failure occurred several times. The dealer determined that the vehicle experienced an electrical failure. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000. Updated 10/07/14 updated 3/23/2015
Steering sticks when temperature is warm. When driving have to pull steering back to center when steering either left or right. Usually occurs once temp is above 75 degrees. Difficult to keep car on road, have had multiple instances when almost went off the road. Extremely dangerous and have limited my driving of this vehicle due to the danger.
While driving my car I lost control of the power steering and it felt like my steering locked. I was able to pull over to the side of the road. I turned off the car and waited a bit after checking under the hood to see that I had good power steering fluid and the belts were good. I turned on the car again and still had no power steering. Since I was not far from home I carefully drove home fighting my steering all the way. I called my local BMW dealer the following day and they said they were aware of the issue and the repair was extremely costly. I did not realize how aware they were until I further researched the issue on the internet and was totally shocked to see hundreds of complaints concerning the same exact issue. Complaints that have been going on for years. I saw reports of multiple accidents. I can not believe that a recall was never issued on this item. It is absolutely mind boggling that such a defect is left to the consumer to pay when it is clearly a manufacturer's defect. Does a death have to incur for a recall" aren't preventative measures just as important from the NHTSA to help avoid future accidents and possible injuries"
The steering wheel "sticks" at various and unpredictable times. It will stick and resist going into a curve, then hold the car in the curve and need to be unstuck to bring the car out of the curve. The sticking is not exaggerated or impossible to correct, but some small amount of pressure is required to unstick the wheel from its directional course. Because it happens at unpredictable times it is unsettling and feels very unsafe on curves or when making lane changes. I've brought the problem to the attention of the BMW dealership on several occasions but they claimed they couldn't duplicate the problem on several visits. On the most recent visit the dealership conceded the faulty steering column, but argues that the age of the vehicle makes it ineligible for warranty coverage. I believe that faulty steering columns are a documented problem on Z4 roadsters from 2003 - 2005. The car currently has 22,500 miles on it. Classifying the problem as resulting from age or wear is irresponsible. The steering column was designed or manufactured with this fault, and BMW should correct the problem at its expense before needing to record accidents or injuries.
On days over 75 degrees F, during highway driving, if I turn the steering wheel slightly and release it, steering does not return to top dead center. Instead, the Z4 continues to turn on it's own until I steer the car back to a straight line. The steering wheel does not return to the straight-ahead position when I release it. A great deal of strength is required to steer at all when this happens. Power assist does not seem to work over 75F and the steering feel is notchy. On cool days, the steering is fine. This steering failure has been going on for several years, it is getting worse and is no longer safe. The dealer is not helpful. It is a us car and I live in Canada. I thought you would want to know because there is a lot of discussion about this in forums. The cars are not safe to drive on hot days. Interim solution is: Don't drive my Z4 roadster on hot days?! so much for the ultimate driving machine.
In warm weather has a sticky steering problem as it seems to stick when you try and turn the wheel. And than releases with pressure and than you over steer. Have seen many people having same problem. Only time before this causes and accident.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Richmond, WA, USA