Problems with 2003 BMW Z4 STEERING

Over the past couple years i've noticed sticky steering but am just reporting now. at most speeds i've had the steering stick and not return to neutral. often needing to react or overcorrect. i've noticed an increase in occurrence and severity the warmer the ambient temp is. when steering around a curve the steering wheel doesn't want to come back to neutral without corrective action. this afternoon the ambient temp was about 90f and with occured at every movement of the steering wheel. i fear that this is going to be the cause of an accident and really takes away from the enjoyment of driving this car. i've read many complaints on this site and all over the internet describing the same issue. other reports i've read state that the dealers recommended repair is replacement of the entire steering column at a cost of $3000-$4000.

Rigid steering with over correction, usually during warm weather. if going at highway/freeway speed, easy to loose control and may cause major injury. experienced this today driving speed limit of 70 mph and decided to sound off. i hope bmw is not waiting to address this problem until something like this happens. many other owners of same model car, and possibly all, are having the same problem but not complaining. it took today's experience for me to write.

On warm days the steering at higher speed gets hard to steer ; to the point of being unsteady. at lower speeds and cooler temps the hard steering can bs handled but is still troublesome. need someone to talk to bmw.

I experience sudden jerks to the left, ot to the right when the road surface is sleghtingly uneven. i can never predict which way the car pulls me. i struggle a lot to keep the steering centered when stopping at any red light. also make a weird sound when a try to turn right

Sticky steering which was diagnosed as caused by a poorly designed bearing in the steering column estimated cost of repair $3500. a wide spread problem dangerous especially at high speed. power assist is electrical on steering.

Steering gets stick and its hard to turn while driving

Sticky steering issue. known issue among countless other bmw z4 owners. presents considerable danger as steering will jerk either left or right for no apparent reason and without warning. unbelievable that no recall exists for this known defect as it clearly puts drivers and those around them in constant danger.

Car is hard to steer when driving and bmw knows this issue, car is not safe to drive

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 bmw z4. while driving between 4 to 40 mph, the steering lost power without warning. the contact stated that the same failure was experienced several years ago. at that time, the vehicle was taken to kelly bmw (614-471-2277, located at 4050 morse rd, columbus, oh 43230) and repaired. the contact was not informed about the cause of the failure. the dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the recent failure. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired again. the failure mileage was 145,000. *tt consumer stated dealer and manufacture made aware of recent failure. 01/03/19. dealer made repairs at consumers cost 1/11/19. eps steering column was replaced. *jb

On july 2018 bmw issued an important limited warranty information notice related to this vehicle. bmw would cover repairs to the front passenger seat occupancy for the srs/air bag system. unfortunately this warranty repair will not cover my vehicle because the 15 year period does not include my vehicle that was put into service in january 2003. i believe that bmw should cover any 2003 bmw z4 rather than cutting off those made in the prior 6 months. bmw refuses to cover. the other concern i have relates to the servo motor/electronic steering control unit. recently this failed and i note that other bmws have had this problem too. i believe your agency should determine whether or not this warrants a recall too. it is very dangerous to be driving and the power steering ceases to function. people will be killed. in my case the vehicle had been in the shop for unrelated repairs and when i picked it up the power steering was out. the shop had noticed the steering seemed tight and told me the unit needed to be replaced at a cost of $4,000. i was able to drive the vehicle home without incident. i had the battery replaced and the steering is back to normal. research on the web indicated this is something that has happened with numerous other bmws.

Car suffers from sticky steering making is so you feel like your incapable of doing smooth lane changes.

Since purchasing the car new in 2003, and since, the steering get very "tight" or "sticky" making the car almost undrivable. in hpot weather if is worse. it becomes very hard to steer the car as it requires extra effort to keep it straight or turn the wheel slightly to stay in a lane or turn. there are thousands of comments on the internet and bmw sites with this known problem with the bmw z4s.

The steering wheel gets stuck while driving

My 2003 bmw z4 has very tight steering when driving on the freeway at 65 mph, and i notice the problem is more common on warmer days. last week as i was driving on a warm day, i noticed i had to repeatedly put significant effort in order to turn the steering wheel on a turn on the freeway, as the steering wheel kept sticking. whenever i've applied this significant effort to get around this issue, the steering unsticks and then turns too much. on that day, i was very close to hitting the car in the lane next to me, causing the car next to me to swerve a bit as well to avoid me. it wasn't the first time that this happened to me with this car, and it was incredibly dangerous. i took it to a repair shop and they said it's a very common issue with this car and the entire steering column would have to be replaced. i believe bmw, which prides itself in the quality of it's vehicles, should take the initiative to resolve this issue, as it's a huge safety concern for drivers of this vehicle. just by doing a simple google search, it's very apparent that this is a common issue with early year z4's.

Steering wheel is very stiff and jerky and does not want to return to center. making it difficult to control the vehicle. this only happens on hot days above 80 f, especially if the car is parked in the sun for a few hours.

I have owned this car since 2003. when the weather warms up, the steering gets stiff and jerky. this car has quick steering and making it jerky increases the risk of running into something or somebody. i have always known this to be a problem and mentioned it to the dealer when the car was under warranty with no help. as the years have gone by, the problem has gotten worse. we had a warm day over the weekend and i took the car to work. when leaving, the car felt downright dangerous during the first few miles of driving on a warm day, the steering wheel feels stiff like the power steering isn't working. when you apply more steering force, the steering suddenly jerks quickly and you feel like you are out of control with the car, you oversteer.

When turning at low speeds, like into parking spots, the steering will lock up, cut power to head lights, radio. this is intermittent. first started at 70k miles, now at 90k miles the steering column is pretty much dead. also after these hiccups happen my car wont turn over when i try to start it up. i wait a couple minutes and it'll start up then . stay away from this car or any early model bmw with electric power steering. bmw also doesn't want to own up to their lack of engineering and recall this total pile of crap...tisk..tisk.

2003 bmw z4 steering i experience sudden jerks in the steering wheel, more so at higher speeds, around 60mph and above.the jerks are unpredictable and can be either to the right or the left. it makes the car really unsafe to be driven at these higher speeds! i believe this is a known problem by bmw and should be a recall issued to correct it! from what i understand it requires a complete steering column replacement and is very costly. bmw should step up and cover this very dangerous steering situation.

Since owning the car in florida i notice that the steering will get sticky when left i the sun on hot days.with out using a sun shield in the wind screen. i took it in several times and the dealer said they could not find a problem now a steering light came on and they are telling me that it needs a column costing $5000.

2003 bmw z4 steering is binding up and difficult to steer. problem gets worse as the temp increases. numerous online complaints and no recall. why? bmw will do nothing , not even a cost replacement of the steering column which seems to fix the issue.

Vehicle stalls when attempting to move from a stopped position. stalls at or in trying to move through intersections

Steering jerks to the left or right while driving on city street or on hi way.

I have steering problem on my 2003 bmw z4 2.5i. i bought it only a year ago on may 2018 with 58,000 miles on it. drove only several thousand miles and started getting the steering problem. it keeps pulling either to the left or to the right. i constantly struggle to make steering adjustments so i can drive straight. sometimes the steering feels like it is stuck. i already spent several hundred dollars replacing the front end suspension but it did not fix the steering problem. i searched online and found many others having the same issue in the following blog: - http://www.bmwcoop.com/2010/07/06/steering-problems-for-bmw-z4-in-the-u-s/ is there a recall in the works to fix this problem? thank you, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

At 3844 miles in december 2017 i brought my vehicle for standard service at the bmw dealership where i bought it and i mentioned that the steering at times was sticking and it would take force to get it out of the locked position while driving. it was of serious concern. the bmw service consultant told me that it was a steering column problem and required replacement at $5,200. with only 3,844 miles on the vehicle i couldn't understand how it could happen. i am filing an official complaint and believe this should be a recall. the dealer charged me $1,911.96 to replace sensors and faulty steering angle sensor. after the repair there was no difference with the sticking steering problem.

Takata recall as i was driving back home on highway the steering was stiff or hard, it makes it hard to steer to different road or a exit but when im diving on low speed uber 20mph it see like no problems. this is really dangerous for me and my family and i see many, many people also have thee same problem.

Garbage! only way to describe the steering issue on my z4. from tje unsealed bearing in the sterring colunn to the un- high performance engineering for tje overall steering system for the entire car. waste of time and money putting power assiat steering on this little short car anyway... hence why its not on the m series. my grandfather's 1965 truck ran truer than this death trap. its a shame to have a great car and screw it up with the control of the vehicle, tje most important part😤😡😠. car darts all over the road, constant corrections with public safety in jeopardy. this is a travesty in deed!!

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 bmw z4 roadster. while driving at any speed on hot days and when the heater was activated, the steering would become stuck without warning. when the steering wheel was turned, it would not return to the center position. the dealer (bmw of charlottesville in charlottesville, va, 434-270-8664) and the technician stated that the failure was a known issue. the technician stated that there was no recall. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure was not diagnosed. the failure mileage was approximately 37,000.

At highway speeds on warm days (80 or above) the steering does not return to the neutral position when small adjustments are made. the steering feels "sticky" or "notched" requiring the driver to re position the steering wheel to stay on the road. tire pressures are in spec as is the alignment.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 bmw z4. when the outside temperature was above 80 degrees, the steering wheel seized on several occasions. when the failure occurred, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed; however, the mechanic was unable to retrieve a fault code. the dealer (the bmw store, 6131 stewart rd, cincinnati, oh 45227, (513) 271-8700) was contacted and an appointment was scheduled for diagnostic testing and repairs. the manufacturer was not contacted. the approximate failure mileage was 42,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 bmw z4. while driving at any speed in hot weather, approximately 85 degrees and over, the steering wheel failed to turn. when it finally turned, it jerked without warning. the failure recurred several times. the vehicle was taken to luxury imports of bowling green (325 three springs rd, bowling green, ky 42104, 270-745-0001) where it was diagnosed that a new battery was needed for the electric steering. the technician replaced the battery, but the failure recurred. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that there was no recall. the failure was not repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 21,000.

At low speeds (under 20mph) steering is very light and smooth, no issues at all. as speed increases, the steering gets heavier (as it should) but develops a "detent" at straight center. the faster the speed, the more effort needed to overcome the detent resistance, to the point that it becomes easy to oversteer the car. this can be real scary during avoidance maneuvers and quick lane changes.

Steering seems randomly unresponsive. you turn steering wheel an there is a lag. feels like i dont always have control of my car.

Steering is too unstable on straight driving. a sudden pull to the right/left and steering is not centering. steering is stiff and hard to control.

Steering wheel sticks when the ambient temperature gets above 80 degrees. the steering wheel gets hard to turn and turn back straight. this happens when the vehicle is moving at speeds higher them 10 mph. the vehicle become unsafe to drive. *tr

Sticky steering when it is hot weather. it is hard to steer and will not straighten up. constant steering problem especially in hot weather. there are several complaints about this problem. please issue a recall this is a dangerous problem.

Takata recall. i'm having problems with my bmw z4 2003 the steering wheel is getting notchy and sometimes it gets stuck in the left or right position. i replaced the steering column and it still doing the same thing. need help.

When driving the steering is sticky especially when it is hot out. it is hard to keep the car straight without constantly moving the wheel right and left and you can feel the gap in the move. you feel a skip in the move. it makes it feel like the car is going to jump to far right or left. it has been doing this the last 3 years i have owned the car. my tires are new and well balanced so it is not the tires. it did this with the old tires and now continues to do it. you are welcome to come and drive it. this happens when in motion and trying to drive straight ahead. when making a reasonable turn it is fine.

The steering sticks often on the open highway forcing me to overcompensate to steer the car. constantly fighting the steering wheel to adjust the direction the car if going. noticed the problem during warm/hot temperatures outside. unsafe condition and very uncomfortable driving the car. condition causing the problem is unknown.

My name is [xxx] , i just recently own a 2003 bmw z4. it is about 65k clean title. i have just notice something is wrong with the steering. i researched this on multiple forums and it appears that there are numerous examples of similar problems. most relate to issues in hot temperatures and to speed. problem was very noticeable last evening at 70 degrees. here are the symptoms... at low speeds (under 20mph) steering is very light and smooth, no issues at all. as speed increases, the steering gets heavier (as it should) but develops a "detent" at straight center. the faster the speed, the more effort needed to overcome the detent resistance, to the point that it becomes easy to oversteer the car. this can be real scary during avoidance maneuvers and quick lane changes. the hot weather just makes it worse. from what i know from research, the way to fix this is do replace the whole steering column. i m sincere asking for help. i can't afford to have it change on my own when is it more like bmw' engineer problems. i hope you guys can do something about it before it get too serious. thanks in advance. please call or contact me through my email at [xxx] or my numbers at [xxx]. (best to call me) information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Steering gets "stuck" while driving. feels like your in a rut. 35k on the vehicle and the bmw dealer said the steering column must be replaced for $4538.41. i read on the internet the issues with the steering column issues for cars 2003-2005. many have the same issues and bmw had no recalls on the cars. it is a safety issue to drive the cars. i know there have been many other complaints filed with nhsta and wondering what was done with the issue. i only drive 1500 miles per year and it started late last summer and is now undriveable because of safety issues.

Since purchasing this car 2 yrs ago. the steering gets "sticky". it is hard to center and hard to move the steering wheel then it over adjusts. many people have this issue and i can't even drive it when it is above 80, it is very dangerous and almost impossible to control. huge safety issue

I purchased the car used on april 2, 2016 and noticed the condition on the first warm day (75f or higher) on or around may2, 2016. the car exhibits sticky steering during warm weather. this condition makes the steering feel as though something is sticking while driving at all speeds but is more noticeable at highway speeds. it makes it hard to go straight down the road because the steering feels "notchy".

The steering sticks at warm outdoor temperatures and creates a dangerous driving condition. i have seen other complaints same as mine online. no accident yet.

This car has been exhibiting sticky steering when temperatures are above 70-75 degrees. it has been going on for a while, and i attributed it to tire pressures etc. having now experienced it more severly i did some research and have discovered that this is a known issue with this type of car. this is a safety hazard since the ability to safely adjust the steering when this happens is limited, and the car can easily oversteer and cause unexpected lane changes. it is surprising that there is no recall for this issue. there are a number of references to this issue in online forums such as these: https://www.bmwcca.org/forum/index.php?threads/sticking-steering-unsolved-mystery.5921/ http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?1055032-sticky-steering

Power steering completely failed. car is very difficult to drive creating an unsafe condition. car has 23,256 miles. i stored the car from october 10, 2015 until march 27, 2016. took the car out on easter sunday for about 10 miles, car ran fine. pulled it out of the garage on march 29, 2016 and steering assist failed completely. did not drive the car on the road. called my local bmw dealer and scheduled a service appointment for april 14, 2016.

Sudden loss of power steering assistance while in motion at highway speeds. this resulted in incorrect amounts of steering pressure being applied by two different drivers & near accidents on several occasions. date is approximate for first occurrence.

Steering is shifty at all speeds and sticks requiring extra force to redirect it making the possibility of crossing into other lanes or oncoming traffic a risk. makes groaning noise in slow speed turns.

Steering becomes very sticky when outside temperatures become hot. vehicle seems unsafe when on highway and lane changes are difficult to make as steering does not return to center position !

My z4 has about 70,000 miles on it and i just got it back in 6/20015 and i noticed when steering there is a sorta sticking problem with it and it kind a want to drift side to side ? now the steering indicator light comes on and its like a old type standard steering car. and when restarted it works for a little while and then all of a sudden it does it all over again. this would be a real problem for a older person if this would happen , may cause a sever accident . i did some internet research and i don't think this is a solo event for me. i did ask my local dealer and they said there was no recall on this car. as far as i can tell i am the 2nd owner ?

While driving on the interstate and in the city, my bmw z4's steering wheel gets stuck, pulls to the left & right and needs hard force to release it. i've almost wrecked several times because of this! i'm afraid to drive the car because it's too dangerous. after much research on this issue, i've found out that thousands of bmw z4 owners have the exact same problem.