Problems with 2003 BMW Z4 STEERING

About a week after i purchased the 2003 bmw z-4 i noticed the steering wheel sticking, bmw refused to correct the situation or do anything about it. the cost to repair is $3600.00. it is an extremely hazardous driving condition, that i do not have the extra funds to repair. after research on the web it is apparent that this is an all around issue with the z4 bmw for years 2003-2005. this should of been recalled and repaired at bmw's expense many years ago and has gone with out the proper recall for far to long. this issue has nearly caused many accidents for me since having the vehicle. i can not afford the repair, i can not consciously sell the vehicle in the condition it is currently in, and i can not afford an accident or worse the loss of life. i am stuck with a non drivable vehicle, making $350.00 payments for nothing. please nhtsa help rectify a sticky situation (literally, no pun intended) before all these z-4's cause many deaths. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 bmw z4. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds the steering wheel seized. the contact stated various warning indicators illuminated. the contact stated the failure was more pronounced during warm temperatures. the contact was a mechanic, who diagnosed that the steering open faced bearing needed to be replaced. the vehicle was then taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the entire steering assembly unit needed to be replaced the manufacturer was notified of the failure the failure mileage was approximately 25,000. updated 06/02/17*lj the consumer stated the manufacturer was notified, but did not offer any assistance. updated 08/29/2017*js

Driving south on santa barbara attempted to turn right onto davis blvd. as i was turning the steering stuck. that surprised me and almost lost control. it took a heavy effort to correct the direction of the car.this problem seems to occur at high ambient temperatures. *tr

There is a catch or binding feeling in the steering after the car has been driven a while and is at full operating temperature (gets worse when warm). i noticed this after having driven it a few miles; it feels like the car wants to track on its own as if it was following a rut in the road even though it is on smooth pavement and the wheel has to be forced back in the a straight line. it happened to me as i entered an intersection and the steering stuck, turning me into the on-coming lane. i worry that this may happen when my wife is driving and result in an accident if it were to tighten up unexpectedly. *tr

Date listed is an approximation... i bought the vehicle used and during the hot weather the steering felt like it was sticking. now that i've owned the vehicle for a couple of years i can tell that when the vehicle is left in the hot sun the steering "sticks" which causes it to move erratically. this happens no matter the speed and is very dangerous. due to the sticking i am very wary driving the car when the weather is hot and the car sits in the sun. i read that there is an investigation into this issue and want to include that my car is experiencing the same issue as listed in the investigation. this is a dangerous defect and the nhtsa should force bmw to fix the problem on the affected vehicles. i should not have to drive a vehicle that enough evidence is available to confirm there is a manufacturer defect. *tr

At ambient temperatures above 75 deg the steering gets stiff and feels sticky. after making a turn the wheels do not return to the center position on their own but require driver to turn steering wheel back to center. driving in a straight line requires constant correction because the steering binds and causes the driver to oversteering in order to overcome the stiffness. *tr

The problem with this car is "sticky" steering. it occurs mostly at high speeds in hot weather. many bmw forums out line the same problem with the 2003 z4. it is extremely dangerous to be traveling at a high rate of speed and have the steering become so stiff you can hardly steer the car. bmw will not acknowledge the problem even though many people have complained. i am sure you have received similar complaints and i hope will do something to force bmw to correct this engineering defect and repair those cars which are affected.

On my drive home from work, after the car had been parked outside, i experienced "sticky steering." just like the complaints from investigation pe10020 and countless internet posts over the past decade, the steering wheel movement was stuck in place and required extra force, then it would release unexpectedly causing me to over-correct. worse than just heavy steering is the fact that it needs extra force to get the steering wheel "unstuck" but then the assist kicks in and you're over-compensating which causes zig-zagging. it was almost impossible to maintain my lane on the interstate and at one point i dropped two wheels on the shoulder. i have now contacted bmw corporate and they tell me they're being generous by replacing the known-faulty steering rack -- so long as i pay $1,000+ in labor. i think this is outrageous. it is wrong that this known defect costs the consumer any money to replace. bmw should cover parts and labor. they know this part is faulty, everyone i've talked to says "oh, the z4, yeah i've seen this steering problem on lots of them" but they're quick to remind me that it was not an official recall so they aren't obligated to do anything. this is a safety issue and should be the basis for a mandatory recall (you know, like the one they are doing on current models with similar power steering failures!). *tr

After sitting in hot direct sun for over two hours, the steering on the car is difficult to manage. the steering gets extremely loose and you have to hold tightly to the steering wheel to keep the car from swerving. there is no issue on a cool day, nor is there an issue on a hot day if the car is parked in the shade. this has been happening for the last 3 years to my 2003 z4. the car is garage kept and stored in the winter. it has never been in the rain or snow and is well-maintained. as of september 2015, the car only has 12,000 miles, so it should not be a wear and tear issue. there have been over 300 complaints filed about this issue since 2003. the investigation done in 2010 was closed in 2011, and yet hundreds of complaints remain unanswered. it should be confirmed whether or not the investigation included testing the cars after they have been in the direct sun on a hot day for several hours. if the testing was not completed under those circumstances, the test would be flawed and the investigation should be reopened. it is unacceptable that hundreds of people all have the exact same issue, and a safety issue, and nothing is being done about this.

The steering feels 'sticky'. driving at roadspeed, esp on interstate where you're trying to maintain straight line, when you need to make slight steering adjustments, the steering sticks and when you give it enough effort to 'unstick' it, your car moves erratically. basically, when it 'unsticks' it causes the driver to over-correct and oversteer. it does this when the car has been sitting in the sun on warm days, i.e outside ambient temps over 80 degrees f. *tr

Driving 35 mph straight. lost power steering. pulled over shut off engine. restarted engine power steering returned. lost power steering again within one mile. returned home. *tr

The problem is that the steering wheel does not return to center without considerable assistance. the problem is definitely worse when car is "warmed up" and is also worsened by increased outdoor temperature. this is a real safety concern. my dealer charged me $104.00 for diagnostics and told me to keep the battery charged. this has had ne effect on the problem. *tr

Power steering did not move smoothly. on hot days the steering binds up. the steering wheel is hard to turn. a definite detent is felt in the steering, this detent requires extra effort to overcome, commonly causing oversteer and a back and forth track down the road. as car rolls down highway the small movements to go straight are unattainable as the steering is hard to turn as areas of higher resistance require extra force upon the steering wheel, and when the resistance is overcome the car steers to far in the desired direction and when a correction is attempted the same situation occurs. when the car is hot and this issue is present it is not possible to drive the car in a smooth straight direction. in attempting to maintain control i have on multiple occasions been nearly or slightly off the roadway and narrowly avoided several accidents. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 bmw z4. the contact stated that while turning at 5 mph, the steering wheel seized. the steering wheel became stuck in the centered position and made it very difficult to change lanes on the highway. the failure occurred frequently at all speeds. the vehicle was taken to a private mechanic that specialized on bmw manufactured vehicles. the mechanic diagnosed the failure and stated that the repairs would be very expensive. the vehicle was not repaired. the dealer was not notified. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 87,000 and the current mileage was 87,300.

The steering seems to lock up making it hard to steer. seems rather dangerous since you have to move the wheel hard either to the left or right. wondering why there isn't a recall on this. *js

While driving the steering gets very hard to steer. *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 bmw z4. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering became sticky and impacted the drivers ability to control the vehicle. the failure recurred numerous times. the vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis but the technician could not replicate the failure. the vehicle had not been repaired. the vin was unavailable. the failure and current mileage was 79,650.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 bmw z4. the contact stated while driving 45 mph she could feel the steering wheel jerking and it became hard to control. she also stated it felt like the steering wheel exhibit excessive resistance. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 9,800 the current mileage is 12,200 updated 07/13/12*lj bmw agreed to replace the steering column free of charge. updated 07/18/12

Bmw z4 steering - no power steering, causes difficulty in managing & steering car. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 bmw z4. while driving approximately 45 mph, the steering wheel exhibited excessive play which caused the vehicle to travel out of its lane. the failure recurred whenever the vehicle was in operation. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated the vehicle operated normally. there was a front end wheel alignment performed and all four tires were balanced. the failure continued after the repair. the contact planned to have the vehicle inspected by a different mechanic. the manufacturer was notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 54,000.

Steering wheel sticks (still does as of march 30, 2013) and vehicle becomes hard to steer and control, especially when the weather is hot. *tr

Dps failure. light stays on and steering is impossible. dealer said 3,000.00 to replace steering column. *tr

Steering wheel goes back & forth on its own at highway speeds. very scary ! not safe! feels like there is no control. i payed a lot of money for the ultimate driving machine that i am afraid to drive. *tr

Steering wheel goes back & forth on its own at highway speeds. very scary ! not safe! feels like there is no control. i paid a lot of money for the ultimate driving machine that i am afraid to drive. *tr

When driving at speeds above 40 mph steering has definite sticking spots creating hazardous control. this problem is not predictable sometimes drives fine other times with no warning problem occurs, making the safety issue even more grave. fear of lane swerve and possible collision. bmw service could not replicate problem and says they have no knowledge of a problem existing. upon investigation it seems i am in a large group of bmw z4 owners experiencing this steering problem. i urge you to investigate this issue before someone is hurt, maimed or even killed. *tr

Steering will go from very tight to very loose while driving. will pull to the left and then to the right for no apparent reason. will initially resist and then give way to either direction. seems to happen in warmer weather conditions. feels like there is no control in the steering of the car. *tr

The steering wheel will stick to the right and left in warm weather. it causes the handling of the vehicle to be very difficult. *js

The steering on my 2003 bmw z4 is very erratic. the car feels like it wants to turn itself left or right, and often feels like it is fighting itself to turn. when driving over the slightest uneven road, the steering will pull and swerve on it's own. at slow speeds, it requires constant attention to keep the vehicle driving in a straight line. at highway speeds it has become a white knuckled scary experience. under breaking, the car will swerve immediately to the left or right. *tr

The power steering assist has failed on the car making it very difficult to steer. luckily it failed while on a straight part of an interstate as my daughter was driving the car and this severely frightened her. she did not overreact and we took appropriate measures to get the vehicle home. online research indicates that this issue was being investigated by nhtsa in 2010 but can not find any indication that an actual recall is in place. this is a very dangerous thing to happen, especially in a state with a lot of winding roads (tennessee). i purchased the car used last year and also had a water pump failure that resulted in a blown engine. i wish this issue had been investigated also as i understand that it is a common failure with this particular engine. there is also a problem with the speedometer and fuel gauges reading incorrectly. i read that one owner was contacted by bmw north america after they filed a complaint regarding the power steering with nhtsa and bmw voluntarily fixed the problem for the owner. i hope i have the same luck after posting this complaint. thank you. *tr

My 2003 bmw z4 is extremely dangerous to drive, while i am on flat surfaces traveling on the freeway the steering wheel all of a sudden will pull to the left and then to the right constantly and i have to correct it every 2 seconds and sometimes it just locks into a left turn position when i am on the freeway and all i am trying to do is keep the car straight going down the freeway. at this point i am afraid an accident will happen sometime in the future and i have been reading thousands of posts on the web with people with this same car. at what point are you guys going to activate a vehicle recall to fix the steering column design, perhaps after i either get into an accident or i or a family member gets killed, enough is enough, i am begging you please issue a recall to fix the flawed design of the steering of this car .....!!!! [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Insert this link to read the same problem i am having: http://www.aboutautomobile.com/complaint/2004/bmw/z4/steering. *tr

The steering mechanism and wheel seem to stick. the steering wheel does not travel smoothly within the normal steering range. when the car is being driven on a straight line... suddenly, you are not able to keep the car going straight, which causes the driver to attempt to correct and typically causes the car to move erratically from side to side to keep the car center on the driving lane. driving the car under normal driving conditions has become a battle to keep the car straight on the road. over corrections are inevitable and this can cause loss of control and accidents/collisions. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 bmw z4. the contact stated that while driving 55 mph, the steering would drift from side to side. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the steering column needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 80,000 and the current mileage was 81,000. updated 03/21/12 *bf updated 05/11/12

I would like to add to your 245 complaints about the steering problem in this vehicle. the steering wheel sticks causing you to have to pull the wheel to straighten it and is worse when the vehicle gets up to temperature. it is not an isolated incident, it happens every time. i have not been able to drive the car for two years due to this problem. this is a safety issue and will cause a fatality if it is not corrected. i have read that nhtsa calls this a "nuisance". it is not a nuisance it is a serious safety issue caused by the car manufacturer. i have been a mechanic for 45 years and i have dissected the steering column and the issue is the top bearing in the electric steering column. it is an open bearing and it should have been a sealed bearing. the lower bearing and the medium bearing are fine. the issue is you can't find this bearing anywhere; dealers tell you the fix is to replace the entire electric steering column at a cost of $3,000 to $3,600. shame on bmw! i join the others who have filed complaints in asking you to please issue a recall for this problem. thank you. *tr

My steering wheel light goes on then the car handling becomes very difficult to control. the problem started one day on the highway. the wheel was suddenly hard. this problem happens several times a day: when i start the car and at any random time while i'm driving. i have to restart the car in order to get the power steering back (before the next failure). this is very dangerous since nothing is telling me when the next issue is going to happen. i'm always scared to make a turn or to change lanes. *tt

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 bmw z4. the contact was exiting a residential driveway when the steering wheel seized. the contact turned the vehicle off and on to get the power steering to reset. the power steering assist lasted for a few minutes before failed again. the contact stated the failure recurred sporadically and without warning. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told that the entire steering column and electronic power assist system needed to be replaced. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 31,000.

The steering wheel of the vehicle is sticky and is difficult to turn after it is in place for more than a few seconds. this causes difficulty in maintaining the driving direction of the car and in many cases causes an overcompensation in steering. *tr

2003 bmw z4 (21,000 miles) - steering becomes dangerously sticky when the outside temperature is warm (above 80 degrees or so and especially after the car has been parked in the sun). the steering wheel won't return to center and the car jerks side to side when the steering un-sticks as the driver tries to make small steering corrections. this results in a dangerous swerving of the car side-to-side when trying to drive straight down the road, particularly at freeway speeds. *tt

2003 bmw z4 9500 miles, when hot the steering locks in position and excessive force is needed to correct the steering, causing a jerk making the car jerk to the side and then you have to recorrect. happens at high and low speed. has not been repaired. *tt

The vehicle is usually kept in the garage. after sitting in the sun in temperatures exceeding 85 degrees, the car steering was hard to operate. it felt as though the steering was manual -- hard to turn on a curve and hard to turn left and right. this only seems to happen when the car sits outside in hot weather. i have not had the problem checked by my mechanic. *kb

Approximately three years ago the steering on my z-4 began sticking when the car was going straight ahead. on the advice of a repair shop i had the steering rack assembly replaced and to got the bmw dealer to check the work and provide a four-wheel alignment. this did not help.. the problem seems to be worsening and is worse during hotter temperatures. for the past three years my bmw dealer had said that they could not find anything wrong with steering. now last week they told me that i need to replace an eps assembly in the steering system for a cost of approximately $3500. i have been checking several bmw owners chat rooms and discovered numerous other owners having the same problem with 2003 - 2005 z-4s. *tr

[xxx] 2003 bmw z4 3.0i. the pump failed on the highway , complete loss of the power steering, no previous sign of malfunction the car was running perfectly. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6) *kb

Vehicle steering sticks around center when weather is hot and is worse at higher speeds which increases the danger for loss of control. *tr

The steering on my 2003 bmw z4 2.5l is very sticky. it feels as if there is pine-tar in the linkage. i have to be very careful to not over correct or else risk running off a bridge or into the car in the next lane. this is very serious. i only drive this convertible on sunny days, so i couldn't say if weather has any affect. *kb

Bmw x4 2003 60,1000 miles- electronic power stering is sticky- eratic - safety concen= had problem to control he car- environmental condictions are very hot. *tt

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. *tr

The vehicle was parked in the sun with temperatures over 88 degrees. at 2 pm, i drove the vehicle on the highway at 60mph while rounding a slight bend to the left. the steering wheel would not turn under a slight effort so i made an additional effort. suddenly, the resistance is completely absent resulting in a sharp veer to the left changing lanes. fortunately, there was not another car in the left lane. i immediately corrected and returned to my original lane. within 15 to 20 seconds, the situation repeats. i tried turning on the sport feature which is suppose to provide more resistance but the same event occurs. it only happens in hot weather when the vehicle is sitting in the sun for 4 or more hours and it is above 88 degrees. in order to compensate, i drive in one gear lower, say 4th, and constantly shimmy the wheel to avoid loss of control. it's similar to snow skiing with the vehicle catching an edge or groove it does not want to get out of. it continues to drive in the same previous direction as you apply additional effort. suddenly, the wheel gives and it's as if the power steering assist is suddenly amplified, what you would normally need at 5mph, not 60mph. as you finish the bend, it continues to stay locked in the turning position. so, additional effort must be made to straighten out the vehicle and again the steering wheel fights your efforts only to suddenly give when you least expect it. you struggle to keep the car in your lane the entire time and from the rear, the vehicle appears erratic and swerving from side to side. that was my first summer with the car and it is currently at the dealer where hopefully my extended warranty will apply. *tt

When the car stay outdoor for a long time on hot sunny day, the steering wheel become very hard to turn. it is noticeable at any speed. highway speed is dangerous because the car is hard to keep on a straight line. the problem does not appear when the weather is cold. i bought the car from usa but i live in canada. the addressee that i wrote is where the car was bought new. sorry for my poor english. *tr

Electric steering motor started malfunctioning. *tr

Bought this car in june 2011 with approximately 86000, so it is very possible the problem had shown up prior to this date/mileage. during very hot days, the steering "sticks" and is difficult to start movement, resulting in jerkiness and swerving on the road. once motion on the steering wheel is initiated, it is possible to continue movement smoothly. but when you stop movement, it will stick again. this makes it very tedious and annoying and possibly even unsafe to make even just the normal constant minor adjustments while driving straight. often times, jumping from one side of my lane to the other, and back. *js