Problems with 2003 BMW Z4 STEERING

Car was parked uncovered for about eight hours each day during a one week period and upon retrieval of the vehicle steering was noticeably malfunctioning. it was stiff and required excessive pressure to turn. a couple of days it had more of a notchy feel and would turn in increments with additional pressure. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 bmw z4. the steering wheel locked while driving at either a slow speed such as 35 mph or 65 mph and when he made a left or right turn. the contact stated that he had to pull the steering wheel in either position whenever it locked in order to allow it to move. the vehicle was not taken to nor was the manufacturer notified. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 24,000.

1.vehicle unsafe to drive; unable to maintain steering or keep vehicle on the road safely. 2.vibrations while driving vehicle 3.manual gear box; shifting through gears not smooth, not engaging smoothly 4.water leaking inside of vehicle trunk and rear seat areas. vehicle trunk area was saturated with water after raining; filling water over the battery box and carpets, shorting out electronics. 5.outside of vehicle; plastic components early deterioration; front windshield wiper area black plastic cowl and antenna. inside of vehicle black plastic cover for convertible top 6.rain sensor inop 7.door locks inop/intermittent 8.windows regulators plastic broken. *tr

Steering become - notchy/sticky. this makes small steering corrections very difficult during highway driving. the problem seems to be temperature related in my case. with colder the outside temperatures, the behavior is delayed until the a longer driving duration has occurred. this problem was evident within one year of my purchase. i did not notice it very often, since i was only driving to and from my work, low mileage and short times. as i have now been driving the car more often, i have found this problem evident on all trip. i have reported this to the bmw dealership where i purchased the car (new). they informed me that i would need a complete steering column replacement at my expense (approximately $4000). the also suggested that i contact bmw customer service. i did and basically got a null response. the car has always been well maintained, no accidents, parked in a garage and has less than 57000 miles. the warranty of course has expired. i cannot believe that the solution to my problem is due to any type of normal wear and age. i have also found that there are now numerous reports of the same steering issue. the car is drivable, however with extreme caution at highway speeds. the issue is control of the car at highway speeds - when changing lanes or even attempting to maintain a straight path within the lanes. as the temperatures increase in longer drives, the steering difficulty becomes worse. when the problems starts, the smallest control corrections for the steering is more than 5 degrees. this causes a large effect on the cars path and making it nearly impossible to drive in a straight line when attempting to stay in the driving lane. i would like bmw to correct this problem at their expense. in my view, this is a design defect introduced by bmw. *tr

Tl* 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 *cn the consumer also stated the traction control light would illuminate. updated 09/26/11

During exposure to high temperatures in the mid 1990's farenheit the steering becomes stiff, unresponsive with a tendency to "stick" where it is set. only seems to occur after vehicle has sat in direct sunlight on hot days.*ak

When my vehicle is parked in ambient temperatures exceeding roughly 85 degrees, for periods of an hour or more, the car's power steering begins to malfunction. the steering takes on an extremely heavy feel, and is often difficult to turn. additionally, in a gentle turn, the wheel does not automatically return to the center position when it is released. the car contiunes to turn indefinitely. as long as temperatures remain high, the problem persists.*ak

Tl* 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.

Steering problem - steering binds and locks requiring excess effort to maintain direction resulting in overcorrection and loss of control of vehicle. *ak

I have a 2003 bmw z4 2.5i on wednesday june 9, 2004 the ambient temp in ct was in the mid 90's while driving my car the steering felt like it was binding, was stiff to turn and did not automatically return to a center position. the steering lost the smooth gradual rotation as i turned the wheel the following day when the temperature was cooler the problem did not repeat itself. *ak

If car is parked outside in the sun and it gets hot (and until you drive it and have the a/c on long enough to cool off the car) the steering sticks. it makes steering jerkey and hard to handle. it does this every time it gets hot.

When my vehicle has sat out in the 90f+ temperature for a few hours, the steering becomes almost uncontrollable in that the steering "sticks" and is no longer smooth in its rotation. to get the steering to go the other way after turning or changing lanes, you literally have to use excessive force for it to happen. my entire steering column/electronic power steering system has already been replaced and the problem still exists. i've confirmed this issue with z4 owners across the country and am beginning to feel this is an overall design issue. again, this is a temperature dependent issue as the car drives normally again at night or when it's not over 85 f.*ak

1. steering defect occurs during high ambient temperatures. 2. steering wheel becomes heavy to turn and has a "locked on center" feel. 3. dealer replaced power steering system. this did not fix problem.*ak

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 bmw z4. while driving 70 mph in hot weather, the steering binded and made it difficult to switch lanes on the highway. also, there was a possibility that the contact could lose control of the vehicle. he had to make sudden maneuvers to avoid potentially losing control. the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. the manufacturer advised him to take the vehicle to the dealer. the current mileage was approximately 48,000 and failure mileage was approximately 6,000. updated 10/14/08 *bf updated 10/23/08. *jb

When traveling on a highway, the car steering is very hard to hold straight, veering from left to right. i only have 32,000 miles on the car and it still happens. service reps verify that all steering components are within specifications. *tr

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? *tr

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. *tr

When subject to heat of a hot day, steering becomes less responsive, sluggish, and difficult to control.*ak