Problems with 2005 BMW Z4 STEERING

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 bmw z4. the contact stated that in warmer temperatures, the steering wheel would lock abnormally, then release, followed by a jerking of the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the electronic steering column was defective and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the contact stated that the vehicle was no longer under warranty and was not repaired. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 42,000 and the current mileage was 66,000.

Steering sticks at times when driving on the highway. *tr

At highway speeds, my 2005 bmw exhibits stiff and erratic steering as follows: steering wheel is very tight, and does not turn unless inordinate pressure is applied. this makes steering very strange and quick movement is difficult to enact. a recent occurrence was july 24, 2011 on highway 101 in central california. a car pulled out in front of me unexpectedly, and at first the steering would not turn. this delayed my action to steer and forced a more violent movement from me. this then caused my passenger to shift suddenly in her seating, and cut her leg on the dashboard cup holder which had been extended. the malfunction appeared soon after i purchased vehicle. however it is only present at over 40 mph, and is pronounced during hot weather. most of my use for this vehicle has been for short local trips (only 1800 miles on odometer currently). i now recognize how severe this steering malfunction is, as i have been using the vehicle on the highway more often.

Sticky steering on warm days or cooler days with the heater on. i need to use more force than usual to move steering wheel to negotiate lane changes or curves on highway. i need to steer the car straight after turning off center. the problem is intermittent but still unnerving. *tr

Bmw 2005 z4 3.0 - sticky electronic steering that causes steering over reaction when it unsticks. occurs after vehicle is sitting the sun on a hot day during the summer. almost caused a crash during the last occurrence. bmw just advised there was noting wrong with the steering as there were no faults. this is the third time it has happened. *tr

I have major problems with the steering wheel of my 2005 bmw z4 3i, purchased as a certified pre-owned car from a bmw dealer. it had about 11k miles on it. since then i have been experiencing this problem described below. i have not had any accident with it, but this is a complaint that there may me a safety issue with the steering wheel of the car. 1)it keeps pulling to the left, or to the right especially at lowers speeds say below 60 mi/hr. it requires constant adjustments so that i could keep the car aligned, or centered while driving. 2) the car pulls me to the left, or to the right suddenly when the road surface is slightingly uneven, especially in lower speeds. i can never predict which way the car pulls me. it can be very struggling to keep the steering under control when stopping at any red lights because of these sudden jerks in the steering, or pulls in the steering wheel. 3) sometimes, the steering feels like it is stuck, or locked in a way that i feel like i could not control it. this usually happens when the weather is hot, or at higher humidity. 4) i took the car to the dealer two years ago when i still had the warranty, and then they replaced the steering column and alignment was made after the replacement. however, the symptoms did not go away at all. i took the car to another dealer; i was told that it just required an alignment which was already done after the replacement of the steering column. so, there should not be an alignment relate problem. if the only problem was the alignment problem, the car should have pulled either to the left, or to the right, not to the both directions. 5) i believe if any elderly person, or someone with slower reflex, tries to drive this car with such problems may end up having a catastrophic crash. mainly because, the driver must pay lots of attention to keep the car centered, or the steering under control. otherwise, at any second you may find yourself somewhere off the road. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 bmw z4. while driving between 40-65 mph, the steering wheel would not turn right or left. when the wheel is released, it overturns and forces the driver to struggle to maintain control of the vehicle. the failure has occurred approximately 7-8 times. the dealer could not duplicate the failure. the failure only occurs at high temperatures, such as 80's and 90's. they dealer stated that the updated software program failed. the program was installed and the vehicle rebooted. the failure recurred on another hot day. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they replaced the electronic power steering at the contact's expense. the failure mileage was 18,490 and current mileage was 23,177. updated 09/23/09 *bf the consumer stated the steering binds on days when temperatures exceed 85 degrees. when the steering does release, it comes with excessive force. it was difficult to keep the vehicle in the lane. the steering wheel does not return to the center position without additional effort. updated 09/29/09.*jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 bmw z4. while driving 45 mph the power steering became stuck in position and as it was forced to move it made the vehicle lunged. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that they would replace the steering column at the contacts expense. there were no related recalls. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure and current mileages were 26,500.

Steering sticks when hot, has become much worse than when first identified and reported to bmw. my first reports were during the free year 3 and year 4 services and in the warranty period. now when driving down a straight road, the car will not go straight and swerves from side to side in its lane. my fear is that the steering will get so hard that it may side swipe an vehicle in the next lane. my bmw dealer has verified the problem but bmw refuses to fix it. *tr

I have been experiencing steering problems with the 2005 bmw z4 since july 2007. at speeds over 50 mph and while the outside temperature is over 75 degrees, the steering becomes very stiff. it is almost as if i am driving on train tracks and have difficulty steering right or left. i brought the vehicle to the dealership and was told there was no steering problem. *tr

Car's steering stick on center position making normal steering corrections noticeably difficult. an extraordinary amount of force needs to be applied to the steering wheel in order to make the necessary steering correction which can cause an over-correction. once off center, it is then difficult to return the wheel to the neutral position. this has happened repetitively, most often in hot weather. dealer where we bought the car and who does regular maintenance has been unable to replicate the problem, or so they say. bmw usa has been contacted about the problem; and, their response was "take it to the dealer." by what i have read on the internet, i am not the only one experiencing this problem. i am ready to seek advice from my attorney. *jb

Experienced what appears to be known problem with erratic steering at any speed. design flaw known to both bmw na & reported numerous times to your org based on the numerous complaints at url below: http://www.bmwcoop.com/2010/07/06/steering-problems-for-bmw-z4-in-the-u-s/#comment-87602. problem recurred 3 yrs ago and i simply garaged it & used my subaru. last week had car towed to local service center which acknowledged the problem and alerted me to the numerous websites documenting this design flaw. having car towed to bmw dealership today as i refuse to drive it. but because there has not been a recall which there should be i am on the hook to pay for its design flaw or i can garage it or sell it. btw, car only has 4400 miles on it due in large part to this recurring defect. i cannot believe no one has not been killed or seriously injured due to this defect. after the takata airbag debacle it is my hope that nhtsa takes these numerous customer complaints re: z4 dangerous steering column design flaw seriously & acts quickly.