2003 BMW Z4

WHEN IT IS HOT OUTSIDE THE STEERING BECOMES ROUGH, AWKWARD, AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS. IT HAPPENS AT SPEEDS GREATER THAN 30 MPH. THE STEERING WHEEL WILL BECOME "STUCK" IN A CERTAIN POSITION AND REQUIRES GREATER THAN NORMAL FORCE TO MOVE FROM THAT POSITION. USING GREATER FORCE TO MOVE THE STEERING WHEEL FROM THE "STUCK" POSITION CREATES THE POTENTIAL FOR OVER-STEERING. *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

I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE AT A MODERATE SPEED. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO CHANGE LANES THE STEERING BECAME "STICKY" AND IT WAS DIFFICULT TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL. THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES SINCE THIS INCIDENT. IT APPEARS TO BE WORSE WHEN THE WEATHER IS HOT. IN READING VARIOUS BMW FORUMS I FOUND THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE 2003 Z4'S AND THE NHTSA HAS OR IS CONDUCTING AN INVESTIGATION. I UNDERSTAND BMW HAS CORRECTED THE PROBLEM ON LATER MODELS. THIS REALLY CREATES A DANGEROUS DRIVING SITUATION AND I AM FEARFUL OF DRIVING THIS CAR. IS THERE ANY ACTION BEING TAKEN BY THE NHTSA OR BMW? I HAVE CONTACTED BMW BUT THEY WILL NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM. *TR

APPARENTLY THERE IS A BEARING INSIDE OF THE STEERING COLUMN AND IT IS NOT A SEALED BEARING (POOR DESIGN). THE GREASE LEAKS OUT OF IT AND IT BECOMES VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER AND DANGEROUS. THE BEARING IS NOT REPLACEABLE SO YOU HAVE TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN AT A COST OF $3,000 TO $4,000. THE WARMER THE TEMPERATURE THE HARDER THE STEERING. I WON'T EVEN LET MY WIFE DRIVE THE CAR FOR FEAR SHE WILL HAVE AN ACCIDENT. I EVEN HAVE TROUBLE KEEPING IT ON THE ROAD AT TIMES. *TR

I PURCHASED THIS CAR USED AND HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE STEERING SINCE BUYING IT 5 YEARS AGO. HAD IT AT A BMW REPAIR STORE THEY HAVE INFORMED ME THE STEERING COLUMN WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED FOR $ 3000 PLUS. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS BMW. WHY HAS BMW NOT ISSUED A RECALL? THIS COULD BE A SEVERE PROBLEM THAT COULD CAUSE ACCIDENTS AND DEATH WHILE YOU ARE DRIVING! [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

MY STEERING COLUMN TURNS SIMILAR TO THE FAN CONTROL SWITCH ON THE Z4 FROM DETENT TO DETENT AND NOT SMOOTHLY LIKE A VOLUME CONTROL ON A RADIO. IF YOU REACH FORWARD TO THE FAN CONTROL CONSOLE AND TURN IT YOU WILL NOTE THAT IT DOES NOT TURN SMOOTHLY IT GOES FROM STOP TO STOP TO STOP ABOUT EVERY 5 DEGREES. EACH STOP IS CALLED A DETENT. SO AS YOU TURN THE KNOB IT STARTS IN A DETENT THEN AS YOU TURN IT CLICKS INTO THE NEXT DETENT AND STOPS THEN YOU HAVE TO TWIST A BIT HARDER TILL IT CLICKS INTO THE NEXT DETENT. THAT IS HOW MY STEERING COLUMN ACTS WHEN IT IS HOT OUTSIDE. IT CLICKS INTO ONE DETENT AND THAT POSITION MAY NOT KEEP YOU DRIVING STRAIGHT DOWN THE ROAD. YOU TRY TO CORRECT IT AND IT WILL NOT TURN UNLESS YOU PUSH EXTRA HARD THEN IT GOES PAST THE POINT THAT WOULD KEEP YOU GOING STRAIGHT DOWN HE ROAD INTO THE NEXT DETENT AND YOU ARE PROGRESSIVELY HEADED OFF THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD. AS YOU TRY TO CORRECT IT BY TURNING BACK, IT WILL NOT SMOOTHLY TURN BACK, IT RESISTS TILL YOU PUSH EXTRA HARD THEN IT GOES PAST THE POINT THAT WOULD KEEP YOU GOING STRAIGHT AND STOPS IN THE NEXT DETENT AND NOW YOU ARE HEADED OFF THE ROAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION. *TR

THE STEERING STICKS MEANING IT BECOMES UNRESPONSIVE AND REQUIRES EXTRA EFFORT ON MY PART TO MOVE IT AGAIN. I HAVE TO CONTINUE TO MOVE IT ELSE IT STICKS AND I LOSE CONTROL FOR ABOUT A SECOND. VERY SCARY AT HIGH SPEEDS. BASICALLY IF GOING IN A STRAIGHT LINE AND I WANT TO TURN IT IS NOT SMOOTH AND I HAVE TO ALMOST FIGHT WITH IT TO TURN. *TR

CHRONIC PROBLEM WITH THE STEERING BEING STICKY WHEN THE WEATHER IS WARM OR WHEN THE CAR SITS IN THE HOT SUN. THE STEERING WHEEL WHEN HELD STEADY DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD SEEMS TO STICK IN AN EXACT POSITION AND IF THE WEATHER IS VERY WARM THE STICKINESS IS SUCH THAT WHEN THE CAR NEEDS STEERING CORRECTION TO STAY IN THE DRIVING LANE THAT SIGNIFICANT PRESSURE IS REQUIRED TO UNSTICK THE POSITION OF THE STEERING DIRECTION. ONCE THE DRIVER'S PRESSURE CAUSES THE STEERING WHEEL TO BECOME UNSTUCK THE WHEEL WILL SUDDENLY VEER IN THE DIRECTION THE PRESSURE WAS APPLIED, IE. TOWARD ONCOMING TRAFFIC OR TOWARDS THE DITCH UNTIL THE DRIVER CAN QUICKLY COUNTERACT THE SUDDEN RELEASE OF THE UNSTUCK STEERING WHEEL. WHEN THE WEATHER IS PARTICULARLY WARM THE CAR IS NO LONGER SAFE TO DRIVE FOR FEAR OF LOSS OF CONTROL. THIS CAR WAS PURCHASED NEW FROM THE LOCAL BMW DEALERSHIP AND DRIVEN ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY BY MY WIFE SINCE NEW. *TR