2003 BMW Z4

ON THIS PARTICULAR OCCASION, THE ELECTRIC STEERING BINDS OR GETS STUCK WHILE IN CENTER POSITION AND MAKES IT DIFFICULT OR IMPAIRS THE ABILITY TO CHANGE LANES ON THE HIGHWAY. ON THIS OCCASION, I WAS TRAVLING AT A RELATIVELY LOW SPEED AND WAS CHANGING LANES AND BECAUSE OF THE STEERING PROBLEM I JERKED THE VEHICLE AND HIT A CAR IN THE OTHER LANE CAUSING MINOR DAMAGE TO MY VEHICLE. THIS PROBLEM COMES AND GOES AND GETS WORST IN THE WARM TO HOT WEATHER. I HAVE CONTACTED BMW IN BOTH MASSACHUSETTS AND FLORIDA WITH NO HELP FROM DEALERS. MY VEHICLE HAS 79,000 ON IT NOW WHICH ISNT A LOT OF MILES FOR A 2003. *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

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

I HAVE BEEN HAVING DIFFICULTY WITH THE STEERING SYSTEM ON MY Z4. THIS BEGAN SEVERAL YEARS AGO AND HAS BEEN INTERMITTENT AT FIRST BUT THE DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY IN THE STEERING HAS BEEN INCREASING FROM MONTH TO MONTH AND WHERE IT NOW IS BEGINNING TO FEEL UNSAFE. THE STEERING STICKS WHILE NAVIGATING THROUGH CURVES AND DOES NOT ALWAYS RETURN TO NEUTRAL POSITION. OTHERTIMES, IT STICKS AND ONE NEEDS TO PULL IT BACK TO CORRECT THE STEERING. IT IS QUITE UNSAFE AND MY WIFE AND I ARE VERY CONCERNED, NOT ONLY FOR OUR SAFETY, BUT ALSO OTHERS WHO MAY BE VICTIMIZED BY HEAD ON COLLISIONS. AFTER CHECKING OUT MY COMPLIANT WITH MY BMW CERTIFIED MECHANIC, HE TELLS ME THERE IS A REAL PROBLEM WITH THE STEERING MECHANISM ON THIS CAR AND CHECKING THROUGH THE MECHANIC'S WEB SITE, THERE APPEARS TO BE NO ONE THAT KNOWS HOW TO REPAIR THE SYSTEM, SHORT OF TAKING OUT THE ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN AND REPLACING WITH A NEW ONE. THE COST OF THIS WOULD AMOUNT TO $3,000.00 OR MORE. THE MECHANICS FEEL THIS IS A POOR STEERING DESIGN AND SHOULD BE FIXED BY BMW. HE TOLD ME TO BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN DRIVING THIS CAR FOR IT IS POSSIBLE THE ENTIRE SYSTEM COULD BREAK DOWN AT ANY MOMENT. *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 PURCHASED THE VEHICLE NEW AND 3 YEARS AFTER PURCHASING THE VEHICLE, THE STEERING BECAME EXTREMELY TIGHT WITH A LOT OF RESISTANCE IN THE STEERING WHEEL WHILE DRIVING. THIS "STICKING" STEERING WHEELS MAKES THE VEHICLE DIFFICULT TO DRIVE AND HARD TO KEEP FROM WANDERING. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER, IT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY, AND THE STEERING MECHANISM WAS FOUND TO BE DEFECTIVE AND WAS REPLACED. SEVERAL YEARS LATER AND NOW OUT OF WARRANTY, I NOTICED THIS SAME PROBLEM STARTED BACK UP. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT I WOULD RARELY DRIVE THE VEHICLE AND HAVE ONLY PUT 4000 MILES SINCE 7/06) THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS. AT THIS POINT, I DO NOT DRIVE THE VEHICLE DUE TO THIS PROBLEM THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE WORSE AS THE OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE INCREASES. THIS DEFECT MAKES THE VEHICLE DANGEROUS TO DRIVE SINCE THE VEHICLE TENDS TO WANDER BACK AND FORCE DUE TO THE STEERING WHEEL STICKING. THE REPAIR IS IN THE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS AND I HAVE BEEN HOPING FOR A RECALL SINCE I HAVE READ OF MANY OTHER OWNERS EXPERIENCING THIS SAME DANGEROUS PROBLEM. *TR