2003 BMW Z4

AUTO WAS EXHIBITING A KNOCKING SOUND WHEN APPROACHING A FULL LOCK POSITION. DEALER UPON SECOND COMPLAINT REPLACED THE "LOWER STEERING COLUMN JOINT ASSEMBLY PART # 32-30-6-769-265". AFTER THE PARTS REPLACEMENT THE STEERING OF THE CAR HAS BEEN NOTICEABLY IMPAIRED AND EXHIBITS STEERING THAT IS VERY VAGUE AND EXHIBITS A LOOSENESS ON ROUGH ROADS OR DURING SHARP TURNS SUCH AS PARKING OR A U-TURN. DEALERSHIP STATES THAT THERE ARE APPROPRIATE TECHNICAL BULLETINS BUT CHOSE NOT TO RELEASE INFORMATION IN THEM. *JB CAR IS PARKED AWAITING BMW REGIONAL TECHNICAL SERVICE INSPECTION. *JB

WHEN VEHICLE IS IN THE SUN AND HEATS UP THE STEERING BECOMES STICKY, MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN CORRECT ALIGNMENT ON ROADWAY. OVER STEERING OCCURS AND GIVES IMPRESSION OF WEAVING WHILE CROSSING INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. NEAR MISS OF OTHER VEHICLE OCCURRED. THIS STICKING HAS OCCURRED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS EACH SUMMER IN WARM TO HOT WEATHER.*AK

I HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM FOR THE PAST TWO SUMMERS REGARDING THE STEERING WHEN THE CAR SETS IN THE HEAT ALL DAY (EXCEPT THAT IT WAS WORST THIS PAST SUMMER, IT NOW HAPPENS AT ABOUT 85 F, INSTEAD OF 90 F). THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE CAR RESISTS TURNING FROM CENTER AND WHEN IT DOES IT WILL NOT RETURN TO CENTER ON ITS OWN; YOU MUST TURN IT BACK. THIS IS A FAIRLY DANGEROUS PROBLEM IF YOU ARE NOT AWARE OF IT AND DO NOT PAY CLOSE ATTENTION. *NM

I PREVIOUSLY SUBMITTED A COMPLAINT WITH CONFIRMATION NUMBER 10135197. SINCE SUBMITTING THAT COMPLAINT, I HAVE BEEN ON BMW RELATED MESSAGE BOARDS AND DISCOVERED THE PROBLEM WITH HIGH TEMPERATURE "STICKING" STEERING ON 2003 BMW Z-4 ROADSTERS IS NOT ONLY WELL KNOWN TO BMW, BUT THEY HAVE COME UP WITH A REPAIR. UNFORTUNATELY, BMW IS NOT RECALLING, NOT NOTIFYING AND THEY ARE INSISTING THAT A CAR OWNER WAIT UNTIL A COMPLETE PART FAILURE THAT CAN BE VERIFIED AT THE DEALER TO TAKE ANY ACTION UNDER THE CAR WARRANTY. THIS PROBLEM COMES AND GOES WITH OUTSIDE HEAT. A DEALERSHIP IS NOT ALWAYS AROUND TO VERIFY THE ISSUE. I HAVE TALKED WITH BMW USA HEADQUARTERS IN NEW JERSEY AND THEY THROW ME BACK TO THE DEALER. IF YOU TOOK WHAT BMW USA SAYS AT FACE VALUE, THEY HAVE NO CONTROL OVER THIS ISSUE. THAT IS NOT TURNING OUT TO BE THE CASE. UNFORTUNATELY, THE DEALER SAYS THEY CANNOT ACT WITHOUT BMW AUTHORIZATION AND THAT REQUIRES THE REPLACEMENT OF A VERIFIABLE FAILED PART. THE DEALER IS CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE. THERE HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT DOUBLE TALK FROM THE PEOPLE IN NEW JERSEY AT BMW HEADQUARTERS. THE INTERNET POSTINGS ON THIS PROBLEM INDICATE HOW SEVERE THE ISSUE IS. THE PROBLEM IS WORLD WIDE ON 2003 Z-4'S. IT OCCURS IN HIGH OUTSIDE TEMPERATURES AND CAN, ACCORDING TO SOME POSTINGS, COME ON WITH NO NOTICE AT HIGH SPEEDS. ONE DRIVER DESCRIBED HOW HE NARROWLY AVERTED PUTTING HIS CAR INTO THE CENTER DIVIDER OF A HIGHWAY. FEEL FREE TO CHECK THESE BOARDS, ONE OF THEM IS "ROADFLY.COM" WHERE A WHOLE THREAD EXISTS TO DISCUSS THIS PROBLEM. ANOTHER IS "Z4UM.COM." APPARENTLY THE ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN MUST BE REPLACED WITH ONE UPDATED FROM ORIGINAL SPECS. THE PART NUMBER IS 32-30-6-766-486. IT IS DANGEROUS, UNSAFE AND A RISK OF LIFE FOR PEOPLE TO BE DRIVING THESE CARS WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL HANDLING HARDENS AND CONTROL OF THE CAR IS PLACED IN JEOPARDY. BMW SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO RECALL ALL OF THESE CARS AND REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE PART WITH THE IMPROVED ONE. *JB

CAR SAT IN HOT SUN ALL DAY. ENTERED CAR TO DRIVE HOME AND NOTICED STEERING WAS HARD AS SPEED INCREASED UPWARDS TO 30 MPH. AS SPEED INCREASED STEERING BECAME VERY HARD, REQUIRING TORQUE ON STEERING WHEEL. AT A STOP THE STEERING WAS NORMAL, WHEEL COULD TURN AS ALWAYS. AT HIGHER SPEEDS UP TO 55 MPH, WHEN CAR WHEELS TURNED, THE ACTION WAS "CHOPPY" OR IN INCREMENTS RATHER THAN SMOOTH AND WITH THE PRECISION CAR NORMALLY HAD. IT ALMOST SEEMED LIKE HEAVY WEIGHT ON FRONT OF CAR. CHECKED RUN FLAT TIRES. NO PROBLEM. PARKED CAR AT HOME. TWO DAYS LATER TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER AND STEERING WAS NORMAL. DEALER RECOGNIZED A PROBLEM. HAD SAME YEAR AND MODEL WITH SIMILAR PROBLEM OCCURRING DAILY. COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. TOLD ME FACTORY SERVICE BULLETINS SAID DO NOT REPLACE PARTS UNLESS PROBLEM DUPLICATED! DEALER SUGGESTED I DRIVE CAR UNTIL PROBLEM RETURNED AND THEN BRING IT IN. THEY WOULD DO NOTHING UNTIL THEY COULD DUPLICATE PROBLEM TO PERFORM DIAGNOSTIC. DEALER NOT OPEN 24 HOURS A DAY, OTHER CARS AT SAME DEALERSHIP WITH PROBLEM. CAR WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE WHEN PROBLEM RECURRED. ACCORDING TO DEALER, MANUFACTURER IS AWARE OF PROBLEM, HAS TECHNICAL BULLETIN OUT, BUT NO PARTS REPLACED UNTIL FAILURE OCCURS AT DEALERSHIP. CAR BEING PARKED IN SUN BY DEALER TO SEE IF PROBLEM WILL DUPLICATE. CAR UNSAFE TO DRIVE!!! OTHER CARS THERE, SAME MODEL AND YEAR WITH SAME PROBLEM. *AK