2003 BMW Z4

WHEN STEERING SHARPLY OR TURNING THE WHEEL FREQUENTLY LIKE TO PARALLEL PARK FOR EXAMPLE, THE ELECTRICAL SUDDENLY COMPLETELY SHUTS DOWN IN MY CAR. THE CAR'S POWER COMPLETELY DIES AND I LOSE ABILITY TO STEER. SOMETIMES THIS IS WHILE MAKING A QUICK TURN WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC APPROACHING QUICKLY. I MUST STOP TURNING, WAIT FOR THE POWER TO TURN BACK ON, AND RESUME DRIVING AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND I AM SCARED TO DRIVE MY CAR. *TR

THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE STEERING WHEEL DOES NOT RETURN TO CENTER WITHOUT CONSIDERABLE ASSISTANCE. THE PROBLEM IS DEFINITELY WORSE WHEN CAR IS "WARMED UP" AND IS ALSO WORSENED BY INCREASED OUTDOOR TEMPERATURE. THIS IS A REAL SAFETY CONCERN. MY DEALER CHARGED ME $104.00 FOR DIAGNOSTICS AND TOLD ME TO KEEP THE BATTERY CHARGED. THIS HAS HAD NE EFFECT ON THE PROBLEM. *TR

I HAVE HAD MY 2003 BMW Z4 FOR SEVEN YEARS. THE STEERING HAS A TIGHT PLACE AT DEAD CENTER. IT TAKES EXTRA FORCE TO TURN LEFT OR RIGHT UNTIL YOU PASS CENTER. IT IS REAL TRICKY ON A CURVED ROAD. I ONLY DRIVE IT ON SPECIAL DAYS; BUT, I NOTICED IT REALLY STARTED STICKING BAD THIS SUMMER. I DO NOT HAVE $3200 TO FIX A DEALER RELATED PROBLEM . I AM MAKING THIS REPORT ON BEHALF OF MYSELF AND THE ADDITIONAL COMPLAINTS THAT I HAVE READ ABOUT SINCE THIS PROBLEM HAS BECOME DANGEROUS FOR ME AS WELL AS FOR ALL Z4 OWNERS. I TRUST AND HOPE BMW STANDS UP AND DOES SOMETHING TO GET THIS PROBLEM FIXED. I LOVE MY Z4. IT USE TO BE FUN TO DRIVE. IT IS HAS BECOME A BIT SCARY TO DRIVE AND A GREAT WORRY FOR ME WHEN MY WIFE TAKES IT OUT I HATE FILLING THIS FORM OUT; BUT, I FEEL THAT IT IS NECESSARY OR NOTHING WILL GET DONE. IF YOUR HAVING THIS PROBLEM ; ALSO, I PRAY THAT YOU JOIN IN AND FILL OUT YOUR COMPLAINT BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED OR SERIOUSLY HURT THANKS, D. IN TEXAS. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE I NOTICED THAT THERE SEEMS TO BE A DEAD SPOT OR CATCH IN THE STEERING. YOU TURN LEFT OR RIGHT VERY MUCH AND ITS LIKE YOU HAVE TO PULL HARDER TO GET IT TO TURN. BY THEN YOU HAVE PULLED TOO HARD AND THE CAR JERKS TO WHICHEVER WAY YOU WERE TURNING. IT DOES NOT HAPPEN ALL THE TIME. I CAN BE DRIVING ALONG AND FORGET ABOUT IT STICKING AND TAKE A CURVE AND IT HAPPENS. VERY UNNERVING. *TR

THE STEERING IN THE Z4 STARTS TO GET "STICKY" WHEN THE TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE GETS HOT (~ >85 DEG F). IT DOESN'T RETURN BACK TO CENTER ON IT'S OWN AND IT FEELS LIKE THERE ARE DEAD SPOTS IN THE STEERING WHERE YOU HAVE TO FORCE THE WHEEL BACK TO MAKE IT MOVE. IT DOESN'T HAPPEN WHEN THE WEATHER IS COOL - THE WHEEL TURNS AND RETURNS TO CENTER NORMALLY. IT ONLY SEEMS TO HAPPEN IN HOT WEATHER. *TR

WHEN DRIVING IN A STRAIGHT LINE THE CAR HANDLES AS IT SHOULD. HOWEVER, WHEN AN ADJUSTMENT NEEDS TO BE MADE TO MOVE THE CAR TO THE RIGHT OR THE LEFT THE STEERING WHEEL WILL LOCK UP UNTIL ENOUGH FORCE IS USED TO JERK IT FREE. WHEN THIS IS DONE THE CAR OVERSTEERS TO THE RIGHT OR LEFT. AS THE PROBLEM IS GETTING WORSE THE CAR IS JERKING MORE VIOLENTLY TO THE RIGHT OR LEFT WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL FINALLY LETS THE STEERING ADJUST TO THE RIGHT OR LEFT. TAKING THE CAR TO THE BMW DEALERSHIP, THEY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS THE ENTIRE STEERING MECHANISM INCLUDING THE ELECTRIC MOTOR ASSIST WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED. FIELDS BMW IN LAKELAND, FLORIDA IS THE DEALERSHIP THAT I TOOK MY CAR TO HAVE THE PROBLEM DIAGNOSED FOR $85.00. WHEN I BOUGHT THIS CAR FROM FURMAN CHEVROLET IN TAMPA, THEY CLEVERLY FORGOT TO WRITE IT INTO THE CONTRACT EVEN THOUGH I COMPLAINED ABOUT THE SMALL HANGUP OF THE STEERING WHEEL AT THAT TIME AND THEY ASSURED ME THAT THEY WOULD FIX IT. NOW I AM GOING TO TAKE WHAT I CONSIDER A VERY UNSAFE CAR BACK OUT ONTO THE HIGHWAY AND HAVE TO DRIVE A PIECE OF JUNK FOR THE NEXT 10 YEARS UNLESS THERE IS A RECALL FOR THEIR POOR ENGINEERING OR, WORSE YET, LOUSY PARTS. I HAVE FOUND THAT THE BMW EMBLEM AT $35.00 IS A HOT SELLER AND THAT THE CUP HOLDERS AT $55,00 EACH ARE IN GREAT DEMAND AS IT SEEMS BMW CAN'T ENGINEER THOSE TO LAST EITHER. I CAN HARDLY WAIT FOR THE NEXT FAILURE. NO WONDER THEY HAD NO Z4S ON THE LOT FOR RESALE. I IMAGINE THEY ARE STAYING AS FAR AWAY FROM THESE AS POSSIBLE AS THEY MUST KNOW THEY ARE CUTE CARS, BUT REALLY JUST JUNK! *TR

THIS IS FOR A 2003 BMW Z4 WITH JUST OVER 25,000 MILES. AS SOON AS I BEGAN DRIVING ON AN ACCESS ROAD AND THEN A COUNTY ROAD, I NOTICED THE VEHICLE WAS NOT GOING IN A STRAIGHT LINE EVEN THOUGH I WAS NOT TURNING THE WHEEL. THERE WAS SOME PLAY IN THE STEERING AND THE WHEEL FELT STIFFER THAN NORMAL WITH A STICKY FEELING A FEW DEGREES LEFT OR RIGHT. AS I DROVE DOWN THIS STRAIGHT ROAD, THE CAR CONTINUED TO PULL TOWARDS ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER AND CONTROLLING IT BECAME VERY DIFFICULT. FROM BEHIND, IT WOULD APPEAR AS THOUGH I WAS SWERVING WHILE TRYING TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE. I FELT LIKE I COULD LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE SO I DROVE AS SLOWLY AS POSSIBLE TO THE DEALERSHIP. I EXPLAIN THE SITUATION TO THE ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF AND THEY TOOK THE CAR IN FOR INSPECTION THE NEXT DAY. THE FOLLOWING DAY I RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE HEAD MECHANIC TO ASK MORE QUESTIONS. AGAIN I PROVIDED MORE DETAILS ABOUT HOW THE VEHICLE FELT WHILE DRIVING AND THEY REQUESTED PERMISSION TO ROAD TEST IT. AT FIRST THEY THOUGHT THE ISSUE WAS RELATED TO WHEEL ALIGNMENT, BUT UPON FURTHER TESTING THEY REALIZED IT WAS MORE THAN THAT. THE STICKY STEERING COLUMN APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN DAMAGED, THE MOTOR DRIVE FOR THE POWER STEERING. I WAS QUOTED $3,176 TO REPLACE. I SPOKE WITH THE HEAD MECHANIC, AND EXPRESSED MY DISPLEASURE WITH WHAT APPEARS TO BE A QA OR DESIGN ISSUE WITH THIS CAR AND THE FACT I FOUND HUNDREDS OF OTHER REPORTS AND INVESTIGATIONS LAUNCHED INTO THIS EXACT PROBLEM WITH THE Z4. IN MY OPINION THIS MANUFACTURING DEFECT SHOULD BE REASON ENOUGH FOR A RECALL GIVEN THE HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS CREATED BY THE MALFUNCTION OF A RELATIVELY NEW/UNUSED PART. BMW'S INSISTENCE THAT I COVER THE COST OF THIS PART IS ALSO UNREASONABLE, AS I DOUBT THEY CAN ATTRIBUTE THIS MALFUNCTION TO TYPICAL WEAR AND TEAR GIVEN THE LIGHT USE OF THIS VEHICLE. *TR

TWO YEARS AGO IN THE SUMMER, I DROVE MY CAR BACK ON THE HIGHWAY AND THE STEERING WHEEL WAS VERY HARD TO MOVE. IT WAS A STICKY STEERING SITUATION. THE WEATHER WAS ALSO VERY HOT. THIS PROBLEM HAS CONTINUED EVEN WHEN I AM DRIVING SLOWLY. THE WEATHER TEMPERATURE SEEMS TO BE THE CRITICAL FACTOR. YESTERDAY, I DROVE THE CAR AND IT STEERED PERFECTLY. THE TEMPERATURE WAS IN THE 70S. TODAY, IT DROVE FINE IN THE A.M. BUT IN THE PM WHEN THE TEMPERATURE REACHED ABOVE 80, THE STEERING WAS "STICKY" AGAIN. I HAVE FOUND MANY POSTS ON LINE DESCRIBING THIS IDENTICAL PROBLEM. THE CAR IS A 2004 BMW Z4. THIS PROBLEM HAS HAPPENED WITHIN THE LAST 2 YEARS BUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE DRIVE HANDLING YESTERDAY AND TODAY WAS VERY OBVIOUS. *TR