2006 BMW Z4

PURCHASE THE LISTED VEHICLE IN POMPANO BEACH, FL WHICH IS OVER 250 MILES FROM OUR HOME. TEST DROVE AND EVERYTHING APPEARED TO BE WORKING IN A NORMAL MANNER. ABOUT 50 MILES FROM HOME, THE PASSENGER AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON LOCATED ON THE CONSOLE, AS WELL AS ON THE DASH. THE DEALER WHERE THE PURCHASE WAS MADE WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT UNLESS WE BROUGHT THE VEHICLE BACK TO THEM OR ONE OF THEIR OTHER FACILITIES, THE NEAREST ONE OVER 100 MILES AWAY. WE WERE TOLD THAT THE AIR BAGS WOULD STILL DEPLOY PROPERLY EVEN WITH THE AIR BAG LIGHT BEING ON. ON 06/18/14, I WENT ONLINE TO SEE HOW THE AIR BAG SEAT SENSOR COULD BE REPLACED. LO AND BEHOLD, I FOUND A LETTER FROM NHTSA STATING THAT THE SEAT SENSORS COULD CRACK AND AFFECT THE PROPER AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT. MY VEHICLE YEAR AND MODEL WAS LISTED AS AN AFFECTED MODEL. WE VISITED THE BMW DEALERSHIP IN OCALA, FL TODAY AND SHOWED THE NHTSA LETTER TO THE SERVICE ADVISOR AND HE STATED HE HAD NO HISTORY OF A RECALL. BMW WANTS TO USE THE VIN # AS A DETERMINING FACTOR. ALTHOUGH THE NHTSA LETTER DOES NOT SAY A WORD ABOUT VIN'S, BUT RATHER, JUST YEAR, MAKE AND MODEL. IT ALSO CLEARLY INDICATES THAT ALL SEAT SENSORS COULD CRACK AFFECTING THE SAFETY OF THE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT, THIS INDICATES TO ME THAT THIS COULD HAPPEN, NOT THAT IT HAS HAPPENED. BMW DOES NOT WANT TO DO A THING ABOUT IT UNLESS I PAY THEM $159.95 FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TEST AND I CONSIDER THIS AS BEING TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF AS A RESULT OF BEING A 79 YEAR OLD SENIOR CITIZEN. CAN YOU HELP ME WITH MY DILEMMA? FOR THE RECORD, THE VEHICLE WAS OFFERED FOR SALE BY LEXUS OF CLEARWATER ON 02/06/14. ASSUMING IT DID NOT SELL WITH THIS DEALER, THEN MERCEDES OF POMPANO ACQUIRED THE VEHICLE AND OFFERED IT FOR SALE ON 03/06/14. I MADE THE PURCHASE ON 04/02/14. ALL OF THESE DATES ARE CLOSELY RELATED TO THE MIDDLE OF THIS RECALL TAKING PLACE. *TR

I PICKED UP THIS CAR USED WITH 57000 MILES ON IN MAY 2013. THE STEERING HAS ALWAYS BEEN 'TOUCHY' BUT THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT IT'S BECAUSE IT'S A SPORTS CAR. WHEN DRIVING CAR IN TEMPERATURES AROUND 85 AND UP THE STEERING GETS REALLY 'JERKY' . THIS STARTED IN JUNE 2013 AS THE WEATHER WARMED UP. IT'S MY 2ND CAR SO DON'T DRIVE IT EVERY DAY AND DID NOT NOTICE THIS PROBLEM UNTIL THE WEATHER TURNED HOT . HIGH 80'S INTO THE 90'S. I DIDN'T USE IT MUCH DURING THE REALLY HOT WEATHER LAST YEAR. BUT THE PROBLEM WAS THERE. I THOUGHT IT WAS THE TIRES, HAD THEM CHECKED AND HAD NO ISSUES. TOOK THE CAR IN FOR AN ALIGNMENT IN THE SPRING. THESE PAST FEW DAYS THE WEATHER HAS TURNED REALLY WARM. I DROVE THE CAR TO WORK, LEFT AT 4PM YESTERDAY WITH THE TEMP OVER 90 AND THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT! THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD NOT GLIDE SMOOTHLY LEFT OR RIGHT. IT'S LIKE IT GETS STUCK, YOU PULL IT BACK CAUSING YOU TO OVERSTEER, YOU PULL IT BACK THE OTHER WAY. I FOUGHT THIS ALL THE WAY HOME FOR 23 MILES. THE TEMPERATURE AND THE ERRATIC STEERING WAS SO BAD YESTERDAY THAT I WILL NOT DRIVE IT. IT IS SITTING IN MY GARAGE TODAY. I CALLED THE DEALER, TOM BUSH BMW IN JACKSONVILLE FL, TO INQUIRE ABOUT THE SERVICE BULLETINS I FOUND AND THIS WEBSITE WHERE OTHERS ARE REPORTING IT. I ALSO CALLED BMW NA AND THEY TOLD ME I HAD TO GO TO THE DEALER FIRST. I HAVE LEFT 2 MESSAGES AND I HAVE A FEELING I WILL HAVE TO KEEP CALLING. THEY ARE AWARE OF THIS ISSUE. YOU CANNOT KEEP THE CAR GOING STRAIGHT WITHOUT JERKY IT BACK AND FORTH WHEN OUTDOOR TEMPERATURE IS ABOVE 85. THIS CAUSES YOU TO OVERSTEER AND DRIVE ERRATICALLY. IT'S VERY HARD TO CONTROL THE CAR. I LIVE IN FLORIDA. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE! WHY IS THERE NO RECALL? DOES SOMEONE HAVE TO DIE FIRST? THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS, WHAT HAS THE NHTSA DONE TO INVESTIGATE? *TR

THE INDICATOR FOR "PASSENGER SEAT AIRBAG DEACTIVATED" LIGHT CAME ON AND THE "AIRBAG SYSTEM MALFUNCTION" WARNING LAMP ON THE DASH CAME ON AND REMAINED ON. THIS OCCURRED ON THE FIRST START OF THE DAY AFTER HAVING DRIVEN IT SEVERAL DAYS BEFORE WITH NO ISSUES. I DID NOT, AND HAD NEVER TURNED THE PASSENGER AIRBAGS OFF. I SUSPECT THIS IS DUE TO A FAILED SENSOR IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, SIMILAR TO WHAT INITIATED THE RECENT RECALL FOR OTHER MODELS. I CONTACTED BMW CUSTOMER RELATIONS AND WAS TOLD THAT THE EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR THIS VERY ISSUE THAT IS APPLICABLE TO OTHER BMW MODELS OUTSIDE THE RECALL IS NOT APPLICABLE TO MY CAR. I NOW HAVE WHAT I SUSPECT IS A KNOWN SERIOUS SAFETY DEFECT FROM THE FACTORY THAT I MUST RESOLVE ON MY OWN. *TR

AT 5PM I DROVE THE CAR TO MARKET. STEERING FELT STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OR NULL POINT. IT TOOK SOME FORCE TO MOVE STEERING WHEEL PAST THE STUCK FEELING AND THEN THE SAME EFFORT TO RETURN TO THE STRAIGHT AHEAD POSITION. THIS HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES BEFORE WHEN THE OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE EXCEEDS 80+ DEGREES F. IT IS A VERY UNCOMFORTABLE AND UNSAFE PROBLEM AS THE CORRECTION CAN CAUSE THE CAR TO SWERVE INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC OR THE SWALE OR CURB. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW Z4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE THE FAILURE WAS UNABLE TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. THE MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THE ENGINE AS HAVING LOW COMPRESSION AND HE HEARD THE TIMING CHAIN FLAPPING. THE MECHANIC RECOMMENDED THE DEALER TAKING A LOOK AT THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER DETERMINED THE BOLTS HOLDING THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER HAD SHEARED OFF. UPDATED 07/15/14

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW Z4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE PARKED, THE CONTACT USED THE KEYLESS ENTRY TO UNLOCK THE DOOR AND THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE CONTACT CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WHO STATED THAT THE FIRE WAS CAUSED BY AN ELECTRICAL COMPONENT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 75,000.

REFERENCE DEFECT INVESTIGATION EA08001, NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 08V384000; PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY PAD CRACKED CAUSING AIR BAG LIGHT THAT REMAINS ON. UNCLEAR WHICH (IF ANY) AIRBAGS ARE OPERATIVE. REFERENCE CAMPAIGN FOR THE SAME ISSUE DID NOT INCLUDE THIS YEAR VEHICLE. BMW PROVIDED FOR EXTENDED 10 YEAR WARRANTY ON 2004-2005 Z4 VEHICLES AS PART OF THE RESOLUTION TO REFERENCE CAMPAIGN. *TR