2003 BMW Z4

AFTER DRIVING THE CAR FOR ABOUT AN HOUR, WITH OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE AROUND 95, THE STEERING RESPONSE OF THE CAR BECAME VERY STICKY OR NOTCHY. IF YOU WERE TO TURN THE WHEEL A FEW DEGREES AS REQUIRED BY EXITING OFF A HIGHWAY EXIT RAMP THE WHEEL WOULD NOT RETURN TO CENTER. WITH SLIGHT ADDITIONAL FORCE IT DID. WITH GENERAL DRIVING THE WHEEL REQUIRED MORE FORCE TO TURN TO OVERCOME THE "STICKY OR NOTCHY" SENSATION FELT THROUGH OUT THE STEERING WHEEL. VERY UNSAFE FEELING. *TR

DURING HOT TEMPERATURES WHEN MAKING TURNS IN THE Z4 THE STEERING WHEEL DOES NOT SMOOTHLY ROTATE, IT IS KNOTCHY AND SOMETIMES SUDDENLY PULLS TOWARDS A CERTAIN DIRECTION WHILE GOING INTO OR OUT OF A TURN. THIS BEHAVIOR IS VERY DANGEROUS AND CAN RESULT IN AN UNWANTED MANEUVER AT HIGH SPEED. CONSIDERING THIS IS A SPORTS CAR PEOPLE TEND TO GO ON SPIRITED DRIVES THAT ARE NOT FORGIVING TO SUCH STEERING WHEEL PULL IN UNWANTED DIRECTIONS. *TR

WHEN THE CAR GETS HOT (SUMMER HOT) THE STEERING GETS NOTCHY IN THAT WHEN YOU PUT THE CAR IN A SLIGHT TURN, LIKE CHANGING LANES OR GOING AROUND A SLIGHT CORNER, THE STEERING LITERALLY STICKS IN THAT POSITION CAUSING THE DRIVER TO APPLY OPPOSITE PRESSURE TO "BREAK" THE WHEEL LOOSE FROM THE TURN FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER STICK WHEREVER THE WHEEL IS BROUGHT BACK TO. PROBLEM IS THAT IT CAUSES MASSIVE OVERSTEERING ISSUES AT HIGH SPEED. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS! BMW KNOWS ABOUT IT AND RELEASED MULTIPLE PUMAS (ONE OF WHICH IS 4515500-06 - EQUIVALENT OF A TSB) BUT HAS NOT DONE A RECALL. *TR

WHEN THE CAR GET WARM UP THE STEERING BEGINS TO STICK IN ON PLACE. THIS MAKES A PLEASURE CAR SEEM MORE LIKE A NIGHTMARE AND IT IS VERY UNSAFE. THEIR NEEDS TO BE A RECALL ON THIS MODEL IMMEDIATELY. I HAVE SEEN HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ON THIS VERY SAME ISSUE ON THE INTERNET. IF THEY DON'T DO SOMETHING SOON THERE IS GOING TO BE A ACCIDENT AND THEN THEY'LL BE DEALING WITH LAWSUIT AT THAT POINT. *TR

APPROXIMATELY THREE YEARS AGO THE STEERING ON MY Z-4 BEGAN STICKING WHEN THE CAR WAS GOING STRAIGHT AHEAD. ON THE ADVICE OF A REPAIR SHOP I HAD THE STEERING RACK ASSEMBLY REPLACED AND TO GOT THE BMW DEALER TO CHECK THE WORK AND PROVIDE A FOUR-WHEEL ALIGNMENT. THIS DID NOT HELP.. THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE WORSENING AND IS WORSE DURING HOTTER TEMPERATURES. FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS MY BMW DEALER HAD SAID THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH STEERING. NOW LAST WEEK THEY TOLD ME THAT I NEED TO REPLACE AN EPS ASSEMBLY IN THE STEERING SYSTEM FOR A COST OF APPROXIMATELY $3500. I HAVE BEEN CHECKING SEVERAL BMW OWNERS CHAT ROOMS AND DISCOVERED NUMEROUS OTHER OWNERS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH 2003 - 2005 Z-4S. *TR

I BOUGHT THE 2003 BMW Z4 3.0 L. IN SEPTEMBER OF 2012. I LIVE AND DRIVE THE CAR IN PORTLAND OREGON WHERE THE WHETHER IS RATHER MODERATE IN THE SUMMER MONTHS BUT WHEN THE TEMPERATURE REACHES ABOVE 90 F THE STEERING GETS SO TIGHT THAT AT HIGHWAY SPEED ESPECIALLY I HAVE TO FIGHT THE STEERING WHEEL TO KEEP THE CAR ON TRACK. STEERING GETS SO TIGHT DUE TO OUTSIDE TEMPERATURES THAT DRIVING BECOMES SCARY AND UNSAFE. WHEN THE WEATHER IS PREDICTED WITH TEMPERATURES 90 F. AND ABOVE I CHOOSE TO DRIVE MY OLD BMW 528 WHICH IS THE TRUE ULTIMATE DRIVING MACHINE. SAFE AND RELIABLE. BMW MUST RECOGNIZE AND ADMIT THE ENGINEERING FLAW BUILT IN THE Z4 BMW AND RECALL BEFORE SERIOUS FATAL ACCIDENTS HAPPEN! PLEASE CONTACT ME FOR ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

STEERING BECOME - NOTCHY/STICKY. THIS MAKES SMALL STEERING CORRECTIONS VERY DIFFICULT DURING HIGHWAY DRIVING. THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE TEMPERATURE RELATED IN MY CASE. WITH COLDER THE OUTSIDE TEMPERATURES, THE BEHAVIOR IS DELAYED UNTIL THE A LONGER DRIVING DURATION HAS OCCURRED. THIS PROBLEM WAS EVIDENT WITHIN ONE YEAR OF MY PURCHASE. I DID NOT NOTICE IT VERY OFTEN, SINCE I WAS ONLY DRIVING TO AND FROM MY WORK, LOW MILEAGE AND SHORT TIMES. AS I HAVE NOW BEEN DRIVING THE CAR MORE OFTEN, I HAVE FOUND THIS PROBLEM EVIDENT ON ALL TRIP. I HAVE REPORTED THIS TO THE BMW DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED THE CAR (NEW). THEY INFORMED ME THAT I WOULD NEED A COMPLETE STEERING COLUMN REPLACEMENT AT MY EXPENSE (APPROXIMATELY $4000). THE ALSO SUGGESTED THAT I CONTACT BMW CUSTOMER SERVICE. I DID AND BASICALLY GOT A NULL RESPONSE. THE CAR HAS ALWAYS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED, NO ACCIDENTS, PARKED IN A GARAGE AND HAS LESS THAN 57000 MILES. THE WARRANTY OF COURSE HAS EXPIRED. I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT THE SOLUTION TO MY PROBLEM IS DUE TO ANY TYPE OF NORMAL WEAR AND AGE. I HAVE ALSO FOUND THAT THERE ARE NOW NUMEROUS REPORTS OF THE SAME STEERING ISSUE. THE CAR IS DRIVABLE, HOWEVER WITH EXTREME CAUTION AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THE ISSUE IS CONTROL OF THE CAR AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS - WHEN CHANGING LANES OR EVEN ATTEMPTING TO MAINTAIN A STRAIGHT PATH WITHIN THE LANES. AS THE TEMPERATURES INCREASE IN LONGER DRIVES, THE STEERING DIFFICULTY BECOMES WORSE. WHEN THE PROBLEMS STARTS, THE SMALLEST CONTROL CORRECTIONS FOR THE STEERING IS MORE THAN 5 DEGREES. THIS CAUSES A LARGE EFFECT ON THE CARS PATH AND MAKING IT NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO DRIVE IN A STRAIGHT LINE WHEN ATTEMPTING TO STAY IN THE DRIVING LANE. I WOULD LIKE BMW TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM AT THEIR EXPENSE. IN MY VIEW, THIS IS A DESIGN DEFECT INTRODUCED BY BMW. *TR

BASICALLY THE STEERING BECOMES STIFF IN WARM WEATHER. THE STIFFNESS OCCURS IN MY CAR AFTER A HALF AN HOUR OR SO OF DRIVING AT TEMPERATURES OVER ABOUT 75 TO 80 DEGREES. I BELIEVE IT'S DANGEROUS, ESPECIALLY WHEN CHANGING LANES ON THE HIGHWAY AT SPEED DURING HEAVY TRAFFIC, AND AM VERY SURPRISED THAT THERE HASN'T BEEN A RECALL SO FAR. IT ALSO TAKES MOST OF THE PLEASURE OUT OF DRIVING IN WARM WEATHER WITH THE TOP DOWN, WHICH IS THE REASON I BOUGHT THE Z4 IN THE FIRST PLACE. *TR