2006 BMW Z4 owner complaints

My 2006 BMW z4 has an issue with the steering getting stuck or notchy during warmer temperatures. The steering seems to get stuck. It sometimes requires significant effort to correct it. This is a serious safety issue. Many z4 models suffer from this issue and a recall should be issued asap before someone is injured or killed

Vehicle has a flat spot in the steering system. This problem appears to be temperature related as it is not as sever as when it is a cool day. The steering seems to lock up in the straight ahead position. *tr

The Steering wheel gets Hard, looks like power steering gets disabled automatically while driving, making it almost impossible to steer. This has started to happen after hot weather had started few months back. I have tried to reproduce this issue several times, but it happens randomly and Not all the time. I don't drive the car much. But this is definitely a serious issue, I checked the BMW community and a lot of people are facing this issue. Not Sure how many have filed a complaint here. But this definitely should be addressed by BMW as this is not just one person facing this issue, there are hundreds and thousands of them. Level of severity is high, as someone who might have not faced this issue yet might suddenly face it on the highway could result in an extremely fatal accident. Haven

In hot weather, the steering binds, making keeping the car in the correct lane extremely difficult. The car will dart from one side to the other. The car will be nearly impossible to keep in the correct lane.

Recurring problem with steering input effort when driving on highways. The steering sticks when in the center position. Resistance is felt and is difficult to return back to the center position. Sticking problem seems worse at higher speeds and with warm outside temperature above 80 degrees. The faster the speed, the more effort needed to overcome the detent resistance, to the point that it becomes easy to oversteer the car. This can be real scary during avoidance maneuvers and quick lane changes.

Steering is extremely notchy and unpredictable, especially on hot days. When in motion, the steering wheel requires force to turn, and sometimes will turn slightly without driver input. It appears that the power assist steering is actuating when it should not be, causing either resistance to steering inputs, or applying force when no steering input has been applied. When the engine is not running, or at very slow speeds, noise can be heard from the power assist motor. It actuates when no steering inputs are being applied. When steering inputs are applied, too much resistance can be felt and the motor makes additional noises. I purchased the car in february of 2016, and this has been happening since approximately spring of 2016. It has been getting progressively worse.

On hot days (85f+) the steering seems to "stick" requiring more than normal force to "break" the stick and resume normal steering. This can be very disconcerting as it feels like the car does not want to move. This issue does not occur in the winter. *js

Steering is difficult to control when ambient temperature exceeds 85f. It is not speed dependent. When steering in either direction there is a sticking feel the results in potentially dangerous oversteer. It appears that this problem is not uncommon based on BMW owner forums and is well document in the NHTSA complaint database. It is only a matter of time before this issue results in injury and/or property damage. *tr

I just purchased a 2006 z4 3.0i with 21000 miles from a dealership in wilmington, nc. During the test drive I noticed that the steering was unusually stiff and at higher speeds the car was somewhat hard to keep in a straight line. I dismissed the issue as a possible alignment or worn out tire issue. On the 120 mile drive home to raleigh, nc the steering became more and more erratic, pushing the car half way to the other lane. I noticed that the steering was getting really sticky and jerky the longer I drove. When trying to slightly correct the trajectory of the car to any side, the steering would not react to light torque on the steering wheel as it would with any other car I've driven before. When applying more force the steering would suddenly jump a degree or more, causing the car to ov

I was backing out of my garage one morning and noticed a slight sticking feeling in my steering. Thinking it was a tire, I ran my errand and checked my tire inflation. One week later we took a short trip (50 miles) and the further I got down the road, the more I felt this notch in the center of my steering. When one tries to overcome this notch, you overcorrect the steering and could possibly dart off too fast. This is a dangerous situation. Again we checked our tires which seemed to be fine, then determined it was in the steering. We researched for similar situations on line and found there was an issue with these cars prior to 06/2006. Our car was mfg. 04/2006. Is there a recall in place for this wide spread problem? *tr

The battery on the vehicle was dead and replaced. After the battery was replaced, the vehicle is in "transportation mode". Under this mode, the ac, fan and rear defroster do not work. The vehicle need to be returned to the dealer to reinitialize the software to remove the transportation mode. *tr

Passenger airbag deactivation light always on (since 20,000 miles approx) together with dashboard airbag warning light. Garage diagnosed faulty passenger seat pressure mat and advised passenger airbag would not deploy in the event of an accident. BMW norwell ma, who sold the car to us, stated no recall on 2006 model (conversation with their service dept. Of 10/21/2011) although all z4s up to 2005 were recalled for mat replacement. BMW were clearly still fitting defective pressure mats in the 2006 models and would appear to be not only jeopardizing our safety but also avoiding their responsibilities. *tr

Changing a headlight bulb on drivers side noticed flaking insulation on wiring harness. In the process of removing headlamp, insulation on all the wiring almost completely disintegrated. I can only assume that this same condition exists on the passenger side. This would seem to present a fire hazard at worst and a loss of lighting at the least. I understand from reading various forums that this is a problem across many BMW models. Further, it appears that BMW used a soy based insulation product on these wires. Isn't soy biodegradable? Why would this be used in a wiring harness.

The insulated wiring inside the headlight housing has hardened and the insulation had cracked and fallen off. This allows the wires to short and causes unexpected failure of the headlights, parking lights, turn signals and other items inside the headlight housing. The lights failed unexpectedly and intermittently.

On my 2006 BMW z4 3.0i, while replacing a blown headlight bulb I discovered that the insulation on the low beam headlight wiring was crumbling off and in parts had bare copper wire showing. As this is the main headlight wiring and both the + and - wires were showing bare copper a short circuit and or fire could be possible. This wiring is within the headlight housing it's self. Upon doing research online I am not the only person affected. I reported this issue to my local BMW dealer who said there were no recalls at this time and I could call BMW na. I called BMW na who repeated that there was no recall and said they would make a note of it but offered no other help. *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 BMW z4. The contact stated that the passenger side air bag warning light illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer for a diagnostic test. The dealer stated that the occupant detection mat in the passenger side seat was defective and needed to be replaced. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign I.d. Number: 08v384000 (air bags:frontal) and called the manufacturer. The manufacturer advised the contact that the VIN number was not covered under the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 64,000.

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

This report concerns a safety issue with a 2006 BMW z4 with a 3.0 engine and automatic transmission. The vehicle has an intermittent problem that began earlier this year. The vehicle will begin accelerating without depressing the accelerator and will sometimes maintain a constant speed when the foot is taken off the accelerator. It will accelerate well past 100mph without stopping. The three ways that stop the sudden acceleration is to 1. Apply the brakes, 2. Put the gear selector into neutral, or 3. Tap the 'off' position on the cruise control lever. Cruise control has never been utilized when the vehicle has experienced this unintended acceleration. There are no floor mats in the vehicle that could impede the functioning of the accelerator. This vehicle has been taken to the

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 BMW z4. The contact stated that the vehicle suddenly accelerated independently. The failure was experienced several times while driving at various speeds. The contact believed that the cruise control caused the vehicle to suddenly accelerate because once the vehicle decelerated to normal speed, the vehicle continued to accelerate gradually at a higher speed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where a diagnostic was performed that was unable to locate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was left with the dealer for further inspection. The failure mileage was 44,000 and the current mileage was 54,000.

The contact owns a 2006 BMW Z4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the PCV valve heater needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.