NHTSA Complaint #10384620 — 2003 BMW Z4

WHILE DRIVING MY 2003 Z4 AT MODERATE (ABOVE 45MPH) AND HIGHER SPEEDS THE CAR BECOMES DIFFICULT TO STEER IN A STRAIGHT LINE DOWN THE ROAD. THIS DOES NOT APPEAR TO HAPPEN ON PERFECTLY SMOOTH ROADS. THIS APPEARS IN TWO WAYS. ON BUMPY ROADS, THE CAR WILL SUDDENLY JERK TO EITHER THE LEFT OR THE RIGHT AND REQUIRE AGGRESSIVE CORRECTIONS TO THE STEERING WHEEL TO KEEP THE CAR FROM VEERING OUT OF IT'S LANE. THIS SUDDEN JERKING TO THE LEFT OR THE RIGHT OCCURS WITHOUT WARNING, SO CORRECTIONS TO THE STEERING WHEEL TO KEEP THE CAR IN ITS LANE CAN NOT BE MADE UNTIL THE CAR HAS ACTUALLY JERKED ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS THE CAR HAS CROSSED THE CENTER LINE INTO THE ONCOMING LANE OR ONTO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD BEFORE I COULD REACT. DRIVING THE CAR AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS (65-70MPH) TAKES CONSTANT VIGILANCE AND REQUIRES SLOWING DOWN TO SPEEDS FAR BELOW THE SPEED LIMIT (45-50MPH) ON THE ROUGHEST OF PAVEMENT TO MAKE ME FEEL I CAN KEEP THE CAR UNDER CONTROL AND IN MY LANE. THE SECOND WAY THIS CAR IS DIFFICULT TO STEER IS WHEN THERE ARE RUTES WORN IN THE ROAD FROM HEAVY TRAFFIC. (MOST HIGHWAYS) WHEN ATTEMPTING TO CHANGE LANES, THE CAR WILL NOT MOVE TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT AS INPUT IS GIVEN TO THE STEERING WHEEL. AS MORE INPUT IS GIVEN, THE CAR WILL SUDDENLY JUMP IN THE DIRECTION OF STEERING INPUT, REQUIRING INPUT IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION TO KEEP THE CAR FROM MOVING OVER TO FAR AND CROSSING INTO A LANE NOT INTENDED. THIS DIFFICULTY IN STEERING IS DETECTABLE WHEN CHANGING LANES IS STARTED AND THE CAR DOES NOT REACT TO THE INITIAL STEERING INPUT. WITH PRACTICE, I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DEVELOP THE SKILL TO TIME MY CORRECTIVE INPUT TO THE STEERING AS THE CAR COMPLETES ITS LANE CHANGE. EVEN WITH MY GETTING USED TO THIS CONDITION, LANE CHANGES ARE NOT SMOOTH, BUT JERKY MANEUVERS INSTEAD. THIS CAR TAKES AN EXTRA ORDINARILY HIGH LEVEL OF SKILL AND ALERTNESS TO DRIVE SAFELY AT MODERATE TO HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND SEEMS OUTRIGHT DANGEROUS TO ANYONE UNAWARE OF THIS CONDITION. *TR