NHTSA Complaint #10408212 — 2003 BMW Z4

MY SON AND I PURCHASED A USED 2003 BMW Z4 WITH ONLY 57,000 MILES ON IT . IT HAD A SLIGHT PULL TO THE RIGHT SO WE DECIDED TO HAVE AN ALIGNMENT DONE . THE BMW DEALERSHIP THAT WE TOOK IT TO SAID THAT THE ALIGNMENT WAS OK AND THAT THE ELECTRIC STEERING MOTOR WAS PROBABLY GOING BAD. THEY WANTED $ 3,500.00 TO REPAIR IT. SINCE THE PULLING TO THE RIGHT WAS VERY SLIGHT I ASKED IF THE CAR WAS SAFE TO DRIVE SINCE IT MY SON THAT WILL DRIVING THE CAR. THEY SAID THAT THE CAR WAS SAFE TO DRIVE. AFTER ARRIVING HOME WE DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE CARS. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND SPOKE WITH OUR SERVICE ADVISER AND HE ACTED LIKE HE WAS TOTALLY UNAWARE OF IT BEING A PROBLEM AND AGAIN ASSURED US THAT THE CAR WAS SAFE. ON THE WAY HOME FORM WORK MY SON WAS DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND HAD A LOSS OF POWER STEERING. THE STEERING HAD A DEAD SPOT AT THE CENTER POSITION. I THEN DID MORE RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT THERE IS AN INVESTIGATION ON THESE CARS FOR THE SAME PROBLEM MY SON IS HAVING WITH HIS CAR. I TALKED TO OTHER INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOPS AND THEY WON'T EVEN GET INVOLVED IN REPAIRING THIS BECAUSE THE CARS STILL HAVE PROBLEMS AFTER BEING REPAIRED. I THEN CALLED THE BMW DEALERSHIP AND ASKED HIM IF THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN SOLVED OR ARE THEY JUST INSTALLING A NEW PART THAT IS THE SAME AS THE OLD PART AND WILL FAIL AGAIN. HE SAID HE WOULD GET BACK TO ME. AND SURPRISE HE HAS NOT. WE WOULD NOT MIND SO MUCH AS TO SPEND $3500.00 TO HAVE A POTENTIALLY DEADLY PROBLEM FIXED, BUT TO JUST HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AGAIN IT TRULY UNFAIR. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT THIS. I HAVE FOUND OUT THAT THEY NO LONGER USE THIS TYPE OF STEERING SYSTEM. I ASSUME THAT THEY JUST WANT THIS PROBLEM TO GO AWAY AS THE CARS GET OLDER AND SOLD TO PEOPLE LIKE US WITH NO WARRANTY. ORIGINAL OWNERS PROBABLY KNOW OF THE PROBLEM AND WON'T MENTION THE PROBLEM SO NOT TO HURT RESALE VALUE.