NHTSA Complaint #10515036 — 2004 BMW Z4

DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WHEN THE TEMPERATURE WAS ABOVE NINETY DEGREES THE STEERING BECAME 'CATCHY' MEANING WHEN I TRIED TO DO NORMAL CORRECTIONS IT WOULD 'STICK' LIKE IT WAS STUCK IN SOME KIND OF GROOVE, REQUIRING ME 'FORCE' IT PAST THE STICKING POINT, WHICH WOULD RESULT IN AN OVER CORRECTION, WHICH IN TURN WOULD REQUIRE ME TO CORRECT IN THE OTHER DIRECTION - RESULTING IN A WEAVING IN THE LANE. THE ISSUE CONTINUED AND ON OCCASION, SEEMINGLY RELATED TO TEMPERATURE, WAS BAD ENOUGH TO FORCE ME OFF THE HIGHWAY AND ON TO SURFACE ROADS WHERE THE SPEED WAS LESS. I MENTIONED IT TO THE DEALER AND HE SAID HE COLD NOT REPEAT THE PROBLEM. THIS OCCURS EVERY YEAR WHEN IT GETS HOT AND THE LAST TIME I WAS AT THE DEALER HE SAID THE ELECTRONIC ASSIST STEERING IN THE STEERING COLUMN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $4,000. I RESEARCHED THIS PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET AND IT SEEMS THERE ARE QUITE A FEW OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE SAME ISSUE WITH THE STEERING WITH THIS CAR AND OTHER Z4'S FROM 2003 ON, SOME WITH MILEAGE LESS THAN THE 29,000 MILES I HAD ON MY VEHICLE WHEN IT FIRST OCCURRED. I FIND IT INTERESTING THAT THE DEALER DISCOVERED WHAT THE ISSUE WAS AFTER MY VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. *TR