NHTSA Complaint #10545069 — 2004 BMW Z4

2004 BMW Z4 PURCHASED USED IN 2011 WITH JUST OVER 60K MILES ON THE ODOMETER. AT JUST UNDER 70K MILES THE DRIVER NOTICED STEERING SEEMED STIFF AND WHEN ENTERING A CURVE THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD FREEZE IN LOCKED POSITION UNTIL MANUALLY CORRECTED UPON WHICH TIME IT WOULD FEEL AS IF THE FRONT WHEELS WERE ON A PATCH OF BLACK ICE MOMENTARILY! OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE WAS ABOVE 80 DEGREES. DID A SEARCH ON THIS VEHICLE NO ACCIDENTS. HOWEVER IT WAS DISCOVERED MANY COMPLAINTS (242) ON THIS OR SIMILAR STEERING PROBLEMS. I CALLED BMW OF NORTH AMERICA AND SPOKE TO A PUBLIC RELATIONS REP. WHO INFORMED ME THAT BMW WAS UNAWARE OF ANY SUCH PROBLEMS WITH THIS YEAR MODEL STEERING. I REPLIED THAT THIS SEEMS ODD SINCE I HAD JUST LOOKED AT 17 PAGES OF SUCH PROBLEMS ON-LINE? I SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT WITH MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND ASKED TO SPEAK WITH AN EXPERIENCED TECHNICIAN CONCERNING THE PROBLEM. THE SERVICE MANAGER CHECKED WITH ONE OF THEIR TECHNICIANS! HE CONFIRMED THAT HE HAD SEEN THIS BEFORE AND THE STEERING COLUMN WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. WHEN I PURCHASED THIS CAR I ALSO TRANSFERRED OVER AN EXTENDED WARRANTY AT A COST OF $1,000.00. SO I WILL ONLY BE OUT MY $100.00 DEDUCTIBLE. PARTS AND LABOR WILL BE IN EXCESS OF $4,000K IF A DEALERSHIP TECH IS AWARE OF SUCH PROBLEMS WITH A PARTICULAR MAKE OR MODEL YOU WOULD SURELY THINK THAT BMW OF NORTH AMERICA WOULD ALSO BE AWARE OF THE SAME SUCH FINDINGS! SOMETHING SMELLS AND ITS NOT GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE!