NHTSA Complaint #10781504 — 2005 BMW Z4

FOUND A USED 2005 BMW Z4 3.0I WITH RIGHT AT 11,200 MILES FOR SALE ONLINE. CAR WAS LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 4 HOURS FROM HOME. WENT AND LOOKED AT CAR, TOOK IT FOR SHORT TEST DRIVE, SAW NO APPARENT ISSUES AND PURCHASED CAR. CAR HAD BEEN GARAGE KEPT AND WAS VERY CLEAN AND CONSISTENT WITH SUCH LOW MILEAGE. PROCEEDED ON WITH JOURNEY HOME. DROVE A WHILE AND STARTED TO NOTICE STEERING FELT A BIT STRANGE, BUT WROTE IT OFF THAT I "JUST WASN'T USED TO THE CAR" AND IT WOULD SIMPLY TAKE A WHILE TO GET USED TO IT. LATER, STILL ON MY JOURNEY HOME, WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE, I CAME TO A GENTLE LEFT HAND BEND IN THE ROAD. I WENT TO ADD A LITTLE CORRECTION TO THE STEERING WHEEL AND DISCOVERED THAT IT SIMPLY WOULD NOT LET ME TURN IT. I WAS DRIVING AT NORMAL INTERSTATE SPEEDS CLOSE TO 70 MPH. IT HAPPENS QUICKLY AND YOU DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT TO DO. WHILE TRYING TO SLOW THE VEHICLE, THE NATURAL RESPONSE IS TO GRAB THE STEERING WHEEL WITH BOTH HANDS AND TRY AND OVERCOME THE RESISTANCE. I DID THIS WITH A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF FORCE, AND THE STEERING WHEEL DID "LET GO" AND LET THE CAR TURN LEFT. SINCE SUCH FORCE HAD TO BE APPLIED TO THE WHEEL IN ORDER TO OVERCOME ITS RESISTANCE, IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO "CATCH THE WHEEL" AT THE PROPER LOCATION AND AVOID AN ABRUPT AND EXTREME OVERSHOOT. EXTREMLY TENSE AND DANGEROUS SITUATION! I SLOWED DOWN, MADE SURE THERE WERE NO OTHER CARS CLOSE AND OPERATED THE STEERING WHEEL BACK AND FORTH SOME. THINGS SEEMED TO BE OK. I CONTINUED MY JOURNEY VERY CAUTIOUSLY AT REDUCED SPEEDS. ONCE HOME, I LOOKED ONLINE TO SEE WHAT MIGHT POSSIBLY BE WRONG AND DISCOVERED THAT A MULTITUDE OF PEOPLE DESCRIBE EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED TO ME WITH 2003-2005 BMW Z4'S. IT IS MY SINCERE HOPE THAT THIS ISSUE CAN BE RECALLED AS I TRULY BELIEVE HUMAN LIVES ARE IN THE BALANCE, ESPECIALLY IF A GARAGE KEPT CAR WITH LESS THAN 12,000 MILES IS AT RISK. THANK YOU. *TR