NHTSA Complaint #11139337 — 2004 BMW Z4

MY 2004 BMW Z4 WITH FEWER THAN 50,000 ACCUMMULATED MILES HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING SIGNIFICANT "STICKING/DEDENT" STEERING PROBLEMS UNDER HIGHWAY DRIVING CONDITIONS THAT RESULT IN UNSAFE STEERING RESPONSIVENESS. THIS PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE COMMON TO US AND EUROPEAN BMW Z4 MODEL YEARS 2003 THROUGH 2005 AND HAS BEEN EXTENSIVELY REPORTED ON THE INTERNET AND TO BMW ITSELF. BMW TECHNICIANS HAVE INDICATED THAT THE PROBLEM CAN RENDER A VEHICLE "UNSAFE TO DRIVE" AND HAVE FURTHER INDICATED THAT THE PROBLEM CAN ONLY BE CORRECTED BY REPLACING THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING UNIT AT A COST OF SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLARS. THE PREVALENCE OF THIS IDENTICAL PROBLEM IN HUNDREDS, IF NOT THOUSANDS OF BMW Z4S CLEARLY POINTS TO AN ENGINEERING DESIGN FLAW. EVEN SO, BMW REFUSES TO TAKE RESPOSIBILITY FOR THIS PROBLEM AND HAVE REJECTED ANY ASSISTANCE TO BMW Z4 OWNERS WHO HAVE SOUGHT SUCH ASSISTANCE. CONSIDERING THE SIGNIFICANT NEGATIVE IMPACT THAT THIS STEERING CONTROL PROBLEM MAY HAVE ON SAFE VEHICLE OPERATION, THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD BE FORCED TO UNDERTAKE A RECALL OF ALL THE VEHICLES AFFECTED BY THIS MANUFACTURING DEFECT.