2003 BMW Z4 problems
NHTSA has received 460 complaints about the 2003 BMW Z4, and 75% of them involve steering. Next are air bags (7%) and electrical system (3%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 460 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Steering 75% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 7 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 2 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 43,000 miles 391 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 74 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 102 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 79 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 69 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 39 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 18 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 2 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 7 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 1 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 391 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 43,000 miles. For steering specifically, the median reported mileage is about 42,000 miles (301 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 7 complaints mention a crash; 2 injuries reported. Its complaints are less severe on average than those of 94% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2003 ranks 1st most-complained-about out of 8 model years of the BMW Z4 with enough data (112 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 4 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Takata recall. 2003 BMW z4 air bags did not deploy nor did seat belts lock when car hit a tracter trailer who suddenly stopped short on the highway. BMW was moving at approx 80 MPH when driver hit breaks upon seeing trailer stop short.
Engine surged then revved uncontrollablly after startup. Continued to surge and idle with RPM alternating between 0 - 2500 RPM the accelorator was unresponsive. After startup the car surged forward. Damange to front bumber and cracked light resulted. Defective part: bad throttle housing, replaced engine throttle (r6385) defect code 15 540 712
Chronic problem with the steering being sticky when the weather is warm or when the car sits in the hot sun. The steering wheel when held steady driving down the road seems to stick in an exact position and if the weather is very warm the stickiness is such that when the car needs steering correction to stay in the driving lane that significant pressure is required to unstick the position of the steering direction.
The contact owns a 2003 BMW Z4. The contact stated that the coolant warning light illuminated. The contact then stated that she noticed smoke underneath the hood of the vehicle. The contact stated that upon inspecting the vehicle, she noticed a leak on the ground located near the rear passenger’s side tire. Additionally, the contact then stated that while operating the convertible drop top, she heard an abnormal sound in the motor. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired.