2011 BMW Z4 problems
NHTSA has received 57 complaints about the 2011 BMW Z4, and 30% of them involve engine. Next are steering (23%) and wheels (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 57 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 30% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 2 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 0 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 37,000 miles 35 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 | 9 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 9 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 4 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 12 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 0 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 1 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 0 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 35 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 37,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 2 complaints mention a crash. Its complaints are less severe on average than those of 92% 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 2011 ranks 5th most-complained-about out of 8 model years of the BMW Z4 with enough data (22 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 6 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.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 BMW z4. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle began to shake violently. The contact applied the brakes but the vehicle did not decelerate. The contact maneuvered the vehicle to crash into a curb in order to get it to stop. The contact was not injured. The vehicle was towed to a dealer for diagnosis but the contact was not informed of what caused the shaking or braking failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was repaired.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 BMW z4. The contact stated that air was leaking from the rear passenger tire. The vehicle was taken to a personal mechanic and the contact was informed that the rear passenger wheel was cracked and that it was a manufacturer's defect. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, who informed the contact that there were a total of five cracks on the rear wheels. The rear driver's wheel suffered three cracks and the rear passenger wheel suffered two cracks.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 BMW z4. While driving various speeds, the power steering seized and made the vehicle difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the power steering mechanism needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 12v302000 (steering). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 34,000.
The parking brake failed with an amber indicator showing on the dashboard when starting the car. Had to put the car in gear (6sp) and then get out and chock the wheels in order to keep the vehicle from rolling down hill. Independant repair station informed me there was an error code - 6017 wheel speed sensor dfa_emf in the parking brake module. This error is in fact a bug in the software and required a new verion of code to be loaded at the BMW dealer for a cost of $430.