Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2006 BMW 325i owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Vehicle Steering Lock Malfunction - Car does not start and stuck in Park. Cannot move steering wheel which is locked. This is a design defect that needs to be addressed. Vehicle is rendered inoperative! Cannot move or start it! approx. mileage 105k. This is a new problem besides the current recall which has not been available yet. I've also been locked out of this vehicle and had to climb out of the window, thank God it was not a fire or flood! I was able to fix that problem myself. note: Steering Lock Malfunction is a widespread problem! Dealers want to replace the entire steering column in these cases at a very high cost. Thanks, [redacted]
Steering engine light warning. Started with a small red light when turning car off. The flash of red was so quick could not tell what symbol it was. This then turned into yellow warning with written description in navigation/computer display. Steering engine lock. Turn steering wheel left and right. Do not turn car off will not restart. Took car in twice not anything showing error or problem. Called BMW n. America had no idea what this illuminated symbol meant, connected me to a local dealership and they had no idea. Towed to dealer where I purchased the car (I have been the only owner and driver). Car has 44950 miles. Dealer called today and said steering column needs to be replaced. The yellow illumination stayed on when car was stationary, in motion and turning while on city streets and highway. Red illumination car was stationary.
Belt tensioner bolt broke off causing serpentine belt to slip off causing engine to fail. Car was being driven when car started to lose power and power steering stopped working. I have no documentation yet because car has just been diagnosed and is in repair shop now. I found online that this has happened to others as well.
Car was driving when yellow steering column lock warning light came on while driving on street. Malfunction of integral lock sensor in steering column elv ECU hardware steering lock error steering column lock yellow color leads to red which totally renders car unable to start BMW has know bulletin sib-32-04-07
My wife parked her 2006 BMW 325i and when she tried to start the car the electronic steering wheel look malfunction light came on. She was unable to start the car, move the car or take it out of park to have it towed. This is either a bad design by BMW (it only happens in 2006-7 models) or safety defect.
My vehicle is in storage for the winter I start it once a week then recently it just stop working and a steering wheel lock appeared on the dashboard I research it and thousands of people who have a BMW 325i had the same issue . I feel BMW should repair this manufacturing defect.
Steering wheel lock prevents the starter from working. This prevents the engine from starting. I will have to replace the steering column which will cost over one thousands dollars. BMW has not issued a recall for this problem
I only have 65K miles on my BMW 325i 2006 it and mostly driven on highways. A few days back my BMW wouldn't start without any rhyme or reason. It had a red steering wheel warning light on and the car wouldn't start at all. The book didn't have any instructions either but to take the car to dealerships. I called the dealership and they were also helpless and had no idea. I had to tow my car to the dealership. Ultimately dealership informed me that there was some manufacturing issue and the whole steering column need to be replaced. This sounded crazy as my car has never been with any accident. I don't understand why a car with only 65K miles needs a whole steering column replaced. It cost me ~$1500 to replace the steering column. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 BMW 325i. The contact stated that there was a strong odor entering the vents of the vehicle while waiting for months to receive the remedy for NHTSA campaign number: 17V676000 (electrical system). In addition, there was an abnormal noise coming from the steering wheel but the vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or dealer for diagnosis or repairs. The dealers BMW of bowling green (325 three springs rd, bowling green, ky 42104, [phone]) and BMW of louisville (4 autocenter dr., louisville, ky 40299, [phone]) had been unable to determine when the remedy parts would be provided from the manufacturer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and but was unable to determine when the remedy parts would be provided to the dealers for the recall repair. The approximate failure mileage was not available. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Today my BMW 325i was giving me a trouble symbol with a red steering wheel with a lock with the number 1 in it. I was parked at gas station getting gas and when I tried to crank the car back up it would not start. I have been reading hundreds of other blogs about people having the exact same problem. It looks like we are going to have to have a tow truck to take the car 70 miles to the nearest dealer and pay to have it fixed. This should certainly be a recall!!! Shame on you BMW for not admitting that this is a major problem. What if the steering would have locked up with my family in the car going down the road?
Steering complaints in other 325i years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2006 BMW 325i?
NHTSA has 39 complaints about the steering of the 2006 BMW 325i, 8% of the model year's 515 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2006 BMW 325i steering problems?
No. NHTSA lists no steering recall for the 2006 BMW 325i, though it has 7 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2006 BMW 325i steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 81,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.