BMW 325i Steering Problems

Steering complaints by model year

Which parts fail

• Hydraulic power assist system
  1
• Hydraulic power assist › Pump
  1
• Steering wheel/handle bar
  1

Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  37%
• 25k–50k
  613%
• 50k–75k
  920%
• 75k–100k
  1533%
• 100k–150k
  920%
• 150k+
  37%

What owners report

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.

Takata recall: I am currently in communication with state farm agent, terry wood [[phone]]. She has assured me that an investigation is underway at this time. We are stating that my BMW's side airbags suddenly deployed and unexpectedly causing me to lose power steering and braking ability. As I approached and entered a right turn lane in an street intersection located in stockton, california, my passenger side airbags suddenly deployed. Startled, I tried to pull over to the side of the road, but, with the loss of power steering, I was not able to safely control the vehicle. After making contact with the curb, I had to use all my strength to correct from it and try to make the upcoming right turn, but without power steering, I was not able to make the turn sharp enough leading me to make a wide turn into the oncoming lane. …

Since couple weeks the steering wheel has become very hard to turn. Took it to dealer over the weekend and the service adviser said the power steering assist is not working. Looking up online, there has been a recall by BMW for this issue in other countries referenced at the below link for this model and other models: http://suffolktradingstandards.wordpress.com/2012/08/06/BMW-power-steering-recall/ http://www.bmpdesign.com/technical/power_steering_problems.php its reported that the power steering assistance failure is due to a component in the control module not being to specification. This hard steering is causing a severe driving hazard. The local dealer service adviser refused to diagnose and repair the above issue without charging. …

My cousin was on his way to get on interstate.....all of sudden his 2003 BMW 325i steering wheel locked as he tried to leave from a parking lot...he had to brake hard and glad there was nothing on his way...I m just glad that this didn't happen while he was in interstate.....this all happen around 6 pm-7 pm...so he called BMW and had towed to local dealer...they called us back on 3rd day and told us our power steering pump went bad and we will have to replace it....and they want me pay for this and price tag is about $1200....please check on this issue and see if this can be major recall....I m sure this must have happen in past or May happen to cars that are on our interstate which May carry little children's or young kids like my cousin....

2003 BMW 325i. While driving our BMW, the power steering failed without warning. There were not visible leaks, vibrations, or unusual noises from the system. When the pump was removed and disassembled, there appeared to be a catastrophic failure of the impeller blade/blades inside the pump. Shards of metal from the impeller blade(s) also went into the power steering rack. Had this happened in a different situation it could have resulted in loss of vehicle control and perhaps a major accident. We still have the old pump.

02/19/2014 on a dry day,while driving in the center lane on I-4 around lakeland-fl, with 70mph a fedex vehicle's right rear tire blew off in front of me. I hit the brakes to avoid collision. ABS did not work and my brakes locked, my car has started spinning (3-4 times). My car went from the middle lane to the left lane then to the most right lane and off the road. Luckily I did not hit any other vehicles or the metal/concrete barriers while spinning out of the road.after the incident,while driving I have noticed a limping at slow speed and high vibration at higher speeds. All 4 tires were damaged . 3 warning lights appeared on the dashboard: dsc + ABS + brake(red color). …

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 BMW 325i. The contact stated that the ABS and brake warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who performed a diagnostic that located the failure at the steering stability control angle sensor. The mechanic replaced the rear brake light. The steering stability control angle sensor was not repaired. The manufacturer advised that the steering failure was under investigation. The VIN was not available. The failure and the current mileage was 117,000.