Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2006 BMW Z4 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The Steering wheel gets Hard, looks like power steering gets disabled automatically while driving, making it almost impossible to steer. This has started to happen after hot weather had started few months back. I have tried to reproduce this issue several times, but it happens randomly and Not all the time. I don't drive the car much. But this is definitely a serious issue, I checked the BMW community and a lot of people are facing this issue. Not Sure how many have filed a complaint here. But this definitely should be addressed by BMW as this is not just one person facing this issue, there are hundreds and thousands of them. Level of severity is high, as someone who might have not faced this issue yet might suddenly face it on the highway could result in an extremely fatal accident. …
When the outside temperatures are warmer (mid 80's and above) the steering wheel will stick in the center position and require it to be jerked a bit to keep control. This occurs at all speeds, but does not seem to be the case when stopped. since it requires the steering wheel to be jerked to correct, it can cause the car to swerve. I have had the car for several years began noticing the issue once the weather got warmer. The date entered below is today's date, but I have had the issue for perhaps 5 years.
During warm weather the steering will momentary stick while driving which requires additional force to overcome. This happens at all speeds but is more noticeable at highway speeds while trying to maintain vehicle in driving lane. There are numerous complaints of this on the NHTSA site. I have written to BMW North America about this safety problem and mentioned the multitude of similar complaints but they refuse to address the problem and suggest I purchase a new steering column at $2500+!
When the car gets hot (parked in the sun) the steering becomes knotchy or sticky and the car becomes difficult to control. No problems whatsoever when the car is cool or on a cooler day. This problem has been witnessed by a BMW technician and there are no warning lights. This appears to be a fairly common issues with these cars.
The electronic steering has failed several times while driving. This makes it very difficult to maintain a lane and avoid other vehicles. This problem continues intermittently. Thousands of Z4 owners have reported the same issue in online forums.
In hot weather, the steering binds, making keeping the car in the correct lane extremely difficult. The car will dart from one side to the other. The car will be nearly impossible to keep in the correct lane.
On warm days the steering on my 2006 BMW Z4 becomes unresponsive and unpredictable. On hot days it is downright dangerous. I have read in many places that this is due to a design defect in the steering column. One source who is an ase-certified master technician says that the "BMW Z4 sticky steering is related to a manufacturing defect, that has been rectified as of 2007 and up. There is a bearing located in the middle of the steering column that is not sealed. With time and when hot, the lubricant gets dry and gums up. To make matters worse, there is not a race for the bearing to ride in ' the inner race is actually the steering shaft itself, which is a poor design". My vehicle was built in 2006 and has only 54,000 miles on it. BMW apparently was aware of this problem and corrected it the following model year. …
The problem of the sticky steering of the Z4 is related to the worm/reduction gear mechanism that transmits the torque from the electric motor to the steering shaft. The circular reduction gear has a nylon crown with teeth. All the surrounding parts are metal (steel or aluminium). The thermal expansion of the nylon is 3x bigger than the surrounding parts. To compensate for this expansion, there should be a clearance between the worm gear and the reduction gear. Unfortunately BMW and their steering supplier zf nacam chose this clearance too small. When the nylon gets warm, the clearance with the worm gear becomes zero and the reduction gear is stuck with the worm gear. The friction increases dramatically and you will then "feel" the engagement of the individual teeth of the reduction gear. This is a defect in the car desigen and needs to be recalled.
Steering is extremely notchy and unpredictable, especially on hot days. When in motion, the steering wheel requires force to turn, and sometimes will turn slightly without driver input. It appears that the power assist steering is actuating when it should not be, causing either resistance to steering inputs, or applying force when no steering input has been applied. When the engine is not running, or at very slow speeds, noise can be heard from the power assist motor. It actuates when no steering inputs are being applied. When steering inputs are applied, too much resistance can be felt and the motor makes additional noises. I purchased the car in February of 2016, and this has been happening since approximately spring of 2016. It has been getting progressively worse.
The steering on the BMW is extremely jerky and erratic. It seems to jump and does not steer easily. It's hard to keep the car on the road because it all of a sudden will turn rather .quickly. The steering sticks, and then all of a sudden will jerk to the side that you were trying to steer too. It's extremely dangerous and BMW needs to have a recall on these vehicles and get the problem fixed before someone dies. Once someone gets killed, I can see a huge lawsuit against BMW because they know they have a problem with these model of cars but won't fix the problem. Please make them recall the Z4's that have this problem and let them fix this dangerous problem. Thanks
Steering complaints in other Z4 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2006 BMW Z4?
NHTSA has 55 complaints about the steering of the 2006 BMW Z4, 60% of the model year's 91 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2006 BMW Z4 steering problems?
No. NHTSA lists no steering recall for the 2006 BMW Z4, though it has 2 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 Z4 steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 52,000 miles, and 15% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to steering problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.