no report yet
Air bags
Risk. IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT MAY NOT OCCUR, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURIES TO THE DRIVER AND/OR FRONT PASSENGER.
2003 BMW Z4Problems, recalls & complaints
NHTSA has logged 414 owner complaints about the 2003 BMW Z4, most often about the steering. It is covered by 4 safety recalls.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through June 14, 2026. Updated daily. Photo: MercurySable99, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Complaints by system
Where the 2003 BMW Z4 has problems
414 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.
342Steering2 crash/fire/injury
31Air bags1 crash/fire/injury
13Electrical system
11Engine and engine cooling
8Structure
7Power train
6Vehicle speed control
5Fuel system, gasoline
4Seat belts
2312 other systems
| System | Complaints | Crash, fire or injury |
|---|---|---|
| Steering | 342 | 2 |
| Air bags | 31 | 1 |
| Electrical system | 13 | 1 |
| Engine and engine cooling | 11 | 0 |
| Structure | 8 | 0 |
| Power train | 7 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 6 | 2 |
| Fuel system, gasoline | 5 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 4 | 1 |
| 12 other systems | 23 | 0 |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.
4 recalls
2003 BMW Z4 recalls and how many were fixed
Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
no report yet
Delivery: fuel pump
Risk. IF STALLING WERE TO OCCUR, THE DRIVER WOULD BE UNABLE TO MAINTAIN VEHICLE SPEED OR ACCELERATE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
no report yet
Tires
Risk. CONSEQUENTLY, A LOSS OF TIRE PRESSURE, OR A TIRE FAILURE, COULD OCCUR.
no report yet
Front: buckle assembly
Risk. IF THE CONNECTION DETACHES, THE PROTECTION PROVIDED BY THE SAFETY BELT IS LIKELY TO BE IMPAIRED, AND SERIOUS INJURIES TO THE DRIVER AND/OR FRONT PASSENGER…
Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with BMW.
Mileage at failure
When do steering problems start?
42kmiles, median
Based on the odometer reading in 300 steering complaints. 95% were reported before 100,000 miles.
98under 30k miles286under 100k miles14100k miles or more
Owner-reported costs
What owners say repairs cost
Dollar amounts owners wrote in their complaints when describing a repair or a quote. These are not price estimates; a system is shown only when at least 8 owners mentioned a cost.
Steering
35 owners mentioned a cost$3,300median
Middle half: $3,000 – $3,850
If a problem is covered by a recall, the dealer fixes it for free. Some manufacturers also reimburse owners who paid for a repair before a recall was announced.
Best & worst years
2003 vs. every other Z4 year
Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Z4 median. How we score
'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'19'20'21'22'23'25
- Avoid
- Caution
- Solid
- Best
- Not rated
NHTSA crash tests
2003 BMW Z4 safety ratings
2003 BMW Z4 Convertible w/SAB in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.
Frontal crashNot rated
Side barrierNot rated
- Stability control: Standard
- Forward collision warning: No
- Lane departure warning: No
1 investigation
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal investigations that included the 2003 BMW Z4, and the recalls they led to.
- Sticky SteeringNo recall
In owners' words
What Z4 owners report
Recent steering complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.
This vehicle has a "sticky steering" issue in warm or hot weather, the steering sticks and requires a lot of effort to get the wheel to turn. If I am doing any speeds over 40 mph and keep adjusting the steering, I have almost wrecked the car on more than one occasion. The problem is the electric…
Steering is binding up, very hard to steer and control. Car starts out running fine after parked in hot weather and restarted it is almost uncontrollable. Looking for corrective action. Only 39,920 miles on car. Would like to use it or sell it, can do neither in current condition. Steering column…
When outside temp is 80degrees or higher it becomes difficult to maintain the vehicle in the correct driving lane due to a stickyness in the steering wheel. I will not allow anyone to drive the vehicle when the temp is over 80 degrees... sucks to have a convertable that you can't drive in warm…
Own a 2003 Z4?
Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.