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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.
2004 BMW Z4Problems, recalls & complaints
NHTSA has logged 411 owner complaints about the 2004 BMW Z4, most often about the steering. It is covered by 1 safety recall.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through June 9, 2025. Updated daily. Photo: Elise240SX, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Complaints by system
Where the 2004 BMW Z4 has problems
411 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.
378Steering2 crash/fire/injury
18Air bags
14Electrical system
6Exterior lighting
3Visibility/wiper
3Electronic stability control (ESC)
3Power train
3Structure
2Service brakes
66 other systems
| System | Complaints | Crash, fire or injury |
|---|---|---|
| Steering | 378 | 2 |
| Air bags | 18 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 14 | 1 |
| Exterior lighting | 6 | 0 |
| Visibility/wiper | 3 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control (ESC) | 3 | 0 |
| Power train | 3 | 0 |
| Structure | 3 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 2 | 0 |
| 6 other systems | 6 | 1 |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.
1 recall
2004 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.
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?
46kmiles, median
Based on the odometer reading in 345 steering complaints. 92% were reported before 100,000 miles.
90under 30k miles319under 100k miles26100k 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$3,400median
Middle half: $3,000 – $4,000
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
2004 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
2004 BMW Z4 safety ratings
2004 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
2 investigations
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal investigations that included the 2004 BMW Z4, and the recalls they led to.
- BMW AIRBAG LIGHT ILLUMINATIONLed to recall 08V-384
- Sticky SteeringNo recall
In owners' words
What Z4 owners report
Recent steering complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.
Twice this month, while operating the vehicle, the power steering completely stopped functioning, causing the vehicle to be almost uncontrollable. No prior warning light. When I purchased the vehicle in 2018, the same problem occurred and the dealer replaced the steering column under warranty. In…
Power steering wheel went out of power during a trip at about 70mph. Yellow light at the dashboard went ON then so, car became imposible to drive or so.
The electric steering gets sticky when very often. It feels locked in its position and requires extra force to unstick, once its past the sticking point it over corrects and causes the vehicle to swerve. This failure seems to be quite common and is well known. It seems to be a manufacturing defect…
Own a 2004 Z4?
Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.