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BMW Z4 And Mazda3 Under NHTSA Investigation For Power Steering Failure

 
14 3,308 views Jul 2, 2010
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2003 BMW Z4

HI-RES GALLERY: 2003 BMW Z4

The woes of electric-assist power steering keep mounting. Cases in point: The 2007-2009 Mazda3 and 2003-2005 BMW Z4. The NHTSA today announced an investigation into both cars, with a combined 140 incidents and four crashes between them due to a loss of power steering. Earlier this week we broke the news of a potential issue with the electronic side of the 2011 Hyundai Sonata's electric power steering system, and Lexus recalled the LS in May for yet another type of electric power steering failure.

While the BMW Z4 was one of the first cars to introduce true electric power steering assist (EPAS) in 2002 (though it was beaten to market by 12 years by the Honda/Acura NSX), the Mazda3 uses an electro-hydraulic power steering system (EHPAS), which is a sort of hybrid between traditional hydraulic power steering and the pure electric-assist systems.

The problem, according reports filed with the NHTSA, is a loss of power steering boost at speed. A total of 48,764 BMW Z4s and 293,787 Mazda3s are subject to the investigation, which has led to the crash of one Z4 and three Mazda3s, with another 33 incidents for the BMW and 107 for the Mazda.

Mazda has actually had a technical service bulletin (TSB -- #06-002/09) out on the Mazda3's propensity for EHPAS pump failure since 2009, which notes that the problem is not relevant to Mazdaspeed3s, and only particular ranges of Mazda3 VINs. It also applies to the 2007-2009 Mazda5, however, so don't be surprised if it gets rolled into the NHTSA investigation as well.

The problem, according to Mazda, relates to contamination of the EHPAS system due to corrosion inside the power steering line, which sticks in the pump and slows its operation, reducing or cutting all assist from the electric pump, which puts the system into a "fail safe" mode.

The cause of the failure with the BMW models isn't as clear, though it occurs at speeds of 45 mph or more and at ambient temperatures above 75 degrees, according to the NHTSA.

We'll keep you posted on the investigation if it leads to a full-blown recalled of the affected vehicles.

[NHTSA, Mazda]





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Comments (14)

  1. By  MacT Posted: 7/2/2010 6:56pm PDT

    I've had the power steering go out on me in an old van I was driving as a teen (they were cool back then) and it was hard to function. I don't know what it would be like in a car that is new, and much faster than that OLD van.
     
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  2. By  Ken Bhan Posted: 7/3/2010 8:41am PDT

    Yup, I drive a 2003 Z4 (3.0 with SMG Transmission) and it has steering issues, BMW should recall them and put in a better unit. If You turn the wheel really fast, it becomes stubborn and hard to turn. It also make a noise, like a hiss. My mechanic noticed it too. Mine has 60,000 miles on it and the steering works enough for me to drive it, but I would feel better with a beefier unit for spirited driving.
    -Ken Bhan
    www.kenbhan.com
     
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  3. By KinCali Posted: 7/3/2010 10:27am PDT

    This happened to my daughter just yesterday. She has an 08 Mazda3 and the power steering went out and the engine shut down in the middle of an intersection in LasVegas. She called me crying and freaking out afraid they were going to get hit. The police came and pushed the car to the side of the road. She got in touch with Mazda and they finally sent a tow truck and towed her to the nearest dealership in Henderson, NV. Unfortunately, the service department doesn't open until Monday and they refused to give her a rental. Luckily we have family there so they were able to pick her up from the dealer. I'm sure I'm going to have to pay for this because it's not a "recall" yet and I have absolutely no idea how much this is going to cost!!
     
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  4. By bepsf Posted: 7/4/2010 3:42pm PDT

    Are these people for real?
    A loss of power steering assist doesn't eliminate the ability to steer, nor does it shut down the car completely - It merely requires more effort to turn the wheel.
    Folks who don't understand this (or call Daddy crying when they stall the car in the middle of an intersection rather than restart the car or get out and push) have no business behind the wheel.
     
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  5. By darkhourse Posted: 7/5/2010 1:34pm PDT

    bepsf-
    I just had this happen to me yesterday on my mazda3. I'm a 225 lb guy and I had to use two hands to pull the steering wheel to the right to get of the highway. Don't pretend like you know everything.
     
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  6. davidturnedge avatar davidturnedge Posted: 7/6/2010 2:24am PDT

    Hmmm... I have no power steering on my car... when I reverse park I sometimes have to use to arms... but most of the time I feel nothing but nicely weighted steering... it's what you're used to.
    Actually DARKHOURSE (why the U?) when you;re not moving very fast unassisted steering is very heavy. Power steering makes us rather lazy in how we drive, along with automatic transmission.
     
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  7. By riccasan Posted: 7/6/2010 10:09pm PDT

    Bought this car last week for my 17 year old daughter who just started driving 3 days ago and the power steering failed today while reversing the car. Today was also very hot outside close to 100 degrees. Luckily I was in the car when this happened and helped her move to the side of the road and turned the car off and back on again. We were both nervous when this happened and struggled with the wheel just to get out of the road. Otherwise I'm sure I would have received the same panicky phone call. BEPSF, I can probably guess your gender and personal status based on your comment. Hopefully, one day if you're lucky in life, you too will wave goodbye to your daughter as she drives off in her first car and hope if the same situation happens to her you're not the car in back of her who lacks patience or compassion.
     
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  8. By jennifer Posted: 7/12/2010 8:07pm PDT

    I drive a 2008 Mazda 3 and this happened to me today during rush hour traffic on 75. Frightening. I had no idea what happened. I had some steering, but it was very very difficult to turn the wheel.
     
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  9. By Uxorious Posted: 7/29/2010 4:46pm PDT

    For the Z4, the steering seems to generally stick in hot climates.
    When ambient gets to 90F or so, my car doesn't automatically straighten out when coming out of a turn.
    Normally you would just loosen your hands around the wheel, and it would straighten out as the car moves forward.
    When it gets really hot, it just keeps turning.
    Scared the crap out of me the 2 times it happened!
     
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  10. By Kevin Bluitt Posted: 9/24/2010 3:01pm PDT

    I have a 2003 BMW Z4 with the same steering problem. It occurs at speeds of 20 - 80mph. EVERYONE NEEDS TO LOG A COMPLAINT WITH THE NHTSA. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when this causes a fatal accident and BMW should step up and fix it.
     
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  11. By Tom Wheaton Posted: 9/30/2010 4:26pm PDT

    I bought one of those mazda 3's They let me know a little late about the steering problem!! I was turning left across US1 it went out. I couldn't get ahold of it soon enough. Got totaled by a car coming in the oposite direction. I explained this to the officer he didn't buy it of course!! That little problem cost a lot of money. Let's see what Mazda does about it!!! What a laugh!! Probably nothing. Tom Wheaton Vero Beach, Florida
     
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  12. By Tom Wheaton Posted: 11/1/2010 5:42pm PDT

    Add on to #13 Well, I contacted Mazda about the crash. All they said was my car Insurance should take care of the problem. We all know what car Insurance pays for a totaled car!! Now I know what Mazda means when they say ZOOM-ZOOM!! They sure gave it to me up the old ZOOM-ZOOM!! Thanks Mazda you could at least give me new car that works. Tom Wheaton Vero Beach FL.
     
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  13. By  BMW Z4 Action Posted: 2/24/2011 3:02am PST

    BMW z4 are the first to introduce the electronic power steering system so they will definitely come out with a solution to the failure.......
     
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  14. By BMW Girl Posted: 5/16/2011 3:46pm PDT

    I bought a 2004 Z4 in December. I drove it from Virginia back to Atlanta and noticed something odd with the steering but didn't think much of it. Car sat in garage for most of winter.
    Now, here comes the warm weather and I am noticing that I have to fight with the steering wheel to get the car back aligned with the road. So, I did an internet search and found all the other issues.
    Filed complaint with NHTSA and BMW North America. They set up an appointment with engineer today. They called and said there is a problem with steering and they are fixing it... at no cost to me. Just a matter of time before the recall...
     
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