2010 Bmw Z4 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine And Engine Cooling (3) · Wheels (1) · Visibility/Wiper (1)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Bmw Z4 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (5)
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine 2023-10-20 · campaign 23V707000 · 157,796 vehicles
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2010-2012 1 Series Coupe, 1 Series Convertible, 3 Series Sedan, 3 Series Convertible, 2010-2011 3 Series Sportswagon, 3 Series Coupe, 5 Series Sedan, X3 xDrive 28i, X3 xDrive 30i, X5 xDrive30i, and Z4 sDrive30i vehicles. The aluminum bolts that secure the housing for the variable camshaft timing adjustment (VANOS) unit can loosen over time and possibly break.
Risk: Loose or broken VANOS unit bolts can result in an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the four VANOS bolts, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk are expected to be mailed December 18, 2023. Owner notification letters were mailed June 19, 2024. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Engine And Engine Cooling:exhaust System:emission Control:crankcase (Pcv) 2022-03-02 · campaign 22V119000 · 917,106 vehicles
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2008-2013 1 Series Coupe (128i); 2007-2013 3 Series Coupe (328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive); 2007-2010 X3 SAV (X3 3.0si, X3 xDrive30i); 2008-2013 1 Series Convertible (128i); 2006-2011 3 Series Sedan (325i, 325xi, 328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive, 330i, 330xi); 2006-2012 3 Series Wagon (328i, 328i xDrive); 2007-2013 3 Series Convertible (328i); 2006-2010 5 Series Sedan (525i, 525xi, 528i, 528xi, 530i, 530xi); 2006-2007 5 Series Wagon (530xi); 2007-2010 X5 SA
Risk: An electrical short can cause the PCV valve heater to overheat, increasing the risk of a fire while driving or, soon after driving when parked.
Fix: This recall supersedes and expands previous NHTSA recalls 17V-683 and 19V-273. Dealers will install an electrical wiring harness with fuse protection for the PCV Valve heater in potentially affected vehicles, free of charge. This recall supersedes and expands previous NHTSA recalls 17V-683 and 19V-273. Vehicles previously repaired under the prior recalls will need to come back for the new recall remedy. The remedy is currently being developed. Interim owner notification letters informing ow
Engine And Engine Cooling:exhaust System:emission Control:crankcase (Pcv) 2017-10-30 · campaign 17V683000 · 740,561 vehicles
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2008-2011 128i and 2007-2011 328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive, 525i, 525xi, 528i, 528xi, 530i, 530xi, X3 3.0si, X3 xDrive30i, X5 xDrive30i, Z4 3.0i, Z4 3.0si and Z4 sDrive30i vehicles. The heater for the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) valve may short circuit.
Risk: An electrical short can cause the parts within the PCV valve to melt, increasing the risk of a fire, even when the vehicle is not in use.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the PCV valve heater, free of charge. Interim letters were mailed on November 27, 2017. Owners will receive a second notification by the end of October 2018. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine 2014-04-10 · campaign 14V176000 · 156,137 vehicles
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 128i Coupe, 128i Convertible, 328i Sedan, 328i xDrive Sedan, 328i Coupe, 328i Convertible, 328i Sports Wagon and Z4 sDrive 30i, 2011-2012 135i Coupe, 135i Convertible, 335i Sedan, X5 xDrive 35i, and X6 xDrive 35i, 2011 335i xDrive Sedan, 335i Coupe, 335i Convertible, 528i Sedan, 535i Sedan, 535i xDrive Sedan, X3 xDrive 28i, and X3 xDrive 35i, 2010 X3 xDrive 30i, and X5 xDrive 30i, 2012 640i Coupe, and 640i Convertible and
Risk: If the bolts loosen or break the engine may have reduced power or stall. An engine stall increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the four VANOS housing bolts for both VANOS units (intake and exhaust), free of charge. In addition, owners of approximately 170,172 model year 2010-2012 BMW vehicles equipped with inline 6 cylinder engines not covered by this recall, will receive an extended warranty to address this condition. The recall began on September 24, 2014. Owners may contact BMW at 1-800-525-7417.
Electrical System:wiring:fuses And Circuit Breakers 2013-02-07 · campaign 13V044000 · 516,791 vehicles
Defect: BMW is recalling certain model year 2008-2012 1-Series coupes and convertibles manufactured December 2007 through September 2011; and 2007-2011 3-Series coupes and convertibles manufactured March 2007 through October 2011; 2007-2011 3-Series sedans manufactured March 2007 through October 2011; 2007-2011 3-Series sports wagons manufactured March 2007 through June 2011; and 2009-2011 Z4 vehicles manufactured March 2009 through June 2011. In February 2013, BMW recalled 504,545 vehicles. In July 2
Risk: If there is a loss of electrical power to the vehicle, the vehicle may unexpectedly stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the positive battery cable connector and secure it with an improved method, free of charge. The recall began on March 13, 2013. Owners may call BMW at 1-800-525-7417 or email BMW at CustomerRelations@bmwusa.com.
Service bulletins (160)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Electrical System 2026-09-21 · B611025 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
while performing a 12-volt battery jump start, disconnect, or replacement, vehicle test, and/or programmingprocedure- the bmw footwell module (frm) may become unresponsive. as a result, one or more of the following vehicle electric system-related issues may occur: headlights including the high beams
Electrical System 2026-05-06 · B012016 · Warranty Program/Extension
the footwell module (frm) limited warranty for defects in materials and / or workmanship has been supplementarily increased to 15 years / 186,000 miles as determined from the original first in-service / delivery date.
Electrical System 2026-04-23 · B611026 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
while performing a 12-volt battery jump start, disconnect, or replacement, vehicle test, and/or programming procedure- the bmw footwell module (frm) may become unresponsive. as a result, one or more of the following vehicle electric system-related issues may occur: headlights including the high beam
Electrical System 2025-03-13 · B012016 · Warranty Program/Extension
the footwell module (frm) limited warranty for defects in materials and / or workmanship has been supplementarily increased to 15 years / 186,000 miles as determined from the original first in-service / delivery date.
Electrical System 2025-02-20 · B012016 · Warranty Program/Extension
the footwell module (frm) limited warranty for defects in materials and / or workmanship has been supplementarily increased to 15 years / 240,000 miles as determined from the original first in-service / delivery date.
Unknown Or Other 2024-12-19 · B068824 · Other
screw cap return
Showing the 6 most recent of 160 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-05-14 · Power Train · 161,000 mi“the contact owns a 2010 bmw z4. the contact stated while driving at 45 mph when attempting to depress the accelerator pedal the vehicle decrease speed independently. no warning lights illuminated. a dealer was contacted. the vehicle was taken to an dealer where it was diagnosed the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. t…”
2022-06-22 · Engine And Engine Cooling“the contact owns a 2010 bmw z4. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 22v119000 (engine and engine cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. the dealer was made aware of the issue. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the contac…”
2018-10-15 · Fuel/Propulsion System · 68,000 mi“bmw has acknowledged a known issue causing failure of the high pressure fuel pump. the bmw technical bulletin is (si b 13 03 09). this extends the warranty of the part to 10 years. the problem is that the failure is not well documented by the vehicle issue logging system, and that other issues with the car are cited as a reason to not perform…”
2015-06-25 · Electrical System · 10,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2010 bmw z4. while driving 40 mph, the engine stalled without warning. the vehicle was able to be restarted. the failure persisted. the contact received a recall notification for nhtsa campaign number: 13v044000 (electrical system). the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. the vehicle was taken to the dealer f…”
2015-03-19 · Visibility/Wiper · 100 mi“during a cold, driving rain storm, with driver & 1 passenger, started to drive. (very 1st drive in this car with cold weather) what a surprise: windshield immediately fogged up. turned on defogger, windshield then fogged up 100% as well as all other windows - as visibility disappeared, i stopped the car & opened the windows with the blower on. …”
2014-08-25 · Engine“tl* the contact owns a 2010 bmw z4. the contact received a recall notification for nhtsa campaign number: 14v176000 (engine). the dealer could not repair the vehicle for eight months because the parts were not available. the manufacturer was notified. the contact had not experienced a failure.…”
2011-07-12 · Wheels · 7,131 mi“rear rims cracking on 2010 bmw z4 with only 7,200 miles. dealer states issue caused by pot holes, but could not explain why front rimswere not cracked. *tt…”
2011-07-07 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 7,000 mi“2011 bmw z4, purchased new with approximately 7k miles. started to feel vibration when i put on brakes around 5k mile mark. vibration lasts 1-2 seconds. happened 20 times so far. i was driving today, 7000k mile mark, and the engine failed and died. like somebody just turned it off. luckily i was on local street so i just came to a complete stop. th…”
2010-06-18 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 9,000 mi“whenever slowing down to a near stop, the engine will randomly stall. this can occur at anytime, but is more likely to occur when the outside air temperature is in the 90's or above (it will stall in cold temperature as well, but not as often). the engine temperature at the time of the stall is always completely normal, the car is not overheating…”
2010-02-22 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic · 1,500 mi“car is a new (11 /21/09) bmw z4 with less than 2,000 miles. when driving in suburban traffic at approximately 45mph, driver signaled for a right hand turn at an intersection without a traffic light. when brakes were applied, there was virtually no stopping power. unable to slow for the right turn, driver proceeded to the next turn while applying al…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.