2011 Bmw Z4 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Steering (12) · Wheels (7) · Engine And Engine Cooling (7)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Bmw Z4 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
29 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (6)
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.
Power Train:driveline:constant Velocity Joint 2017-02-02 · campaign 17V067000 · 8,752 vehicles
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2011-2012 135i Coupe, 1 Series M Coupe and 135i Convertible vehicles, 2011 Z4 sDrive 35i, 335i, 335d, 335i Coupe, 335is Coupe, 335i Convertible, 335is Convertible, 535i, 535i xDrive, 535i Gran Turismo and 550i xDrive Gran Turismo vehicles and 2012 740i and 740Li vehicles. The rear driveshaft constant velocity (CV) joint on the affected vehicles may fatigue and break.
Risk: If the CV joint breaks, the vehicle may have a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear driveshaft CV joint and, based on its production date, will replace it, free of charge. The recall began April 21, 2017. 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 (133)
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.
Visibility:power Window Devices And Controls 2024-01-16 · B510819 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met.
Showing the 6 most recent of 133 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-04-07 · Steering“on 3 april 2026 i was driving my 2011 bmw z4 sdrive 30i e89 n52k (manual transmission) that has 31,000 miles on it, suddenly a steering assistance malfunction trouble light appeared and i lost all electronic power steering. this sudden loss of steering control almost caused an accident!! then shortly thereafter the electronic power steering contro…”
2025-04-30 · Steering“electrical power steering system failed, warning light came on. vehicle suddenly became very difficult to impossible to steer. failed to negotiate a turn and nearly hit a tree. i have an appointment set with an independent service dealer near me, but i’m afraid to drive it there, so i may have it towed. the warning light came on just moments before…”
2025-03-24 · Steering“steering assist failed almost resulting in head on collision. failure is serious and likely to cause fatalities …”
2024-10-23 · Steering“power steering is intermittent where assist goes from working to not working changing the effort required to turn the wheel. when power assist goes off it is difficult to steer the car.…”
2024-10-09 · Engine“october, 9, 2024 bmw usa customer relations, recall services ms. ikevia, thank you following up. my 2021 claim regarding the 2011 bmw z4 vanos bolts recall has been pending since april, 2021. my z4 almost destroyed itself, after having been left off your recall list. december, 2023 bmw usa provided me written notice my vin had been added to the…”
2024-08-07 · Steering“electric power assist intermittently fails without warning making steering impossible. similar to 2012 z4 recall…”
2024-07-06 · Engine“i have written to you previously to advise of repeated engine issues with my vehicle, a 2011 bmw z4. i also included invoices of work that was done over time to correct a likely engineering flaw that caused excessive fuel injector failure. in 2021, there was a 10 year extended warranty to replace them. prior and after the warranty work, there was a…”
2024-06-12 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 30,000 mi“the contact owns a 2011 bmw z4. the contact stated while driving at 55 mph, the vehicle stalled. the vehicle was difficult to restart. the check engine warning light was illuminated. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 23v707000 (engine and engine cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. the …”
2024-05-15 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 68,000 mi“the contact owns a 2011 bmw z4. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 23v707000 (engine and engine cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. the contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle was shaking abnormally with an unknown warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken…”
2024-05-09 · Fuel/Propulsion System“hello, i am writing to you about repeated repairs that i have incurred for my 2011 bmw z4, vin [xxx] . on [xxx] 2017, i had a bmw initiated, no cost recall/extended warranty replacement of 6 fuel injectors performed at hilton head bmw in hilton head, sc. due to the nature of the work, it was recommended that the 6 spark plugs be replaced, which w…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.