There are 12 owner-reported steering complaints for the 2003 BMW 3 Seriesin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 50MPH I SLOWED DOWN TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN AND DURING THE TURN THE STEERING WHEEL STOPPED HALF WAY DURING A FULL ROTATION AND LOCKED UP PREVENTING ME FROM MAKING A FULL RIGHT HAND TURN. ONCE PARKED I ATTEMPTED TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE RIGHT AND IT STOPPED HALFWAY THROUGH THE TURN AGAIN.
TAKATA RECALL MY CAR AS I WAS DRVING WAS HARD TO TURN MAKING ANOISE
DRIVING THE CAR THE FRONT DRIVER WHEEL AXIAL SYSTEM FELL OFF WHERE THE BALL BEARING HELD THE WHEEL ON 3/4" BALL BEARINGS FELL OFF THE CAR, AND THE OTHER SIDE WAS READY TO FALL APART AS WELL I WAS DRIVING AND AS I TURNED INTO THE AUTO SHOP DRIVEWAY THE WHEEL FELL APART GOOD THING MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER WAS NOT DRIVING IT ON THE HIGHWAY OR EXPRESSWAY.
POWER STEERING PUMP BREAKING, LOOKED UP ONLINE AND ITS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS TYPE CAR, VERY DANGEROUS IF DRIVING DOWN ROAD WHEN IT BREAKS, ESPECIALLY IF ITS A KNOW PROBLEM
MY 2003 BMW 325IT STALLS UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE DRIVING. THE ENGINE SHUTS DOWN, I LOOSE POWER STEERING, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT GOES ON AND HAVE TO PULL OFF THE ROAD. I THEN PUT IT IN PARK AND START THE ENGINE AGAIN. THIS STARTED TO HAPPEN IN 2011 AND NOW OCCURS WITH INCREASING FREQUENCY. IT HAPPENED THREE TIMES IN 2014, INCLUDING TODAY OCTOBER 11, 2014, WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON A TWO LANE ROAD AT ABOUT 40 MPH. I AM VERY WORRIED ABOUT MY PERSONAL SAFETY AND HOPE TO HAVE AN EARLY RESPONSE FROM YOU ABOUT THIS CRITICAL MATTER. I HAVE ALSO WRITTEN TO BMW CORPORATION. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THE CAR, BOUGHT ON OCTOBER 22, 2002 FROM VOB AUTO SALES 1396 ROCKVILLE PIKE, ROCKVILLE, MD 20852 USA. *TR
WHILE DRIVING MY 2003 BMW 325CI THE ENGINE WILL SHUT OFF. THIS CAUSES: 1. POWER STEERING STOPS FUNCTIOINING 2. I AM UNABLE TO ACCELERATE 3. BRAKING TAKES EXCESSIVELY LONG WITH ENGINE OFF 4. DASHBOARD LIGHTS UP. *TR
I HAVE ENCOUNTERED THE FOLLOWING PROBLEMS MANY TIMES SINCE PURCHASING THE CAR. THE PROBLEMS STARTED AT MILEAGE OF ABOUT 2000. THE STEERING LOST FUNCTION AT LOW SPEED WHEN MAKING TURN (CAN'T MAKE TURN). THE ENGINE ALSO DIED AT VERY LOW SPEED. WE HAVE TO RESTART THE ENGINE EVERY TIME SUCH PROBLEMS HAPPENS. I REPORTED TO LOCAL DEALERS AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO IDENTIFY THE UNDERLYING PROBLEMS. *TR
HIGH PRESSURE STEERING PUMP LINE BURST LEADING TO LOSS OF STEERING POWER ASSISTANCE
MY COUSIN WAS ON HIS WAY TO GET ON INTERSTATE.....ALL OF SUDDEN HIS 2003 BMW 325I STEERING WHEEL LOCKED AS HE TRIED TO LEAVE FROM A PARKING LOT...HE HAD TO BRAKE HARD AND GLAD THERE WAS NOTHING ON HIS WAY...I M JUST GLAD THAT THIS DIDN'T HAPPEN WHILE HE WAS IN INTERSTATE.....THIS ALL HAPPEN AROUND 6PM-7PM...SO HE CALLED BMW AND HAD TOWED TO LOCAL DEALER...THEY CALLED US BACK ON 3RD DAY AND TOLD US OUR POWER STEERING PUMP WENT BAD AND WE WILL HAVE TO REPLACE IT....AND THEY WANT ME PAY FOR THIS AND PRICE TAG IS ABOUT $1200....PLEASE CHECK ON THIS ISSUE AND SEE IF THIS CAN BE MAJOR RECALL....I M SURE THIS MUST HAVE HAPPEN IN PAST OR MAY HAPPEN TO CARS THAT ARE ON OUR INTERSTATE WHICH MAY CARRY LITTLE CHILDREN'S OR YOUNG KIDS LIKE MY COUSIN.... *TR
2003 BMW 325I. WHILE DRIVING OUR BMW, THE POWER STEERING FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. THERE WERE NOT VISIBLE LEAKS, VIBRATIONS, OR UNUSUAL NOISES FROM THE SYSTEM. WHEN THE PUMP WAS REMOVED AND DISASSEMBLED, THERE APPEARED TO BE A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE IMPELLER BLADE/BLADES INSIDE THE PUMP. SHARDS OF METAL FROM THE IMPELLER BLADE(S) ALSO WENT INTO THE POWER STEERING RACK. HAD THIS HAPPENED IN A DIFFERENT SITUATION IT COULD HAVE RESULTED IN LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL AND PERHAPS A MAJOR ACCIDENT. WE STILL HAVE THE OLD PUMP. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 BMW 325I. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS, THE CONTACT HAD TO USE GREATER FORCE TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS RELATED TO THE POWER STEERING PUMP. CURRENTLY, THE VEHICLE IS INOPERABLE AND HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED OF THE SAFETY RISK INVOLVED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 40,400.
ON HOT, HUMID DAYS, THE STEERING GETS "STICKY". BY THAT I MEAN THAT TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL BECOMES DIFFICULT BECAUSE IT "STICKS" IN ONE SPOT. IT CAN HAPPEN AT ANY TIME. SMALL CORRECTIONS OF THE STEERING BECOME DIFFICULT. MANY TIMES, BECAUSE IT STICKS, YOU HAVE TO PUSH HARDER ON THE WHEEL TO MAKE IT TURN, WHICH, WHEN IT FINALLY "UNSTICKS", ENDS UP CAUSING TOO SHARP OF A TURN. I DID A SEARCH OF THE WEB USING "Z4 STICKY STEERING" AND FOUND THAT OTHERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS SAME PROBLEM. *JB
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026