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2012 BMW Z4 Owner Complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full

Data refreshed

Complaints on fileComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
5
Latest Feb 11, 2025
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0
Filed in the last 12 monthsReports filed with NHTSA in the trailing 365 days. Recent volume reflects attention and vehicle age as much as anything else.
0
Reports on file since Aug 24, 2020

What this page shows

Our database holds 5 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2012 BMW Z4. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Complaints, most recent first

Showing 1–5 of 5

ElectricalEngine
Filed Feb 11, 2025

The contact owns a 2012 BMW Z4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID
11641959
Incident
Oct 21, 2024
ElectricalEngine
Filed Jan 27, 2025

The contact owns a 2012 BMW Z4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID
11638768
Incident
Jan 27, 2025
Steering
Filed Dec 13, 2024

The contact owns a 2012 BMW Z4. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH and turning to the left, the steering wheel seized, and the contact had to use force to return the steering wheel back to center. The contact stated that the failure occurred at various speeds while turning left or right. The contact stated that the vehicle was shuddering while the steering wheel was turned to the left or right. The vehicle regained normal steering functionality when the vehicle was stopped and turned off and restarted. The contact stated the "steering wheel" warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was a recurring failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V302000 (Steering). The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 16,000.

NHTSA ID
11630547
Incident
Nov 8, 2024
Mileage
16,000 mi
Engine
Filed Apr 19, 2022

The contact's wife owns a 2012 BMW Z4. The contact stated while driving approximately 70-75 MPH, the vehicle overheated and started decelerating independently. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal but the vehicle failed to respond. The warning message "Engine Overheat; Pull Over and Turn Off Vehicle" was illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that upon restarting the vehicle, the vehicle was still overheating. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the electrical coolant water pump, cooling thermostat, cooling hose, and the vent hose needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 111,164.

NHTSA ID
11461364
Incident
Apr 7, 2022
Mileage
111,164 mi
Engine
Filed Aug 24, 2020

NOTICED WHINING NOISE FROM ENGINE ALTHOUGH IT DRIVES NORMALLY. BMW DEALER CONFIRMS TIMING CHAIN NEEDS REPLACEMENT. MY CAR IS AT 8 YEARS, 66K MILES - JUST OVER THE 7/70 WARRANTY EXTENSION FOR TIMING CHAIN. I UNDERSTAND THERE IS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT STILL PENDING ON THIS KNOWN ISSUE. IT HAS BEEN DEALERSHIP SERVICED SINCE IT WAS PURCHASED WITH FULL RECORDS.

NHTSA ID
11350908
Incident
Aug 21, 2020
Mileage
65,900 mi

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .