The 2011 BMW Z4 has 6 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 2,497,143 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 57 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the steering. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING23V7070002023-10-20157,796 affected
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…
Consequence
Loose or broken VANOS unit bolts can result in an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
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 COOLING22V1190002022-03-02917,106 affected
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…
Consequence
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.
Remedy
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…
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING17V6830002017-10-30740,561 affected
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.
Consequence
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.
Remedy
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 TRAIN17V0670002017-02-028,752 affected
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…
Consequence
If the CV joint breaks, the vehicle may have a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
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 COOLING14V1760002014-04-10156,137 affected
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…
Consequence
If the bolts loosen or break the engine may have reduced power or stall. An engine stall increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy
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…
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…
Consequence
If there is a loss of electrical power to the vehicle, the vehicle may unexpectedly stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
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.
Complaints by component
STEERING
12
ENGINE
10
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
7
WHEELS
7
SERVICE BRAKES
5
1crashes
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
3
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
2
POWER TRAIN
2
SUSPENSION
2
1crashes
TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS
2
Total complaints57
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“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…”
“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…”
“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…”
“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…”
“Steering assist failed almost resulting in head on collision. Failure is serious and likely to cause fatalities”
“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.”
“Electric power assist intermittently fails without warning making steering impossible. Similar to 2012 z4 recall”
“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…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2011 BMW Z4 as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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