2003 BMW Z4: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 2003 BMW Z4. The newest campaign is 04V247000. NHTSA received the report on 24 May 2004. The NHTSA record gives the component Air Bags. NHTSA has 137 complaints on file for this model year. 1 NHTSA investigation names this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 04V247000, in the NHTSA record

Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the air bag system processors. The recall began june 11, 2004. Owners should contact BMW at 1-800-831-1117.

NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 29 Mar 2018. Recall file through 29 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

4 campaigns, newest first. 16,635 units in total.

04V24700024 May 2004Air Bags
04V18200012 Apr 2004Fuel System, Gasoline / Delivery / Fuel Pump
03V2140009 Jun 2003Tires
03V0320004 Feb 2003Seat Belts / Front / Buckle Assembly

04V247000Received 24 May 2004. 51 units.
Air Bags
Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain passenger vehicles, incompatible electronic air bag system processors may have been installed.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
In the event of a crash, air bag deployment may not occur, increasing the risk of injuries to the driver and/or front passenger.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the air bag system processors. The recall began june 11, 2004. Owners should contact BMW at 1-800-831-1117.
Report filed by BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 11 Jun 2004.
04V182000Received 12 Apr 2004. 13,769 units.
Fuel System, Gasoline / Delivery / Fuel Pump
Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain passenger vehicles, under certain environmental conditions, a vapor lock in the fuel pump could occur causing the engine to stall. If this were to happen, the engine would not be able to be restarted for approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If stalling were to occur, the driver would be unable to maintain vehicle speed or accelerate, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will install a resistor in the electrical line powering the fuel pump in order to prevent an occurrence of vapor lock. The recall began may 11, 2004. Owners should contact BMW at 1-800-831-1117.
Report filed by BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 11 May 2004.
03V214000Received 9 Jun 2003. 180 units.
Tires
Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain vehicles equipped with 18" tires, it is possible that the tire has been damaged during the mounting process to the rim.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Consequently, a loss of tire pressure, or a tire failure, could occur. Depending on traffic conditions and the driver's reactions, this could lead to a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will unseat the tire from its rim, inspect for any damage, and then reseat the tire to its rim. If inspection reveals that a front tire has incurred damage during the mounting process, it will be replaced. Owner notification began july 14, 2003. Owners should contact BMW at 1-800-831-1117.
Report filed by BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 14 Jul 2003.
03V032000Received 4 Feb 2003. 2,635 units.
Seat Belts / Front / Buckle Assembly
Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain passenger vehicles, the connection of the safety belt buckle to the steel rope of the tensioner does not meet BMW specifications. In severe frontal crashes, this connection can detach.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If the connection detaches, the protection provided by the safety belt is likely to be impaired, and serious injuries to the driver and/or front passenger could occur that might otherwise be mitigated.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will inspect both front safety belt tensioner and buckle assemblies, and if necessary, replace these parts. Owner notification began march 19, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact BMW at 1-800-831-1117.
Report filed by BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 19 Mar 2003.

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

137 complaints, 151 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.

2003 BMW Z4
All 2003 vehicles

2003 BMW Z4: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	2003 Z4	All 2003 vehicles	Z4, all years	Mentions
Steering	622.5	42.7	767.3	94
Air Bags	59.6	45.8	34.6	9
Engine and Engine Cooling	53	108.8	34.6	8
Power Train	39.7	136.5	22	6
Fuel System, Gasoline	39.7	43.8	22	6
Vehicle Speed Control	33.1	45.3	15.7	5
Electrical System	26.5	122.3	28.3	4
Structure	26.5	51.6	12.6	4
Latches/Locks/Linkages	19.9	16	9.4	3
Suspension	19.9	62.1	12.6	3

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 16.

Complaints that report a crash: 2
Complaints that report a fire: 0
Injuries in the complaints: 0
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 27 Oct 2010

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 2003 BMW Z4, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 2010, with 59 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 2003 BMW Z4
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
PE10020	Preliminary evaluation	Sticky Steering	Steering	28 Jun 2010	28 Jun 2011

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

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Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 2003 BMW Z4The recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 2003 BMW Z4: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/bmw/z4/2003/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 29 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 29 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 29 Mar 2018
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 2003 BMW Z4?: 16,635 units in 4 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the BMW Z4 have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 28 recall campaigns for the BMW Z4, model years 2002 to 2023. 4 of them name the 2003 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 2003 BMW Z4 name most often?: Steering: 94 of 151 component mentions, or 622.5 per 1,000. For all 2003 vehicles the figure is 42.7 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 2003 BMW Z4 open?: No. The 1 investigation that names this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.