[Rob_G77]

I have a new 2022 Z4 M40i with about 600kms on the odo now. One thing I have noticed which is rather annoying is a vibration in the steering wheel at highways speeds. The first time I had it at the dealership, they road force balanced the wheels. That didn't fix the issue so I had it booked in a second time. Today they told me 'oh it's the lane assist so we turned that off for you'.



Seriously?

My salesman wanted to test drive the car as soon as I got there which led me to believe something wasn't right. He agrees that the steering wheel vibration isn't normal. So he talked service into creating a ticket with BMW to further investigate the issue.

It's not a horrible vibration nor does the wheel move while driving. It just constantly vibrates when achieving highway speed. And I realize things like this can be difficult to diagnose, but just don't brush it off as lane keep and tell me it's normal.

I did some research and the only thing I could find was 2018-2019 X3 had a similar issue which was related to rear drive output shafts. Totally different vehicle of course and probably not related, but it is all I could find. I also never read of any other Z4 owner having a similar issue.

So I am looking for feedback from other Z4 owners if they have any vibration in their steering wheels at highways speed, or is it mostly calm feeling?

Rob

[Westside Guy]

I had a vibration on my 2022 M40i until I turned off the lane assist and now it's not an issue. If that didn't fix the problem then they really have to dig deeper.

[COKen]

If your alignment is off, it is possible for it to cause some vibration.

[Karnidge]

No, I do not have any steering wheel vibration at any speed, fast or slow.

Lane keep does not vibrate all the time. Only when you cross a solid line on the road. The wheel should also force you back into your lane automatically (unless you have your turn signal on).

It sounds like there is something wrong with your Z4. That is not normal behavior.

[StrangeWorld]

Rob_G77
Any update on your issues? My car exactly the same issue. Vibration issues only occur in the speedrange from 100-110kph, and disappear above.
If they have figured out the issue on your car, please let me know. Thanks!

[yo4]

Steering vibration due to the Lane Departure Warning.

or

Distance between the transmission oil cooler lines and the steering shaft.

[gkgeiger]

Keep it between the lines. If it happens and you are in the center of your lane then there may be a problem. I consider myself a good driver but was amazed at how often I got too close to the line and the car let me know.

[COKen]

Originally Posted by gkgeiger

Keep it between the lines. If it happens and you are in the center of your lane then there may be a problem. I consider myself a good driver but was amazed at how often I got too close to the line and the car let me know.

Staying between the lines doesn't always work. I ended up turning off the lane keeping feature after my car (with the steering wheel vibrating) headed toward the wall along the side of a highway after mistaking a tar filled crack on the concrete highway as a lane marker. While the technology works most of the time, it still makes mistakes.

[JABCAT]

Could be the tires out of round or a bent wheel. I had 3 different shops road force balance the tires on my Corvette & only new tires rectified the situation.

[Mastakko]

I have a similar issue and saw a bulletin about steering rack issues.

When I'm over 45 mph or so and change lanes I have a steering rack vibration. All special nannies are off so it's not lane assist unless it's in control on the background somehow.

Hoping someone could help me

[stlcdr]

So I occasionally have a faint vibration. I do believe it’s the lane assist, as I can make it go away. I have lane assist on at its lowest level, and when close to the line, even without the icon flashing, I can feel a vibration. But only at certain speeds, and it ‘switches off’ - that is, it’s there then instantly gone.

Of course, this could be a different issue than that noted above.

[Bimmerfun82]

No vibration over 5k miles on mine. Glad they're investigating for you. Turning off lane keep assist is not a viable solution! I highly doubt that your vibration is related to this, or you wouldn't be complaining about it. In my 20 years of BMW ownership, the only reasons for vibration that I've had are balancing wheels or fixing spacers that were improperly tightened. If you don't have spacers and have eliminated the tire balancing as the root cause, then your BMW service department has some work to do to figure this out. Keep us posted.

[StanDiego]

I occasionally feel a vibration, even rarely when the lane keep assist shouldn't be reacting (no lines on the road). However, I'm confident (in my particular case) it is the lane keep assist incorrectly responding to a perceived event.

To be honest, I haven't really given it much thought as to reporting the issue. My Outback is much worse at falsely nagging me. I believe the technology needs improvement.

[dholaday]

Not sure why we need Lane Assist. I've actually managed to drive a lot of different 2, 3, and 4 wheel vehicles for over 50 years without it. I just find it annoying. My 2c.

[sajonf]

Unbalanced wheels

[COKen]

Originally Posted by dholaday

Not sure why we need Lane Assist. I've actually managed to drive a lot of different 2, 3, and 4 wheel vehicles for over 50 years without it. I just find it annoying. My 2c.

People want Lane Assist so they don't run off of the road while they are texting.

[Pprior]

not to threadjack, but I’ve found in my last ten years or so that I’m FAR more likley to drift out of lane when i’m driving than I used to. My wife will point something out, and even looking away for a few seconds I’ll drift to the direction I’m looking. My BMW has lane warning but only at higher speeds so in town it doesn’t help me.

I travel for work and last time I got a 2023 prius at a rental (the new one). It was the first car that I personally have driven that had what I would consider really helpful lane assist. Most cars I’ve driven wait until you drift over and then push back and you end up ping pong balling back and forth. The prius would gently just make adjustments and really just kept me dialed right in the middle of the lane without any drama at all even with no driver input at all. I really liked it a LOT!

So I think the technology is improving. Based on what is written above, I guess I’ll be disappointed in BMW current technology when my Z4 gets here.

[StanDiego]

Originally Posted by Pprior

I travel for work and last time I got a 2023 prius at a rental (the new one). It was the first car that I personally have driven that had what I would consider really helpful lane assist. Most cars I’ve driven wait until you drift over and then push back and you end up ping pong balling back and forth. The prius would gently just make adjustments and really just kept me dialed right in the middle of the lane without any drama at all even with no driver input at all. I really liked it a LOT!

So I think the technology is improving. Based on what is written above, I guess I’ll be disappointed in BMW current technology when my Z4 gets here.

Those are essentially two similar but separate features, lane departure and lane centering. My '20 Outback has both but I've turned off lane centering, not a fan though I'm sure the technology will get better over time.

I'm curious to discover ultimately what is the cause of the OP's issue but I'm still suspecting it's related to the lane keeping feature. It would be easy to eliminate that as an issue by turning it off. In fact, you can quickly and easily turn off all of the Intelligent Safety systems by pressing and holding the button between the two center vents. The button is green when all systems are enabled, orange when some are, and off when all are turned off.

[StrangeWorld]

short update:
The dealer is still trying to find out what causes the vibration on my car.
Wheel sets have been changed, did not resolve.
Rear differential has now been replaced, unfortunately also not solving the issue.
Lane departure warning is not the issue as the problem disappears above 120kph.
Now we have to determine what is next. To be continued.

[Rob_G77]

Originally Posted by StrangeWorld

short update:
The dealer is still trying to find out what causes the vibration on my car.
Wheel sets have been changed, did not resolve.
Rear differential has now been replaced, unfortunately also not solving the issue.
Lane departure warning is not the issue as the problem disappears above 120kph.
Now we have to determine what is next. To be continued.

Sorry that I didn't update about my issue.

Before my Z4 was stolen by the local dealership, I had the tires removed and balanced. It helped, but the vibration was still there. They removed the wheels again, checked the balance and put the wheels back on. For some reason after the second time the wheels were put back on, the vibration issue completely went away.

Rob

[PSQ777]

Originally Posted by Rob_G77

Sorry that I didn't update about my issue.

Before my Z4 was stolen by the local dealership, I had the tires removed and balanced. It helped, but the vibration was still there. They removed the wheels again, checked the balance and put the wheels back on. For some reason after the second time the wheels were put back on, the vibration issue completely went away.

Rob

That must be a huge relief. So glad to hear the issue has been fixed.

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by PSQ777

That must be a huge relief. So glad to hear the issue has been fixed.

Actually it is a non issue for Rob_G77 as he no longer has the Z4.