steering Wheel became Hard to turn

[EVMan]

The i3's steering is powered by an electric motor with none of the hydraulic lines of the typical power steering system.

I feel they need to rewrite this software.
I feel , part of the reason why the car feels like jumping left right , is the steering wheel which does not have a center bias.
At high speeds - above 85 miles , over uneven roads , i need to use both my hands hard , unlike other cars , which stay in the lane lot more easily.

I also had heavy left bias issue , while driving suddenly , and it fixed while driving itself in a minute .

 

[alohart]

Same thing happened to me today. Does any one have a update on this? Wow it was scary.,...

If you haven't done so, file a complaint with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Otherwise, BMW won't be as motivated to fix this problem.

 

[AndrewDebbie]

Two or three people on the UK i3 Facebook group are reporting the same problem.

Most recent one took the car into a dealer. The car was returned "No Fault Found" and had a software update.

So yes, if you have the problem report it to NHTSA and take the car to a dealer. BMW need to know about every i3 that has the issue.

 

[phuonguy]

I have a 2015 I3 Rex production date is 2015-10-15. I was driving in ECO Pro node and the sterring became stiff after i made a turn. It was stiff for awhile until I switched to Comfort mode. Since then, I am driving in Comfort Mode and have not experience the issue.

I haven't run in ECO Pro for a long time.

 

[Xsbank]

I have not read the entire thread but my 2017 did all of the steering stuff described here. It went back to the dealer every time it happened. Software issue that was going to take a number of months to fix. Apparently the software was not properly booting the steering module. EVERY BMW has electric steering, this should be a simple, known issue.

The long and the short of it was I refused to pick it up, rejected their offer of a courtesy car for (perhaps) 4 months and they refused to buy it back (Canada, you know) so they gave me a brand new 2019 with way more doodads than the original to replace the '17. It's for sale, 2500 km, I'm disgruntled. But BMW was good over this.

A steering fault is a SAFETY ISSUE! Stop screwing around and scream bloody murder until they fix the software!

 

[PBNB]

Ya, I think I saw it listed on CL.

I would love to speak to you about it but just a tad too rich for me.

Sorry to hear about your issues.

We are loving our used 2015 Rex that came from Cali. Almost a year now and not one glitch to speak of and we use for our business. We have been dealing with BMW in Langley which is where we bought our Mini from in 2013. They seem to be on the ball.

 

[Obioban]

My 2017 BEV (non tech pack, no auto park, 9/16 production) did this yesterday. Super heavy (felt like no assist) on center, but full assist on any "real" turning. Went away after I went into a store and came back out.

Has anyone who's had the software updated had the issue repeat after the update?

 

[Anonymous]

steering Wheel became Hard to turn

Contact your dealer, there are several service bulletins out on this issue.

 

[MichaelL]

Just got my i3 back from bmws collision center after being hit at 80mph on the freeway by an out of control driver. I have to say the i3 saved my life. I love this little car. When I picked it up today from bmw I drove back to my office just fine. On the way out of the parking lot the steering wheel became almost impossible to turn and ran right into a pole. This is the second time the steering has done this. The first time I did what this forum said and rebooted the car. It was fine after that. I think the car is totaled now.. The collision center did no front end work so I’m not sure it’s related to that. As much as I love this little car I’m still a little shaken up by the whole thing and don’t feel safe driving my i3 after this. Even if they fix it as much as I love this car it’s not worth my life. With so many people having this issue why is it not more well known? It could kill someone... :/

 

[bcnbuda]

I’ve been having this problem intermittently for a while. It always “fixed” itself after restarting the car. Finally, it has gotten to where it stopped working altogether and the dealership is telling me to fix it will cost $5000! $3600 just for the part, the entire steering assembly. Needless to say, I want to try to find some other solution. My car only has 30,000 miles on it! But it’s out of warranty due to it being a 2014 model.

Any suggestions?

 

[Anonymous]

Any suggestions?

Is this something you brought to the dealer's attention while the car was still under warranty? If so, you could try calling BMW directly and complain that this was something that should have been fixed at the time it was first reported to the dealer, but wasn't. There have been cases where BMW at least paid for part of an out of warranty repair in cases like that. You could also ask for the part number(s) of the needed parts, and see if you can source them for less from a car salvage company as well. A few of the bigger salvage companies have quite a few BMW i3 parts listed on eBay, and can be contacted for specific parts.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2015-BMW-i3-Steering-Gear-Rack-Pinion-OEM-1K-Miles-LKQ-154006225/312570672056?_trkparms=aid%3D555018%26algo%3DPL.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D57476%26meid%3D0df9b215d48e4102be2737b9b3c29338%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D12%26mehot%3Des%26sd%3D283520849932%26itm%3D312570672056%26pg%3D2047675&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

 

[bcnbuda]

Thanks. Thought of that. Yes, I had complained about it but not sure it was before the warranty expired. My records are in the car. I intend to check that once I pick it up. I had thought of the salvage route and thanks for the link. I will pursue that also. There’s an independent shop here that works on them and actually owns one. They’ve had the intermittent problem as well. So if i can locate a salvage part then I’ll have them do the work. The problem might be that the salvage part could potentially have the same issue as it seems pretty common. I assume a salvage part would not have a warranty.

 

[Anonymous]

I assume a salvage part would not have a warranty.

The outfit in the link says their salvage parts are warrantied for six months.

 

[bcnbuda]

The dealership informed me today that they went to bat for me with BMW and BMW have agreed to pay 90% of the cost of the repair. I consider that to be a fair resolution. They’re also giving me the use of a loaner until the repair is completed.

I think the fact that my car has only 30,000 miles on it and it’s a safety issue probably mitigated in my favor. But word to the wise, if your car is still under warranty and you even experience a whiff of a problem with the intermittent power steering problem described above don’t procrastinate. Take it in and get on record as having the problem before the warranty runs out. I’m still not sure if I reported mine prior to the warranty running out because my paperwork is in the glove box and the car is still at the dealership.

 

[JohnKelly]

I just had this happen and filed a complaint with the traffic safety administration as suggested by others. Hopefully, if enough people complain, it will be looked into. I also sent an email to the dealership asking them to register my complaint in case it happens again.

 

[Chrisi3]

Mine’s done this a couple of times.

First time was with my wife but you have to experience it for yourself not a description on the phone.

Today it did it with me. It’s not a total loss of the power steering but a different, slightly heavier and stiffer feel - as if the ball joints need oiling.

It came and went a couple of times over a 10 mile journey. I’ll try a switch off and on again next time.

A bit weird and disconcerting.

Mine is just out of warranty. Sept 2016 i3 rex. No autopark etc. 30,000 miles.

Also and annoyingly the radio/nav has a habit of randomly rebooting itself.

Hope an upgrade sorts it.

 

[kgorczyn]

Hi All..

Got this today on my 2014 REX 57k miles. Car has no electric steering assist, complete loss of power steering. I have seen this error 3-4 times over the last 2 years, but a simple restart of the car and it went away. Well today is day 2 of this error - about 20 restarts in - It's not going away.

Thoughts? Of course the only warranty I have left is the 8 year battery warranty...

 

[JohnKelly]

After experiencing heavy steering once, my dealer said there is a recall and that they are working on a software fix. I do not know how wide the recall is. Talk to your dealer!

 

[CanisLupus]

I suggest that because it's a software recall that it would be all encompassing .

 

[StickyBuns]

Hello,

I have a 2015 Rex with 60,000 Kms. I'm located up in Canada. This Just happened to me earlier today! I'll reach out to my local dealer and report back to everyone!

Love this forum Btw!