Reliability & cost of ownership
Bmw Z4 Reliability & Common Problems
How reliable is the Bmw Z4? Compare every model year side by side — NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, and crash-test stars — then open the year you're shopping for a full reliability and repair-cost forecast.
Bmw Z4 problems by model year
42 recall entries and 1280 owner complaints on file across 19 model years, sourced from the federal NHTSA database.
| Year | Recalls | Complaints | NCAP stars | Full report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 Z4 | 4 | 1 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2021 Z4 | 5 | 1 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2020 Z4 | 6 | 5 | No NCAP test | Full reliability report → |
| 2019 Z4 | 6 | 5 | No NCAP test | Full reliability report → |
| 2016 Z4 | 1 | 4 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2015 Z4 | 0 | 5 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2014 Z4 | 0 | 7 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2013 Z4 | 0 | 7 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2012 Z4 | 0 | 5 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2011 Z4 | 0 | 46 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2010 Z4 | 5 | 10 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2009 Z4 | 4 | 22 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2008 Z4 | 2 | 19 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2007 Z4 | 2 | 33 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2006 Z4 | 2 | 91 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2005 Z4 | 0 | 190 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2004 Z4 | 1 | 411 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2003 Z4 | 4 | 414 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2002 Z4 | 0 | 4 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
Most-complained-about components
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA against the Bmw Z4, grouped by the component each complaint names — the fastest read on where this model gives trouble.
- steering985 complaints
- air bags91 complaints
- electrical system73 complaints
- engine and engine cooling43 complaints
- engine35 complaints
- wheels25 complaints
- service brakes20 complaints
- power train18 complaints