Open safety recalls, the components owners report failing most often, crash-test results and running costs for the 2008 BMW Z4 — assembled from NHTSA and EPA records.
Everything on this page applies to the model as a whole. Run its 17-character VIN to decode that exact car — its engine, trim, assembly plant and factory equipment — alongside these records. Free, no account.
Run a VIN →Recalls and complaints are filed against a specific model year, so figures differ from one year to the next even within a single generation. See every BMW Z4 year.
NHTSA lists 2 recalls for this make/model/year. Recalls apply to the model, so some may already be fixed on this specific car — check with a dealer using the VIN.
Issue: 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.
Risk: 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.
Campaign 17V683000
Issue: 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 Wagon (328i, 328i xDrive); 2007-2013 3 Series Convertible (328i); 2006-2010 5 Series Sedan (525i, 525xi, 528i, 528xi, 530i, 530xi); 2006-2007 5 Series Wagon (530xi); 2007-2010 X5 SAV (X5 3.0si, X5 xDrive30i); 2006-2008 Z4 Coupe (Z4 3.0si); and 2006-2011 Z4 Roadster (Z4 3.0i, Z4 3.0si, Z4 sDrive30i) vehicles. The heater for the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) valve may short circuit.
Risk: 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 previously repaired under the prior recalls will need to come back for the new recall remedy. The remedy is currently being developed. Interim owner notification letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed on April 1, 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 22, 2022. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Campaign 22V119000
No EPA fuel-economy match for this model (naming may differ or it predates EPA records).
NHTSA frontal crash test
Rated configuration: 2008 BMW Z4 Roadster w/SAB
The parts named most often across 19 owner complaintsfiled with NHTSA for this make, model and year — the closest free answer to “what is likely to go wrong?”
Complaints are self-reported and skew toward problems people find alarming, so treat this as where to look, not a defect rate.
This complaint is regarding a large number of 2008 BMW cars exhibiting the ABS failure light. Mine is a Z4 with @ 65K miles and was diagnosed by a certified mechanic as the ABS module failure - a high ($3000-$4000) cost repair. If you use this search term - "how common is bmw 2008 ABS module failure?", you will see that a multitude of cars from 2008 (and in other years and models using the same module) are affected by and exhibit this dangerous issue. What has to happen for BMW to be forced to repairing this chronic, safety-compromising, and widespread issue? This is not something that happens to other cars as a result of age. This is a design flaw that directly affects safety. Now I would like to sell the car, but I can't afford to fix it and, in good conscience, I cannot sell it if it is dangerous.
The contact owns a 2008 BMW Z4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
IDLING IN GEAR (AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION) AT A DRIVE THRU. CAR SUDDENLY TRIED TO ACCELERATE. PUT CAR IN PARK AND ENGINE CONTINUED TO INCREASE TO MAX RPMS. I SHUT OFF THE ENGINE AT THE IGNITION. RESTARTED ENGINE AND IDLED NORMALLY.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BMW Z4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT FOR SEVERAL MONTHS THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR WAS FLASHING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT WAS CONSTANTLY ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER OR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TEST. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.
RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2008 BMW Z4. AFTER A WEEK OF OWNERSHIP THE AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON. FAULT CODE POINTS TO THE PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR OC3. BMW ISSUED A 15 YEAR EXTENDED WARRANTY TO MANY BMW MODELS INCLUDING THE 2006 AND 2007 Z4 WITH COMFORT SEATS, BUT NOT TO THE 2008 MODEL. THIS REPAIR COSTS UPWARDS OF $1500 AND IS SAFETY RELATED. BMW NEEDS TO STEP UP AND COVER ALL AFFECTED MODELS!
THE AIRBAG RED LIGHT ON DASH APPEARED AND STAYED ON,ALSO PASSENGER YELLOW AIRBAG LIGHT STAYS ON .TOOK TO BMW DEALER THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR MAT WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST AROUND 1,600.00 . ERROR CODE 93C3 THEY INFORMED ME WITH THIS PROBLEM I DO NOT HAVE ANY AIRBAG PROTECTION . THIS IS A SAFETY PROBLEM AND I BELIEVE THEY HAVE REPAIRED OTHER MODELS BUT NOT THIS MODEL . WHY ?
DASHBOARD AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT CAME ON - OBD SCAN INDICATES THE PASSENGER SEAT OC3 AIRBAG SENSOR MAT HAS FAILED. I BELIEVE THIS MEANS THE VEHICLE CAN NO LONGER DETECT IF THERE IS A CHILD IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, AND WILL DEPLOY AIRBAGS REGARDLESS OF PASSENGER WEIGHT. BMW HAS A SERVICE BULLETIN FOR MANY OTHER MODELS AND YEARS (INCLUDING MY Z4 MODEL - BUT NOT YET FOR MY 2008 MODEL YEAR).
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BMW Z4. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V683000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); HOWEVER, THE PARTS TO DO THE REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE RECALL PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE. *TT
A FAILED FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG SEAT SENSOR MAT CAUSES THE AIR BAG WARNING LAMP AND THE PASSENGER AIR BAG 'ON-OFF' LAMP TO BE ILLUMINATED SIMULTANEOUSLY. IN AUGUST 13, 2008, BMW ISSUED A VOLUNTARY RECALL INVOLVING FRONT PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR MAT ON U.S.A. MODEL BMWS REGARDING THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG SEAT SENSOR MAT INVOLVING APPROXIMATELY 200,000 MODEL YEAR 2004-06 VEHICLES. MY SIMILARLY AFFECTED 2008 VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE RECALL ALSO STATES THAT IN THIS SITUATION, BMW RECOMMENDS CUSTOMERS NOT TO USE THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT AND HAVE THE VEHICLE SERVICED IMMEDIATELY. WHEN I CALLED MY LOCAL BMW DEALER, I WAS ADVISED OF A $152 SHOP DIAGNOSIS FEE AND A LIKELY REPAIR COST OF $1800. THIS IS A PROHIBITIVE COST FOR A FACTORY DEFECT ON A 73 YEAR OLD SENIOR CITIZEN LIVING ON SOCIAL SECURITY.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BMW Z4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V683000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR REPAIR. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND STATED THAT THE PARTS WERE UNAVAILABLE FOR THE REPAIR. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.
'THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED USED FROM A DEALER IN OCTOBER 2012, WITH ABOUT 30600 MILES;, CURRENT MILEAGE IS ABOUT 57400. THE AIRBAG DISABLED LIGHT IN INSTRUMENT CLUSTER STARTED ACTING UP SEVERAL MONTHS AGO; NOW IT IS ON AT ALL TIMES, WHETHER OR NOT A PASSENGER IS IN THE SEAT OR THE CAR IS IN MOTION OR STOPPED. A SCAN OF THE VEHICLE SHOWS A DEFECTIVE PASSENGER OCCUPANCY SENSOR / MAT. RESETTING THE LIGHT WITH THE SCAN TOOL DOES NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. MANY 2008 BMW MODELS WERE RECALLED FOR A SIMILAR PROBLEM, BUT NOT THE Z4, EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE SEVERAL COMPLAINTS LISTED HERE. THE LOCAL BMW DEALER WANTS $152.00 SHOP DIAGNOSIS FEE AND A REPLACEMENT MAT SWITCH COULD BE $1800.00. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE KNOWN BY THE MANUFACTURER FROM THE BEGINNING AND SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL.
TAKATA RECALL AIRBAG LIGHT ON AT ALL TIMES ON THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. A SCAN OF THE VEHICLE SHOWS A DEFECTIVE PASSENGER SEAT CUSHION SENSOR. RESETTING THE LIGHT WITH THE SCAN TOOLS DOES NOT FIX THE PROBLEM, THE LIGHT GOES BACK ON IMMEDIATELY AND STAYS ON WHETHER THERE IS A PASSENGER SEATED IN THE VEHICLE OR NOT. IT DOES NOT MAKE A DIFFERENCE IF THE VEHICLE IS STATIONARY OR MOVING. I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE USED ON MAY 7TH 2016 AND THE LIGHT WAS ON WHEN I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE.
Showing 12 of 19 complaints.