On the involved vehicles, the self locking nuts that connect the lower steering column shaft to the flexible coupling may not have been sufficiently tightened. These nuts can come loose.
Steering
BMW 528 Steering problems by year
3 complaints filed with NHTSA about the BMW 528's steering. Loss of power steering, stiff or loose steering, wandering, column and rack problems.
Steering complaints by model year
Steering recalls
Latest 528 steering complaints
I bought the 1997 bmw 528i off lease. It was my second bmw. The prior bmw had virtually no problems. I guess the second one had to make up for the first one. If I only had a nickle for every time I wished I hadn't traded for the second one. 1. The first problem occurred immediately, the engine overheated and I had to have it towed to a bmw dealership. This was to happen several times over the next year and a half. Whenever I drove the car I had to keep one eye on the engine temperature at all times (it would heat...
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up very fast). The bmw dealership mechanics couldn't solve the problem even though they charged me over $2,000. Well, that and a couple of boldface lies ended my relationship with that dealership. 2. The second problem occurred in roughly the same time frame. As I was driving along one day the steering wheel started moving in and out repetitively and wouldn't stop along with my seat (it had nothing to do with the memory switches in the door). This occurred several times also. 3. The radio (fm) and cd player quit immediately along with the sun roof... I am an engineer and I have managed to fix some of the problems myself but I am ashamed to relate my experience with the bmw dealerships here, as well as some other auto-repair facilities. Oh, I might add that none of my five children, who are all engineers or doctors, own a bmw and I'm sure none of their kids (15) will either.
STEERING WHEEL FAILED. *YC
While parking heard a popping noise from left front and steering was lost. After vehicle stayed parked for a while steering came back. Dealer not able to locate problem. *Ak
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked daily. Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data