Selling a junk BMW Z4
Any Z4 sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.
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What owners report about the BMW Z4
NHTSA has 1,444 owner complaints on file for the BMW Z4, model years 2002 to 2022, the 229th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are steering (993, 69%), air bags (101, 7%), electrical system (74, 5%). 34 complaints involved a crash, 7 a fire, and 16 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 47,000 miles. The 2003 model year has the most complaints (460). Data as of 2026-10-12.
When the top complaint is steering, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to deciding whether to repair or junk: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.
BMW Z4 by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 6 | Steering | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2003 | 460 | Steering | 7 | 0 | 4 | 43,730 |
| 2004 | 443 | Steering | 2 | 2 | 1 | 48,650 |
| 2005 | 204 | Steering | 2 | 0 | 0 | 47,754 |
| 2006 | 107 | Steering | 1 | 3 | 2 | 55,000 |
| 2007 | 42 | Steering | 5 | 2 | 2 | 51,562 |
| 2008 | 27 | Air bags | 0 | 0 | 2 | — |
| 2009 | 26 | Wheels | 1 | 0 | 4 | — |
| 2010 | 10 | Engine and cooling | 0 | 0 | 5 | — |
| 2011 | 57 | Steering | 2 | 0 | 6 | 41,000 |
| 2012 | 7 | Engine and cooling | 0 | 0 | 4 | — |
| 2013 | 12 | Electrical system | 6 | 0 | 3 | — |
| 2014 | 10 | Electrical system | 1 | 0 | 3 | — |
| 2015 | 7 | Engine and cooling | 0 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 2016 | 5 | Seat belts | 1 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 2019 | 7 | Engine | 3 | 0 | 6 | — |
| 2020 | 11 | Steering | 3 | 0 | 6 | — |
| 2021 | 1 | Other | 0 | 0 | 5 | — |
| 2022 | 2 | Visibility and wipers | 0 | 0 | 3 | — |
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.
BMW Z4 recalls
NHTSA lists 27 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for engine and cooling (6), electrical system (4), seat belts (2). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.
- 2021 model year, electrical system (campaign 26V056000, Jan 2026): BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Toyota Supra, 2022-2023 2 Series Coupe, 2021-2024 5 Series (xDrive), 2021-2022 Z4, 2022-2024 4 Series (Gran Coupe), 2021-2024 4 Series (Convertible and xDriv…
- 2019 model year, electrical system (campaign 25V636000, Sep 2025): BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2021 BMW 330i, 2019-2022 BMW Z4, 2020-2022 BMW 530i, X3, X4, Toyota Supra, 2021-2022 BMW 430i, 430i Convertible, and 2022 BMW 230i vehicles. The engine starter re…
- 2012 model year, engine and cooling (campaign 24V608000, Aug 2024): BMW of North America, LLC. (BMW) is recalling certain 2012-2015 X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i, 2012-2016 Z4 sDrive28i, 528i, 528i xDrive, 328i, 328xi, 2016-2018 X5 xdrive 40e, 2014-2016 228i, 228xi, 428i, 428i xDrive, 328xi…
- 2010 model year, engine and cooling (campaign 23V707000, Oct 2023): BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2010-2012 1 Series Coupe, 1 Series Convertible, 3 Series Sedan, 3 Series Convertible, 2010-2011 3 Series Sportswagon, 3 Series Coupe, 5 Series Sedan, X3 xDrive 28i, X3…
- 2022 model year, visibility and wipers (campaign 23V099000, Feb 2023): BMW of North Americal, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2023 8 Series Coupe (840i, 840i xDrive, M850i xDrive, M8), 8 Series Convertible (840i, 840i xDrive, M850i xDrive, M8), 8 Series Gran Coupe (840i, 840i xDrive, M850i x…
What a BMW Z4 is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk Z4 on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.
Guides for selling this car
Should you junk or repair your car? 
How much is my junk car worth? 
How junkyards price cars 
Catalytic converters and junk cars 
How to prepare your car for the junkyard 
Junk car scams and how to avoid them Other BMW models
Questions people ask
- What is a junk BMW Z4 worth?
- What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same Z4 gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
- Will a junkyard buy a BMW Z4 that doesn't run?
- Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
- Should I fix an open recall before selling a BMW Z4?
- Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
- Where do these BMW Z4 numbers come from?
- From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.