BMW i8 Power Steering Failure: Fixes & Solutions

Hi there! I have some experience working on hybrid vehicles. I dealt with something very similar on my 2014 BMW i3, and I totally get how worrying these steering issues can be. Had the exact same symptoms, mushy steering, no power assist, and that annoying vibration. Took it to my regular workshop and it turned out to be a faulty cable connection to the power steering unit. They found a loose connector that was causing intermittent power steering failures. The fix wasn't too complicated, they replaced the wiring harness and properly secured all connections. Cost me about 95 Euro and the problem hasn't come back since. Could be a similar issue with your i8, but I'd need more info to be sure. When did you first notice the problem? Does it happen more when the car is cold or warm? Have you checked if the battery charge level affects it? Let me know these details and I might be able to help further!

Thanks for sharing your experience! My i8 has 180360 KM on it and just had its service last month. I started noticing these issues about a week ago, and it definitely seems worse when the car is cold, especially in the morning. Interestingly, I've noticed the steering gets particularly bad when the hybrid battery is below 30% charge. The weird thing is that all other electrical systems seem to work fine. Could be a similar wiring issue to what you described, definitely going to have them check the connections first before replacing any major components. Did your shop have to order special parts, or was it just standard wiring harness work?

Hey again! Thanks for those extra details about your i8. After reading what you shared, I'm even more convinced it could be similar to what I experienced with my i3. The fact that it's worse when cold and with low battery charge really rings a bell, that's exactly how mine acted up. And yeah, mine had about 165000 KM when it happened, so we're in the same ballpark mileage-wise. For my repair, the workshop actually had the basic wiring harness parts in stock, nothing too exotic needed. They mainly used standard BMW electrical components, though they did have to order one specific connector that took a couple of days to arrive. The whole repair took about 4-5 hours once they had all the parts. One thing I learned from my experience, make sure they thoroughly check the connections around the steering column and the power steering control module. Mine looked fine at first glance, but they found corrosion when they really got in there. It's worth having them do a complete diagnostic on the power steering system while they're at it. Would love to hear what they find when you get it checked out. These hybrid systems can be tricky, but usually, it's something relatively straightforward like what we dealt with.

Thanks so much for all the detailed info! That's super helpful to know about the wiring harness repair and the specific connector they needed. I've actually just booked my i8 in for next week, and I'll definitely mention everything you've shared about the connections and corrosion points they should check. Really hoping it's as straightforward as your repair was, the idea of it being a simple wiring issue rather than a major component failure is definitely making me feel better about the whole situation. I'll make sure to have them do that complete diagnostic you mentioned too. It makes total sense to check everything while they're already digging around in there. I'm actually a bit relieved hearing that your repair only took 4-5 hours once they had the parts, that's way better than I was expecting. Really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience. It's given me a much clearer picture of what to expect when I take it in. I'll try to remember to update you on what they find!