Problems with 2004 MINI Cooper S STEERING

I own a 2004 mini cooper s. on september 23, 2010, i was driving on the highway and my power steering went out. this was out of the blue, and i had not experienced any previous problems with the power steering. i was able to take it to my mechanic the same day and was informed that my power steering fan went out, therefore causing my power steering pump to fail. after i had everything replaced for around $900, i saw an article in usa today that this is happening to other 2004 and 2005 mini's. i think mini should issue a recall so this doesn't happen to anyone else. it was very scary to drive my mini with no power steering, and i feel fortunate that i was able to keep the car under control when the steering went out. *tr

Power steering pump failed on mini cooper s with approximately 71,000 miles last week. *tr

Electric/hydraulic power steering pump failed after only 43,000 miles on the car. it stuck in the "on" position even when key removed from the car, draining my battery and causing a heat buildup under the bonnet. 2004 mini cooper s. *tr

I was driving along a street about to negotiate a turn when the power steering failed. had it happened a few seconds later, i probably would not have been able to negotiate the turn and may have crashed. *tr

My 04 mini s just hit 90k and runs great until i was on the freeway overpass the other day. the power steering pump went out suddenly on a 55 mph turn and almost ran me right into the shoulder barrier which happens to be 50 feet above the lower freeway. thank god i was able to maintain control. mini cooper is a great car, but this power steering issue is a well know issue amongst the community of owners and mini needs to acknowledge this issue and help owners who are out of warranty. once you turn the car off and restart it the steering comes back to normal. when its hot out the steering seems to fail and is almost impossible to control the car once this happens which was the result in my above experience. this power steering failure is well know and has many many accounts of failures on popular mini forums. the part to replace this issue a single power steering unit which can be bought for about $450 and the average mechanic can replace it within and hour or so. *tr

Power steering pump failed while driving. *tr

On september 8, 2010 2004 mini cooper s power steering went out while driving on san francisco/oakland bay bridge. able to safely exit bridge and had car towed to auto shop in berkeley, ca where they "performed a diagnostic time check for no power steering. found pump coming on, no pressure to system". they removed and replaced power steering pump including bleeding the system. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 mini cooper s. the contact stated that when driving at low speeds, the steering shaft started to make odd noises. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who stated that the steering column and pum were defective. the vehicle was repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 90,000. updated 4/11/2011 *cn updated 07/11/11

The vehicle intermittently looses power steering, making it difficult to steer. the power assist cuts out intermittently, and will occasionally come back while the vehicle is in motion, though more often it begins working the next time the car is started. the frequency is variable - it goes months without a problem and then may have the problem for several consecutive days. *tr

Power steering pump is failing. so far no major problems but i have had other mini owners report this same problem and worse. i am having my pump replaced this weekend with the hope of avoiding any further issues. hopefully this one will last a long time. *tr

The power steering went out while going up hill on a curvy two lane road. the loss of power steering forced me to go into the other lane, where fortunately no cars were present. if i was going down hill on the same road i would have definitely gone against the side of the hill or off the side of the cliff if not hitting an on coming car first. the dealership charged me over $1000 to change the electro/hydraulic steering pump. the sudden loss of power steering seems to be an issue with many minis according to forum posts. *tr

My 2004 mini cooper s, of which i am the second owner has developed progressively worsening steering characteristics. most times the steering is hard and typically its hardest at low speed. the steering under acceleration is notably of great concern as i have experienced erratic and unpredictable sudden pulls to the left and right without any driver input. the service history for this vehicle is consistent with the suggested service intervals. this is a major safety concern for me. *tr

Intermittent and unexpected power steering failure on my 2004 mini cooper s (r53). we purchased the car with 69,000 miles and within a week had our first power steering problem. we got the vehicle to the side of the road, turned the car off and when we turned it back on the steering was fine. this occurred randomly for the next few weeks. power steering would quit without warning at slow and highway speeds. finally took the car to the shop and the mechanic said the power steering unit needed to be replaced. repair was done the first week of september and we have not had any power steering problems since. *tr

The power steering on my 2004 mini cooper s fails intermittently. the car is extremely hard to steer when the power steering fails. *tr

I want to report problem with steering components in my 2004 mini cooper s (based on article in usa today). in july of this year, 2010, my steering suddenly became almost impossible to turn. i stopped, called my dealership, had the car towed in. they replaced the power steering motor. this week, sept. 2010, i heard a strange sound. took it back in, they replaced the power steering fan. *tr

Driving normally when suddenly power steering fails completely causing instant control issues. power steering returns intermittently. *tr

2004 mini cooper s power steering failure after <50,000 miles very hard to steer. had to replace the pump. *tr

Near the end of a 500 mile trip from northern to southern california, the power steering failed. i completed the trip without the power steering. the next day i took the vehicle into an authorized dealer for repair. the power steering pump was replaced. the old part is not available. *tr

On a 2004 mini cooper s, intermittent failure of the power steering pump causing extreme difficulty steering. car has 43,000 miles. many similar cases reported in online forums. *tr

I have a 2004 mini cooper s built in late september or early october 2003. at approximately 54,000 miles in spring of 2010, i left to go on a trip across town. after about 2 miles of the up to then normal drive, the power steering suddenly and without warning stopped working in the middle of a curve. fortunately i was able to retain control of the car and make it to my destination a couple more miles away. after sitting about 15 minutes, upon restart, the car performed normally as far as i can tell. checking the internet, it seems that this is a somewhat common problem with this vehicle and that it will continue on and off until the power steering does not function at all. this can also lead to a fire at the power steering pump that may lead to complete loss of vehicle and or additional property damage. some with fires have not had any prior hints of an issue and some have had the intermittent pump going out. in speaking to the mini service center, they of course said they had never heard of the problem and refused to give me any help under goodwill warranty. i had them replace the pump at my expense to avoid the risk of fire. *tr

My wife was driving the 2004 mini cooper s to pick up our son from school. after she retrieved him, she went around a corner and the power steering stopped working causing her to crash into a curb. she does not have enough strength to turn the wheel and there was no warning of a possible failure. i am fearful to replace the part and continue to make payments on a vehicle i do not feel comfortable putting my children and grandchildren in due to the possibility that the new powering steering pump will fail if replaced. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mini cooper s. the contact stated on numerous occasions while driving 40 mph, the power steering would malfunction which almost led to a crash. the contact took the vehicle to an authorized dealer to have the power steering motor and the cooling fan replaced. since the repairs, the contact had not noticed any power steering issues. the failure mileage was unknown.

Lost power steering unexpectedly in my car. power steering pump and fan were replaced 6/3/2010. on 6/29/2011, i again lost power steering unexpectedly mileage- 96250 . power steering pump and fan were replaced again. on 6/26/2012 i yet again lost power steering - mileage -111834, pump and fan were replaced for the 3rd time. each time the fan had failed and the pump overheated. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mini cooper type s. the contact stated that while traveling at any speed, the power steering would suddenly stop functioning without warning; the failure was intermittent. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the failure could not be duplicated. the failure was 8,000 and the current mileage is approximately 143,000. updated 01/04/11*lj updated 01/10/11*jb

Power steering pump failure. *tr

Loss of power steering assist while driving making it difficult to steer the car. at times, there would be no power steering assist; restarting the car would solve the issue. ultimately, the issue appeared to be a built-in electrical relay in the electric power steering pump that sticks. only replacement option was to replace the entire pump. *tt

I was driving on i-95n when the steering became all tight like i couldn't turn the wheel. no indicatior lights came on. i reached my destination, shut the car off for several min, got in started it up and it was fine. got back on i-95s and 5 min later the steering wheel felt like it was locked up i couldn't turn it. again no warnings!!!!! are you people going to wait till some one is killed to make bmw fix this!!!!!! i have read it's beein going on since 2002 power steering pump failures

The power steering assist failed during cornering. required me to apply extra force to the steering wheel at which point the power steering assist re-engaged causing the car to over steer. i needed to make a quick correction in order to avoid crossing over the centerline and hitting an on coming vehicle. the power steering assist has been on and off for the first couple of months since that time and has been completely non functional for the last month or so.

The power steering pump suddenly failed. this is an electric-hydraulic steering system and the car is not controllable when the pump fails. the car has been properly maintained and has less than 50,000 mile. *tr

Loss of power steering assist while driving. *tr

Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). i have a 2004 mini cooper s (bmw) that i have owned for about a year and a half but recently, past 3 months., i have had the power steering quit suddenly on 3 separate occasions. thankfully i was not on a high speed road at any of those times because when the power steering went out it i could barely turn the wheel and i'm a 36 yr. old male with quite a bit more strength than my fiance who also drives the car. i believe this is a very serious flaw with the car as i have checked with other mini cooper owners across the country who each and everyone of them has experienced the same exact problem with the power steering failing suddenly. i can only imagine what would happen if this occurs at high speeds or during inclement weather, this is a safety hazard that should be recalled by bmw since i am not the only mini cooper owner with this problem. [xxx] *tr

During 2010 i experienced the power steering going on and off while driving throughout the year. also, sometimes the power steering would not work right at the start up. i then had to turn the car off, and re-start it. my mechanic could not find a direct problem. 3 days ago, jan 2011, the power steering failed completely, and my car was not drivable, it would not start. my mechanic examined my car and found that the power steering unit was completely broken. *tr

I had multiple incidents where my power steering wasn't available. several times the power steering failed driving around the corner which was very freighting. i contacted bmw about the issue but they said it was normal wear and tear. i don't agree with that since my car only had 35k miles. i owned other cars where i never had a failed power steering pump. mini uk seem to handle the problem much better for their customer (see link below). i cannot believe that there has no recall being made yet. paid almost 1k for replacing the defective pump and it seems that the new pump they put in my mini starts acting up again. http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/2009/02/mini_steering_system_failures.html. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mini cooper s. the contact stated that the power steering would fail sporadically and more effort had to be exerted when attempting to steer the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the power steering pump and fan would need replacing. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was approximately 75,000 and the current mileage was approximately 83,000.

Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6) why has the nhtsa administration taken no action against mini and bmw for the known defect in power steering systems. i am wondering, amid all the toyota controversy and recalls, especially now about the broken steering rods, why there has not been a recall, or at least a public warning of some kind about steering issues on the mini. the power steering pump in mini's of all ages and mileages are prone to fail while driving. this happened to me while driving my 2004 mini cooper s across a snowy and icy mountain pass here in washington state. it was quite a surprising, frightening, and unsafe experience to say the least. others have filed complaints with you folks, as well as the company, but so far as i know nothing has been done. if injuries and fatalities are the criteria, how would anyone know the steering was an issue unless they had experienced the terror of losing steering at speed? this issue prompted a recall in great britain. why not here. even a cursory search of the internet reveals the depth of the problem, yet neither bmw nor mini have taken any steps to address the issue here in the us. can you tell me why?? [xxx] *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 mini cooper s. the contact stated that while driving 10 mph, the steering wheel locked up and it was difficult to steer. the contact turned the vehicle off and restarted it; the power steering seemed to reset it. the failure occurred two additional times. the vehicle had not been inspected or repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 55,000 and the current mileage was approximately 67,000. updated 01/20/11 *bf updated 01/31/11

The power steering in my 2004 mini cooper s failed, leading to extremely difficult operation of the vehicle. car was under extended warranty but failure not covered.

Failed component 1: lower control arm bushings diagnosed at dealership as bad and oil leak is due to faulty o ring. failed component 2: power steering total failure. dealer stated this was due to poor design of steering pump fan (poor placement of the fan). dealer stated there was a possible recall regarding power steering failure due to this poor design possibly pending. work to repair these failed components has not been completed pending a dealer recall. the car is not drivable.

Power steering failed, car would not turn. second occasion 1/19/12 same thing at 40mph. after car rests problem disappears. almost impossible to turn car at all. *tr

@ approximately 85k miles power steering failure intermittently became an issue on 2004 mini cooper s. @ 95k miles power steering became complete failure. *tr

Intermittent power steering failure. *tr

Power steering stopped working, repair cost app. $ 2.000.-, no help from mini usa. *tr

As an owner of a 2004 cooper s i was greatly disappointed to learn that i now need to replace my electric steering pump at only 55k miles. i have been told by the dealer that the part "goes regularly" and that "we keep a bunch in stock" and that it will cost me $600 for a new one not including labor. with this bit of information, i began to search mini cooper fansites and blogs to see how often this problem occurs. i wasn't surprised to find that many of the members and "fans" of the car have had multiple pump failures, and that there is a growing number of those who are discussing the failure issue. i believe this is both a costly fix as well as a safety problem. the sudden loss of a steering pump is quite dangerous and may cause some drivers to lose control. i am fortunate that i noticed the problem and understood what the failure was, so i personally did not have an accident, but for those who are less car savvy, they may not notice the noise of the failure that is about to occur. *tr

Power steering dropped out unexpectedly while i was making a left hand turn, traveling approximately 10-15 mph. i was able to regain steering control before a collision, but power steering never came back on. i found out the power steering pump had failed, perhaps brought on by a power steering fan failure. both the fan and pump were replaced. *tr

Power steering is not reliable; sometimes works, and sometime does not. consequently it causes dangerous situations particularly in slippery conditions. initially the problem was barely noticeable. when consulted, mini service stated that this is not a fault but a characteristic of the mini. with time the steering got progressively less predictable. and, the problem was rectified about two years ago with replacement of the power steering pomp. one year later, the unpredictable loss of power steering returned again (sporadically), and now come (permanent) future of driving. *tr

I own a 2004 mini cooper s and the power steering pump has failed after only 4 years and 65,000 miles. this seems to be a very common occurrence with this vehicle and the manufacture is acutely aware of the issue, but will not issue a recall or warranty the item. *tr

2004 mini cooper s - power steering fan/pump failure vin# [xxx] my power steering stop working completely. this power steering would go "on" and "off: intermittently over the past year a half (4-7 times a week over the last 8-10months). i'd park the car when i went to leave, no power steering. this has gotten progressively worse and now the power steering has stopped working while driving on the road!!i have only has the car for 2 years and it has 70k miles. i brought the intermittent failures to the dealerships attention numerous times but they need to "see it happening" to fix it. now that my power steering has completely failed, they now told me to its the power steering fan/pump that has failed. i can not afford the repairs and have been driving with no power steering for over 3 months. i see this issue has been discussed everywhere online & that this is a dangerously huge and common issue for my model & year mini cooper. i don't know if this process of filing a complaint will even do anything to make a difference, but if someone is reading this complaint, please help us. thank you ** the website would not accept my vin # as valid so i was unable to add it to the appropriate place during this complaint filing. *tr

2004 mini cooper s - power steering pump and fan failure. power steering quits working causing incredibly difficult steering. solution is to replace pump and fan and the expense of the owner, me. i believe this pump and fan should not have failed and also that there should be a nationwide recall since there are hundreds of thousands of mini cooper drivers with this same issues. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mini cooper s. the contact stated that the power steering failed while driving approximately 45 mph causing limited steering capability. the vehicle was taken to a local repair shop where the contact was informed that the power steering pump and column would need to be replaced. the repairs were performed at that time. the failure did not recur. the manufacturer offered no assistance. the failure mileage was approximately 51,000 and the current mileage was approximately 70,000.

My 2004 mini cooper s lost steering control approaching a very dangerous corner on california sr 330. it took all my strength to turn the wheel and i nearly avoided a serious accident, but was able to get through the turn and then get the car off the road. searching on the web, i seen hundreds of reports of steering failure in 2002 through 2006 mini coopers. my dealer was knew about the issue and replaced the steering pump. my mini has 58,000 miles on it. *tr