Problems with 2005 MINI Cooper STEERING

I cannot remember exact dates as this part has been bad for so long. the power steering pump whines very loudly. a couple times the power has gone out and the car became difficult to steer. the problem is very intermittent and only lasted a few seconds each time. *tr

Sudden and unexpected failing of power steering function while routinely driving the car. car is very hard to steer as a result. ten + incidents of this. dealer and manufacturer are aware of defective power steering pump. pump was replaced at a cost of about $900.00. no more problems since.*tr

On monday morning, october 12, 2009, i was driving to work on the freeway (280 south, daly city, ca). i was driving my 2005 mini cooper. i was in the fast lane on a slight curve in the road, and suddenly my steering wheel completely locked up. i had to immediately apply the brakes to keep from veering into the left barrier, and use all my strength regain control of the vehicle and adjust to speed and steering control to get safely off of the freeway. this was an extremely dangerous and frightening situation that could have very easily ended in a serious accident. especially since i was traveling at high speed (65 mph) in the fast lane of a busy metropolitan city with cars also traveling at high speed all around me. i've done some research and have found that power steering failure is a documented issue with the make and model of my car, and that in addition to multiple complaints, your organization, nhtsa, has opened an investigation into such claims (nhtsa action #'s from public record: pe07022 and ea07011). my friend, who is also a mini owner, had this very same failure happen to him, and recommended that i file a formal complaint with you (as he did). i understand bmw attempted to address this issue in the 2002/2003 production models, but this issue continues to occur in subsequent production years: mine (2005) and this person (2004): http://bit.ly/3hlz5a. the power steering mechanism needs to be recalled. me, my passenger, my dog, and anyone else driving near me could have been seriously injured if not killed had i not been able to maneuver my disabled vehicle to safety by brute force. please help me and any others who might come across this problem avoid a possible catastrophe. it will not help much to replace this part with another faulty part that will also fail in the future. a recall must be issued. please let me know what course of action i can take now to get my car running in a safe, mechanically sound condition. thank you. *tr

Power steering would fail intermittently and then go out all together. power steering pump replaced under warranty. lasted a year. failed again, and dealer replaced out of warranty but charged labor. third pump failing. *tr

Wife was driving her 2005 mini cooper and said that several minutes after starting her drive, the power steering began acting erratically. the power steering assist would go cease when she was turning a corner, forcing her to muscle the car in unassisted steering mode. then, the power steering would kick in, resulting in oversteer in the middle of the turn, requiring quick correction. i was unable to replicate the problem when she returned home that day. however, the next day, the power steering was no longer functioning at all. concerned about driving the vehicle in that condition, we took it to be repaired. since the car was no longer in warranty (only 32,500 miles, but >4 years old) we did not take it to the dealer for service. our repair shop diagnosed the problem as a failure of the power steering pump fan, which in turn led to a failure of the power steering pump. he said the layout of these items was poorly designed, increasing the chance of failure and that he thought mini had modified the layout in subsequent years. total cost for the repair was $1,650. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper. the contact stated that while trying to move out a parking lot, the power steering failed. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer who could not duplicate the failure. on another occasion while driving 25 mph, the power steering seized up. the replaced the power steering pump which corrected the problem. the failure mileage was approximately 55,000. the current mileage was approximately 58,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper. the contact was driving 65 mph and attempting a turn when the steering wheel became abnormally stiff making causing limited control of the steering wheel. the contact pulled over and shut the vehicle off. after restarting, the steering resumed normal operation. the contact took the vehicle to a local mechanic for diagnostic testing yet no failure codes were generated. the mechanic stated that the module would possibly need replacing. the steering module was replaced yet within six months, the failure recurred. the contact called both the manufacturer and dealer regarding the steering failure and was advised by both parties that they had not received any similar complaints regarding steering failures within his year, make and model. the contact was concerned that the steering failure could potentially cause a crash. the contact was no longer driving the vehicle. the failure mileage was 91,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper. while parked outside of a retirement center, the contact was informed that his vehicle was on fire. the fire department extinguished the fire and unplugged the battery because it appeared to be an electrical fire. the vehicle is currently parked at the contact's residence. through research, the contact discovered that the failure was due to the electrical power assist on his rack and pinion. the manufacturer was aware of the failure, but there were no recalls available. the contact believes that the failure was due to a manufacturer defect and a recall should be issued. there were no injuries. the current and failure mileages were 85,000.

Intermittent (twice within 40 minutes) power steering failure. first occurrence while turning a corner, continued until i pulled in to make a call to the dealership. once i restarted the vehicle to take it back to the dealership, the power steering was apparently working normally again. while telephoning the dealership that it was working again, the power steering went out again and remained nonfunctional until parking the car. an hour later, back in the car to take it to the dealership, power steering again appeared to be functioning normally until arrival at the dealership, where they can not duplicate the system failure, where it remains to date. *tr

Driving home the power steering locked up. got the car parked. next morning the car was dead. nothing worked. towed car to repair shop. mechanic called and said car must go to the dealer. had car towed to dealer. 1st estimate from dealer was 2350.00 for a new power steering pump, power steering harness and a new battery. car remained at the dealer until today 6/19/09. total for the work performed was 1058.39 which included a 99.95 grease oil and filter. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper. the contact stated that while driving and trying to make a turn, the power steering would fail occasionally. he would continue turning the steering wheel with much difficulty. the failure became progressively worse until the power steering failed. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership where the contact was informed that the power steering pump needed to be replaced. the vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. the contact called the manufacturer who offered no assistance. the current mileage was approximately 70,000. the failure mileage was approximately 55,000. updated 01/06/11 *bf updated 03/30/11

In 2009, the power steering would intermittently work, usually restarting resolved the problem. increasingly worsened. p pulling out from the business to a residential street, very busy afternoon traffic. i hurriedly turned right onto the street, then left at the traffic signal. while making the left my power steering decided to stop coming too close to running straight into a light standard on the opposite corner. hitting the curb very hard and steering with no power, i corrected my direction to avoid hitting other vehicles, hit the curb again, found the first possible parking lot and pulled off and thank god i didn't hit anyone. may 2012 no pow steering wed, october 3, 2012 @ 117k mileage, belt broke, battery light came on, overheated. miniusa takes pride in being responsible and caring about their customers. their jovial, freethinking, cleaver banter is so falsely represented since i can't even get some one at mini to talk to me. now, i'm waiting on finding the right repair shop that won't cost me my retirement. in 2007, i locked my glove compartment since i had just picked up the $2500 engagement ring my son had been paying on so he could propose to his girlfriend. when i got home the glove box wouldn't come unlocked, other than forcing it and risk breaking something i took it to the dealership where i purchased, the car, hoping they might have a known ways, secret solution. unfortunately, a $80 service fee from just driving onto the lot, plus $350 for a new glove box! just because i locked it for the first time for safety . now undrivable, i shudder a the thought of repair bills for everything that's failing now, i am obviously not the only one. not so funny now mini cooper! *tr

Car power steering went out while exiting a freeway. problem is intermittent and very scary. *tr

Power steering went completely out on my wife's 2005 mini cooper. no warning, indications, or events led up to failure. *tr

Absolutely no unusual noises or any other symptoms leading up to the failure. car has about 53,000 miles on it, power steering pump failed- car is now exceedingly difficult to steer & a safety hazard to drive. thankfully i was driving at low speed when the failure occurred, so no crashes or injuries occurred. power steering pump & fan will need to be replaced, but have not had it done yet, as i am told it will cost approximately $1500 for this repair & i am about 3000 miles out of warranty now. i have also heard this is a common problem in 2002-2006 mini coopers. *tr

1. steering under normal driving conditions 2. power steering assist motor cuts in and out, making control difficult and unpredictable: steering gets heavy so additional force is applied but then the power assist 'reactivates' causing dramatic oversteer. first occurred at approximately 60000 miles, turned car on/off steering was fine. re-occurred at approximately 100000 miles and has become more frequent. 3. mechanic has suggested replacing assist motor. *tw

Power steering pump on 2005 mini cooper convertible started making noise (even with engine turned off, draining the battery), then ultimately failed. an internet search indicates that this repair costs approx $2000 to fix, and that replacement power steering pumps fail regularly, so we've been driving without power steering in the vehicle. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper. while driving at any speed, the contact stated that the power steering would fail intermittently. the vehicle was inspected by her personal mechanic who was unable to diagnose the failure. the dealer was not contacted. the contact did not inform the manufacturer of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the current mileage was 91,528 and the failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

Sometime when am driving on the street or highway the power steering goes out and it very difficult to turn the wheels, it is very scary and dangerous! happen at least once a week at different times. if i turn the wheels too much, i notice it happen too.

I slowed down from approximately 40mph to 35mph as i entered a shopping mall parking lot from the main street when the power steering failed. it was almost like the steering wheel was locked up or shut off. i immediately turned off the engine and coasted to a safe stop barely missing parked cars. similar situations occurred intermittently and sporadically with no recognizable pattern throughout the years. i mentioned the steering loss at the service appointments, but was not able to duplicate the situations. the mini service at the dealer never mentioned any problems to me so i assumed it was just an electronic glitch. most recently the battery was run down and would not hold a charge. while purchasing a new battery the technician determined that the power steering pump was stuck or staying on after the ignition was turned off thus running down the new battery. when i researched the price of a new power steering pump online i found sites with complaints that were very similar, if not exactly the same as the problems i had experienced in the past with steering power loss. the mini dealer that installed the new power steering pump was not willing to oblige me due to my mini being 8,000 miles over the warranty. after reading the other complaints i feel this is a safety recall issue, and i feel that mini should refund me the money spent replacing this defective equipment. *js

Dt: the consumer stated that power steering stopped functioning, and turning the car was difficult or near impossible. this happened after driving the car for just a few minutes. owner had to drive approximately 20 miles without power steering. the car was at the dealer, but dealer could not figure out what the problem was . owner contacted mini-cooper customer service, they suggested that the owner call nhtsa and report the problem. the owner did send an e-mail to inform nhtsa about the problem. the owner did not have any idea why vehicle failed. he had not run over any kind of objects. when starting the car power steering worked, but after driving about 100 yards power steering failed again. owner provided all the information that was available. this defect could cause a crash or injury that could result in fatalities. this was a mini-cooper s convertible.*ak