Problems with 2005 MINI Cooper STEERING

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper. while driving approximately 50 mph, the steering became very difficult to maneuver. the contact pulled over to the side of the road and turned the vehicle off. once restarted, the steering operated normally. the contact also stated that the failure occurred approximately one and a half months and was getting worse. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic. testing. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 92,500.

The power steering pump stops functioning intermittently when starting a stop.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper. after turning the vehicle off, the power steering pump continued to operate. also, while operating the vehicle, the power steering pump sometimes failed and the steering wheel became very difficult to turn in either direction. also, the low battery warning indicator illuminated. the vehicle was taken to orlando mini (350 lake destiny drive, orlando, fl) where it was diagnosed that the power steering pump was faulty and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was also notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 172,000.

Steering wheel got stiff when i'm driving.

Power steering pump failed while car was being driven. vehicle only has 90k and for some reason was not covered under the recall per mini usa. mini needs to review the recall and correct all 2005 mini cooper's with this defect.

While driving car my steering wheel became very heavy and hard to steer.

Steering is difficult and requires exertion when i turn the wheel. i believe my car should be included in the recall recall 15v-xxx: electro-hydraulic power steering (ehps) system m32 02 15 it is not included in this recall but because my car exhibits the same issue that is recalled on cars made in that year, i feel that the limits should be expanded to include my car and other cars manufactured when mine was.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper. while driving 45 mph, the power steering failed without warning. the contact stated that it was difficult to maneuver the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the power steering failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 15v660000 (steering). the manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered no assistance in having the vehicle repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

The power steering pump on my 2005 mini cooper s is acting up/ faulty, making a groan noise and steering is hard at times.

The power steering in my mini cooper 2005 has been intermittent. the steering wheel becomes very hard to turn all of a sudden, particularly at low speeds when it is needed the most to make turns or to park. there are no fault indicators for this issue on the dashboard either. the very first time this happened in march 2011 when my car had less than 80,000 miles on it. the power steering became completely inoperable. at that time the dealer informed me that the power steering pump failure was a known problem in mini cooper and that the pump had to be replaced. the replacement cost was too high though, hence i chose to think about it before having it replaced. luckily, the power steering started working again and even though steering became a little hard at times i got used to it. but since end of april 2017 the problem has been getting worse. steering gets too hard at times and requires a lot of force to turn the steering wheel at low speeds. getting in and out a compact parking spot is exceptionally hard. making left, right and u turns are also very hard. even though there is a recall on this issue, i have not received a recall notice in the mail. i don't understand why my car was not included in the recall. or if the recall is ongoing, why should it take so long since this is a safety issue.

I reported a few months ago that my power steering had failed. it is a 2005 mini cooper, and some 2002-2005 mini coopers were effected, but supposedly not my mini with my vin number. the recall had ended in february 2005 and my car was manufactured in april 2005. however i believe that bmw (makers of mini cooper) were using faulty power steering units after february 2005. my car has low miles, i am the original owner and i take pristine care of my mini. as a result, i hit a curb and had to have the front left tire changed. the weather was clear, no rain and my tires are all just about brand new run flat tires. the range of mini coopers affected needs to increased. this is obviously a problem and bmw (makers of mini cooper) seem to not take it seriously. my power steering is a major safety issue and needs to be addressed asap

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper. while driving approximately 55 mph, the power steering failed without warning. the contact stated that the power steering ability had not returned for one month. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that an electro hydraulic steering system would need to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign number: 15v660000 (steering), but the vin was excluded. the failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

Electro-hydraulic power steering system recall. mini company and dealership refuse to tow our car for repair. we recently experienced this issue of steering "freezing up" - severely limited, on the highway, which was scary and did not feel safe. all dealerships require driving on the highway from our home. dealership stated that it was safe to drive, but i do not agree, having experienced the problem first hand. mini refuses to tow because it was not part of the recall. please note: incident date is an estimate. will get actual date asap. note: this steering limitation has also happened last winter when trying to steer the car out of a parking spot. i was not able to move the steering wheel (1/16). called dealership, but did not have new part in stock yet and did not know when it would be available. car did not do it the next time (few days later). dealership never contacted us to alert the part was available (as it now is).

The power steering goes in and out. sometimes it steers properly and sometimes it is like turning a truck. happens both while stationary and when moving.

Tl* takata recall. the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper. without warning, the steering wheel was tight, extremely difficult to turn, and seized several times. the contact had to use extreme force to maneuver the vehicle each time the failure progressed. the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 15v660000 (steering). the vehicle was included in nhtsa campaign number: 15v205000 (air bags). the manufacturer was not notified. the approximate failure mileage was 115,000. parts distribution disconnect. updated 08/03/16*lj updated 08/09/16.*jb *cn

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper. while driving approximately 65 mph, the power steering failed. the fan for the power steering pump was not working properly. the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. the manufacturer was not notified. the vin was unknown. the approximate failure mileage was 86,000.

Power steering pump went out while driving and it stays on when the engine is off. i was on a city street when it happened. i have to disconnect battery cable so it doesn't drain the battery.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v660000 (steering). the part needed to repair the vehicle was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was notified. the contact had not experienced a failure. vin tool confirms parts not available.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper. while driving 60 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. when the vehicle was turned off, the contact noticed that the electric fan kept running. the following day, the vehicle failed to start. the battery was dead. when roadside assistance arrived, the battery was jumpstarted and the fan remained active. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the power steering pump and the power steering fan needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 67,000.

Power steering failed at low speed while turning at a stop sign in a school zone. steering effort increased dramatically then shortly after the battery light, then alternator light came on. was able to just make it home. i looked online and discovered that this is a common problem and that mini is offering an extended warranty. i called mini and gave them my vin. they told me my 2005 cooper s is not included in the extended warranty and would not do anything for me. it seems that mini is not capturing all the vehicles that have this problem. i never received a letter notifying me of the issue. lot of forums about this issue. so glad this did not happen on the hwy.

The power steering system on different occasions has stopped working completely, other times it just takes more of an effort to turn the wheel each occurance can last from a few seconds or much longer periods of time and doesn't matter if its low or high speeds. also when starting the vehicle a low battery light is somtimes iluminated. the loss of power steering assistance is complete unpredictable.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper. while driving approximately 60 mph, the power steering suddenly malfunctioned and caused the steering wheel to become very difficult to turn. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the power steering motor failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified. the failure mileage was 75,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper. the contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under nhtsa campaign number: 15v660000 (steering); however, the failure of the power steering pump caused metal fragments to enter the rack and pinion, which caused a failure. the manufacturer was notified. the contact was informed that because of the tread act, the manufacturer was only obligated to repair the power steering pump under the recall. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 67,155.

Lost power stearing, heat and air all at the same time.

While backing my car out of my parking space this morning i went to turn the wheel and it seemed stuck i then realized i had no power steering. i had parked the car the night before and had no indication that there was a problem with the steering. as i backed the car out without power steering i almost hit two cars trying to control the vehicle, i was able to park the car without incident. there has so far been no recall on the steering and apparently i'm not the first person this happened to.

After an hours drive, i was standing outside of the vehicle talking w/ the car off. all of sudden smoke starts pouring out from under the hood. i quickly opened the hood to hear some type of electrical fan/pump sound & smoke coming from the bottom/rear side of the motor. i was able to pull the battery terminal & the noise/smoke stopped. i then searched online & found the known issues of the electrical assisted power steering. i found the fuse for the circuit, a 100 amp fuse hidden on the bottom side of the fuse box that had not popped even though the pump was burning itself up. i had enough tools w/ me to pull the fuse, get the car started & make my way home w/o the power steering assist.

In the months of may and june of 2015, my power steering would intermittently stop providing power assist. it has completely stopped working now. makes it challenging to make emergency maneuvers.

The power steering on my 2005 mini cooper failed suddenly as i was making a left hand turn through an intersection. it took all my effort to keep the car in the lane. the mini dealer initially told me that the power steering motor was covered due to the extended warranty on 2002 ? 2005 mini coopers which extends the warranty on the power steering motor to 13 years or 150,000 miles. i was called back later to be informed that my car was not covered as it was manufactured after the feb. 2005 cutoff date. my mini cooper was manufactored in june 2005. global mini in chamblee, ga charged me $899.78 for replacing the power steering motor. my sudden power steering failure at 83,025 miles was consistent with the power steering extended warranty issued by mini usa for the sudden failure of the power steering motor. the warranty, in effect, is saying that the power steering motor of these vehicles should last for 150,000 miles. while mini usa has extended the coverage to some 2005 minis, coverage to my mini cooper has been denied failing at only 83,000 miles even though it exhibited the same symptoms of failure.update 9/15/15*cw updated 11/28/2017*cn

The steering has started to become extremely unreliable and the car starts to lose control at about 50 miles per hour. at first the problem was slight but it is becoming more difficult to control the car at highway speeds. this situation seems very similar to a complaint that has led to a class action suit and the recall of some mini coopers. unfortunately our vin was not on the list, although it appears that mini coopers from 2002-2009 have been affected.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper. the contact stated that the power steering failed and the transmission was leaking fluid. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the power steering pump, fan, and the transmission needed to be replaced. the power steering was repaired at a cost of $1900. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 64,200. updated 7/1/15*cn updated 07/09/15*jb

My power steering completely stopped working while driving. it has been leaking fluid for months and had a slight steering resistance a month or so but was random and didn't continue. now, it remains very difficult to drive at all times. *tr

Power steering whine *js

Loud whine from power steering pump. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper. when the vehicle made a right turn at 50 mph, the steering wheel seized. the contact had to use excessive force to get the steering wheel to straighten. the dealer stated that the steering pump needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 145,000.

The power steering on my 2005 mini cooper failed while i was driving the car. fortunately i was traveling at a slow rate of speed when this incident occurred. i have discovered that this is not an uncommon problem in a mini and that mini is well aware of the problem. this part is readily available in all dealerships and parts store inventories. it is my understanding through reading discussion on the internet that mini has extended the warranty in 2002 to 2005 minis up to 13 years and 100,000 miles. mine is not covered and i incurred a cost of almost $1,300 for replacement of the defective parts. i have never in my 50 years of driving had a power steering failure until this incident. if i had been traveling at a higher rate of speed this power steering failure may have resulted in death or serious injury to myself or others. since this is a fairly low volume vehicle the problem may not be as quickly noticed by your department as if it were a ford focus or honda civic. .i have great concern about this problem.. *tr

Power steering pump failure. this is a known design defect of this model and year, however, mini states that my vin is not covered (possibly because i purchased the vehicle while stationed with the army in germany). this is a dangerous situation and i am not happy with miniusa's response to date. *tr

I have a 2005 mini cooper and just lost the power steering. a couple times recently it was hard to steer while parallel parking, but ok on the road. this morning it completely failed on the way to the highway. the wheel was very hard to turn and just managed to get it back to the house, will take it to the dealer on monday. i see on the internet now that there has been a known issue with the steering pump since 2011 that i did not know about before. why are owners not notified about this? i could have had a bad accident if the failure had been on the highway. updated 11/24/2014 *js

Was driving normally on 4/8/14 , turned normally until i took a slight curve and steering wheel got very stiff & hard to turn from then on . until now it remains very hard to drive . *tr

Started out being an intermittent problem,where it would seem the power steering would shut off then come back on, making hard to judge if you could just relax to steer or not, now its more off than on. called the mini assistance number because i was told there was an extended warranty on this issue, was told there was but my vehicle didn't qualify for it, and the extended warranty was for vehicles 2002-2005, mines a 2005 and my vin was not covered. don't understand. *tr

Power steering went out abruptly while driving the car on the highway. *js

I was on my way home from work, i was only two houses from my home going around small curve thought my car had cut off then realized only the steering had gone out very hard to steer if had been on hwy at med rate of speed could not have been able to drive car and possible wreck. *tr

Sudden failure of power steering resulting in very high steering effort, traced by dealer to a well-known failure mode in electrohydraulic power steering pump. pump and associated fan were replaced by dealer under special ("secret") warranty coverage, due to common incidence of this failure. existence of this special warranty was found only after search and location of many identical failures on the internet. the vehicle battery was found to be completely discharged upon arrival at dealership. once a shop battery was connected, the pump was found to be running continuously even though the vehicle ignition was in the full off position. also, the alternator was found to have failed, presumably because of excessive stress imposed by the defective pump on the vehicle electrical system. cost of alternator replacement was not covered by the manufacturer. this known failure mode is believed to be a significant safety defect. formal recall of affected vehicles by nhtsa is warranted, since sudden loss of power steering at speed can result in loss of vehicle directional control. *js

I was driving along at about 35 mph steering through a curve when the power steering failed. it required major effort to keep the car turning through the curve to avoid oncoming traffic. this seems to be common occurrence on first generation mini coopers and could easily result in a serious accident. if my 16 year old daughter who typically drives the car had been at the wheel at the time this could have had catastrophic results because of the amount of effort required to maintain the steering of the car. a car shouldn't be at risk of having major component failures with only 50,000 miles. *tr

My car started with a low hum and as time has gone by the sound has gotten louder and ever since the sound has been there the power steering has intermittently gone out, but now is out almost all the time. my wife drives the vehicle the most but we were planning on giving it to our 17 year old daughter for her graduation present but now that this problem is an all the time thing we will have to go purchase a different vehicle for her. it is just frustrating that after reading all the complaints and them being the same it almost seems useless to file a complaint due to mini not wanting their vehicles to be good. also about 3 months after purchasing the vehicle the airbag light for the passenger seat is always lit. *tr

I was driving and lost all power in my steering. very hard to turn, nearly got into an accident crossing the yellow line in the middle of the road. recovered and drove the rest of the way home. *jb

My cooling fan burned out causing the power steering to fail. i found out that this was a known problem in my model year and that the warranty on that part had been extended. however, mini claims that they started putting new pumps in feb of 2005. my car was made in mar of 2005 and thus they will not cover it. i went the extra step and had the dealer do a diagnostic which found that my car has the same part with the same problem as described in the warranty extension. still mini will not cover it. one of the reps tried to cover it up by telling me that there is confusion on the part number matching because they used the same part number when they changed the oem part. that does not compute because if that were true, there would be no way to accurately distinguish the good parts from the bad ones. there 222 other steering complaints at ntsb so i'm not only one. i'm calling a lawyer because this is ridiculous. how can mini let cars that have a known safety risk continue to be on the roads? *tr

Power steering in the vehicle went out without any warning making it very difficult to steer the vehicle correctly. since this date the power steering comes and goes intermittently. *tr

The first of multiple steering failures occurred in a parking lot, thankfully. none has yet to happen on interstate or at a deadly rate of speed, which that wouldn't have to be very fast if a child riding on their bike unexpectedly darted in front of you. if the steering malfunctioned at that moment it would be over for the kid. i don't understand how a known, potentially dangerous, issued goes unaddressed. i'm bewildered. *tr

Wife was driving her 2005 mini cooper (r50) when the power steering failed thus causing a very frightening and possibly very dangerous situation. *tr

Hello, over the past few months the steering on my 2005 mini cooper cuts out unexpectedly. the wheel is almost impossible to turn when this happens, and it occurs with no warning. it appears that the steering pump fails when the car warms up. i have noticed many other owners of this make and model making the same complaint in online forums. the car is not safe to drive in this condition. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr