Problems with 2005 MINI Cooper S STEERING

Was driving along the road and came up on a turn when the steering locked up. put all of my weight into the steering wheel to keep from jumping the median. scared the life out of me. immediately pulled over to figure out what happened. turned the car off, then back on and it seemed fine. then getting on the freeway, i was on the clover-leaf and it locked up again so i put all of my weight into it again, then it suddenly released. with the sudden jerk/movement (and it has done this a few times) someday i know it will cause the car to flip. the power steering seems to work in phases: it will be fine for a couple days, then its intermittent/gone for a week or 2. the past few days, it has sounded like the engine fan was engaged even though i had not been for a strenuous drive. i think it was actually the pump not turning off when the car was turned off. this morning i got to my car to find the battery completely drained... an apparent short in the power steering pump (and/or fan) killed it. *tr

The power steering went out and was virtually impossible to steer. *tr

I was driving down the freeway attempting to change lanes when i noticed that my steering wheel suddenly became very difficult to turn and maneuver, as if the power steering feature had been disabled. initially, i thought it was just the surface of the road making handling of the car difficult, but the problem continued to persist even after i exited the freeway. while performing left-turns and right-turns on the side streets, i had to exert tremendous labor to complete the turn, and on a couple of occasions i almost hit adjacent cars on the road because i couldn't forcibly turn the steering wheel enough. when i arrived at my destination, i turned off my engine, re-started it, and to my relief and amazement, the steering wheel became easy to maneuver again, without a trace of the steering problems that had just occurred. *tr

While driving through a residential area, the wheel of the car became very hard to turn. it was determined that the electric hydraulic power steering pump (ehps) was malfunctioning. the fan of the ehps was not disengaging when the car ignition was turned off, therefore running down the battery and causing the ehps to not work correctly. the next day, with the same ehps, the power steering was working fine. *tr

Right after exiting the highway, the steering wheel became suddenly very stiff as i was making a standard 90 turn. i almost hit the car next to me but didn't as i managed to hit the brakes. i finished the curve on the very last lane on the right. if a car had been on my way, it would have been a crash, fortunately there was none. mini diagnosed a power steering pump failure. browsing on the web, i came across pages of people having had the same issue for this year's model (mini cooper s 2005). canadian authorities even ordered a recall for this exact same failure. i have also read that nhtsa is currently studying this issue; could you please confirm this is true any idea how long is the process to decide whether or not a recall will be decided if a recall was decided, would we get reimburse not matter the repair was done in a mini dealer or an independent garage ? thank you *tr

I was exiting the interstate and the ramp curved to the right, as i began to negotiate the curve i noticed i had no power steering at all. i reached my destination about 15 minutes later and had no power steering assistance at all the entire time. i parked the vehicle and did not use it again until 9/3/12 and the steering appeared to be working properly again. in reading the investigative study i noted that it may be due to an error in the internal electronics and may also result in a continuous running of the power steering pump. last year almost to the day, the electrical system went haywire and the car would not steer and had what seemed like power surge and after shutting the car off and removing the key the car continued to make a clicking sound and the windows rolled down by themselves. i could not get the car to restart and had it towed to the dealer and was told to replace the battery,which i did, i now wonder if that was a related incident. *tr

My power steering went out while i was making a left turn in front of oncoming traffic. i managed to avoid hitting the curb and pulled over after completing the turn. it felt like driving with four flat tires. after restarting, the power steering worked again. the same thing happened again two days later. in both cases, this happened shortly after starting up. *tr

The passenger air bag weight sensor stop working. as a result my vehicle displays a warning that the passenger side air bags are off. my driver side fog light housing melted and crack apart. i used stock 55w halogen bulbs. my passenger side fog light housing has also begun to melt. my power steering is not leaking now. but it has been replaced 3 times. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper s. the contact stated that power steering failed. in addition, the vehicle was unable to be started. the vehicle was taken to a private mechanic who advised that the failure caused damage to the electrical system, which had become inoperable. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 105,916 and the current mileage was 105,960.

The power steering went out while driving the vehicle. it has occurred intermittently since then.

The first time my power steering went out i was at a stop sign. i was making a right turn and had difficulty making the turn. the power steering went out again another time when i was in the middle of a turn, making it difficult to turn. i was fortunate there were no other cars around. today, 8/20/2012 is the most recent day that it went out. i was driving at approximately 35 mph and making a left turn when i noticed it was out. i have figured out that if i turn off my car it comes back on. luckily i had to stop before getting onto the freeway so i was able to control my car at high speeds. *tr

Electric power steering pump failed while i was in a turn at 30 mph. steering became very heavy and nearly caused the car to leave the road due to greatly increased required steering effort. shut car off and checked fluid level. fluid level found to be full. researched the problem when i got home and found that this is a known safety issue with mini's. additionally, transport canada has issued a recall already on these power steering pumps due to continued failures. *tr

Vehicle fire 5/2/2012. car parked for 4 hrs. returned to car & drove it <50 yards for ~2 minutes (moved it from street to parking lot). turned it off and went in store. returned ~4 minutes later, noticed smoke/exhaust smell; presumed it was adjacent car. unlocked car. car would't start (no lights/electrical at all). i then noticed white smoke coming from hood. opened hood then noticed flame/fire inside engine compartment. went in store, got fire extinguisher and put fire out. invoice was >$3500 from mini dealer. the dealer's assessment: "verified power steering pump has overheated to the point where it has burned up internally as well as externally (melting all three connectors and the wiring leading to them). inspected power steering cooling fan and verified cooling fan is seizing up which very likely led to the overheating and eventual failure of the power steering pump. removed engine compartment fuse box to examine megafuse powering the power steering pump, fuse is intact and did not burn up. inspected power steering pressure hose and it appears the rubber section of the power steering pressure line was subjected to the heat/melting of the main power connector (it's in very close proximity to the connector) and it appears the hose has taken a level of damage from the heat. recommend replacement of power steering pump, the wiring section/connector pigtail from the fuse box (this is the main power connector), the engine wiring harness (contains two other electrical connectors to the pump which received extensive damage), the power steering fan (likely cause of failure), power steering pressure line (high pressure hydraulic line which has been exposed to the main connector melting and subsequent heat), and other miscellaneous items associated with those components (o-rings, crush rings, hose clamps ect...)" *tr

Since i had the car in 2009 i had this problem with the power steering that it has a failure. bmw no response for this its a pump that its not design correctly. lost of minis has this problems. hard to steer and almost got into a crash. *tt

I started the car cold before heading out and the power steering was completely out. after several minutes it started working again, although not with the full assist. since this time, every time i start up the car, i have a varying degree of assist for the first couple minutes of driving it. *js

The car had been performing normally and when i attempted to turn into a parking space it was suddenly extremely difficult to turn. after coming out of the store the car resumed steering correctly. then a few days later the same thing happened-it was terribly difficult to turn the vehicle. i called my mechanic who suggested checking the power steering fluid level. i was unable to find in my owners manual where the power steering reservoir was located. the mechanic checked the fluid the following week and found the level to be normal. he investigated and found that there had been problems with power steering in other cars of my type. i ended up having to have everything replaced-pump, fan and reservoir at a cost for parts alone at $1033. i feel that if this problem was known to the manufacturing company that this should have been a recalled item for safety sake. the recall extended only to vehicles manufactured as of december 31, 2004. my vehicle was made in february 2005. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper s. while the contact was driving approximately 40 mph, there was a complete loss in the power steering without any prior warning. the contact was able to continue driving with caution at a reduced speed. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who stated that the power steering pump would need to be replaced. the contact planned to have the vehicle repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. there was currently there an open investigation associated with nhtsa action number ea11005 (steering: hydraulic power assist: pump). the approximate failure mileage was 60,000. the vin was unavailable.

Lost power steering while driving my 2005 mini cooper s. all of a sudden, have no power steering. very difficult to steer, but not impossible. thank god i was not in a place that this could have caused an accident. i note that i can turn off the motor, then turn it back on and the steering is ok for a few minutes, then goes out again. i love my mini cooper, but this is a serious safety problem. i am afraid to drive it now, if i can't count on the steering to function correctly. *tr

On date of incident, was attempting to park when the steering wheel locked up (became very difficult to move). i managed to get the car into a spot and called for tow assistance. the repair shop diagnosed as a power steering pump failure and had to replace that and other affiliated components (cooling fan, etc.). approximately 4 days before the failure, the power steering fan was uncharacteristically whinny, but went away after a few minutes and was not heard again before the failure. *tr

The car has been having issues with the power steering assist. the power steering assist goes out intermittently making it dangerous to drive in the transition from power steering assist to manual steering. i hope this assists the investigation into this issue. *tr

Vehicle darting around on road like steering stops then starts back up,acceleration darts left , deceleration darts right. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper s convertible . the contact stated while driving at the speeds of 30 mph, without any warning the power steering malfunctioned. the vehicle was turned off and then on when the power steering began to function properly. the failure occurred four times. the failure was not diagnosed or repaired. the dealer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 75,000 and the current mileage was 75,020.

At highway speed, the power steering suddenly lost power (no noise or other indications). the wheel became extraordinarily difficult to turn. i managed to get the car off the road, but the steering would not have responded to a smaller/weaker driver. *tr

The power steering goes out intermittently. *tr

Power steering cuts out intermittently. power steering comes back after restarting vehicle. then fails later again. *tr

When turning into our neighborhood at 10-15mph, there was a sudden loss in power and the steering became stiff. i did not think anything of till i pulled the vehicle into our garage and turned it off. at this time the cooling fan and power steering remained active, creating loud whining noises. i let it run for 30 minutes but the issue remained. only thing that resolved the issue was disconnecting the battery. even reconnecting the battery the powersteering fan re-engaged. *tr

Power steering pump seized and needed to be replaced. power steering fan failure and also needed to be replaced. power steering hoses leaking and also needed to be replaced. output shaft seal is leaking, but has not been replaced at this time. these repairs cost me approximately $1000! i have found numerous complaints about power steering failures in the 2004-2005 mini. please make bmw pay for this! *tt

Power steering failed while making a right hand turn. the failures have been off and on since then. failure is usually during in town driving. *tr

Power steering pump failure. the steering wheel completely locks up and can't be turned. on top of that, it's completely unpredictable when the failure occurs. the first time it happened i was taking a right turn out of a roundabout, when the steering wheel wouldn't turn completely. fortunately, i was going slow enough that i could brake so that i didn't have a head on collision with a car waiting at a stop light. it was extremely scary. *tr

While driving on the freeway (i-684) at 65 mph the vehicle lost power steering assist approx. 30 miles from my home. this made the car difficult to control, especially when taking turns in and off of exits. much force was required to maintain control and steering the vehicle for the rest of the trip home. i will report this to mini on monday. *tr

Power steering pump failure and car become very hard to turn. almost crashed into a curb take a 90 degree sharp turn. all fuses related to pump did not fail. steering fluid level is at proper amount. i jacked up the car front the front and it was a little better without any load on the from end but felt very notchy about every 20% of a full turn of the wheel. electric cooling fan that cools the pump is not blocked and i can spin it freely. many mini cooper owners are complaint about this. my power steering pump does not keep running after the car is shut down. *tr

Was driving in traffic on interstate 95 when power steering failed without warning. car became very difficult to drive. pulled off road, checked fluid levels and couldn't find any obvious problems. power steering came back on when restarted car. power steering stayed on for rest of drive, but has gone out several times since. always comes back if turn off car and restart. *tr

Power steering pump had to be replaced at 62,000 miles due to failure. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper s. while driving approximately 30 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to steer and seized without warning. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence and was not taken to the dealer for diagnostics or repairs. the vin was not available.the approximate failure mileage was 118,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper s. while driving 30 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to move when the contact noticed a burning odor. the vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where he was informed that the electric power steering component had melted and needed to be repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that there was a concurrent investigation for the failure however, there were no recalls. the manufacturer offered no further assistance. no repairs were performed. the current and the failure mileages were 63,260. updated 12/20/11*lj the consumer was informed the power steering unit had suffered a complete melt down which spread to the power steering hose and wiring harness. updated 01/20/12

Power steering fails during driving. seems to be after engine gets hot. happens unexpectedly and without warning. *tr

I was driving down brookwood street and went to make a curve when i realized that i couldn't turn the car. i was able to pull harder on the wheel and make the curve. i pulled over and turned the car off to look things over,checked the power steering fluid which was full. i restarted the car and the steering worked again.i finished driving to work with no problems. when i came out of work i again had no power steering and had the car towed into a shop where they told me the power steering pump had failed and it was going to cost over $1300 to fix. i had the repair done but am afraid to drive the car as they told me it could happen again even with the new part. *tr

Power steering stopped working near the end of a 15 mile drive to work. power steering functioned normally on the drive home 9 hours later. *kb

My power steering pump on my 2005 mini cooper s failed at 45 mph in downtown los angeles. i have taken my vehicle in for a diagnoses in which they informed me the repair would be over $1k. i declined the repair as i have located a number of complaints regarding this issue, and am now taking it up with mini hq. *tt

Bought my dream car, an '05 mini cooper s monday, labor day, and immediately started having problems with the steering randomly cutting in and out. not awesome! each time, turning the car off and then back on has resolved the issue, however it would seem that it shouldn't be happening, like, at all, let along having to 'cycle' the engine each time. *tr

Temporary loss of power steering. after driving for about 2 hours, i stopped to fill up at a gas station. i then started the car and began to drive out of the gas station. i soon noticed the power steering was not working. i pulled into a parking space, opened the hood, and proceeded to check the power steering fluid. the power steering fluid reservoir was full. i restarted the car after about 5 minutes and the power steering was working again. this temporary power steering loss has occurred 3 more times over the last month since the initial incident described above. during the last occurrence, i drove a short distance back to my home with no power steering. i'd like to point out steering was very difficult, nearly undriveable around slow speed turns. the steering effort was much more than manual steering cars i've owned in the past. *tr

Parked the vehicle after a short trip of approx. 10 miles. left car for approx 5 to 7 minutes. returned to find smoke billowing from under the hood. immediately started to unhook the battery cable. got the battery unhooked and smoke diminished. tried restarting car, restarted fine, but no power steering. assuming that the power steering pump went up in smoke. fortunately, damage seems to be limited to ps pump... not sure yet if smoldering/smoke indicates any other damage under the hood or not. *tr

In the early fall, september 2011, i encountered issues with my car not shifting properly. it's an automatic transmission so i know there was nothing i could be doing to cause this problem. the car has been serviced regularly and driven with care while in my possession(i'm the second owner. no similar issues on carfax report). while the engine is cool and not yet at its optimal temperature the drive is fine and you may not even notice a problem; however, every ride, once warmed up the car begins to shift incredibly violently as it is obviously struggling to switch gears. this occurs also while slowing down and the car is downshifting creating an opportunity to be "slung" into a car from behind(this happened in the mid summer of 2011). after dropping this car off september 15th to the local mini dealership, i did not hear from them for almost three weeks. in the first week of october i was contacted and told it looks like my car is very easily fixable and should be ready shortly. it was explained to me that a seal had broken on the transmission leaking fluid onto it causing this shifting malfunction. when they finally told me i can pick up my car(approximately october 18th) they regretted to inform me the problem was not able to be fixed and i would have to bring it elsewhere as they do not rebuild transmissions. now it is back in my possession where i am forced to commute in it daily, driving worse than it was before i dropped it off. it now displays "pe" for its current gear from time to time. this is not the only complaint i have filed for this car matching other consumer complaints. i am a victim of their failed power steering as well. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper s. the contact stated that the power steering pump would continue to run even when the vehicle was turned off, causing the vehicle to loose power steering while driving. neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 73,000 and the current mileage was 74,000.

I started to hear this winding or loud humming sound, did not know where it was coming from..it was examined by a mechanic,,and it was the power steering pump failing, and the electric cooling fan failing. read about many problems with this steering pump on 2005 mini's. the cost was $1226.00 to replace. even though i did not lost power steering, it could have happened at anytime. *tr

2005 mini cooper s - engine fire a few days ago (7/27/2011) my 2005 mini cooper s caught fire in the lower rear engine compartment while parked in a business parking lot. it had been driven a short distance (about 6 miles) three hours prior with no indication of a problem. the car ignition was off and there was no key present in or near the vehicle. fortunately, a co-worker spotted the car billowing smoke from beneath the hood and we were able to quickly extinguish the fire before any significant damage was done to the vehicle or surrounding property. according to the mechanic who diagnosed the car and subsequent electrical fire - the incident was caused by an overheating and eventual ignition of an electrical harness caused by a sudden failure of the power steering pump. i must emphasize that prior to the fire, there was no indication in the vehicle (warning system) or by the vehicles performance that there was any problem with the pump or handling. it failed completely without warning! while parked and unattended! thankfully, the car was not parked in my garage at night where the fire would have certainly gotten a lot worse before being discovered and could have potentially been devastating to my property and family. as it stands the car is scheduled to be repaired at a cost of nearly 1000.00, possibly more as we do not yet know if there was any damage caused to additional components within the vehicle by the pumps failure. i am the original owner and only driver of this vehicle. this car has been regularly maintained and was recently mechanically inspected last march. no issues were found with the vehicle at the time of it's last maintenance and inspection. *kb

Power steering pump failure on 2005 mini cooper leads to dangerous driving *kb

Power stearing went out on 2005 mini cooper while driving on lots of curves along columbia river, seems to be a thing with these cars after looking on line. just glad i'm not swimming with the fishes due to having to muscle the car on the road. *tt

Power steering is intermittent making car difficult to control. i'm the second owner of car. first failure occurred at approximately 85,000 miles.

Power steering pump failed while driving on the freeway, resulting in loss of steering control. *kb