Problems with 2003 MINI Cooper STEERING

In motion.. the power steering wheel feels to hard to turn operate;i check the vin# number and appear (1) recall for power steering incomplete;we call at bmw of dallas and they setup an apoinment on january,15,2020...when i show up...they say my car don't have any recall;and i show im the official recall with my vin#...bmw recall & nhtsa recall and they say the car warranty is expired,i said i just need fix the recall on my car and they wanna charge me $180 dlls just to get the vehicle inspected,if the car got something wrong they charge me the cost...i dont accept...my car got the recall and they make me drive 120 miles whit the car for nothing

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mini cooper. while driving 30 mph, the power steering completely failed without warning. the contact was able to regain control of the vehicle; however, the steering was rough and stiff. the contact performed his own inspection on the vehicle and noticed that the power steering pump was leaking. the contact spoke with an independent mechanic and was informed that the vehicle may be included in an unknown recall. the manufacturer was informed of the failure and stated that the vehicle was included in nhtsa campaign number: 15v660000 (steering). the contact took the vehicle to mini of the woodlands (16675 i-45, conroe, tx 77385, 936-344-1258) and was informed that the vehicle could not be repaired because the steering pump was not the original mini cooper steering pump. the dealer offered no further assistance. the pump had not been replaced. the failure mileage was 83,000.

Bought this car for 16 yr old daughter. steering was cutting out while driving took car to mini of dallas recall was done on harness, pump, cooling fan. next week no steering again while driving took car back. mini stated drive belt broke and was repaired for 260.00. 3 days later was called at a 11:30 at night my daughter stating the steering had cut out again. i don't want my daughter in this car or anyone else for that matter what should i do with this car.

Power steering failure - intermittent and during motion, mini dealership provided records that the claim was cleared with # and mileage, but this is false information if still covered by nhtsa # 15v660000. original recall # that was entered in the "repair history" from mini that never occurred is m320215. thank you

Driving normally on city paved road started to make turn on side street and lost total steering control and went up on curb just missing a pedestrian on sidewalk.this vehicle has 79300 miles.the electric hydraulic pump completely failed.mini usa said this vin is not part of the recall yet just about every mini inported to usa has complete steering lose 2002-2003-2004-2005 and i believe they are hiding this from you and the public who are still buying these used cars and not knowing the dangerous problem the mini has and flawed power steering pump design.thank you.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mini cooper. the contact stated that the steering wheel seized and an abnormal noise was heard while driving approximately 65 mph. the failure occurred without warning. the vehicle was taken to mini of san diego (5202 kearny mesa rd, san diego, ca) where it was diagnosed that the vehicle was operating as intended. the dealer also stated that the vehicle was previously repaired per nhtsa campaign number: 15v660000 (steering). the vehicle was not repaired and the failure recurred. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and it was determined that the power steering pump was the original manufactured part, which meant that no parts were replaced as the dealer originally stated. the manufacturer was notified and informed the contact that they had no records of the vehicle being serviced per the recall. the dealer was contacted again and stated that the recall was serviced in march of 2017. the failure mileage was approximately 164,000.

The electro-hydraulic power steering system experiences temporary loss of assistance when vehicle is starting up and it is nearly impossible to maneuver the car to pull out of a parking space. however, the power steering returns to normal as soon as you begin street or highway driving. i took my car to a mini dealership and they stated that my particular steering pump isn't covered in the warranty although i did receive a letter indicating that it should be. i have the exact same issues happening with my vehicle that the recall is talking about.

While traveling north on us 221 from bent mountain, va to roanoke va my hydralic steering totally failed. as i travelled a short distance my brake light warning lights, abs light, other brake system light, battery light and air bag warning light came on. i looked at the engine temperature guage and the temp was normal. i pulled into a parking lot, raised the hood, checked the fluids in the engine compartment and reentered the car. while sitting in the drivers seat i heard a loud explosion, looked forward and noted thick steam coming from the engine compartment. i turned the engine off, exited the car and when the steam dissipated i noted that the cooling system filling/overflow tank was split in half damaging a protecting cover on the firewall and sprayed a building wall and window with engine coolant 10 feet away in front of the vehicle. i had the car towed to martin's german service in cave spring, va. because the closest dealership in located in north carolina 150 miles away. due to service volume they will not be able to evaluate the problem until 24 may 2016.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mini cooper. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v660000 (steering) ; however, the part for the repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the contact stated that the power steering failed without warning at various speeds, especially when turning the steering wheel. the approximate failure mileage was 171,000. the manufacturer was not notified. the vin was invalid. the failure mileage was unknown. vin tool confirms parts not available.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mini cooper. while driving approximately 30 mph, there was a loss of power steering without warning. the vehicle was manuvered to the side of the road. the contact resumed driving; however, the steering wheel was extremely difficult to turn. the contact mentioned that there was a recall associated with nhtsa campaign number: 15v660000 (steering); however, the dealer failed to service the vehicle because the recall notification was not received. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 85,113.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mini cooper. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v6600000 (steering) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. while driving 5 mph when attempting to turn the vehicle, the steering wheel malfunctioned. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle, but the results were unknown. the vehicle was repaired and the failure recurred. the manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. the failure mileage was unknown. vin tool confirms parts not available.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mini cooper. while driving approximately 15 mph, the power steering seized. the battery and temperature gauge warning indicators illuminated. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was not diagnosed nor repaired. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v660000 (steering); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vin was unknown. the approximate failure mileage was 168,000.

Power steering failed and difficult to steer. power steering would then cut in and out. warranty repair by mini dealer on september 16, 2015 replaced steering pump but power steering hose leak was not covered by warranty and charged $607.59 to do all necessary repairs for the power steering to work. the lack of consistency of having power assist steering or not could contribute to an accident since there is no way to predict the amount of effort to steer the car. the needed power steering repairs were not free but cost $607.59.

We were charged $1300.00 to replace the power steering pump and fan.

Our 2003 mini cooper has about 120k miles on it. it was completely fine until recently when the power steering pump started whining. sometimes it completely stopped working and we had no power steering, thankfully this was while the car was parked and not while driving. turning the wheel is a little harder than usual, and if you turn it too much, the car bogs down and the revs go way down. we've tried flushing and replacing the power steering fluid, but it didn't seem to help. we've even put in some expensive additives that promise to repair the problem and stop the noise, but it doesn't work. we don't feel safe knowing that our power steering may go out at any moment. and we certainly don't appreciate the looks we get when we drive past people. *tr

Transmission. *tr

While adjusting the tilt control on my mini cooper, i discovered that the entire steering column had become loose. upon inspection, i discovered that two metal brackets used to support the steering column and attendant assembly had sheered off, apparently under normal use. *tr

Night driving in colorado mtns. lights began to flicker and power steering failed. found safe place to pull over and turned off lights and engine. restarted and turned lights back on to resume driving within a few minuets lights flickered and power steering failed again. had to continue for several miles until it was safe to pull over again. attempted to turn off head lights and use fog lights on county dirt road, still lights flickered/dimmed and power steering failed. currently vehicle is parked and we are attempting to research recall matters with this malfunction. superior driving skill is required to operate this vehicle with nonfunctional power steering. average operators will have great difficulty maintaining safe operation of the automobile. this issue will lead to loss of life if not addressed. nearest dealer for mini is 130 miles distant. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mini cooper. while driving approximately 55 mph, the steering wheel seized. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who stated that the power steering pump failed. the vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. the approximate failure mileage was 113,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mini cooper. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 mph, the power steering failed without warning causing the contact to nearly loose control of the vehicle. additionally, the contact stated that the power steering motor remained activated although the vehicle was shut off. as a result, the contact had to eject the battery out of the vehicle every time the vehicle was shut off because the vehicle overheated and could potentially cause a fire. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 101,000.

I was driving along the street to make a right turn and then all of the sudden, bam! my power steering went out and i could not steer. it was very scary and dangerous. luckily i slowed down and made the corner slowly. when i arrived home, i turned the care off, checked the power steering fluid, and turned it back on. now the power steering works again. this is the second time this has happened. not sure why it intermittently goes out but it should be replaced. *tr

Was approaching airport parking lot (driving way too fast, because i was late!) when the power steering suddenly "failed"! it was really frightening to have no control, as the car pulled to the left. luckily, there were no cars coming from behind. just before the car came to a complete stop, the power steering mysteriously "returned". if this were to happen whilst driving at high speed on the interstate, it would surely end with fatalities. (this problem has occurred only once, however, i've owned the car for only 8 1/2 months!). *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mini cooper. the contact heard an abnormal noise coming from the steering column and the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v660000 (steering); however, the part to do the repair was not available. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 130,000. vin tool confirms parts not available.

I have a problem with my 2003 mini cooper power steering its leaking power steering fluids all over the bottom of the vehicle and sometime i smell burning. *tr

Accelerating after being stopped at a red light, lost power steering, smoke came out of hood, engine temperature redlined, and battery light came on. *tr

We bought 2 2003 mini coopers in 2003. both vehicles had electric power steering pump failures, one in march 09 at 143060 and the other mini in july 2010 at 133380. we received the eps extended warranty letter and sent in our claim, usps documented delivery to mini usa on june 29, 2013. i have called mini "customer service" on august 8, august 29, and today september 26. no one there can tell you anything and they do nothing except apologizing for not knowing anything. they say responses are taking 12 weeks which is where i am on the calendar. my repair costs were in excess of $2000. today i am sending a hand written complaint letter with copies of all receipts to jim mcdowell vp mini usa. nhtsa needs to followup on this. the extended warranty was intended to head off a recall but they are not handling it in a proper manner. turn up the heat! *js

Ehps extended warranty coverage 4/11, i purchased a 2003 mini cooper with 88327 miles. 7/2011 the power steering pump began malfunctioning, working intermittently. i filed a complaint with the nhtsa. 5/24/13 i received a letter from mini usa offering to reimburse the cost of steering pump repairs. they also stated that it would take 4 ' 6 weeks for reimbursement. the only other item in the envelope was a change of address card. i called the toll free number and followed the instructions. 5/25/13 i mailed copies of the letter and the receipt for the power steering pump. i called their customer service department on 7/16/13, was put on hold several times, then told they didn't have my receipt. but they had the email address i had hand written on the receipt (corrected, as the email on the receipt had changed.) when i pointed that out, he put me on hold again, then claimed they didn't have my vin #. how, since they located me from the vin #? he insisted i send in the information again, this time with the vin# noted. i asked why i hadn't received any kind of letter saying my documentation was not complete. he told me the letter was sent the day before my call. 6 weeks after that call, i still have not received any letter from them. 7/16/13 i re- sent all the documentation. on 7/26/13 i again spoke with customer relations. i was told they had received my complete paperwork and all of it was in their system as of 7/24/2013. on 8/23/13 i again called customer relations. after verifying my name, address, email, and vin # he put me on hold. when he returned, at first tried to say my information was not all in yet. i told him i had spoken with [xxx] who had confirmed the information was all in their system as of july 24th. he gave me further run-around, would not give any indication of when i might expect payment and in general stone walled me. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Luckily, i was pulling out of a parking space (low speed, high manageability) and my power steering completely went out. it is very difficult to make turns. i stopped at a mechanic shop - fluids and belts were fine. it's the fan/pump that has suddenly quit working. *tr

The power steering pump, fan, hydraulic fluid pump chf 1 core charge) and hose clamp were replaced by the dealer 5 days earlier. mini cooper/bmw sent me a letter for voluntary replacement because my mini copper 2003 had too many complaints with this issue. the car was running ok except for the power steering after the replacement i only drove about 70 miles because i was off from my school. the incident happened on july 15, 2013 approximately at 3:45 pm. i drove about 30 miles back from work. parked the car in front of rite aid in rancho palos verdes. when i returned to the car it wouldn't start. used jump cables for several minutes without success. went to my mechanic close by. my mechanic came to look at the car, he was able to start the car. i drove back home about 6 miles. when i parked the car the car was very hot and most of the lights in the panel were lighten. i must mention that my car has a new battery and new starter (both were replaced 9 months ago). it seems that the problem is directly related to the electrical system and to the replacement of the part on 7/17/2013. *tr

Power steering pump failed. once it came back on it doesn't shut off running the battery dead. *jb

After driving the car under normal circumstances a short distance and parking the car, a fire ignited in the engine bay. the fire extinguished itself prior to the fire truck arriving. vehicle was towed to local dealer who, upon inspection, indicated the power steering pump and/or associated hardware had failed and caused the fire. *tr

Sudden loss of power steering when approaching a busy intersection. i barely made it through a few curbs before entering a parking lot. i let the engine cool off for 30 minutes, then the power steering came back on. i decided to go straight to the dealership, about 3 miles highway, and about 1 mile from the dealership i lost the power steering again. forcing the car through the last few turns, driving slowly, i made it to the dealership. the replacement pump & fan set me back about $1,500. *tr

Power steering failed. car was very difficult to steer. almost caused an accident. *tr

I was driving my car home from work on friday night, 2/22, when the steering wheel locked up on me and i had a hard time turning it. it then started working fine again after a few minutes. then it locked up again while i was driving. since it was on a highway i was doing over 60 m.p.h. it was terrifying not having complete control of my vehicle at that speed. *tr

The power steering pump fan then pump failed resulting in a complete loss of power assisted steering. while the vehicle was steerable, the loss was surprise at slow speeds when turning off a road. it took a very significant force to control the vehicle and i almost hit a concrete abutment. i doubt that a young teen or any person who was not that strong, would have been able to control the vehicle. the dealer when presented with the repair knew of the issue and of many reports of a near accident like mine. *tr

I parked my car in a parking garage after driving approximately 20 miles. i walked to a dentist down the street for an appointment. while at the dentist i get a call that went to my voicemail that my car (while parked with the engine off) was on fire and was filling the parking garage with smoke. upon receiving the message i rushed home to find that the fire was already out, but the smell of smoke was still very strong. i noticed that the inside indicating lights of the car were on as if the key was in the ignition of the car. i immediately disconnected the battery and inspected the car to find the source of the fire. upon inspection i found that the flames had come from behind and slightly below the motor. there was a metal shield that was blackened by the flames that i could not see around so i jacked up the car and removed the driver side wheel to further inspect the source of the fire. after doing so i could then clearly see that the source of the fire was the power steering pump due to the surrounding burn marks. the total amount of damage has yet to be assessed by my insurance company. they towed the car and are inspecting the car on dec 13, 2012. *tr

One night i'm driving just normally on the highway, everything was fine, no signs of any other parts included and out of nowhere my power steering goes out. i almost got into an accident. *tr

One time last year i loss power steering while going around a corner, i was caught off guard and almost had a collision. i pulled over, turned off my vehicle, and upon re-starting the problem was gone. now, a couple days ago my power steering went out while i was on the freeway. i pulled over and re-started and still no power steering. later that day it randomly came back and now i am experiencing intermittent power steering loss, that usually goes out once a trip. *tr

I was driving down a small city street in my 2003 mini cooper s and went to make a left turn - as soon as i did, the steering became very heavy...and un-responsive. i was able to through muscle strength force the car through the turn but had there been anyone next to me this surely would have caused a collision as it was a very difficult turn. the disappearance of the power steering was sudden and was completely gone. the car is now parked. *tr

Power steering function failed; steering is now non-powered. *tr

Power steering failure. power steering failed while driving at approximately 35-40 mph. upon turning off and restarting vehicle power steering worked for a short period of time - followed by intermittent failures/normal operation. *tr

Drove 2003 mini to work 11.5 miles. as i was making a turn into the parking garage the steering went out and became very difficult to maneuver. there was no warning or previous indication that there might be a problem with the steering. *tr

As i was pulling into my driveway i noticed that smoke was coming from my hood. i immediately stopped the car and popped the hood to find smoke and fire coming from my engine compartment. i was able to disconnect the battery and extinguish the fire before it did extensive damage. cause of fire was failed power steering pump. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mini cooper. while driving approximately 30 mph, the contact noticed a chattering noise and suddenly the vehicle would not accelerate. the contact also stated that he was a mechanic. after inspecting the vehicle, he noticed that the transmission would have to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. prior to the transmission failure, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. after inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the power steering pump and cooling fan would have to also be replaced. the approximate failure mileage was 106,000.

While i was driving mini 2003 (odo: 74k) on i-90 highway at 70mph, suddenly the power steering wheel stopped working on june 28, 2012. i barely made to exit from the highway, and got home. next day, the car was sent to the bmw-mini dealership, and assessed the failure of power steering pump. they know this happens frequently with mini, but it was not covered by manufacturers. the only option was to replace the part. the part was replaced and the cost was $1,200. *tr

Power steering occasionally fails during low speed turns, e.g. u-turn or driving in parking lots. *tr

On 6/12/12 i was driving my car towards my small neighborhood at speed of 10-15 miles an hour. for no apparent reason the steering wheel felt as if it was locked in place. with all my force i had to pull over to the side. i had the car checked and confirmed that the hydraulic power steering pump has failed. there was no service engine light on or any warnings what so ever, the power steering pump failed without any notice. if i were driving at high speeds of 70 miles an hour on the freeway i could have seriously been hurt.this is unacceptable. *tr

At approximately 35mph the power steering of my 2003 mini cooper erratically engaged and disengaged several times. i responded by slowing down and trying to maintain control of the vehicle. once stopped, i turned the car off completely. once out of the vehicle i heard an electric motor running. i opened the hood to investigate and noted a small amount of smoke rising from the aft portion of the engine compartment. i went back to the ignition switch to confirm it was off and removed the keys. the electric motor continued to run and as i went back to the open hood the smoke volume had increased dramatically. the smoke had a very clear electrical smell and color. i immediately began trying to disconnect the battery. while obtaining tools from the hatch of the car, the electric power steering pump assembly erupted in flames. i obtained my fire extinguisher and directed it at the aft portion of the engine compartment. this produced no results and the flames returned quickly. i then got the tools from the hatch of the car and cut the battery cables. this caused the fire to subside immediately. at the repair facility the power steering pump assembly (electric) was removed and determined to be the cause of the fire. the fact that i had tools and 25 years mechanical experience prevented this car from burning to the ground. in my opinion this is a major safety issue on two levels. first: loss of directional control. second: fire hazard, electrical component that cannot be turned off with the ignition switch. this must be investigated and the manufacture directed to apply a fix to all affected vehicles. *tr

My power steering suddenly failed as i was driving on a windy back road, almost didn't make the turn, and since it has failed completely. when i called the local mini dealership (mini of fairfield county, ct) last week to finally get the part replaced (quoted $1700 at multiple locations) the customer service person replied with, "how did you know about the recall?" overjoyed i drove my mini in this morning at 7am only to be told that there is no official recall and i am still on the hook for the $1700. not pleased. calling mini today. *tr

Power steering failed. car is rack and pinion steering and can be driven without the pump but had i been going around a curve when it failed, the increased wheel effort required could have resulted in a serious accident! *tr