Power Steering Pump problems of the 2004 Mini Cooper - part 1

The contact owns a 2004 Mini Cooper. While driving at an unknown speed, the steering wheel seized without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the power steering electric pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not 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 failure mileage was 65,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Replacement of power steering pump per recall, but unable to steer without replacement of u joint also.

Heard click while turning wheel was advised steering hose needed replacement last July 12 2012 had repair made. Now with only 78k on car hearing click again - took to mechanic advising whole power steering pump needs replacement.

Loss of power steering on my 2004 Mini Cooper. This problem comes an dgoes and my local service station said the pump has a crack.

The power steering pump on my 2004 Mini Cooper has gone out now four times. It becomes very hard to steer and impossible to make a u-turn or parallel park. It happens intermittently and without warning and is very dangerous. I have contacted Mini of san francisco and they refuse to make the repair because the car is not under warranty. This is despite acknowledgement from BMW/Mini that the part is faulty.

Power steering pump fan got lower in tone, harder to turn but hasn't failed yet. Looking up the issue on several sites, this is a common issue with this part failing. I contacted the local dealer which I originally bought it from and no recalls were shown for it - for the us. Canada however got a recall and they are fixing the problem there free of charge.

I experienced a failure where the steering wheel became very difficult to turn and would not return to center after turning. Fortunately this occurred first at a very low speed. I drove straight to the dealer which had replaced the electric power steering pump 1,300 miles earlier. This failure was determined by the dealer to be binding of the lower steering shaft and it was replaced.

Power steering/steering pump showing signs of failing, first noticed in a crowded parking lot.

I was driving to a friend's house approx. 20 miles away. On a turn, the car steering was almost non responsive. I managed the turn and turned my car off. When I restarted it, the power steering was back but only for a short time. I had to stop and start my car a few more times to get to my destination. The problem occurred closer to my destination then my home so it was safer to go there. It easily could have been the cause of an accident, especially on that first turn off of a 65 mph road. I'm not that strong. It took everything I had not to go in the ditch. Luckily nothing was coming. I took my car in for service today. They replaced the power steering pump. There was no lead up to this incident. I had power steering and in a second, I didn't.

While driving on the interstate the power steering stopped working. The steering became very uncomfortable and the first exit we approached we stopped and checked fluid levels, everything was fine. Restarted the car and power steering was working again after a few miles power steering stopped working again. Car is much harder to steer when the pump goes out than if equipped with manual steering. Very dangerous when vehicle is at slower speeds because of the amount of effort it requires to turn.

The contact owns a 2004 Mini Cooper. The contact stated that while driving 55 mph, the steering wheel seized without warning and was difficult to control. The contact inspected the vehicle and the failure was located at the power steering pump. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 98,000.

Took car into dealer and they said the power steering pump needs to replaced, which would cost $1050. 00 for parts and labor. Prior to taking it into dealer, the steering wheel locked up on several occasions, which caused me to use all my strength to get the car to steer. On February 5, 2012, the steering wheel locked up, I parked the car, and the power steering pump fan ran continuously until it drained the battery. I have read online that Mini Cooper owners are trying to get BMW to recall this defect, but they will not. I also read that NHTSA checked into this, but I do not know what the outcome was.

Power steering pump went out completely without warning as I was diving at a low speed. Steering wheel became extremely difficult to turn, making the car very dangerous to maneuver out of traffic and park safely. Narrowly avoided hitting pedestrians due to my inability to turn steering wheel.

Technically there were 3 incidents with my 04 Mini Cooper. Out of nowhere, while driving down a busy street, the power steering just stopped working. Luckily I was in the far right lane, and slowed enough to veer to the roadside and call for assistance. When the car was taken to a mechanic, I was told the power steering pump was bad and needed to be replaced. Also, I was told that it happens frequently with Mini's. However, I did not ask them to replace my pump, I wanted a second opinion. Out of nowhere my car started to drive without any issue whatsoever. I got a second opinion and was told in about a year, it would need to be replaced, but they too mentioned this issue with Mini's. I was shocked. Weeks later, I was making a left turn and the power steering went out. I barely missed a bus stop on the corner, full of people. Shaken, I again called Mini and asked about a recall or any procedures toward having one made. Obviously, they were unhelpful, but they too divulged that this is a common problem. My car started to drive normally once more, but I drove as little as possible while I continued my research. A third time, I couldn't even get my car out of the driveway and I decided that was it. I was just going to take it to a Mini dealership and have the pump replaced. When I called with my situation and then told them I believed my power-steering pump was needing to be replaced, they didn't argue or say they'd look into it, they basically agreed, and gave an estimate. I took it in and they again asked no questions, they didn't look into the problem. $1200 later, I left with no questions answered, with a hole in my pocket. If this is a common problem, it needs to be addressed ASAP. What if I had hit that bustop full of people, or worse? I can still tell there's something wrong with my steering. Mini needs to do a recall. Yesterday.

Steering fluid pump was just replaced a few weeks ago, problem has returned and will not go away. . . Steering wheel very rigid hard to turn. Very difficult to make turns, alot of effort to turn the steering wheel. Trying to make a sharp or quick turn if needed, would be dangerous & almost impossible. I recently researched and found that thousands of 04 Mini Coopers had this same problem.

It was so scary to not be able to make turns on freeway! on my way back from work san francisco, I started experiencing very stiff power steering half way and the situation got worse and worse. To the end I almost couldn't make turns. I barely can finally park the car in front of my garage and I was horrified by the experience for the whole night. Brought the car to get checked and it turned out the power steering pump needed to be replaced. It was way more expensive than I can afford but can I not to get that repaired? I needed the car to go to work etc. Mini Cooper should recall this power steering pump. It's a serious safety issue.

I own a 2004 Mini Cooper, the power steering pump completely stopped working without prior warning. We were on our way to eureka springs arkansas when this happened, luckily my husband was the one driving, I don't even want to imagine what could have happened if it had been me. I don't think I would have been able to handle the car through those curves.

1. No events led up to this failure. It occurred spontaneously after turning off my car. 2. Power steering pump stays on after car's engine is off, and the pump will not shut off. This occurs every time the car is turned off and persists until the car is restarted or the battery dies. The constantly on power steering pump is know to lead to fires or spontaneously killing power steering while driving around turns. 3. The only way to fix this issue is to replace the power steering pump or leave the battery unplugged in the car. I currently have ordered a new power steering pump.

The contact owns a 2004 Mini Cooper. The contact was driving 35 mph when the power steering failed. The vehicle was turned off and restarted yet the failure continued. The vehicle was taken to a repair shop where the power steering pump and power steering cooling fan were replaced. The manufacturer was not notified. The current and failure mileage was approximately 85,500. Updated 09/07/11 updated 10/31/11.

2004 Mini Cooper power steering randomly stops working making the vehicle extremely hard to steer. Emergency maneuvers would be impossible. Must shut the vehicle off and restart to get steering back, which is not easy to do in many situations. Will work most of the time but fail once per day or so. My mechanic has ordered a new power steering pump and fan from BMW which he says is the fix for this well documented problem. If a light person was driving the car when this happens I seriously doubt they could keep the car on the road due to the arm strength required to continue steering the car. Problem could happen at any speed.

While parking and while driving, steering function has been lost. The steering wheel gets heavy, seeming to be stuck and unable to turn. This happened twice, and I was able to stop the car or pull off to the side and stop without injury. The steering fluid was fine, an although the steering pump doesn't make noise or continue to run after the car is shut off, it is assumed the steering pump needs to be replaced (a common faulty part in Mini Coopers). There is concern for safety over when and where I might lose steering again and whether this will cause an incident alone or with another car. I have read that my car might start on fire in connection with the steering pump, even with a replacement of the pump.

Power steering intermittently loses power making it difficult to control the car. The power steering pump was replaced due to an internal failure. Invoice received. Updated 08/11/11. Updated 08/15/11 updated 08/24/11.

The contact owns a 2004 Mini Cooper. While driving 25 mph and attempting a right turn, the steering wheel locked and the contact was unable to maneuver the steering wheel. The dealer was contacted and she was advised that the vehicle was not under recall and any repairs would be at her expense. The dealer also advised that the power steering pump would likely ned to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 50,000.

I own a 2004 Mini Cooper. I started the car last week and the power steering pump was making a very high pitched squealing noise. I decided to drive another car that day because I did not have enough time to bring it to a mechanic. The next day I started the car and the pump came up to speed very slowly and then stopped making noise altogether. The power steering no longer works. I don't think I can safely drive it to the mechanic and the car has sat in the driveway since. The car is out of its warranty period so I would be looking at the expense of towing and parts and labor before I can use it again. I just saw the report on cnbc and was wondering if this is a common problem before I contact a garage. Thank you.

The contact owns a 2004 Mini Cooper. The contact stated that when she got in the vehicle and started it, there was no power steering. She pulled out of the parking spot and turned the vehicle off and restarted it. However, the power steering was still non-functional. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the power steering pump was defective. The current and failure mileages were approximately 100,000.

The contact owns a 2004 Mini Cooper. The contact stated that when starting the vehicle there was no power steering function. The contact stated in order for the power steering to function properly the vehicle had to cool down and that could take hours. The vehicle also became very difficult to drive. The contact has not taken the vehicle to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The contact noticed a lot of complaints regarding her year, make, and model and the power steering system and would like for the manufacturer to do something about it. The failure mileage was 48,000. Updated 01/20/11 updated 03/28/11.

I was driving down a side streets when all of a sudden I couldn't steer the car after stopping at an intersection. I later found out that the power steering pump had suddenly gone back on my 2004 Minicooper. Ii was at a 4-way intersection at the time and was nearly crushed by two other cars. After getting the car home I wrote to Mini's corporate to see if it would be covered since there had been a lot of online complaints about the pump, but they wouldn't cover it. Instead I was forced to shell out over $700 for it (exact price I will have to look up). I just read about an investigation that the NHTSA was doing and wanted to make sure you heard by story. I purchased the car new in 2004 from Mini of peabody, MA. And will try to get my money back, but so far I haven't had any luck. [xxx]2004 Minicooper (non "s" model) here is the email that I sent to Minicooper ------------------------- I am writing to see if Mini will cover the cost of the power steering pump that died yesterday without any advance warning in my 2004 Mini. The car was fine all day and then as I went to take a turn at a busy intersection I couldn't turn the wheel and almost got crushed by other cars heading toward me. From the research I have done this is a known failure and one that Mini seems to avoid absorbing the cost to fix / replace. From what I read a recall was done in britain, but not here in the u. S. Please let me know how Mini will help me in this situation. I surely don't have the money for a new or refurbished power steering pump and with the huge risk of injury / and or death that this problem could cause I would hope that Mini cares less about profits and more about their customers - and covers the cost to fix this problem. Please respond back as soon as possible. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The contact owns a 2004 Mini Cooper. The contact stated that when traveling at any speed, the steering wheel would intermittently become difficult to turn. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where the contact was informed that the power steering pump would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and there were no prior warnings of the failure. The failure mileage was 69,000 and the current mileage was 72,000.

The contact owns 2004 Mini Cooper. While the contact was driving approximately between 25 to 30 mph, there was a slight loss of power steering without warning. The failure was a continuous occurrence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 70,441 updated 02/01/lj the power steering pump had to be replaced. 03. 22. 11.

Power steering pump stopped working.

1. An hour into a highway drive, all the electrical failed. All lights, gauges, radio, etc. All but the power steering returned in a moment, less than a second. 2. The power steering does not work. 3. Power steering pump internal electronics area shows significant scorching and melting. Pump was replaced but power steering system still inoperable. The old pump is available.

The contact owns a 2004 Mini Cooper. While traveling 15 mph and making a turn in either direction the contact noticed that the steering wheel would intermittently be extremely difficult to turn. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where the contact was informed that the power steering pump needed to be replaced. There were no prior warnings and the vehicle was not repaired. The current mileage was 80000 and the failure mileage was 75000. Updated 01/11/2011 updated 02/28/11.

Dear NHTSA, our complaint matches the NHTSA investigation being conducted regarding the intermittent power-loss of the power steering pump of the 2004-5 Mini Cooper we own a 2004 Mini Cooper. Our power steering loss began Feb '10 and described as unexpected and intermittently-occurring total loss-of-assist to steering. This was rectified by a purchase of a new power steering pump from Mini Cooper (elmsford, NY) and purchase of labor (installation) from straub auto repair (hastings on hudson, NY) during that month.

Power steering suddenly cut out during normal driving conditions in downtown san francisco, making it very difficult to steer. Driver was able to bring the car to a stop safely, but this failure could have caused an accident had it occurred on a curving road. The power steering pump was determined to have failed, and was replaced by the consumer, for a repair cost of close to $700. The power steering pump is not supposed to fail this early in the lifetime of a vehicle.

The power steering assist on my 2004 Mini Cooper started failing very sporadically over one year ago becoming more and more frequent until finally I experienced complete failure of the power assist. Sometimes this would occur when I was first starting the car but then as the frequency increase, it would also just stop working while I was driving, sometimes going as fast as 50-60 miles per hour, making the vehicle very difficult to steer. I had the power steering pump replaced with a brand new one, which seems to have corrected the problem. The car only had 83,000 miles on it at the time the power steering pump had to be replaced, which, I believe, is unacceptable.