Two problems related to steering noise have been reported for the 2005 Mini Cooper. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2005 Mini Cooper based on all problems reported for the 2005 Cooper.
Parked car on city street and turned off car. Heard high-pitched noise like something was still running. Turned car on and back off again. Still heard noise. Saw gray, acrid smoke billowing from beneath hood. Car started but power steering was out. Had car towed to dealer. High-pitched noise was power steering pump fan which didn't turn off when car was turned off which burnt out the power steering pump, wires, harness and other related parts. $2000 repair made at Mini/BMW dealer in san francisco.
Intermittently and rarely, when the car first starts, the power steering does not work. It is very difficult to move the steering wheel at all, and there is no apparent effect on the wheels of the car. Each time this has happened, I have immediately turned off the car and restarted. Restarting the ignition has been enough to regain the power steering. After this happened between 5 and 10 times over the past year, I realized it was a pattern and decided to lodge a complaint. I also realized that the louder-than-ordinary steering fan noise might be another symptom of problems with the power steering. In mid-September 2011, the car battery died. The steering fan was very loud. I now wonder if the battery failure was due to the steering fan, although no one at the dealership commented on the very loud fan that was extremely noticeable when they restarted the car.