Steering Problems of Mini Cooper - part 1

On Thursday I was driving my 2010 Mini Cooper s with 75,000 miles on it and there was a total and sudden power outage on the high way. I was able to get to the breakdown lane and had it towed. My Mini certified garage ran the computer on it and the car started right up. It was due for an inspection so we did an oil and filter and put on some new tires. No issues were found and car was running well. We picked it up on Friday and Saturday morning after a short drive I was parking and smoke started pouring out from behind the steering wheel. I ran inside a coffee shop for help and they asked if there were flames. I went back out and opened the car door and there was loud noise and the hood was in flames. The entire dash was melted, the hood had a hole burned in it and with the fire rescue interventions the car was a total loss. No one was injured.

See all problems of the 2010 Mini Cooper 🔎.

Electronic power steering pump issue/failure. The steering wheel was so stiff when I tried to go right that I physically could not turn the wheel. This is extremely dangerous & it happens without warning. No lights come on. You are left in a moving vehicle, without much of a way to control the direction you need it to travel in. From what I have learned, it seems an extended warranty was initially offered, & then a forced recall was issued on the, 1st gen, 2002-2005 Mini Coopers. Only part of the vehicles with these issues were included in the recall. I have the same size 1. 6 engine, & the exact same electronic power steering pump that comes with the issues & failures that I have in my 06. I have seen it on vehicles up to 08. This is absolutely unacceptable. This is a documented manufacturing defect & design flaw that has been continually allowed to endanger people’s lives. I am unsure how BMW managed to only recall part of the vehicles with these electronic power steering pump issues. I contacted BMW who told me there were no extended warranties or recalls on my vehicle.

See all problems of the 2006 Mini Cooper 🔎.

The contact owns a 2003 Mini Cooper. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the steering wheel was difficult to turn in either direction. The contact stated that the steering wheel malfunctioned, making the steering wheel easy to turn, causing severe oversteer while making a turn in either direction. The contact stated that the failure was due to a faulty power steering pump, and installed as part of the NHTSA campaign number: 15v660000 (steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that after turning off the vehicle, the power steering pump remained running, causing the battery to drain. The cause of the failure was not yet determined, and the vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 230,000.

See all problems of the 2003 Mini Cooper 🔎.

The contact owns a 2005 Mini Cooper. The contact stated while driving 35 mph, the steering wheel was difficult to turn. The vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA campaign number: 15v660000 (steering). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the power steering pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 117,300.

See all problems of the 2005 Mini Cooper 🔎.

The contact owns a 2004 Mini Cooper. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15v660000(steering); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had experienced the failure, causing the driver to lose control of the steering and drive off the road. The exact cause of the failure was not determined, and the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 160. 000. Parts distribution disconnect.

See all problems of the 2004 Mini Cooper 🔎.

68k miles on a 2003 Mini Cooper s and the power steering pump is whining. I feel as if this may be really early for it to be needing to be replaced.

No air or blower or heat to defog windshield. Water in driver-side foot well. Power steering intermittent fault. Engine continues running and panel gauge lights remain on with ignition off and key removed.

The contact owns a 2006 Mini Cooper. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel was significantly difficult to turn. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 139,000.

Car sent a message about vehicle stabilization initiation in the middle of the road. I could barely turn the steering wheel and change the lane. Authorized dealer service center tells me it’s a click and drive wiring malfunction issue. I was on the way to the airport via toll road and highway. Continue to drive with the stabilization in progress could caused me an accident for not being able to move the wheel smoothly.

See all problems of the 2019 Mini Cooper 🔎.

Headlights, blinker, windows, power steering,not working!!!.

See all problems of the 2011 Mini Cooper 🔎.

The car completely lost steering in traffic. I brought it back to the Mini dealership, they informed me this is a known issue for Mini Coopers equipped with the click-and-play system, and they needed to re-wire the click-and-play to fix it. However Mini decided this should not be a recall. I strongly disagree with Mini's assessment considering losing steering on the road could cause severe accidents.

See all problems of the 2021 Mini Cooper 🔎.

The vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The dealer informed me that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure is NHTSA campaign number: 15v660000 (steering) however, the VIN was not included in the recall.

I am writing regarding the failure of the steering column on my 2019 Mini Cooper hardtop. The incident occurred on December 31, 2022. I drove my car to a residential location in seattle, parked and locked the vehicle. When I returned to my car and started it up to move it, I realized I had no control of the car because the steering wheel was spinning uncontrollably. When the car was towed to seattle Mini, the aaa tow truck driver and the dealership service department personnel receiving the car said they had seen nothing like this before. Seattle Mini takes the position that the steering column was forcibly broken due to an accident which is not the case. I’m very concerned about the safety of this vehicle and not comfortable with seattle Mini’s theory as to the cause of the failure since no accident or “great force” event occurred as described in the service department video. If this had occurred while I was on-route to the location where the car was parked, the outcome could have been catastrophic. We would like to confer with you this coming week on the best course of action to address this situation. Thank you.

The traction control light with antilock brake warning illuminated. Therefore my antilock brakes are inop along with traction control.

The contact owns a 2003 Mini Cooper. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15v660000 (steering); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel was firm, and the vehicle was difficult to maneuver. No warning lights were illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure but failed to confirm if the parts were available for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to call the service center directly. The failure mileage was unavailable. Parts distribution disconnect.

The proportioning value that controls brake function had a catastrophic failure and caused the brake calipers especially the left front to lock suddenly. The caused the left front wheel to lock and caused the car to pull hard to left and become difficult if not impossible to control. The car pulled hard left and risked the car moving uncontrollably into on coming traffic. The failed part was saved and is available for inspection. The safety of the driver(my wife) was put at risk during the loss of control of the car. Other cars in the area were also put at risk simply due to the loss of control of our car. The problem was confirmed by the independent service center. The vehicle was not drivable and was towed to the dealership. The dealership thought the root cause was the brake master cylinder. This turned out not to be the case. The root cause was the failed proportioning valve. This caused the calipers to lock. The discs, rotors, calipers and proportioning value were replaced. There were no warning lights and the car had been taken for regular service at the dealership which was included in the purchase of the car. We were told that there is no warning light for a failure of this part.

See all problems of the 2015 Mini Cooper 🔎.

The contact owns a 2005 Mini Cooper. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The dealer informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 15v660000 (steering) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 167,000.

Mini felt like it was getting pushed by the wind . Realized wasn't wind Mini loss of completely all functions of steering wheel. On super busy highway. Devine intervention was in far left car went left to right lanes then hit median gaurd rail spun around finally got it to stop. Never hitting and hurting anyone around me. Nobody hit me. Car is totalled ! still at tow place. I saw my life flash as cars were zooming by me. Someone should be held responsible for my car and almost my life. Called out of work can't move upper body that well.

My 2003 Mini Cooper was affected by the 2015 electrohydraulic steering assistance recall. Mini did the repair at 79, 322 miles in 2016. In November 2021, at 98, 000 miles, the car began having intermittent power steering loss. The power steering might disappear for under a minute, or it might return for mere seconds. There is no warning when the power steering goes out, so you have to assume that it is not going to respond with the electrohydraulic steering assistance feature operating. As of today, it has been completely offline for 3 days (although it did come back on for about 5 seconds yesterday). Without this feature operating properly, the car can be extremely difficult to steer.

2005 Mini Cooper s has power steering whine, hard to steer the wheel. Very unsafe.

The harmonic balancer aka crank damper went on my 2016 4dr hardtop 1. 5l Mini Cooper. Has 73,000 miles on it. It has been sitting at a garage now for almost a month waiting for BMW to have the part in stock (tentative date avail. Sept. 20, making it 2months wait time) tried every possible 3rd party parts dealer & not 1 harmonic balancer is to be found. I was told this part had already needed to be upgraded & modified making it a faulty part to begin with. Was told by garage it’s a common part to go on these cars. 1st my warning light came on saying the battery wasn’t holding a charge. Beings that I was 2 blocks from my house I drove there & as I was getting to my house another warning came on saying “carefully pull over & let engine cool” so I parked it & had it towed to garage to avoid any other issues.

See all problems of the 2016 Mini Cooper 🔎.

The electro-hydraulic power steering system stopped working on my 2005 Mini Cooper. The was a recall for 2002 to 2005 Mini power steering pump failures but the problem continued thru 2011 because the fix that Mini Cooper came up with was inadequate. The essentially put a band-aid on the problem and left car owners holding the bag. I, in fact, had the auxiliary pump that Mini came up with replaced and the power steering problem continued because their fix was no good. I have an appointment with the Mini Cooper dealership to look at my car in about 2 weeks. They've told me that I'm not covered by the recall even though they ordered a recall of 86,000 cars for the problem in 2015. Not having power steering in any vehicle is very dangerous. The problem first occurred and remains after 2 years. The problem was reproduced by an independent repair service that I have used for years.

The contact owns a 2003 Mini Cooper. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph and making a right turn, the power steering malfunctioned and the steering wheel suddenly became difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the power steering pump and fan needed to be replaced and the intake and return power steering lines also were faulty and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the NHTSA campaign number: 15v660000 (steering). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the same failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 134,000.

Tl- the contact owns a 2006 Mini Cooper. The contact stated that the while driving approximately 50 mph the power steering suddenly malfunctioned and the steering wheel became difficult to turn in either direction. After stopping the vehicle to contact noticed smoke billowing from under the hood. After opening the hood flames were present coming from the engine compartment. The neighbor assisted in extinquishing the flames. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 186,000. Jft.

It is very difficult to turn my steering wheel. It takes more energy than any other car I have ever driven.

The air conditioning had stopped blowing cool air. Then when I was parked, and idled, my power steering stopped working while trying to back out. After wrestling with the wheel for a minute to get out of a parking lot area, the power steering came back on. The mechanic said one of my coolant fans does not work. This may be part of a recall that affect 2005 Minis with coolant fan/power steering, however my car was made just a few months past the recall.

The power steering assist has all but stopped working, with steering now difficult at lower speed--especially when I first start the engine in the morning. The clutch doesn't respond well and the vehicle no longer goes into second gear. The rear left brake caliper seized in place, not allowing the brake pad to retract completely and therefore the brake pad continuously rubbed against the disc, but without noise. Not until the left rear brake made noise because of the metal on metal braking was the seized oem caliper identified, when I put on a set of new brake pads. None of the other three brakes had the seized oem caliper.

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.

So I bought a 2002 Mini Cooper less than a year ago and it currently has 74k miles and attempting to pull into a parking spot at the grocery my steering goes completely out while I was trying to turn into my spot and ripped off a black molding that goes over the front passenger wheel and a significant ding and scratch.

See all problems of the 2002 Mini Cooper 🔎.

Mainly while cold and at low speed's the wheel suddenly becomes very hard to turn and I was told by a mechanic but it's a faulty hydraulic power steering problem.

Very hard to turn steering wheel at times especially when moving slowly; coming to a turn at a light, backing out of a parking spot, etc.

The steering feels very stiff. This is more noticeable when I start in the morning. It is extremely stiff to turn.

Steering wheel got stiff when I'm driving.

This is second incident that occurred with brand new Mini Cooper 2019 with same exact issue that again almost caused a near fatal accident. While driving on highway, at highway speed the car precipitously malfunctioned and car locked up and would allow me to maintain speed- nor accelerate. I was unable to maintain speed of the car therefore started to lose speed and decelerate. The vehicles behind me could not tell that I was suddenly losing speed and I was almost involving a near fatal collision again. I had been driving on the highway for about 5 -10 minutes prior to this precipitously occurring. This was the same situation I experienced with a brand new Mini Cooper 2019 model a week earlier. The car was towed to the dealership and they noted that the crank shaft speed pulse generator sensor was no good and had malfunctioned. As this is a repeat issue and very serious as it almost caused 2 near fatal incidents, I am concerned that the maker of the vehicle is not doing their due diligence to ensure that other 2019 models are safe. I have been told other Mini models were has experienced same malfunction. This incident and the other both occurred at highway speed which creates a very dangerous set up after the vehicles had been driven for a few miles on the highway and in wet conditions.

This is a brand model and brand new car that I had just purchased and was driving home from buying it- I had not even owned for a couple of hours. While on my way home vehicle malfunctioned and had near fatal collision. While driving on highway - at highway speed I was unable to control car and maintain speed. Engine seemingly locked up and as I was unable to control car almost caused a near fatal collision as car behind me did not realize I was losing speed. Taken to dealership and they noted the crankshaft speed pulse generator sensor had malfunctioned.