Three problems related to steering failed have been reported for the 2005 Mini Cooper Convertible. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
The contact owns a 2005 Mini Cooper Convertible. The contact stated that the steering unit failed without warning. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the power steering fan and steering pump failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 15v660000 (steering). The failure mileage was approximately 145,000.
Sudden steering failure.
Was travelling at neighborhood speed, turned into driveway and power assist on the steering failed. Had I been at speed this would have resulted in hitting a tree next tot he driveway. The car was essentially unsteerable without tremendous force, a condition completely unexpected. After turning off the vehicle and restarting it, the problem was no longer there, so obviously an electrical problem. The problem recurred about a month later while driving on an interstate highway. I have no idea where as I did not notice it until decelerating to exit the highway and the car was very difficult to steer. At the bottom of the ramp, it again became nearly impossible to maneuver. After turning it off and back on, the problem was gone. This has recurred on and off ever since. A local BMW/Mini specialist mechanic informed me that this is not an infrequent problem with 2005 Mini's. He indicated the power steering functions fine except for intermittent electrical problems that cause it to fail. The problem has now come back and is very frequent. This is particularly troublesome at low speeds, and while parking. I feel there is sufficient instance of this to warrant a recall as obviously something is not right with the design or engineering of the power steering in far more cases that just my vehicle.