Lose Power Steering problems of the 2002 Mini Cooper S

I was exiting the freeway when my battery indicator light went on; I lost power steering and saw a large amount of smoke coming from under the hood. The Mini dealership has determined that the power steering module failed, and subsequently burned the wiring harness. There have been several reports of faulty manufacturing in regard to this part from bbc in uk, as well as on many forums, in particular north american motoring.

Driving approximately 25 mph and vehicle lost power steering. . . . Made it home. . . Checked all fluid levels. . . All okay. . . . Got back in the vehicle the next morning to take to service station and power steering was working again. . . Garage could not find problem. . . Scared to drive it now for fear of loss of steering again!.

The contact owns a 2002 Mini cooper. The contact stated that when traveling at various speeds, he would lose power steering intermittent without warning. He noticed that the power steering cooling fan would remain active without power to the vehicle. The dealer or manufacturer was not notified nor was the failure diagnosed or the vehicle repaired. The current mileage was 65,096. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000. Updated 06/24/11 updated 06/30/jb.

My 2002 Mini Cooper S had an incident approximately six months ago when I completely lost power steering while going a low rate of speed. I was able to muscle the steering for a couple of minutes until the power steering returned. This occurred once more but very briefly in front of my house some time later. I did not do anything about this problem either time but I saw a story in USA today on Mini steering problems (29 sept) and instantly recalled my problem. I am certain it is related to the Mini steering issue now being investigated by the NHTSA.