Two problems related to power steering fluid have been reported for the 2002 Mini Cooper S. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2002 Mini Cooper S based on all problems reported for the 2002 Cooper S.
Power steering suddenly stopped working. Making a whining noise when turning the wheel and the steering wheel itself is hard to turn. Not leaking any fluids and the power steering fluid in the reservoir is full.
While on a short vacation out of town, close to 230 miles from my home, my Cooper S' power steering failed and almost cause me an accident. I immediately checked the fluid and saw that there were no visible leaks present. After making arrangements for a rental vehicle, I noticed that the power steering started working correctly again. Because of that I proceeded to return home and the steering did not fail for the remainder of the trip. During March of 2012, the power steering failed again, during a commute home from work on Friday, may 3rd. To this day, I have no been able to afford additional repairs or diagnostics, because of the monthly payments, insurance, fuel and previous issues of repairs under 75,000 miles including the head gasket, and heater core. Regardless of the policies that BMW/Mini and the NHTSA have concerning used vehicles, and warranties, absolutely no vehicle produced by an internationally known company or business should be producing such unreliable, unsafe and potentially dangerous motor vehicles and not take immediate responsibility to isolate and terminate the issue rather than ignore and deny responsibility for poorly manufactured products.