Power Steering Pump problems of the 2004 Mini Cooper S - part 1

I was driving my daughter to school when it first happened, the wheel got so tight and I hit the curb. Thank god I was in a school zone and therefore I was driving slow. After that, I noticed that same day that my battery was drained when I was leaving from work. I got a jump but then it happened again when I stopped for grosseries. I figured something must be wrong with the battery (which is farely new) or the alternator. I took my car to a shop and they diagnosed the battery and the alternator was fine. But they also said there was a stranged noise coming from my power steering pump. I bought power steering fluid thinking that was the reason, but after I poured some its still the same. I started researching and I found out a lot of people are having this same issue and its a deffective issue for this Mini generation.

Was about to park my car and all of sudden the steering began feeling tight. It seems that all assistance with the power steering was lost. Upon investigation over the internet it seems that the power steering pump is blown. Fortunately, I was not driving fast,but this can cause a potential fatal injury.

Power steering randomly goes out on car. Low-speed fan has seized, damaging power steering pump. Car has no power steering at all.

Hello, I had been experience problems with the power steering (loosing power) of my Mini Cooper S 2004 model. In Jan 2013, I brought my 2004 Mini Cooper S for the replacement of the power-assit steering function, which include power steering hose ($56. 25), power steering pump ($710. 00) and labor ($315. 00). In may 2013, I received a notice for the repair expense reimbursement from Mini. Apparentiy this problem is known (but unknow to me) for Mini model year 2002-2205. I submitted the remibursement request and received the return receipt on June 10, 2013. Since then I have attempted to reach to Mini customer relation by phone (1-866-275-6464) 4 times and still have not received the reimbursement. I am writing this letter to ask for your assisstance. Mini should live up to standard and reimburse my expense. Please let me know if you need any additional information from me. Sincerely yours, lan nguyen.

Tl- the contact owns a 2004 Mini Cooper S. The contact stated that the electrical power steering pump caught on fire, melting all of the wires. The fire department was not contacted. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 110,000. Kmj.

Had just made minor engine repairs - hoses - belt - thermostat - water pump - oil change - oil filter - air filter - less then one week - 30mp making left turn - gripping very hard on the wheel to finish the turn - no power steering - tested fan - fan ok - pulled steering pump off - what do I do now - buy pump - call dealer - wait to here from you.

I returned home after driving for 15 minutes. I turned the car off and a motor kept running. I restarted the car to see if a electrical fan had kept running. I turned the car off again, but the noise of a fan or pump was still heard. I looked for a fuse to remove, but could not find the one that stopped the noise. I disconnected the battery, so the wiring would not overheat. I reconnected the battery the following morning and the noise still persisted. I called the dealer fermin Mini of tampa bay to ask what the noise could be. I drove the car to the dealer for a replacement steering pump and fan.

Driving on freeway, steering suddenly became very difficult. Later went back to normal. A month later the power steering pump continues to run after vehicle switched off, draining battery dead.

Power steering pump wont shut off after vehicle is disabled, causing the battery to die. The power steering pump will disable while driving.

Failure of power steering pump made vehicle very difficult to maneuver in traffic and when parking.

While exiting the freeway the steering suddenly and without warning became extremely heavy taking significantly more effort then normal to just move the wheel slightly. The next day the power steering worked normally but the fan on the power steering pump continued to run after the engine was turned off. After 5 minutes in a parking lot it had drained the battery to the point where it struggled to start the engine. When I returned home I was forced to disconnect the battery until I can get it serviced.

The contact owns a 2004 Mini Cooper S. The contact stated that when he started the vehicle the power steering failed and the steering wheel became abnormally stiff. The dealer was notified of the failure who stated that there were no recalls for the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue and the vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 69,000. . . Updated 01/04/12 the consumer stated the power steering pump was replaced at a cost of $866. 67 . The consumer has since traded the vehicle. Updated 01/09/12.

I had power steering one day and the next day when I was driving I began to make a turn and realized my power steering went out. To this day it has never came back. I was told it is something like an electric hydraulic pump but the price is so outrageous I cannot afford to get it fixed so I just try to drive it as little as possible and be as careful as I can.

The contact owns a 2004 Mini Cooper S. While driving approximately 40 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostics where the mechanic advised that the power steering pump would have to be replaced. There was an open investigation of the failure under NHTSA action number: ea11005 (steering:hydraulic power assist:pump steering:electric power assist system steering:hydraulic power assist system) that could have been related to the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.

Power steering stopped working, 1st time whilst at a traffic light, 2nd time whilst pulling out of a parking spot. Steering becomes very heavy, almost unmanageable. I haven't used the car in the last three months as I have been out of the country, I need to look into replacing the steering pump, fan and a cover.

The power steering pump just all of a suddenly without warning failed on my Mini cooper. I was going down the highway at 70 mph when I went to get off on a off ramp and the car took alot of force for me to steer it in the right direction. I was lucky to not have snow at the time because if I did I could have possibly lost control of my car. I know alot of people have had this happen to them and for the price that these pumps they should last alot longer than have.

Failed steering pump assembly on 2004 Cooper S with 60k miles. Failure of steering pump assembly created loss of steering and induces unsafe driving scenario. From the showroom, this vehicle (and others of this era) has provided a unique whine from the power steering assembly. The dealer would later inform me that this was normal to the BMW Mini line. Years later this feature has become a known problem and is confirmed and being investigated by the NHTSA. BMW (the manufacturer) has yet to acknowledge or developed a repairable solution towards this flawed characteristic. Another Toyota in the making?. . I hope not.

I was driving to work, on a windy road when my car lost it's power steering. The garage has to replace the power steering pump, fan and steering rack for a total cost of about $3,000! I was very lucky to have not run off the road.

The power steering on my 2004 Mini Cooper S has failed several times without warning. The car is very difficult to steer when the pump strops working without warning and my wife nearly had an accident because of this intermittent failure. I checked online and there are many complaints about the very same problem. . Stopping the car and shutting the engine off and then restarting it, clears the problem.

Experienced total loss of power steering on several occasions with no warning lights. Occurred mostly after starting the car on hot days. The car is very difficult to steer at low speed with no power steering. Power steering sporadically came and went. Eventually, the power steering pump would remain on after turning off the car, causing the battery to go dead. Replaced power steering pump and fan in may 2012 at about 130,000 miles and haven't had any issues since.

I have a 2004 Mini Cooper S with approx 80k miles. The power steering randomly and intermittently fails to work. This problem has occurred approximately six times during the last two months. I intend to replace the power steering pump, but am told that this may happen again, even with replaced pump.

2004 Mini Cooper S. Consumer is seeking reimbursement for the replacement of the power steering pump.

Acute loss of power steering in my 2004 Mini Cooper S. I was driving normally and was pulling onto the interstate when the steering became very difficult. I was able to continue to steer the vehicle but it required a great deal of effort. I've been told by my mechanic that it doesn't involve the failure of the power steering pump fan. . . The fan has been tested and is working ok. The cost for the repair is going to be approximately $1160. My mechanic has told me that failure of the p. S. Pump in this year and model Mini cooper is common.

While driving my 2004 Mini Cooper S the power assisted steering seems to quit working. This has happened in the past and then the power assist begins working on its own and may work for quite a while then unexpectedly will stop working again. When this happens the steering becomes very difficult and requires a great deal of extra effort to turn. Many times it only stops working for one or two turns then the power assist pump begins working again. In the fall of 2010 I had to install a power steering pump "cooling fan" because it failed but the pump continues to intermittently stop working.

I drove my Mini cooper 2004 s with 95k miles on the freeway and noticed my steering very difficult to move. I arrived to my destination safely and searching on the web for steering problems with 2004 Mini cooper and found federal investigation in progress. I towed the vehicle to the Mini dealership and explained the problem. They found the power steering pump defective as described on the website and repaired the vehicle for 1500 dollars. The dealer/BMW offered no compensation to defer the cost. I contacted BMW customer relations and received a non response on if and how BMW would respond.

Sudden failure of power steering. Control of car was not lost. It will require a new power steering pump.

The contact owns a 2004 Mini Cooper S. The contact stated that when pulling out of his driveway and attempting to make a turn, the vehicle was difficult to steer. The vehicle was inspected by a dealer who informed him that he needed to replace the steering pump. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 72,400. Updated 09/07/11.

My car has had intermittent power failure since 2008, usually lasting a few days. More recently my power steering has been out for the past 2 months. Today it started working on my way home from work but the power steering fan remains on after I turn the car off. I had to disconnect the battery in order to keep the fan off. Consequences have resulted in near accidents on the highway and road when failure occurs (failures happened when I have gone into turns). Power steering pump and fan will need to be replaced.

The contact owns a 2004 Mini Cooper S. The contact was driving 45 mph when the steering wheel became hard to maneuver. The vehicle was merged onto the shoulder and then towed to a local mechanic who inspected the failure and informed the contact that the power steering pump needed to be replaced. The power steering pump was replaced. The manufacturer was notified who offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 140,000.

On September 8, 2010 2004 Mini Cooper S power steering went out while driving on san francisco/oakland bay bridge. Able to safely exit bridge and had car towed to auto shop in berkeley, CA where they "performed a diagnostic time check for no power steering. Found pump coming on, no pressure to system". They removed and replaced power steering pump including bleeding the system.

The power steering went out while going up hill on a curvy two lane road. The loss of power steering forced me to go into the other lane, where fortunately no cars were present. If I was going down hill on the same road I would have definitely gone against the side of the hill or off the side of the cliff if not hitting an on coming car first. The dealership charged me over $1000 to change the electro/hydraulic steering pump. The sudden loss of power steering seems to be an issue with many Minis according to forum posts.

On a 2004 Mini Cooper S, intermittent failure of the power steering pump causing extreme difficulty steering. Car has 43,000 miles. Many similar cases reported in online forums.

I have a 2004 Mini Cooper S built in late September or early October 2003. At approximately 54,000 miles in spring of 2010, I left to go on a trip across town. After about 2 miles of the up to then normal drive, the power steering suddenly and without warning stopped working in the middle of a curve. Fortunately I was able to retain control of the car and make it to my destination a couple more miles away. After sitting about 15 minutes, upon restart, the car performed normally as far as I can tell. Checking the internet, it seems that this is a somewhat common problem with this vehicle and that it will continue on and off until the power steering does not function at all. This can also lead to a fire at the power steering pump that may lead to complete loss of vehicle and or additional property damage. Some with fires have not had any prior hints of an issue and some have had the intermittent pump going out. In speaking to the Mini service center, they of course said they had never heard of the problem and refused to give me any help under goodwill warranty. I had them replace the pump at my expense to avoid the risk of fire.

Loss of power steering assist while driving making it difficult to steer the car. At times, there would be no power steering assist; restarting the car would solve the issue. Ultimately, the issue appeared to be a built-in electrical relay in the electric power steering pump that sticks. Only replacement option was to replace the entire pump.

The contact owns a 2004 Mini Cooper S. The contact stated that the power steering would fail sporadically and more effort had to be exerted when attempting to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the power steering pump and fan would need replacing. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000 and the current mileage was approximately 83,000.