Power Steering Fluid problems of the 2005 Mini Cooper S

The power steering in my car has failed continuously. We had the entire rack replaced in 2011 - the steering fluid constantly leaks, or burns dry - for the last few months, the power steering pump does not stop running when the vehicle is parked - requiring for the battery to be disconnected at every stop, or risk a dead battery.

In the early fall, September 2011, I encountered issues with my car not shifting properly. It's an automatic transmission so I know there was nothing I could be doing to cause this problem. The car has been serviced regularly and driven with care while in my possession(I'm the second owner. No similar issues on carfax report). While the engine is cool and not yet at its optimal temperature the drive is fine and you may not even notice a problem; however, every ride, once warmed up the car begins to shift incredibly violently as it is obviously struggling to switch gears. This occurs also while slowing down and the car is downshifting creating an opportunity to be "slung" into a car from behind(this happened in the mid summer of 2011). After dropping this car off September 15th to the local Mini dealership, I did not hear from them for almost three weeks. In the first week of October I was contacted and told it looks like my car is very easily fixable and should be ready shortly. It was explained to me that a seal had broken on the transmission leaking fluid onto it causing this shifting malfunction. When they finally told me I can pick up my car(approximately October 18th) they regretted to inform me the problem was not able to be fixed and I would have to bring it elsewhere as they do not rebuild transmissions. Now it is back in my possession where I am forced to commute in it daily, driving worse than it was before I dropped it off. It now displays "pe" for its current gear from time to time. This is not the only complaint I have filed for this car matching other consumer complaints. I am a victim of their failed power steering as well.

2005 Mini Cooper S power steering failure, while turning power steering failed, no leaks, and fluid reservoir full. . Read more...

During the first incident I was driving in town, suddenly the steering had a hard resistant making it difficult to do a right turn. I had to muscle the wheel in order to keep from veering into oncoming traffic. When I pulled the vehicle over to do an under the hood inspection and check the steering fluid level, I saw nothing that indicate damage. Once I restart the vehicle, it seem to correct itself. I though was it was maybe a fluke. Later on, my wife indicated she heard a whining noise that came from under the hood, and ask me to look into it. After looking it over, I add some belt dressing, because I thought could have been the problem. In the meantime I made several calls to the Mini dealership in tempe, az. The service manager stated this noise could be several indicators, such as an aging steering pump, a mixture of non-recommended fluid in the reservoir or the pump could be going out. I dismissed the mix fluid indicator, because the levels were always within range and to my knowledge was never tampered with or topped off. As several months went by, the vehicle continue to operate without incident, other than the whining noise, which was heard when the vehicle was started for the first time of the day, or while the vehicle was running in idle. Recently, my wife call me from work and indicated while she was driving to work for the 2nd time, the steering seem to lock and was difficult to steer. She manage to drive home without injury to herself or others. That same day, when I looked over the vehicle for leaks, damage or fluid levels and the vehicle steering again locked in place. After a little research, I found this has been a major safety issue with the 2004 and 2005 Mini coopers, which has been acknowledged by Mini of canada who issued a recall. On the flip side, Mini corp in the us and local dealers do not. Please advise with a reply.

I had to replace the power steering pump as it had failed. It first failed while I was on a highway off-ramp and nearly crashed. The failure was due to the power steering fan seizing and therefore it was not cooling the power steering pump. After some investigation of my own, I found out that the root cause of this problem was the low fan speed resistor failed on the engine cooling fan. The power steering fan will only activate once the engine cooling fan is running. If the low fan speed relay fails, the engine cooling fan will only turn on at 233f (high speed fan Minimum temperature). Once the engine cooling fan turns on at 233f, the power steering fan will turn on to cool the power steering pump. The power steering fan will be too hot at this point and will overheat itself and seize. The power steering fan failure then causes the power steering pump to overheat and fail. If the power steering fan is not replaced before the power steering pump fails, this causes the entire hydraulic system for the power steering system to fail as well and leak hydraulic fluid. If the power steering system fails, this can cause the power steering pump to ultimately catch on fire due to it overheating from low levels of hydraulic fluid. The complete replacement of parts alone for the power steering system is $1,296. 35. This system is required for driving the vehicle at any speed as it is a "power assisted steering" system, thus making it very hard to control the vehicle at any speed. If you visit any Mini forum (I. E. . Read more...

Noticed level of power steering fluid was low. No apparent leak on ground. Noticed the boots on rack and pinion are pressurized and realized that is where the fluid is leaking into.