Power Steering Failed problems of the 2006 Mini Cooper S

Power steering pump failing, creating a loud whine when running (moving, and stationary).

My electric power steering pump is failing. It whines when you turn the wheel and sometimes it does not work at all. Very scary to lose control of the car. There was an open recall thru 2005, but BMW says they wont help us 2006 owners.

Power steering failure while driving both slowly pulling out of carport and at normal 35 miles per hour street speed. Steering became very difficult. Persisted until car was turned off for several minutes. Happened sporadically afterward. Issue returned and now affects the car most of the time while driving. Will happen upon starting the car, or while driving. Car only has 50,063 miles on it! looks like power steering pump failure is causing the loss of steering. Extreamly dangerous!.

Power steering pump failed, they did not recall this year but the pumps still fail.

The power steering pump failed suddenly on the car. It has now happened multiple times including while driving. While driving it is extremely dangerous as you suddenly loose most of your ability to steer! this has happened both while the car was stationary, while it was in motion on a city street, and while it was in motion on the highway. One of the times was while I was turning. I believe this is a combination of problems relating to the power steering pump cooling fan, and the power steering pump itself. Now BMW/Mini has admitted that they have a major problem with this thought the model year 2005. However from what I've read a lot of 2006 Mini's have experienced this problem as well. They should expand the recall/replacement procedure to at least the 2006 models as well.

The contact owns a 2006 Mini Cooper S. The contact stated that while in park, the vehicle failed to start. In addition, the contact stated that while reversing at a low speed, the steering wheel was difficult to turn. The contact had to apply force to the steering wheel in order to steer the vehicle. Once in park, the vehicle failed to turn off with the key in the off position. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the power steering motor had failed and melted. The power steering motor, wires, battery, pump, fan, pressure hose and alternator were replaced. After repairs, the mechanic was unable to diagnose the vehicle using the diagnostic tool. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer who stated that the wiring harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was aware of NHTSA campaign number: 15v660000 (steering) but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 98,000.

The contact owns a 2006 Mini Cooper S. While driving 30 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the power steering line and pump failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 15v660000. (steering). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 106,000.

My power steering pump is failing. Very loud and whiny. Ready to fail at any second.

Power steering failure while driving. Steering became very difficult. Persisted until car was turned off for several minutes. Happened sporadically afterward, then disappeared for a couple months. Issue returned and now affects the car most of the time while driving. Will happen upon starting the car, or while driving.

Power steering failed completely upon warm engine re-start. The smell of overheating components is in the passenger cabin.

Purchased 2006 Mini Cooper S brand new at a Mini dealer in boston. The vehicle has 108k highway miles. I had serviced the vehicle at the dealer until warranty ran out and transitioned to a national car care chain. I began to notice the vehicle slipping between second and third gear when traveling in stop and go traffic. I brought the car to my regular mechanic and they indicated that I should bring it to a transmission shop. Delivered the car to the shop and have been informed that my cvt transmission had failed and would need to be re-manufactured. I was also informed that my power steering pump is leaking and failing. The power steering fan had seized and was likely the cause of the power steering failure. The Mini dealership quoted me over 10k for the transmission replacement only did not inquire about power steering and there were no programs for customers in this situation. This cost is more than the car is worth. The transmission shop will do the repairs for 6k.

Power steering fails when engine is turned on. Also occurs while driving. Mechanic stated that the power steering pump failed.

Complete power steering failure occurred while I was driving around a street corner! I was traveling around 15 mph(not very fast) and I was fortunate not to have an accident. There was absolutely no warning and took me by surprise.

The power steering failed 2 days ago on my 2006 Mini Cooper S with only 36,600 miles. It's a known issue & yet BMW/Mini refuses to address it. I was very fortunate that it happened in a parking lot & not on my daily highway commute or during my recent vacation.

2006 Mini Cooper S: power steering failure intermittent failure of power steering--at first. Very frightening experience. Very dangerous. Now there is no power steering. I've never had such an experience in any automobile. I investigated this experience online and find a number of similar experiences. I'm very troubled by such a flaw in the engineering of this vehicle.

After pulling into my driveway and going inside the house for a few minutes - we noticed a very chemical/plastic smell. We quickly found it was coming from outside, only to find our 2006 Mini s spewing black smoke from under the hood. There was a fire, found to be caused by the power steering cooling fan failing, and causing the power steering pump to overheat and start on fire. I have found numerous blogs and complaint pages on this problem. I haven't the money to repair this problem at this time, and so the car still sits. This seems to be a problem the manufacturer is responsible for, even after warranty. "preventively replacing" the parts is also a ridiculous thing to expect vehicle owners to do. Updated 10/13/bf pictures received. Updated ivoq 10/21/jb.

Power steering fan about to fail, was advised to replace to prevent power steering pump failure. Independent mechanic made the assessment and advised the repair. This is known issue in 2004-2006+ Minis and am reporting to make sure there are enough data points and consumer reports of the incidence.