Steering Failed Problems of Mini Cooper S

Tl the contact owns a 2005 Mini Cooper S. When the vehicle was started, the steering wheel became very difficult to turn and the service engine soon warning indicator illuminated. The contact stated that the steering failure worsened since December of 2017. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 15v660000 (steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 63,000.

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I have had the steering pump fail twice in my 2005 r53 Mini, the 1st time the power steering would cut out at random while driving and the pump would continued to run after car was turned off (had to disconnect battery for it to stop). This was replaced in 2013 at a Mini dealership under an "extended warranty" at the expense of Mini. Now 3 years later I am having the same symptoms, the power steering cut out on while changing lanes on the highway and then the pump continued to run when I arrived home and turned the car off (had to disconnect battery). The next day the steering pump actually burnt itself out (smoked) while the car was idling in the driveway. I understand Mini has issued a more extensive recall however since mine was "fixed" already I am not covered - it seems as though the replacement parts are just as faulty as those they have replaced and will most likely experience the same dangerous failure.

The steering knuckle on my car has become prematurely worn following a steering pump failure, and consequently, the steering has become imprecise and the car hard to control around curves. I was not made aware of the design defect (documented by dot) of the steering pump until I researched the steering issue and discovered there was an 'unofficial' recall to fix the pump. My complaint is that for two months, BMW USA still has the steering knuckle on back order. Meanwhile my vehicle is becoming harder to drive and will soon be a safety concern. It is imperative that dot force BMW USA to make this part available immediately because it is a crucial component in the safety of the vehicle.

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Steering failure whilst on highway, headed to the grass curb, smoke in cabin (smelt of burning wire insulation). Did manage to release the hood and open to see if I could extinguish, fire was focused directly behind the engine under exhaust manifold. Nothing to due but wait for the fire truck, car completely burned front to back, nothing left to salvage.

Powersteering unit fails and steering becomes unreponsive.

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Steering pump failed and had to be replaced.

I have had previous issues with the panoramic sunroof, I had to get it replaced. Then I had issues with the chain and chain tensioner and had to get that replaced too. Now the steering has failed on me, I can't start the car or even move the steering wheel. My steering is locked now; I had the car running, everything seemed to run fine and the steering worked fine. Once I shut the car off I couldn't start the car back up and my steering locked up. I had to get my car towed home. I wish BMW would do some kind of a recall on this car so we wouldn't have to pay so much money out of our own pockets!.

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Power steering intermittently working causing severe oversteer while entering highway traffic. Had no indication of problem while on interstate. Upon exiting interstate on a 30 mph loop steering failed . Presently power steering is intermittent so the wife no longer gets to drive the cooper. Good fortune was with me and I have driven cars without powersteering. Even so I was caught off guard and I am hopeful this report will prevent others which may be less fortunate or experienced. The Mini dealership didn't seem to care.

Sudden loss of steering due to the failure of the power steering pump when exiting highway. Fortunately, I had enough strength to stay within the curve of the off ramp while braking to a stop. My wife would not have had the strength to keep the auto from going off the ramp.

A problem developed with the steering wheel of my Mini cooper "s" (2006). The problem started somewhat gradually, over a period of several days to a week, during which the wheel became more and more difficult to turn. My vehicle has never been in an accident or in any sort of incident. It has less than thirty-five thousand miles on it. I took my Mini to an authorized Mini-cooper repair facility who informed me that the knock (sp?) sensor and steering motor had failed and needed replacement. This was at a cost of approximately $2,000. 00 dollars, however it did not resolve the issue. The steering wheel continues to be sluggish and difficult to maneuver. It is my belief that whatever is wrong with the steering is a design flaw, as no car with less than thirty-five thousand miles on it should exhibit such a strange and critical failure.

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Sudden complete loss of power steering. Several days after the original battery failed and was replaced, there was a continuing sound like a fan or electric motor running constantly. This noise continued until the power steering ceased completely during a parking maneuver. After the steering failed the previously noted noise stopped.

Was driving my son home from a soccer tournament, traveling about 70 mph, when the steering failed-I could only turn the steering wheel about 1" in each direction. Terrifying. The problem persists, and the car is unsafe to drive-I'll probably need to tow it to the mechanic.

Drove 70 mi from milltown, NJ to valhalla, NY on April 26. Power steering stopped functioning upon arrival. Turning off and restarting engine remedied the problem. On return trip, failure occurred just past essex tolls on garden state - about half way to return destination. Checked and topped fluid. The steering fails regularly according to this pattern. It appears that power steering pump cooling fan has stopped working. I will replace fan. If this does not remedy the situation, I will replace the power steering pump. I will retain the old parts.

Complete failure of steering column, it locks up during driving, can barely turn the wheel. This happens randomly during driving, even on a straight road not making any turns. Have to force car over onto shoulder and restart the car. Nothing bad has happened yet, but very dangerous when driving with kids in the car. All fluid levels check out, no warning lights about steering failure.

Driving vehicle normally, power assist for the steering fails causing greatly increased effort to steer. This is addressed in pe10038 but the model years affected should include 2002 and 2003 as the electric power assist systems were the same. I have not yet attempted to replace any parts, only have confirmed fluid is full and both cooling fans operate. Cycling the ignition key briefly to the off position will cause power assist to resume.

Power steering pump on my 2003 Mini Cooper S failed, very hard to steer once failed, now I'm having the same failure again after replacing it last year. Read on threads and owners everywhere are having the same problems.

The power assist for the steering fails intermittently. Often this occurs midway through a turn. Sometimes turning the car off and re-starting will resolve the problem, other times it does not. Reported the issue to the dealer service department and before I could finish the sentence the two service writers said there was not issue with the power steering pump! without the power assist the steering is very heavy. As a strong, experienced driver I knew what to do when the power assist failed, but this would be very dangerous for an older or less physical driver since the assist failure is sudden and without warning. As a driver you go from being able to casually steer with Minimal input to instantly needing to forcefully turn the steering wheel to maintain control of the car!!!! the car currently has 40,011 miles and continues to have this problem intermittently.