Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mini cooper s. After placing the vehicle in reverse, the contact switched gears into drive. When attempting to accelerate forward, the power steering failed. The contact added power steering fluid and made another attempt to steer the vehicle; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the power steering was no longer covered under warranty. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000.
2002 MINI Cooper S: loss of power steering
25 of the 83 complaints about the 2002 MINI Cooper S describe loss of power steering.
- owner complaints
- 25
- of this car's complaints
- 30%
- typical mileage
- 82,000
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 4 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Loss of power steering by model year
What owners say
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mini cooper s. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the steering wheel was difficult to maneuver. The contact mentioned that the steering wheel was on manual control and after the vehicle was warmed up, the steering wheel functioned as normal. The contact also stated that while driving at approximately 50 MPH, a clanking nose was coming from the front passenger side of the vehicle and the power steering failed. The vehicle was restarted but the failure recurred. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v66000 (steering) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer, who informed that a remedy was not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 94,000. Vin tools confirms parts unavailable.
Tl* the contact owned a 2002 mini cooper s. While driving 30 MPH, the power steering failed and caused extra effort to turn the steering wheel. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the electro-hydraulic power steering system and wiring needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v660000 (steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 67,548.
I was driving about 60 MPH and all of a sudden the power steering stopped working. Steering became very tight and heavy. Almost lost control of the vehicle.
Power steering failed as I was driving, unable to steer car. After some time, power resumed intermittently.
Power steering failed in the middle of driving nearly hit the outer barrier because of the amount of force required to move the steering wheel. I feel if my wife had been driving it would have been a major wreck. I did some research and found that this is a very prevalent problem with the mini cooper. From my understanding canada has issued a recall on the power steering pumps. Would like to log a complaint to see if we can get mini USA to take some action.
Power steering went out at highways speeds, after 3+ hours of driving. After cooling down for an hour, power steering came back, but only lasted 5 min., and was out for another day. Comes and goes, depending on how hot the weather/engine is, but stays out longer and only works for short periods of time now. Please issue a recall/extended warranty as canada has soon!
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 federal safety agency 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.
I was exiting the freeway when my battery indicator light went on; I lost power steering and saw a large amount of smoke coming from under the hood. The mini dealership has determined that the power steering module failed, and subsequently burned the wiring harness. There have been several reports of faulty manufacturing in regard to this part from bbc in uk, as well as on many forums, in particular north american motoring.
There have been three instances when my power steering went out on me...I could have had an accident had I not been in a residential area during those times.
Driving approximately 25 MPH and vehicle lost power steering....made it home...checked all fluid levels...all okay....got back in the vehicle the next morning to take to service station and power steering was working again...garage could not find problem...scared to drive it now for fear of loss of steering again!
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mini cooper. The contact stated that when traveling at various speeds, he would lose power steering intermittent without warning. He noticed that the power steering cooling fan would remain active without power to the vehicle. The dealer or manufacturer was not notified nor was the failure diagnosed or the vehicle repaired. The current mileage was 65,096. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000. Updated 06/24/11 *bf updated 06/30/11
Service bulletins that may apply
- This Service Information bulletin supersedes SI 32 02 14 dated August 2014
- Electro-Hydraulic Power-Assist Steering Pump (EHPS) and Cooling Fan: Limited Warranty Extension to 13...
- Mini: a warranty extension for certain vehicles with potential problem with cooling fan and the durability...
- Electro-Hydraulic Power-Assist Steering Pump (EHPS) and Cooling Fan: Warranty Extension to 13...
Related recalls
Steering: electric power assist system
- What is wrong
- BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2002-2005 MINI Cooper and Cooper S vehicles and 2005 Cooper and Cooper S Convertible vehicles. The affected vehicles may experience temporary or permanent loss of the electro-hydraulic steering assistance.
- Risk
- If the vehicle experiences a loss of power steering assist, extra steering effort will be required at lower speeds, potentially increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- MINI will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the electro-hydraulic power steering system, replacing the components and wiring, as necessary, free of charge. Interim notices were mailed to owners on December 10, 2015. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1‑866‑825‑1525.
Recall number 15V660000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2002 MINI Cooper S power steering loss
Is loss of power steering a common problem on the 2002 MINI Cooper S?
25 of 83 owner complaints about the 2002 MINI Cooper S (30%) mention loss of power steering. The model year with the most reports is 2004.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2002 MINI Cooper S?
There is 1 recall and 4 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2002 MINI Cooper S
Loss of power 15Airbag light 8Engine failure 6Fire or smoke 5
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