2003 MINI Cooper S: engine overheating

7 of the 217 complaints about the 2003 MINI Cooper S describe engine overheating.

owner complaints: 7
of this car's complaints: 3%
typical mileage: 80,000
recalls: 0

Is there a fix? 14 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Engine overheating by model year

2015
1
2011
4
2010
2
2009
4
2008
7
2007
5
2006
2
2005
11
2004
2
2003
7
2002
1

What owners say

Filed May 28, 2013 · Steering · 180,000 miles · GA

5/18/13 - after parking the car, the power steering pump continued to operate when the key was removed from the ignition. The key was inserted back into the ignition switch and turned to the "on" position. The power steering pump stopped running. 5/28/13 - when returning to work after lunch the car started perfectly and no problems were apparent. I pulled up to a stop light and sat waiting on the light to turn green. When the light changed I started accelerating in 1st gear and noticed that the steering was very heavy. I immediately pulled over to make sure that the pump was not overheating. The pump has completely failed at this point and the car is able to drive, albeit dangerously.

Filed Jan 13, 2013 · Steering · 83,243 miles · KS

Parked vehicle in home garage and the power steering pump continued to run even when key is removed. I was familiar with this issue as many other owners have experienced it and reported. Refer to the federal safety agency action number : ea11005. The pump will continue to run until battery depletes or fire occurs. There is no cooling provided by dedicated cooling fan when vehicle is off. I disconnected the battery to stop pump from overheating.

Filed Sep 1, 2012 · Engine · 54,000 miles · NM

Water pump/super charger fail cause engine overheat. Had to replace the water pump/super charge assembly.

Filed May 15, 2012 · Steering · ID

I drove my 2003 mini cooper s to my local department of transportation to renew my driver's license. Nothing abnormal occurred on the trip to the dmv. When I got in and began to drive home, there was no power steering. Later that evening, I started the car when it was cool and the power steering was back until the car warmed up. The radiator fan and the power steering fan do not function upon doing research on the internet, I have found that this problem occurs extremely often in 2002-2007 minis. I also found, posted on a mini forum by someone claiming to be an engineer, a diagnosis of the problem. Carbon dust from the electric motor that operates the power steering pump gets into the control unit attached to it. Since the chip was not properly sealed with a lacquer, it causees a short circuit in the chip. This causes the pump to fail. Another possible cause is the failure of the cooling fan for the power steering pump. The fan can seize, stop cooling the pump, and eventually it will overheat. This also trips a fuse that stops the radiator fan. As a result, the engine can also overheat. I have determined that the fan has stopped working. Since I have only had this car since the middle of winter and the has been the only warm day I have driven it, this was the first time I noticed it. I plan to avoid the $1000 charge to have it replaced at the dealer by repairing it myself but many people are not this fortunate. I believe this design flaw can and will cause serious accidents to occur. If my mother, sister, or girlfriend had been driving my car on the highway when it failed, they would not have been able to steer resulting in a serious crash. While perusing various mini forums, I have read stories of several serious crashes. I would like to see a recall on all 2002-2007 mini coopers so that this problem can not harm someone.

Filed Feb 24, 2011 · Electrical, Engine · 80,000 miles · CO · crash

2003 mini cooper s with power steering failure. Power steering goes in and out. Car radio turns on when car is off and no key is in the engine, causing battery to drain. Once my power steering went out when I was leaving a parking area causing me to hit the car in front of me. I have not repaired damages. I have however replaced the engine due to faulty wiring in aprox 2009. A fuse that runs everything for cooling blew and gave me no warning the engine was overheating.

Filed Sep 17, 2008 · Steering · 46,769 miles · WA

The only events leading to this problem were normal, everyday driving and routine, factory recommended service. The failure appears to have initiated at the cooling fan for the electric power steering pump. When the fan seizes, the pump overheats causing an electrical short in the pump electronics. This condition causes the pump to run nonstop even with the ignition turned off and the key out. This in turn runs the battery down and can possibly lead to a fire. The dealer replaced the power steering pump, the power steering pump cooling fan as well as the battery since it's usable life was diminished from the excessive draw. Old part is not available and none of this was offered as a warranty item.

Filed Jul 5, 2007 · Steering · 65,000 miles · IL

Parking the vehicle after a 35 mi commute to work with the ignition was turned off the electro hydraulic steering pump continued to run. The only way to turn the pump off and avoid overheating was to disconnect the battery. The failure was corrected by replacement of the electo hydrolic steering pump. Old part is not available.