2003 MINI Cooper S: loss of power steering

Filed Nov 15, 2017 · Steering · 150,000 miles · OH · crash · 1 injury

I was approaching a corner on a back road and half way through the power steering failed which caused the car to go off the road rolling two and a half times landing on the roof.

Filed Jul 12, 2017 · Electrical, Steering · 110,000 miles · OK · crash · fire

Power steering went out without warning, causing loss of control while vehicle was in motion; mini USA advised it was still driveable, but to be cautious due to lack of control/power steering; when parked, smoke began to plume from under hood where a fire was noticed in back of engine. Called mini USA back and they advised us to not drive vehicle, as it was a safety hazard. Contacted mini to set up recalled part (hydraulic power steering), but they were not willing to have car towed to dealer (120 miles from my residence).

Filed Mar 16, 2016 · Steering · 213,000 miles · ID · crash · 3 injuries

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mini cooper s. While driving 40 MPH and attempting to make a turn, the power steering failed. As a result, the contact crashed into the rear of another vehicle. A police report was filed. The contact sustained contusions to the face and lost a tooth. The occupants of the other vehicle sustained unknown injuries. Medical attention was not required. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 213,000.

Filed Feb 5, 2016 · Steering · GA

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mini cooper s. While driving at various speeds, the steering became very difficult to maneuver. After turning off and restarting the vehicle 30 minutes later, the power steering returned to normal, but then failed again. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the electro-hydraulic power steering failed and needed to be replaced. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v660000 (steering); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the dealer wanted to charge for the repair because of the mileage on the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 181,000. Vin tool confirms parts not available.

Filed Jun 16, 2014 · Steering · 27,000 miles · CA

I was driving down the street and was going to make a right to turn, slowed down to say hi to my roommate who was leaving and went out of gear when I went back in my steering was extremely stiff and I could barely move the wheel.

Filed Jan 28, 2014 · Steering · 83,000 miles · SC

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mini copper s. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH, the power steering assist failed without warning. The vehicle was maneuvered into a parking space where the contact shut off and restarted the engine. The vehicle was able to be driven to the contact's place of residence but had not been taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnosis of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 83,000.

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 Mar 11, 2013 · Steering · 123,000 miles · MI

In september 2011, I was driving my 2003 mini cooper s at 55mph on a rural two lane highway when I experienced a momentary loss power steering of power steering. This resulted in the wheel becoming very difficult to turn. When power steering returned (without warning), my car swerved but I was able to keep it on the road. This happened several times over the next 20 miles before I lost power steering and it did not return.when I arrived home, I checked the power steering pump and it was non-operational. I replaced the pump and its dedicated cooling fan. In august 2012 (125000 miles), I again lost power steering at highway speeds. The second failure was identical to the first (suddenly came and went before cutting out and not returning).

Filed Nov 12, 2012 · Steering · 113,000 miles · PA

Driving home from work getting off the turnpike to take my exit right, my 2003 mini cooper kept going straight. Very frightening experience as I could not turn the wheel coming off highway speeds. There is no warning at all when this happens, you just cannot turn the wheel to negotiate your turn. I've driven cars without power steering, but when you have an electric power steering failure it is impossible to steer this car. Bmw must take responsibility for this well documented dangerous failure and do the right thing or someone is going to get seriously hurt and/or hurt someone else. Cost to fix the steering pump failure - $1200.00.

Filed Oct 12, 2012 · Steering · 73,000 miles · PA

The power steering pump fails causing a loss of power steering in my vehicle while driving. This sporadically occurs while driving causing a safety hazard as it becomes very difficult to steer the vehicle.

Filed Sep 1, 2012 · Steering · 64,000 miles · NM

Complete power steering failure. Faulty/failed pump internal control circuitry.

Filed Aug 5, 2012 · Steering · 122,000 miles · NC

After leaving the highway and negotiating the off ramp, the power steering simply stopped working. The steering became extremely difficult so I pulled over, shut the car off and lifted hood to inspect. The was no visual indication of issues an fluid level is fine. After restarting the steering worked fine again. Several days later the same situation occurred in the middle of a corner, it was all I could to maintain control through the corner. I read where there was some "opinions" that if power steering cooling fan was bad it could cause this to happen so I replaced. Still happens intermittently. I will likely pull the steering unit to inspect but the biggest issue is it gives a false sense of security. When you restart the engine everything seems ok so you continue, sometimes for weeks. The problem is that the failure can occur in the middle of a turn and cause a serious accident. There is also no lighted indication of the failure on your dash, so you don,t expect it. This will end up killing someone if it hasn't already.