2004 MINI Cooper S: battery drain or dead battery

5 of the 247 complaints about the 2004 MINI Cooper S describe battery drain or dead battery.

owner complaints: 5
of this car's complaints: 2%
typical mileage: 87,860
recalls: 0

Is there a fix? 5 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Battery drain or dead battery by model year

2005
4
2004
5
2003
2
2002
3

What owners say

Filed Jul 7, 2012 · Steering · 94,000 miles · HI

Driving on freeway, steering suddenly became very difficult. Later went back to normal. A month later the power steering pump continues to run after vehicle switched off, draining battery dead.

Filed Feb 27, 2012 · Electrical, Steering · 87,860 miles · CA

While exiting the freeway the steering suddenly and without warning became extremely heavy taking significantly more effort then normal to just move the wheel slightly. The next day the power steering worked normally but the fan on the power steering pump continued to run after the engine was turned off. After 5 minutes in a parking lot it had drained the battery to the point where it struggled to start the engine. When I returned home I was forced to disconnect the battery until I can get it serviced.

Filed Jul 30, 2011 · Steering · 93,000 miles · OH

2004 mini cooper s first had an issue that drained the battery. Once power was restored and the car was driven and then shut off, there was a whirring noise, similar to a fan running, that continued after the key had been removed from the ignition. This noise and the apparent power drain continues until the battery is drained once more. Following these issues, the mini began to become more and more difficult to steer. It is diagnosed as a power steering failure that is apparently common among this generation of mini cooper. No accidents, injuries, or fires have occurred due to this failure, however the car is not safe to drive until parts are replaced.

Filed Feb 5, 2011 · Steering · 67,700 miles · FL

1. 04 mini cooper s power steering failure while driving. Occasionally while driving the pump will loose power and steering will be very difficult. Power steering fan stays on after vehicle is turned off which tends to drain the battery. 2. Eventually the pump started leaking and fan stop working needing replacement. Loss all power steering while driving. 3. Replaced pump and fan with new units and problem is temporarily fixed but problem has come back. Noticing the same symptoms from #.1 post happening again.

Filed Feb 1, 2011 · Steering · 39,000 miles · CA

2004 mini cooper s, power steering failure. I have experienced intermittent failure of power steering in my 2004 mini cooper s. This has occurred seemingly at random and causes great difficulty with steering the vehicle. This creates an unsafe driving condition in which it is difficult to control the vehicle. This has happened several times in a given day or sometimes only once in a week. The failure has occurred at various times of operation, including immediately after starting the car in the morning, mid-commute, and at the end of a long drive. The only consistency is that it seems to occur just after putting the car in reverse, then back in 1st gear (though not every time). Power steering is almost always restored by turning ignition off and back on- not a safe action in most of my driving circumstances. On one occasion the power steering pump continued to run audibly after the vehicle was turned off, threatening to drain the battery. This lasted for about 20 minutes and was only resolved by driving the car again for about five minutes. When the car was turned off again, the pump finally shut off.