Loss of power steering. At first intermittent, now complete.
2004 MINI Cooper S steering complaints
Page 5 of 8: complaints 101 to 130 of 210, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Loss of power steering assist while driving making it difficult to steer the car. At times, there would be no power steering assist; restarting the car would solve the issue. Ultimately, the issue appeared to be a built-in electrical relay in the electric power steering pump that sticks. Only replacement option was to replace the entire pump.
The power steering in my 2004 mini cooper s failed, leading to extremely difficult operation of the vehicle. At speed the car is ok, if a bit cumbersome. At low speeds or in a parking lot, a tremendous amount of effort is required to be able to control the car. At first, the problem was intermittent - restarting the car sometimes restored control. However, for the past few weeks the power steering is completely dead.
I am writing to complain about my 2004 mini cooper s power steering pump failure. I have done hours of research on the internet and have contacted half a dozen mini dealerships to find out, this is a recurring problem (on 2001-2005 models) and can be very dangerous. There is no warning (check engine light) when this part goes defective, so basically while driving the power steering just shuts off leaving about 30lbs of pressure to turn the steering wheel. Good thing I am a strong male, because I was able to stop the car on the side of the road for assistance. By no means am I sexist, but believe me this car is really hard to maneuver without power steering assistance. The cost of repairs ranges from $1000-$1500 ($800 just for the pump), plus $200 for having the car towed to the nearest garage. I believe something should be done about this issue before there are some serious injuries or even deaths.
While leaving a shopping center my power steering failed. I was about 15 miles from home and I very cautiously proceeded home. What concerns me is there is extensive evidence that this is a recurring problem with the 2003-2006 mini cooper. Some have narrowly escaped injury.
I was driving on I-65 at 62 MPH. Right as I approached the on ramp to I-265, the power steering failed. I almost did not get the wheel turned in time to make the curve. I had no warning.
The power steering fails on the car. It has happened multiple times. It can happen when you first start the car, or it can happen afteryou have been driving for some time. All of the sudden you lose your power steering and it is very difficult to steer without the power steering. I am a female and I have to use both arms to get the car to turn without the power steering. I am afraid that the power steering is going to go out at a bad time and I won't be able to get the car to turn quick enough and I could cause an accident.
I have lost the power steering in my 2004 mini cooper s at least ten times within the last month. On each occasion the power steering was absent when the car was started. After shutting down the car and restarting, the power steering came back. I took the car to the dealership to get this fixed, and they said that the power steering was not getting enough electrical power and replaced my battery. However, after leaving the dealership and while parking, the power steering failed, again. After restarting the car two times, the power steering came back on. I will be returning to the dealership this evening.
Power steering failed while driving car, causing vehicle to become much harder to steer, nearly causing accident.
Failure of power steering system in 2004 mini cooper s. Vehicle performed fine the night before, then the power steering wasn't working the next morning. This is the third instance of the problem I have encountered. The dealer said it was an electrical problem, and the best thing to do was restart the car and maybe the computer would reset itself. That worked the previous 2 times, but not this time. Now I'm out of the warranty period...
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mini cooper s. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the power steering failed and the steering wheel became very difficult to turn. The vehicle was pulled over and shut off. Upon restart, the vehicle momentarily operated as normal before the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken home and parked. The vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. The failure and current mileages were 37,854.
Power steering fails. On multiple occasions the power steering has failed, both while driving as well as after just starting the car. The problem is intermittent and I see no pattern to it's occurrence. Typically it is remedied by turning off the car and re-starting. There has been a few occasions where it will sputter in and out before it goes out completely but the most common occurrence is when I start the car, there's is no power steering.
Power steering failure while driving vehicle. Failure occurs without warning, requiring an extreme effort to turn steering wheel or maintain wheel position if failure occurs while maneuvering on a curved section of highway. Failures began as warranty expired, and is now permanent. Bmw service representatives were familiar with problem, stating that the cause was failure of the electro-hydraulic power steering pump, a non-repairable part. Bmw had the part in stock, and with installation, gave an estimate exceeding $600.00 to replace pump. Due to the cost, I have not had the repair done.
The vehicle intermittently looses power steering, making it difficult to steer. The power assist cuts out intermittently, and will occasionally come back while the vehicle is in motion, though more often it begins working the next time the car is started. The frequency is variable - it goes months without a problem and then may have the problem for several consecutive days.
May 17th while turning left at an intersection was taken by surprise at the effort suddenly needed to turn my vehicle, causing me to go wider than needed. Nearly hit another motorist turning left in other direction. Stopped to check for low fluid level and found no deficiencies. Was able to make it home where I will park the car indefinitely.
Mini cooper s 2004- power steering failure, going in and out, extremely difficult to navigate the vehicle around corners and disturbing to say the least. Have not taken it to the dealership yet, apparently this is a 'common' problem on mini coopers of this manufacturing period, according to the service department representative at the local dealership. I'm afraid that if this happens when I'm driving at a crucial moment that it will lead to an accident. Also concerned that the cost of repair (the car is not under warranty any more) will be more than I can bear as far as cost. This does not seem like a cost that should be burdened by the owner, it is an issue of safety and should be a major concern of the auto manufacturer.
Power steering pump failure.
Power steering is not reliable; sometimes works, and sometime does not. Consequently it causes dangerous situations particularly in slippery conditions. Initially the problem was barely noticeable. When consulted, mini service stated that this is not a fault but a characteristic of the mini. With time the steering got progressively less predictable. And, the problem was rectified about two years ago with replacement of the power steering pomp. One year later, the unpredictable loss of power steering returned again (sporadically), and now come (permanent) future of driving.
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 loss of power steering immediately after starting vehicle. This is much harder to steer than a car which never had power steering to begin with. Almost impossible to turn the wheel.
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.
Lost power steering intermittently last month while driving and now the fan stays on and runs the engine till the battery is dead. I need to have it jumped everytime I want to drive it. Mini stated they will not replace it for free "they don't care if there is an investigation, unit were ordered to fix it the cost is on the customer"
2004 mini cooper s power steering failed on i93 south on my way to work in boston without any warning , speed about 80 at 4:00am on the morning of 4/25/2011. Made it to work had car taken in for service at mini of peabody ma the same day and was charged $1180.00 dollars to replace steering pump. Two weeks prior on 4/8/2011 at the same dealer at their recommendation replaced steering fan and return hose as a precaution during routine maintenance charged 500.00 dollars. Friday 4/22/2011 car was at same dealer to have the catalytic converter replaced followed by their usual test drive , there was no mention of any steering problem at that time nor did I experience any problem with the steering on my way back home after repair. My concern is if this had happened with out warning on an off ramp or when my wife or daughter were driving the out come could have been much different. I paid an extra 60.00 dollars to keep the old pump.
I have a 2004 mini cooper s with approx 80k miles. The power steering randomly and intermittently fails to work. This problem has occurred approximately six times during the last two months. I intend to replace the power steering pump, but am told that this may happen again, even with replaced pump.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mini cooper s. The contact was driving 40 MPH when the power steering malfunctioned and the vehicle became extremely difficult to steer. The contact took the vehicle to a local mechanic where he was advised that the power steering pump and the rack of the rack and pinion would need replacing. The mechanic replaced both the rack and power steering pump. The failure mileage was 70,000.
Acute loss of power steering in my 2004 mini cooper s. I was driving normally and was pulling onto the interstate when the steering became very difficult. I was able to continue to steer the vehicle but it required a great deal of effort. I've been told by my mechanic that it doesn't involve the failure of the power steering pump fan...the fan has been tested and is working ok. The cost for the repair is going to be approximately $1160. My mechanic has told me that failure of the p. S. Pump in this year and model mini cooper is common.
2004 mini cooper s. Consumer is seeking reimbursement for the replacement of the power steering pump.
For the past year, my mini cooper s has had several sudden power losses in the power steering, resulting in the car becoming difficult to control. It has been looked at by a mini service department, who knew about the problem, but did not inform me. My warranty was called in, and they did not authorize its repair either. I live in a remote area, with a driving need for 3-4 hours for medical care. This drive is through canyons and over mountains, so the loss of steering control is in no way an option, and may also result in an accident causing injury or worse, death. I have documentation that the complaint was made to mini by me, and yesterday, received confirmation that they did, in fact, know about the problem.
While driving my 2004 mini cooper s the power assisted steering seems to quit working. This has happened in the past and then the power assist begins working on its own and may work for quite a while then unexpectedly will stop working again. When this happens the steering becomes very difficult and requires a great deal of extra effort to turn. Many times it only stops working for one or two turns then the power assist pump begins working again. In the fall of 2010 I had to install a power steering pump "cooling fan" because it failed but the pump continues to intermittently stop working.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mini cooper s. While driving approximately 40 MPH, the steering wheel became very stiff and difficult to turn. The contact also stated that the steering wheel was stuck in a partially turned position but the vehicle continued to drive straight forward. The vehicle was towed to the contacts place of residence and was neither diagnosed nor repaired for the failure. The failure and current mileages were 105,683.
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