Dear sir/madam, today (9/29/2010) I saw a news item, "(cnnmoney.com) -- the federal safety agency has opened an investigation into possible power steering failures in mini cooper cars" and felt compelled to add to the existing complains regarding the dangerously defective power steering electrohydraulic pump in my 2005 mini cooper s. While driving in the city, average speed of 25 to 35 MPH, the power assistance provided by the power steering went down to zero, totally unassisted, without any previous warning whatsoever, making the steering of the vehicle extremely difficult, almost impossible, while going around a roundabout (traffic circle) at no more than 25 MPH. Consequentially I was unable to steer first right and the left around the circle, my passenger side front wheel striking the right side curb at the point that I needed to turn left, damaging both the wheel and the tire, and possibly the suspension (macpherson strut). And I ask you, what if I had to steer to avoid a mother pushing a baby stroller, or even an errant dog or cat at the moment the power steering assistance decided to quit? What if the failure occurred at a higher speed while merging on a freeway? I consider bmw/mini to be totally responsible for any deaths or injuries and property damages related to their negligent failure to engineer a properly working power steering pump (an known problem as the newer models have done away with the electrohydraulic pump in favor of a totally electrical assisted steering). I also urge you to look into the failure rate of the power steering fan due to its absurd location (under the car unprotected from the dirt, water, stones,etc. 5-6 inches from the road) an afterthought of a solution that bmw/mini used to resolve the previously known to them power steering pump failure. My car has 27,000 miles, and is dealer maintained since new. I urge you to take action regarding this problem before something more tragic happens. Thank you.
2005 MINI Cooper S steering complaints
Page 8 of 8: complaints 191 to 212 of 212, newest first, as owners wrote them.
2005 mini cooper s power steering assistance suddenly disappearing from time to time, at least once a month. So far I avoided accident but this can be dangerous. I heard it happens to a lot of minis, but there is no recall issued.
On sept. 19, 2010, my 2005 mini cooper s had been parked in a garage for about 10 hours. When I went to leave, I found that the power steering was not working at all and I had to really muscle it to drive it. I'd never had a problem with it before. Because I had to get to where I was going, I drove it very carefully. After about forty minutes, I stopped at a service area to use the restroom. When I came back out and started my car up, the power steering was working again. Since then, I've had no problem with it. I had planned on mentioning this to my mechanic when I go in to have my brakes done in the next week. But then my husband forwarded me a news story about the power steering issue and I figured that I should report mine.
My power steering is going out. Upon my own investigation I have learned that this is a common problem. Should such a vital piece to having control of the car be a problem? No. Cost of repair is $1,070 as quoted from my dealer.
Power steering pump failed while driving on freeway over snoqualmie pass. Since it is a windy road, steering became difficult.
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper s. The contact stated that the power steering failed suddenly with no prior warning. A local mechanic stated that the electronic power steering pump failed which caused the failure. The VIN was unavailable. The current and failure mileages were approximately 51,000.
2005 mini cooper s (bmw) power steering unit failure - vehicle has less than 50,000 miles.
I noticed a strange noise coming from the passenger side wheel area. Took the car to the dealer and power steering pump failure was diagnosed.
I started my car after it had been sitting parked for a few days, to find that my power steering had completely failed. The car was next to impossible to drive - but I had to move it to avoid it being towed. While able to maneuver the car with great difficulty, this unpredictable failure could have been catastrophic had I been driving on the highway, or in a densely populated area requiring quick steering reactions. This seems to be an endemic problem. See this thread on the mini north american motoring discussion pages: http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/stock-problems-issues/74213-the-great-power-steering-pump-failure-problems-thread-22.html.
Power steering intermittently turned on and off during the normal operation of the car three times since purchase ten months ago. The actual failure of the power steering pump occurred on 8/16/2010 when the relay within the unit failed and would not turn the pump off even when the cars engine was off. The result was a drained battery and the car was unable to be jump started because the power steering pump turned on and continued to drain power as soon as it was connected to power even with the engine off and the key out of the ignition. This is very dangerous as the steering wheel is nearly impossible to turn when the pump shuts down and all three occurrences were when traveling at highway speeds in excess of 55 MPH. Also when the car is off the cooling fan is also off and the pump heats up to the point where there is a very real risk of engine fire. The car was towed to a mechanic to have the power steering pump and the cooling fan replaced. The work is not yet completed but the estimated cost is 1,700 usd. This appears to be a recurring problem with mini coopers as the number of forums devoted to and persons reporting this issue on the forums are astounding.
Pulled into a bookstore came back 30min later, tried to pull out of the parking lot and there was no power steering. My wife isn't quite strong enough - so I had to drive it the rest of the way home. Very sudden and without warning, could have been much worse. Power steering pump failure.
There were no "events" leading up to this. Sudden failure of power steering pump as I turned off the highway onto a city side street - no notice, just complete failure of component. The failure left the vehicle with no power steering - only manual "arm strong" steering until repaired. Personally replaced the pump with new part - no support from dealer or manufacture.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper s. As he was making a left turn at 5 MPH, the power steering pump locked without warning and caused uncontrollable hard steering. The dealer advised that the power steering pump would need to be replaced. The manufacturer advised there were no recalls and the failure was normal for his year, make and model. The contact advised the vehicle would be replaced by an independent mechanic. The failure and current mileages were 70,000.
I bought a 2005 mini cooper in sept 09 with 61,450 miles. Several months later the steering "cut out" as I turned a corner. I took it to our mechanic who couldn't find anything wrong & said that it may just be that a speck of dirt that got into the system. It happened a couple more times and I assumed that the "dirt" was working its way out. Then I had a dramatic incident where not only did the steering suddenly and unexpectedly cut out, but there was tremendous "drag" on the system and it took all my might & main to turn the steering wheel. Trying to make a right turn I found myself in the opposite lane. I took the car back to the mechanic who eventually got the car to fail for him. He told me to go to a mini service center who could deal with the faulty electronics. I called mini of america to ask for assistance in making the car "right" but I was told that cars break, that it is beyond the 50,000 warranty and that if the car was unsafe, I should have it fixed. The rep said that "maybe" they would pay for part of the problem after it was diagnosed. I then spoke with a mechanic at a mini service center who knew immediately what was wrong. He said this is a common problem with minis before 2007 ----first the problem is intermittent, then the electronics completely fail. Paying for maintenance and repairs for a car that I own is my responsibility but I believe that a car manufacturer is obligated to put out a safe car. If this is a design error, then the company should make it right. When I turn the wheel, I need to trust the electronics to respond -- because my life and the lives of my passengers depends on it. I think that mini should be required to insure that the computer that governs steering operates properly. At present I have a car that sits driveway because it is too dangerous to drive. I am making a trip to a city that has a service center in two weeks and I am hoping that mini corrects this problem with no expense to me.
Intermittent complete loss of power steering. Now is no longer working. Has caused very serious situations and potential accident.
2005 mini cooper s; while driving at highway speed 60 MPH going around a bend on the highway complete failure of power steering car was very difficult to maneuver and almost crashed into median.
Owner parked mini cooper at store went inside. While in store, heard over intercom that her vehicle was on fire. She went outside and saw flames underneath front of vehicle. Fire went out before fire department arrived. Investigation found that electro-hydraulic power steering system wiring had overheated and burned only - nothing else ignited. The damage was consistent with the previous ea analysis ea07-011 pertaining to 2002-2003 mini coopers.
The power steering on my 2005 mini copper s foes out intermittently which could potentially cause a terrible accident. I refuse to pay more than 1,000euros (since I serve overseas) to fix a "known" problem that bmw mini chooses to ignore despite the valid complaints from all over the world....
2005 mini cooper s. Approximately 63,000 miles. October 22, 2009. I had just gotten home from work and parked in the garage. Going in the house I smelled something burning. After a couple minutes of investigating in the house, I decided to go back into the garage, and find that it is a little smokey. I open the garage door and back the mini out onto the driveway. Now there is smoke streaming from under the hood. I can hear spinning/clicking noises coming from the engine compartment. I open the hood and see flames coming out of the back of the engine, below the exhaust manifold. I emptied 3 fire extinguishers into the engine bay and it was still burning. Called 911. By the time the fire department came, the fire had burned itself out. I was extremely fortunate that I went back into the garage within minutes to investigate, otherwise it could've been a huge car fire and potentially fire damage to the garage and house as well.
Power steering pump fan seized. Per dealership and independent mechanic, most common mini repair. Problem is that seized fan motor continues to draw power which drains battery. Had to have car jumped by aaa to get it started to bring in for repair. Now all the dashboard electrical functions are malfunctioning: no speedometer/tach/gas gage read out. In excess of $2k to fix plus already paid $400 for new power steering fan and battery, hoping that was all that was needed.
Power steering unit stopped working driving normal highway conditions resulting in very difficult driving/handling. Car has 48,000 miles and has been serviced on schedule. Unit's fluids were normal and driving conditions were a normal commute. Potentially a very dangerous condition.
Auto was parked in driveway after a 30 mile drive, turned off and keys removed. After some time being parked, car started billowing smoke from under the hood. Dash lights came on, parking lights came on spontaneously. No keys present in the vehicle. Before I was able to disconnect the battery the apparent short circuit had drained the battery. Vehicle was towed to mini of peabody ma where it was determined the electro-hydraulic power steering pump had shorted out causing the wiring harness to be destroyed and also destroying the battery.
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