Loss of power steering on startup or at stop light. A message pops up indicating that the Dynamic Stability Control is re-initializing and that steering may become difficult: Drive carefully. The warning message usually appears shortly after the failure. In fact, the steering gets so stiff, that my wife can barely turn corners. The problem comes and goes unexpectedly. This is my wife's car, and it has happened to her on several other occasions. Sometimes we can reset by restarting the car, but that isn't reliable. We put the car out of ECO mode into Sport mode, so that the engine does not stop at stop lights, but the engine sometimes stops anyway. When it happened at a stop light today, we tried several restarts, but the steering remained out. Steering is worse at low speeds. Today, we stopped at a light. My wife was driving. The engine stopped and restarted, and the error message appeared. She had difficulty steering into a parking lot where I swapped places with her. I drove her home. It was difficult for me to steer around corners after today's lock up, but I drove the car to a local BMW-Mini mechanic with whom I had discussed the problem, but it never appeared at his shop. Today, we tried starting at the shop and the difficult steering persisted without an error message. He ran a quick scan indicating that some modules in the steering column were not operating properly. He said the modules were not available for replacement, and that the entire steering column might need to be replaced. Unfortunately, he was booked up until Friday. I drove home and let the car sit in the garage for a couple of hours. I started it while writing this to try to more accurately reproduce the warning messages. However, no messages appeared and the car steered easily. Clearly, sudden loss of power steering poses a danger for my family and others on the road. I've looked on the internet and discovered that others have experienced similar problems with steering in Mini Coopers.
MINI Cooper S power steering loss problems
272 of the 1,783 owner complaints about the MINI Cooper S describe loss of power steering, most of them for the 2004 model year.
- owner complaints
- 272
- worst model year
- 2004
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,200
- typical mileage
- 75,000
By model year
Often reported together
Loss of power 60Fire or smoke 7Overheating 6Engine failure 6Check engine light 4Battery drain 4Steering noise 3Won't start 2
What owners say
The contact owns a 2005 Mini Cooper S. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The contact stated that the vehicle had lost power steering assist. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that a software update was performed on the back over prevention camera. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V660000 (STEERING); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact was referred to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 175,830.
The car completely quits running while you are driving it. Check engine light comes on but car has already died. Have to coast to a stop with no power steering since the engine has died. Car will not always restart. Sometimes it will crank but not turn over. Sometimes it will restart. Today it died while I was going 65mph on the interstate a d I had to dodge across 3 lanes of traffic to get to the shoulder. Have had this exact issue before. 3 yrs ago I replaced the high pressure fuel pump for this exact same problem. This was a $1500 repair cost. Mini cooper said that 2010 mini coopers were not covered. Only minis up to tne year 2009 were covered in that safety recall so I paid out of pocket. However, mini cooper used the same part that had been recalled on my 2010. It failed in 2017 and the replacement part has now failed again. Mini cooper called it a "known" issue, but would not cover the replacement cost in 2017. Repair order number with mini cooper dealer: 262724 and part number 13-51-7-588-879
The power steering is very stiff to drive and cannot drive my cooper because I can no longer steer the vehicle.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 mini cooper s. The contact stated that while attempting to make a right turn, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The seat belt and check-engine warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the brown motor works (803‑551‑0991, located at 4041 broad river rd, columbia, sc 29210) and it was diagnosed that the power steering needed to be services. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure was intermittent. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not subjected to a recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160.000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper s. While driving various speeds, the contact experienced intermittent power steering failure. The contact associated the failure with the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v660000 (steering); however, mini of marin (5880 paradise dr, corte madera, ca 94925, (415) 887-2194) and the manufacturer were contacted and stated that the vehicle was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
Was driving the car on local roads and all of a sudden had a loss of power and steering was extremely hard to steer/turn
Power steering failure while driving both slowly pulling out of carport and at normal 35 miles per hour street speed. Steering became very difficult. Persisted until car was turned off for several minutes. Happened sporadically afterward. Issue returned and now affects the car most of the time while driving. Will happen upon starting the car, or while driving. Car only has 50,063 miles on it! Looks like power steering pump failure is causing the loss of steering. Extreamly dangerous!
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.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper s. While driving 15 MPH, the power steering failed without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the power steering pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Mag mini dublin in columbus (5825 venture dr, dublin, oh 43017, (614) 389-6854) was contacted and stated that the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v660000 (steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 103,000.
Related recalls
Steering: electric power assist system
- What is wrong
- BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2002-2005 MINI Cooper and Cooper S vehicles and 2005 Cooper and Cooper S Convertible vehicles. The affected vehicles may experience temporary or permanent loss of the electro-hydraulic steering assistance.
- Risk
- If the vehicle experiences a loss of power steering assist, extra steering effort will be required at lower speeds, potentially increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- MINI will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the electro-hydraulic power steering system, replacing the components and wiring, as necessary, free of charge. Interim notices were mailed to owners on December 10, 2015. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1‑866‑825‑1525.
Recall number 15V660000 · Recall details
Questions about the MINI Cooper S power steering loss
Which MINI Cooper S years have loss of power steering problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2004 (98 complaints), 2005 (75 complaints) and 2003 (50 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix loss of power steering on the MINI Cooper S?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,200 (median of 30 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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