I had parked my car at a donut shop and when I came out and started the car and go, it was very hard to turn. I had to call a friend to help me tow it to my house.
2004 MINI Cooper steering complaints
Page 3 of 9: complaints 41 to 70 of 238, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Power steering pump failure.
2004 mini cooper. Consumer requests assistance for hazardous vehicle transmission and steering wheel. *smd the consumer stated the vehicle stalled while driving on a busy highway.
The steering became very tight and the steering wheel was very hard to turn. The sudden loss of power steering was very scary at normal street speeds. Shutting off the car and restarting it will return the steering to normal only for a little bit...after a few minutes the power steering is gone again.
Loss of power steering on my 2004 mini cooper. This problem comes an goes and my local service station said the pump has a crack.
Power steering failure. Unknown cause.
While driving on i95 going around a curve, my steering column locked up. I was able to pull over to the shoulder. It has happened a few times but I was able to pull over and wasn't sure what to tell my mechanic since it was so random. This weekend as I drove through an intersection making a left turn, with my children in the car, it locked up after months of not recurring. I was able to stop in time before colliding with oncoming cars at the red light but it was very scary for all of us. I am appalled mini has not issued a recall considering the precious lives that are at stake. I suppose it will take a fatality for someone to recall this defective part.
Power steering went out as we were driving down the road. Almost caused an accident. Power steering still out. I just read up and it seems everyone's waiting for the recall. This is dangerous!!
Driving off-ramp at 35 MPH power steering stopped functioning and steering became really hard, lights went off, AC stopped working, and lots of engine lights came up, almost crashed when turning a corner and engine started failing.....got home and shut off car, when tried to turn on again, it failed to start.......
2004 mini cooper occasionally would lose power steering once every couple months after a few years of owning it. Turning off car and starting it back up would always resolve it. While driving down highway at 60mph, lost power steering. Could not pull over immediately. Took exit ramp with a sharp curve, could barely make it around the curve, ended up on the shoulder. Easily could have been an accident, or worse.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mini cooper. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH, the power steering failed. The vehicle was shutdown and restarted and after a few minutes, operated as designed. The vehicle had not been diagnosed by a mechanic but the contact was sure that the power steering pump was the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified but offered no assistance. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure and current mileage was 91,000.
I was driving home on the high way from my friends house , when all of the sudden my steering got hard and I was going about 65mph, I pulled over and shut my car off wondering what had happened, turned it back on and it worked fine but it felt like it was getting hard, again like it would get hard and let go real quick , started driving really slow until my nearest exit and it got really hard before I got off the highway, and it stayed that way until I got home and its been happening since.
Power steering pump failed at speed. Was very difficult to control the vehicle and presented a hazard to me and the vehicles around me. This is a common and known issue on many minis of similar year, should not occur to due the safety hazards.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mini cooper. The contact stated that the power steering assist failed intermittently and the steering wheel became hard to turn. The failure occurred for a brief moment and the steering returned to normal function. However, the failure became permanent over time. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and a diagnostic was performed. The failure was located at the power steering pump. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 88,416 and the current mileage was 88,570.
Power steering has failed on 2004 mini copper twice. This is the second occurrence in 1.75 years. This is a safety concern especially as a city driver where the need exists to parallel park, park in parking decks, and driving and turning on narrow streets with traffic. There is not always the option to make a wide turn. Model years 04 and 05 have this issue and mini has not addressed. In addition they have not made it an affordable repair.
Backing out of parking space and upon shifting from reverse to drive and starting forward power steering went out. Very difficult to operate car due to difficulty steering.
My 2004 mini cooper has had multiple incidents where the power steering pump fails. It has failed numerous times, some even while driving. The problem starts if the steering wheel is cranked all the way for a tight turn, gradual turn or does not turn on when the car starts. Sometime the pump will reset if the car if shut off then on again or the pump regains pressure. I have checked the pump itself, there are no leaks, fluid is filled to the appropriate level and no other issues have come up. This is a very dangerous thing to have happen while driving and needs to be resolved. It is a costly repair that I find bmw should assist with being that the pump appears to be faulty.
While driving home as I turned into my street the steering power suddenly went out causing me to drive into the incoming traffic lane, luckily there were no vehicles but if there would have been any vehicles I could have been in a front collision. The fact that this happens while driving makes this issue extremely dangerous.
The power steering cut out while driving around town. After driving further about 20 minutes, power steering returned. Power steering now acts erratically, operating sometimes and not others. Power steering periodically does not operate.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 mini cooper. While driving approximately 40 MPH, the power steering failed without warning. The contact was able to continue driving. On a separate occasion the contact noticed that the electric power steering pump remained in continuous operated although the engine was turned off. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who advised that the power steering pump would need to be replaced, which posed a fire hazard. The power steering pump was disconnected. There was a concurrent investigation under the federal safety agency action number: ea11005 (steering:electric power assist system) that could have been related to the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mini cooper. While driving approximately 65 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The contact shut off the engine and after restarting, the vehicle regained power steering capabilities. The power steering continued to fail intermittently. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 96,000.
12-4-10: the power steering pump kept running after the car was off and drained the battery in 2 hours. Sept., 2012: two incidents of power steering loss while driving. First time I had no power steering when I started the car. I drove a short distance, stopped and restarted the car and the power steering worked. Second time I lost power steering briefly while driving at low speed. My mechanic found that the power steering fan had seized and replaced it. When he took it for a test drive, the power steering pump was making a loud noise. He replaced the pump as well and the problems were corrected.
Power steering goes out suddenly and unexpectedly making the vehicle extremely hard to turn and steer. Has happened 3x in two days. Happened one time a year or more ago and I thought it was a fluke. This is now no fluke. When I restart the vehicle (so far) it has come back, but I cannot reliably drive this vehicle this way. Canada ordered a recall on this same issue and mini is fixing and extending the warranty to 200,000km. Seems only fair that us drivers get the same treatment. It is a dangerous situation and not one we can afford to let go unsolved.
As I was driving 40 MPH on my local 2-lane road, my power steering suddenly failed with no warning whatsoever. I returned carefully home and left the car parked in my driveway until I could contact my local mini dealer (prestige mini in mahwah, nj). When I got into the car to take it to the dealer, the power steering was suddenly working again. Prestige mini claims that my strut towers ($645) and lower control arm bushings (also $645) were shot and needed replacing. The advisor told me verbally that it had nothing to do with the power steering pump and/or the power steering pump fan, but so far I cannot get prestige to reply via email (in writing) that this is true.
My power steering failed. Cause unconfirmed as yet, but this apparently is a known problem. Power steering started again when I restarted the car, but now the pump motor (or perhaps the fan) won't shut off and there is no fuse to disable. Must disconnect the battery to shut it off and avoid draining the battery. Steering did not lock up, but very difficult to overcome the rack-and-pinion steering linkage resistance.
Power steering failed as I was returning from taking my child to the airport. The car power steering cooling fan stayed on after I turned off the car and drained the battery. The problem was diagnosed as a failed power steering pump. The car was towed to a mechanic and the power steering pump was replaced as was the dead battery. The total cost was over $1700.
Intermittent problem with the power steering going out after the engine warms up. This has happened now 4 times with very difficult steering. No loss of fluid on the pavement or squealing noises. After engine cools down, power steering again works.
The power steering failed, common problem in 2004 mini cooper. Canada has issued a recall in january 2012.
Power steering/steering pump showing signs of failing, first noticed in a crowded parking lot.
I was yielding to make a left turn on green. The car was in neutral. It was a relatively hot day. When I went to go I shifted into gear and immediately found it difficult to turn. As I furthered down the road to my event and was ushered into the parking lot by traffic control, the power steering diminished more and more as I drove on. By time I got to a parking space, I could just barely turn into my spot. A few hours after the event I turned on my car and it drove as normal again. After this powersteering failure I had a power steering fluid flush done. It has been a bit over a year since the first time it happened, but in the past two weeks I've lost my power steering about ten times. It's always when I'm at a slow speed or stopped. Usually shutting the engine on and off again will solve the problem but once it did not. I left the car alone for a few hours and when I went to drive it again it was like normal. It has not always been hot when my power steering fails. I keep my car in a garage so it is seldom baking in the sun. When the power steering goes, it feels as if the car is gripping back and gets progressively worse as I continue to drive. I am not an aggressive driver and I live in a flat area where driving is a simple task.
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