Power steering pump fan got lower in tone, harder to turn but hasn't failed yet. Looking up the issue on several sites, this is a common issue with this part failing. I contacted the local dealer which I originally bought it from and no recalls were shown for it - for the us. Canada however got a recall and they are fixing the problem there free of charge.
2004 MINI Cooper steering complaints
Page 4 of 9: complaints 71 to 100 of 238, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mini copper. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the power steering assist failed. The contact shut off the vehicle and upon restarting, the power steering assist had independently reset. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but the dealer was unable to locate the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 111,000 and the current mileage was 112,005.
While driving on the interstate the power steering stopped working. The steering became very uncomfortable and the first exit we approached we stopped and checked fluid levels, everything was fine. Restarted the car and power steering was working again after a few miles power steering stopped working again. Car is much harder to steer when the pump goes out than if equipped with manual steering. Very dangerous when vehicle is at slower speeds because of the amount of effort it requires to turn.
Our 2004 mini cooper has begun to exhibit intermittent power steering failures usually after being at rest or at very low speeds. If the car is turned off and restarted, the power steering starts up again but the problem has begun occurring more and more frequently.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mini copper. The contact was traveling 35 MPH when the power steering failed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The dealer stated that the power steering pump needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was 105,000.
My 2004 mini cooper intermittently loses it's power steering and is extremely difficult to control. This usually happens when the engine is not yet warmed but sometimes happens randomly. It is very difficult to maintain control when turning and today I just missed a pedestrian turning a corner in a crowded downtown area.
I was attempting to merge on to a major highway when my power steering failed, causing my vehicle to be temporarily out of my control. Due to the loss of steering, I was unable to safely maneuver the car into traffic and was forced to use both my parking brake and my regular foot brake to stop the vehicle before I collided with a traffic light. The vehicle stopped approximately 5-10 feet from a traffic light pole and placed me in the center of the intersection where other motorists were attempting to gain access to the on ramp. After several seconds, the powersteering reengaged and I was able to continue, without incident. I am lucky to be alive, and thankful that it was not my death the prompted some concrete action by both your agency and bmw. This is the third time my power steering unit has failed. The first two times were less than one second each and occurred when the car was stationary making it difficult to diagnose. Some how canada has forced bmw to issue at the very least an extended warranty on this specific part, how is it that the us is so far behind?
I experienced a failure where the steering wheel became very difficult to turn and would not return to center after turning. Fortunately this occurred first at a very low speed. I drove straight to the dealer which had replaced the electric power steering pump 1,300 miles earlier. This failure was determined by the dealer to be binding of the lower steering shaft and it was replaced.
Power steering has been going in and out for 3 years, getting worse.
The vehicle had been acting strange for the last couple of months, the steering would become heavy at times, and on the other occasions would work just fine. A trip to the dealership revealed that the power steering pump had failed. This seems like a known issue with most of the 2004 mini coopers, a defective part was put into the car while manufacting. Mini is not taking any responsibility of it, and the dealership is asking for $1200 to replace it. Due to the power pump failure, the temparature rises and may have caused damage to a few hoses around that area.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mini cooper cv. The contact was driving 40 MPH when the power steering failed, without warning, while making a turn. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 50,000.
Sudden loss of all steering assist at speed, resulting in alarming loss of control of vehicle.
I was on my way home from making some errands, went to turn left and I thought the car had cut off or something. Because it didn't want to turn right, but to my surprise it was running. So I manage to turn it before I hit the curb. When I got home I was able to see what was wrong. The power steering quit working. I let the car cool a little and got back in it and the power steering was working again. Come to find out the power steering works for about 10 minutes and goes out, until it cools off. I started looking on the internet and found out I'm not the only one with this problem. This is very dangerous and I mean dangerous. I called my mini dealer to see if there were a recall on this problem and they said there wasn't. But I did see they had a mini dealer notice for them to look out for this problem, but not fix for free. So we need a recall before someone gets killed or hurt, if it hasn't already happened. Thank you, [xxx] *js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)
I was driving to a friend's house approx. 20 miles away. On a turn, the car steering was almost non responsive. I managed the turn and turned my car off. When I restarted it, the power steering was back but only for a short time. I had to stop and start my car a few more times to get to my destination. The problem occurred closer to my destination then my home so it was safer to go there. It easily could have been the cause of an accident, especially on that first turn off of a 65 MPH road. I'm not that strong. It took everything I had not to go in the ditch. Luckily nothing was coming. I took my car in for service today. They replaced the power steering pump. There was no lead up to this incident. I had power steering and in a second, I didn't.
Lost power steering at highway speed due to power steering pump failure. Short circuit or fire melted power steering pump wiring harness. Damage was caused to other portions of electrical wiring harness by fire, resulting in blown fuses. Upon removing key from ignition at roadside, engine kept running until battery was disconnected.
The power steering is not working. I am a 280 pound man and I can barely turn . Also while driving at times it feels harder to turn, once again like power steering not working.
Power steering pump failure at 127,000 miles.
While driving my 04 mini cooper at freeway speed, I suddenly lost power steering assist. I can still drive the vehicle, but it is very difficult to turn. I took the vehicle to a local repair shop and was told the new power steering pump alone will cost me over 600 dollars. This does not include the labor and other miscellaneous costs associated with replacing the unit. The repair will cost me in excess of 1000 dollars, which I can not afford at this moment. I understand that multiple complaints relating to the power steering system in the 04 mini cooper have been filed. However, I have not seen a recall regarding this issue. I would like to know if you foresee a recall for this issue, and would appreciate any help you can offer. Thank you for your time and consideration.
At 35 MPH I noticed intermittent loss of power steering (ps). I was diving on 2 lane winding country road with no shoulders and ended up in the oncoming lane before I regained control. Luckily was no traffic at the time. The most terrifying thing is when ps it's dead for a while and then suddenly comes back on. If you are in a corner, because you've just been muscling the steering wheel, and ps comes back you will be suddenly over-steer and veer out of your lane.
My power steering failed as I was driving during rush hour on a major highway into washington, dc. The wheel was not locked, but it became extremely difficult to turn the wheel in any direction, which was very dangerous as traffic was going 70mph. I was able to pull the car off at an exit, and stop it on the shoulder. I turned off the engine and re-started the car, at which time the power steering appeared to work normally again. This was the most recent incident of this type, but there have been at least ten. In other instances, the power steering fails during parallel parking in the tight spaces on city streets. This is unpredictable, however -- months can pass with no problem, and then it starts again.
Lost power steering when driving on the freeway. Feels like the steering locks up but can still steer when using a lot of strength. Since first incident, this has happened again several times. Usually after driving for about five minutes.
While driving approx 35 MPH my mini suddenly felt as if I had several flat tires. I pulled over and checked all my tires. I had no power steering, it was extremely difficult to steer the mini. (I have driven cars in the past without power steering) it took all my strength to drive the mini to my destination. I turned off the mini and called my husband. When I restarted the mini I had power steering. It concerns me that the power steering when out while driving without any warning.
Driving car on highway rounding curve, power steering failed completely.
Power steering failed while in traffic jam. Vehicle extremely hard to steer. Fourth incident of this happening. This is the second complaint filed with the federal safety agency. Owner was contacted by bmw in august 2011 for complaint review, but owner has not heard back from them and cannot get through to telephone number given by bmw.
Power steering pump fail. No check engine light or any warning light. Found out that its not working while driving!!! I couldn't turn my steering wheel it became very stiff. Its very dangerous and very expensive to replace. About $900 for the part only!
My power steering went out today while driving. It was one of the most scary experiences I have ever had. I adore my little car, but today it made me so scared I am not sure I am ok driving her any more. While driving on a local road, I noticed than my steering wheel was very stiff. I started to turn into the left-turn lane and could barely do it, then tried to turn left and almost hit the cars around me because I had to use all of my strength to make the turn. My power steering went without any warning, none. I have never experienced something like this before, I had no idea what was happening. I immediately looked online when I got home to learn more about what happened and how much this repair will cost and was amazed and very disappointed to see so many similar accounts by other 2004 cooper owners. I feel lucky after reading others stories that it happened to me on a local road close to home. I also just looked in my file and see that my power steering cooling fan was replaced 9 months ago when my car was at the dealership for other repairs. Mini / bmw, how can you ignore this incredible issue and danger?
While driving the power steering inexplicably went out without warning making steering and controlling the vehicle difficult. The problem was potentially quite dangerous due to its unexpected nature. If I was not traveling straight at the time of the failure which showed itself as I began my next turn and had begun a turn when the system failed it would have been almost impossible to control the car. Serious and dangerous issue.
Steering became difficult while driving requiring full arm strength to turn wheel. An accident could easily have occurred if other vehicles were in the area where I was turning. Vehicle now requires wide radius to turn. A very dangerous situation. I have a strong upper body but anyone driving 2004/05 minis with this steering problem should take care and have dealership fix and pay for the repair.
I bought this vehicle new in 2004, and have had consistent problems with the steering, most recently on friday, march 9, 2012. I have taken it to the mini cooper dealer at least four times for this problem. The power steering pump has been replaced, so has the steering column, as well as the lower steering shaft spindle. Still, the power steering function goes out without warning. It is exceedingly dangerous and I have to drive this car to do my job, and I'm spooked by it.
Intermittent power steering failure. Power steering pump remains on after shutting off the car and drains the battery.
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