The power steering system failed as the vehicle approached and entered a "roundabout" circle. The system not only stopped providing steering assist, but the steering wheel stayed in the right turn position (did not return to center) which caused the vehicle to veer off the road surface. The power steering system has completed failed in the vehicle, which makes the car very difficult to drive (especially my for wife who was operating the vehicle when the initial failure occurred). Do to the non-functional power steering system, when making either left or right hand turns, the steering wheel stays in the turned position which requires the driver to quickly maneuver the car to prevent it from continuing to veer off of the road surface ~ this condition is present at all speeds with all degrees of steering input. In simple terms: if the steering wheel is fully turned "hard" to the left, it will stay in that position causing the vehicle to continue turning and will not start its return to the center "straight" position without input from the driver. Aside from the complete loss of steering assist (which makes normal steering very difficult at all speeds), the steering wheel positional issue (as noted above) introduces a very unsafe operating condition for the driver and vehicle.
2004 MINI Cooper steering complaints
Page 6 of 9: complaints 131 to 160 of 238, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The power steering failed on my 2004 mini cooper with no notice in city traffic. I was driving all of a sudden lost power steering which nearly caused an accident in heavy traffic. I had to have the power steering pump replaced for $1144.11 and found it was a very common problem.
It was so scary to not be able to make turns on freeway! On my way back from work san francisco, I started experiencing very stiff power steering half way and the situation got worse and worse. To the end I almost couldn't make turns. I barely can finally park the car in front of my garage and I was horrified by the experience for the whole night. Brought the car to get checked and it turned out the power steering pump needed to be replaced. It was way more expensive than I can afford but can I not to get that repaired? I needed the car to go to work etc. Mini cooper should recall this power steering pump. It's a serious safety issue.
Backing out of parking place, car is difficult to steer. This the third time it has occurred. I have not replaced the power steering yet due to cost.
On multiple incidents, there is no indication leading up to the sudden loss of power steering. Intermittent loss of power steering to the point where the steering wheel is nearly impossible to turn or maneuver. Problem would occur during initial startup of the car, or after 15 mins of driving, or after 2-3 hours of driving. So far, on all occurrences, once the car is shut off and turned back on then power steering resumes. Took my car to mini of stevens creek on 8/8/11 and was quoted $180 for diagnostics, $848 for parts, $253 for labor. Mini has declined to honor a no-cost replacement. I need to find more reasonable price for repair as I cannot afford the quoted $1300 at the moment. I have yet to have this power steering problem fixed.
Power-assisted steering fails on 2004 cooper mini. Vehicle not driven aggressively. Shutting vehicle off, then restarting, will occasionally restore power steering but only for a brief period. Power-assisted steering works when first started for the day, but quits entirely within 30 - 45 min. Later. Driving without power-assisted steering is possible but extremely difficult to turn.
Continuous relapsing/remitting problem. Power steering has been going out nearly once a week for the last year and a half. 90% of the time the power steering comes back on after restarting the car.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mini cooper. The contact stated that the power steering failed while driving approximately 45 MPH. The steering wheel became extremely stiff and additional force had to be applied in order to turn the steering wheel. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who located the failure at the power steering pump and cooling fan. The local mechanic replaced the power steering pump and the cooling fan. The failure was not corrected and the steering continued to fail intermittently. The failure and current mileage was 55,000.
I own a 2004 mini cooper, the power steering pump completely stopped working without prior warning. We were on our way to eureka springs arkansas when this happened, luckily my husband was the one driving, I don't even want to imagine what could have happened if it had been me. I don't think I would have been able to handle the car through those curves.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mini cooper. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, the power steering failed and it was very difficult to steer the vehicle. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 55,000.
Power steering failure.
Driving under normal daylight conditions when the power steering failed on my 2004 mini cooper.
Unexpected loss of power steering on 2004 mini cooper without any warning. Purchased the 2004 mini cooper being unaware of the power steering failures, and while I was driving in heavy traffic the power steering failed and I almost collided with another vehicle and almost got rear-ended while struggling to get the car off the road in heavy traffic. I hope they issue a recall because when I started researching how many people are having problems I find it extremely disturbing that mini hasn't been forced to issue one yet. The power steering failure happens daily so took vehicle to mechanic and was informed that the power steering pump needs to be replaced. I have never experienced anything like this before in all of the cars I have purchased through out my adult life. What a safety hazard! I am so thankful my grandchild wasn't with me that day.
Powers steering pump failure, power steering pump cooling fan failure
The power steering failed while driving car. Happens at different times with no warning.
Power steering pump failure on 2004 mini cooper. Hard to steer while driving at all speeds. Ordered new part from dealership.
My 2004 mini experienced intermittent steering problems in feb. Of 2011. Steering became difficult at times and then nearly all the time. Got new power steering pump. Mostly fixed but felt odd at times. Steering became permanently difficult in june 2011 and had pump replaced but didn't fix the problem. Advised to replace rack and pinion. Plan to do so. Steering bills at about $2,000.
2004 mini cooper. Consumer states problem with power steering *tgw the consumer has spent over $4800 in repairs over the last two years.
Intermittent power steering failure. Power steering has gone out twice, both times this was noticeable shortly after starting the vehicle (backing out of driveway). In the first incident, power steering returned after driving about half a block. In the second incident (a couple months later), power steering did not return while driving (1 mile), but returned when car was started the following day. Dealership service center is currently unable to pinpoint issue through car's computer, but power steering pump is suspected. Car is under 30k miles.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mini cooper. The contact was driving 70 MPH when the power steering malfunctioned and the vehicle became difficult to control. The contact stated that the power steering pump was replaced several years ago by a local mechanic. The vehicle was taken back to the local mechanic for the most recent failure for a replacement to the power steering pump and the rack and pinion. The contact stated the vehicle was unsafe to drive and was concerned with the possibility of the failure causing a crash. The failure mileage was 96,000. Updated 06/24/11 *bf updated 06/30/11.
Intermittent power steering failure causing unexpected loss of power steering while car is in motion.
1. No events LED up to this failure. It occurred spontaneously after turning off my car. 2. Power steering pump stays on after car's engine is off, and the pump will not shut off. This occurs every time the car is turned off and persists until the car is restarted or the battery dies. The constantly on power steering pump is know to lead to fires or spontaneously killing power steering while driving around turns. 3. The only way to fix this issue is to replace the power steering pump or leave the battery unplugged in the car. I currently have ordered a new power steering pump.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 bmw mini cooper. While driving approximately 20 MPH, the contact noticed that the steering wheel became hard to move. The contact did not inform the dealer or manufacturer of the failure nor was the vehicle diagnosed or repaired. The current and failure mileage was 71,331.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mini cooper. The contact was driving 35 MPH when the power steering failed. The vehicle was turned off and restarted yet the failure continued. The vehicle was taken to a repair shop where the power steering pump and power steering cooling fan were replaced. The manufacturer was not notified. The current and failure mileage was approximately 85,500. Updated 09/07/11 *bf updated 10/31/11
I had driven my car ~ 40 miles at speeds ranging from 45 MPH to 70 MPH. The last 20 or so miles had been on an interstate. Shortly after I exited the freeway, my steering became very tight and hard to manipulate. This continued until I parked the car, about 5 miles later. When I re-started the car, the power steering had returned to normal. This has happened no less than 15 times since then. It occurs without warning and usually will correct itself if I turn the car off and restart it.
Occasional difficulty in steering my 2004 mini cooper. The steering becomes difficult and I have to turn the car off and restart it for it to work again. This happens about once a week.
While driving my 2004 mini cooper home from work one afternoon, I began having difficulty turning the steering wheel. After the initial failure, the problem continues to remain a constant when turning at any speed. The power steering reservoir has been checked and is low, but not empty. I understand that a power steering pump failure is common in this year, make, and model of mini cooper vehicles. The vehicle currently has just over 80k miles. No replacement parts have been ordered and no repairs have been made.
2004 mini cooper 110k miles lost power steering wheel control, very dangerous.
Power steering assist in my 2004 min cooper failed while driving on highway.
I was driving on the freeway and my power steering suddenly went out-hard to steer car. I own a 2004 mini cooper.
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