Mini cooper power steering pump failure. Vehicle was recently driven and was parked on the street. We started the vehicle and backed up to pull out of the parking spot. There was no power steering. We had to attempt to back up again to get off of the street and in to the parking spot. A burning smell and smoke started from under the hood. The power steering pump and cooling fan had failed. There are documented issues with this failure. When I contacted the dealership, I was told the extended warranty for this issue expired in april. This happened june 12th.
2004 MINI Cooper: loss of power steering
95 of the 282 complaints about the 2004 MINI Cooper describe loss of power steering.
- owner complaints
- 95
- of this car's complaints
- 34%
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,300
- typical mileage
- 77,000
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 4 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Loss of power steering by model year
What owners say
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mini cooper. The contact stated that the vehicle lost power steering and the power steering warning indicator illuminated. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v660000 (steering); however, the dealer refused to perform the repair due to the updated part previously being installed on the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
After driving from san francisco to burlingame, california, I turned off the engine. When I returned 10 minutes later, I lost power steering when I started the car. On that same day, I drove from burlingame back to san francisco. I turned off the engine. 5 minutes later, I lost power steering again when I started the engine. The car is extremely difficult to turn without power steering, especially at low speeds.
Was driving home from work, went to turn a corner and the steering got very hard.
Power steering failed while I was driving the vehicle and I almost crashed.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mini cooper. The contact stated that while exiting a residential driveway, the power steering failed without warning. The vehicle was not repaired and the problem persisted. The manufacturer was notified. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 30,000.
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.
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.
Service bulletins that may apply
- This Service Information bulletin supersedes SI 32 02 14 dated August 2014
- Electro-Hydraulic Power-Assist Steering Pump (EHPS) and Cooling Fan: Limited Warranty Extension to 13...
- Mini: a warranty extension for certain vehicles with potential problem with cooling fan and the durability...
- Electro-Hydraulic Power-Assist Steering Pump (EHPS) and Cooling Fan: Warranty Extension to 13...
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 2004 MINI Cooper power steering loss
Is loss of power steering a common problem on the 2004 MINI Cooper?
95 of 282 owner complaints about the 2004 MINI Cooper (34%) mention loss of power steering. The model year with the most reports is 2005.
How much does it cost to fix loss of power steering on the 2004 MINI Cooper?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,300 (median of 9 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2004 MINI Cooper?
There is 1 recall and 4 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2004 MINI Cooper
Loss of power 24Steering lock-up 12Transmission failure 12CVT failure 11Battery drain 7Engine failure 7Fire or smoke 7Stalling 5
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2004 MINI Cooper?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history