Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper. While driving approximately 20 MPH, there was a complete loss of power steering without any warning. The contact was able to continue driving with extreme difficulty in turning the steering wheel. The steering malfunction recurred three times. The vehicle was taken to an independent auto shop where the power steering pump, fan and other related components were replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. There was a concurrent investigation under the federal safety agency action number: ea11005 (steering:hydraulic power assist:pump). The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.
2005 MINI Cooper steering complaints
Page 5 of 10: complaints 101 to 130 of 276, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The power steering pump stops operating while the vehicle is in motion. It has happened three times to date: the first incident was at low speed in a parking structure; the second incident happened at freeway speed; the most recent incident occurred on a surface street while decelerating to a stop. In each case, control of the car was maintained but was very difficult. The pump function was restored by stopping and cycling the vehicle ignition to off and then restarting the engine.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper. The contact stated that while attempting to drive the power steering failed. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection. However, the dealer was contacted who stated that the power steering unit might be defective. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 149,000.
When turning off the engine, the fan won't turn off and keeps running. It drains the battery very quickly. I took it to auto shop and the report says steering pump internal failure.
Power steering failed, called dealer twice and bmw company twice, knew about problems, but sent me in a circle. Dealer said to go to company for help and info, company said to go to dealer, very deceptive practices.
Power steering pump failure.
Generally, I love the mini cooper having purchased it in the after market. However, not long after the warranty ran out, I had problems for several weeks with my steering wheel seizing up but an incident in february 2012 sticks out most in my mind since I was on I-95 in the rain and could not adequately steer the car to take an exit. My 11 yr old daughter was with me at the time. I pulled to the shoulder and shut the car off and was able to restart and resume driving. Financially, I could not afford to take the car into the dealer but the condition and work around continued intermittently for a few weeks when I could afford the repair. In early may 2012, I took the car to the dealer for repair and it cost over $1300 to replace the power steering pump. At the time of the repair, it was noted that the cooling fan also needed repair for another $720 -- I just didn't have it. Today, my 2-yr old battery failed apparently due to draining from the fan. For now, I replaced the battery for $249. I will be incrementally getting repairs done, however, in reading some people's experience with the steering pump, I understand that there may be some relevance between the pump going bad and an impact on the fan. I'd appreciate any insights you may have on that possibility. I am reporting this not only for myself but for others who also may be impacted by the pump defect that I am learning is somewhat common. I look forward to the outcome of your engineering analysis. Thank you.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH making a left turn the power steering failed. As a result, it became very difficult to maneuver the steering. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage was 80,000. ..updated 11/29/12 *bf the consumer also stated the power steering pump would come on periodically when the vehicle was off and would run, until the battery drained. Updated 12/03/12
I cannot remember exact dates as this part has been bad for so long. The power steering pump whines very loudly. A couple times the power has gone out and the car became difficult to steer. The problem is very intermittent and only lasted a few seconds each time.
Just got off the highway cause the steering started to get very difficult. After we looked in the manual and couldn't find anything about power steering fluid levels we headed towards our destination about 10 or so mins. Later. Steering was fine after that, then about 3 weeks ago we had the same issue, thankfully we were on a local road and it lasted about 3 mins. Then steering became normal again.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper. The contact stated that the power steering failed while driving 40 MPH, causing a loss of steering capabilities. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic for inspection where they stated that the power steering pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 39,207. The VIN was not available.
Power steering failed when parking the car.
I was driving my 2005 mini cooper and when I slowed down to make a left and enter a shopping center, the steering wheel was really hard, there was oncoming traffic and I felt very unsecure and in danger. I took my car to an auto parts shop and checked the power steering fluid and it was ok. I turned the engine on and drove away and the power steering wheel was ok. 3 days later I noticed a buzzing sound from the engine, it would not stop even when I turned the engine off and removed the keys. I took it to the mechanic and I was informed that the power steering pump failed. I am reluctant to enter the freeway, I feel the car might fail and I can get into an accident.
Intermittently and rarely, when the car first starts, the power steering does not work. It is very difficult to move the steering wheel at all, and there is no apparent effect on the wheels of the car. Each time this has happened, I have immediately turned off the car and restarted. Restarting the ignition has been enough to regain the power steering. After this happened between 5 and 10 times over the past year, I realized it was a pattern and decided to lodge a complaint. I also realized that the louder-than-ordinary steering fan noise might be another symptom of problems with the power steering. In mid-september 2011, the car battery died. The steering fan was very loud. I now wonder if the battery failure was due to the steering fan, although no one at the dealership commented on the very loud fan that was extremely noticeable when they restarted the car.
Intermediate power steering failure , ran off the road hit a fence to avoid on coming car,thank god I was not hurt ,was on my way to work, after 8 hrs at work got in it steering was workin almost to my drive went out again never know when this will happen but happens quite often lately come drive it will scare your pants off.
I slowed down from approximately 40mph to 35mph as I entered a shopping mall parking lot from the main street when the power steering failed. It was almost like the steering wheel was locked up or shut off. I immediately turned off the engine and coasted to a safe stop barely missing parked cars. Similar situations occurred intermittently and sporadically with no recognizable pattern throughout the years. I mentioned the steering loss at the service appointments, but was not able to duplicate the situations. The mini service at the dealer never mentioned any problems to me so I assumed it was just an electronic glitch. Most recently the battery was run down and would not hold a charge. While purchasing a new battery the technician determined that the power steering pump was stuck or staying on after the ignition was turned off thus running down the new battery. When I researched the price of a new power steering pump online I found sites with complaints that were very similar, if not exactly the same as the problems I had experienced in the past with steering power loss. The mini dealer that installed the new power steering pump was not willing to oblige me due to my mini being 8,000 miles over the warranty. After reading the other complaints I feel this is a safety recall issue, and I feel that mini should refund me the money spent replacing this defective equipment.
Driving around a corner, power steering dropped out. Restarting solved the problem. Has occurred occasionally since then. Also, occasionally the pump continues after the car stops. Seems related to ea11005.
My power steering unexpectedly stopped working while driving to work. Steering fluid level is fine and when I left work it was back on. It is continuing to stop and start working at unexpected times and without warning which makes steering hard when it goes out.
When this happens, it becomes very difficult to turn the steering wheel. The first time it happened, the power steering was fine and then all of a sudden became stiff. I was driving up a curvy mountain road when it happened and I had to slow down to make sure I could navigate the turns. The problem has happened 8-10 times since - sometimes with a completely cold car, other times after driving 25-30 miles, turning off the car and then turning it back on again. If, when I turn the car on, the power steering isn't working, I turn the car off, let it sit for 10 seconds or so and restart it. This process failed once, but after turning it off and on again, the power steering came back on. I have not experienced the power steering failing while driving since the first incident. However, my partner has experienced this problem twice while driving. I spoke with someone at the mini cooper dealership's service department in denver, co regarding this problem and he didn't acknowledge that there have been any problems or investigations regarding this problem.
Power steering suddenly does not seem to work. The steering is difficult and jerky.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper s. The contact stated that the power steering failed and while at a traffic stop, the contact was unable to turn the wheel. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told that the electronic power assist would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage and current mileages were 44,000.
Parked car on city street and turned off car. Heard high-pitched noise like something was still running. Turned car on and back off again. Still heard noise. Saw gray, acrid smoke billowing from beneath hood. Car started but power steering was out. Had car towed to dealer. High-pitched noise was power steering pump fan which didn't turn off when car was turned off which burnt out the power steering pump, wires, harness and other related parts. $2000 repair made at mini/bmw dealer in san francisco.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper. The contact stated that the power steering failed and the vehicle was unable to be controlled. The contact crashed into a curve and punctured the rear driver side tire. In addition, the was an abnormal humming heard from the engine and the battery failed. The contact was advised by an independent mechanic that the power steering pump would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was unknown, but the current mileage was 102,000.
While driving my 2005 mini cooper on tuesday, the steering felt odd. When I went to drive the car the following day there was no power steering. I felt I didn't have control. When making a turn I had to physically turn the steering wheel to get the car to straighten out. It was frightening. I took it to my mechanic who informed that this problem has been reported to him by other mini owners. Upon further investigation I found alot of information on the internet from other 2005 mini cooper owners. I have made an appointment to have the situation checked out at my mini dealer in freeport,ny. On monday. When informing them about this problem and what my mechanic and the internet have stated, I was told they were not aware of such problems and that it would cost me $130 just to get a diagnosis from them. I then called mini USA to report it to them and I was told that they are aware of such problems and that I should call them from the mini dealer after the diagnosis is performed and they will let me know if they can help me.
The power steering failed during driving and the vehicle became very difficult to steer. I had to pull over to access how much control I still had. The car continued to be very difficult to steer but I was able to drive home.
While driving my 2005 mini, the power steering went out without warning. This has occured numerous times while driving on the highway. Once the vehicle cools off, the power steering functions normally. *tr I have contacted the mini dealership about this problem to see if there have been any recalls issued, which there have not. It's obvious that this is a very serious problem and many others have experienced it as well. Can someone explain to me why a "recall" has not been issued?
Power steering intermittent. Generally, it will go out after driving 20-30 minutes, however, it has failed to turn on when starting in the morning on occasion. In both cases, turning off the engine and restarting brings the power steering back on. It looks like this is related to investigation ea11005.
While driving the vehicle the power steering intermittently goes out. It is very unpredictable, where I will be driving for several miles with the power steering intact, then all of a sudden it goes out making the vehicle difficult to turn and control. Later the power steering returns. I had the vehicle examined by the mini dealer, the insurance company mechanic, and my personal mechanic. None of them were able to notice any damage to the power steering. The fluid level is intact as well as the pump. The mini dealer stated that they've "seen a lot of this" issue, but there are no recalls or open campaigns. The dealer believes the issue is due to an internal electronics failure and will not agree to fix it in good faith. In calling mini USA, there are no open campaigns or recalls for the issue either, despite over ~50,000 cars of the same model year reportedly having the same issue. This is a very dangerous and frustrating situation with the potential to cause accidents due to an unpredictable loss of control while driving.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper s. While driving approximately 55 MPH, the steering became difficult to maneuver. The contact stopped on the shoulder of the road and shut off the vehicle. Once restarted, the vehicle regained power steering function. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostics where the technician advised the contact that the power steering pump would have to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 120,774.
While driving at 40 miles per hour the car lost all power steering. The loss of power steering made it extremely difficult to turn the car. The car was more difficult to turn than a car that has no power steering. The power steering went out without any warning. It was working one moment, then after a short driving for a short period it just ceased to work. Checked power steering fluid and the fluid level was ok. After restarting, the power steering worked again. This has happened several times. The power steering will just quit working while driving. You are given no warning that it is no longer working, until you attempt to turn and the car does not respond.
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