Good morning, I have a 2006 mini cooper and the power steering unit failed. I was driving and the steering wheel became very heavy (power steering fluid was ok) the unit just gave out. I read that the federal safety agency issued a recall for the power steering unit for 2002 to 2005 coopers recall 15v660000 (the 2002 thru 2006 are all first generation models). My question is why was the 2006 cooper not included since it is also first generation model, and it is the same power steering unit used from 2002 thru 2006 atleast on the base models - not sure on the cooper s model. Could you please let me know if this is something that can be added to the recall since it affects my car also,, it happened at 110k miles for me, I dont drive too much thus the low mileage. Thank you so much.
2006 MINI Cooper steering complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 53, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The strewing wheel got stuck while driving on a city street. It is very difficult to turn the vehicle to the right, left or make a u-turn. While researching online, I discovered it is on recall but the north america mini company customer service informed me to contact national highway institution to ask for a recall letter to be issued to the company.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 mini cooper. While driving 70 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The vehicle was towed to nick alexander mini (6201 alameda st, los angeles, ca 90001) where it was diagnosed that the power steering pump, alternator, and radiator cooling fan failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 80,054.
I was pulling out of a parking spot at a low speed this morning when I lost the power steering in my 2006 mini cooper. The steering wheel was very rigid and it was hard to turn. I tried turning my vehicle off and off again. I also tried turning the steering wheel to loosen it up. Nothing helped the issue. I continued driving for another 30 minutes. At a low speed making sharp turns was very hard, if nearly impossible to stay in my lane. If someone would have been in the other lane I would have been in an accident because I could not make the turn due to the lack of power steering with my vehicle. The steering wheel was very hard to turn all the way. Even at higher speeds (30 to 40 MPH) the steering wheel was hard to turn and make it around curves in the road. Starting from a dead stop it was very hard to turn the steering wheel turning left or right. I could barely park my vehicle in the parking spot in the parking lot because the steering wheel was so hard to turn my vehicle at such a low speed. This is the third time the issue has occurred in my vehicle during this month. But the other times the issue has gone away after restarting the vehicle twice. One time was two days ago in the morning. I was pulling out of a parking spot and the steering wheel was tight and hard to turn. The other time was over a week ago and the vehicle was this time restarting the vehicle did not fix the issue.
I replaced my power steering pump fan 2-3 years ago then about a year and a half ago I had it replaced under warranty. Now my power steering is completely gone with no prior indication that it was failing and I have to pay a $1,400 to get it replaced by a certified shop.
A extended warranty was issued for the cooper s r53 till 2005 model year .... The r 53 was produced into the 2006 model year for the northamerican market .... Have replaced to pump once around 40-50 k on the car , out of pocket, and pump has failed again around 95k . The warranty on models till 2005 was extended to 13 years and/or 150k ..... Why are the few remaining models of the 2006 runoff not covered.. First pump failed on the my washington auto road..... Not a good place to say the least..... The other on the washington, d.c. Beltway during the afternoon rush.... Managed to keep safe but was not a good situation for anyone ... Steering pump would surge on and off-road causing inconsistent power assist in turns with a eventually no assist was much more dramatic the first time was only saved by recognizing the problem as it occurred the second time ... When the first pump was replaced all lines , cooling fan and its duct work were replaced a well ......
Stopped at gas station to fill up. Restarted car and began to drive...noticed extreme stiffness in steering and pulled over. Shut engine off and then restarted power steering returned. Later in the day...I was going for a drive and it occurred again. This time, it was after I had stopped at the gym for an hour, and was returning home. Again, I pulled over shut of engine and then restarted. Power steering returned.
My '06 mini cooper s with about 87,000 miles is leaking power steering fluid and has been doing so for the last 3 years or 20,000 miles. I've been told I need to replace the electric power steering pump. I believe mini should have to repair/replace the power steering pump unit because is likely a failure similar to the power steering failure documented and covered by the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v660000. While the steering mechanism is still functioning, can a catastrophic power steering failure be far off?
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 mini cooper. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 MPH, there was a loss of power steering. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the power steering pump was replaced however the failure recurred the next day. The vehicle was taken back to the mechanic and unknown repairs were performed. In addition, the air bag warning indicator illuminated continuously. On a separate occasion, the alternator failed and was not replaced. The contact mentioned that the engine cooling fan also failed to function, which caused the radiator to be replaced twice. The engine was replaced at a different time. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 118,000.
Was driving to see my husband out of town and my steering wheel start getting hard, I stopped turn of the car and back on and it worked, but after that it cointinue to do it more and more often, took it to the mechanic and he said it was the power wheel pump,
Car had a burning smell then the power steering went complety off while driving . Mini has an extended warranty for mini r53 first generation 2002-2005 but the 2006 is also a first generation and the problem was not fixed .called mini and and was told they couldnt help me and I believe they should warranty the 2006 model before a fire starts or someone gets hurt or worse
Bought veh. Used on 11/21/15 with 66,898 miles. On december 30, 2015 drove vehicle and parked, when veh. Was shut off I noticed a humming sound coming from under the hood, thought it was a fan. Returned to vehicle approx. 6 hrs. Later, battery was dead. Have veh. Jump started. Drove home, heard humming again coming from under the hood when veh. Was shut off. I disconnected battery and noticed smoke coming from behind the power steering fluid reservoir. Took veh. To my mechanic on 1/6/16 (veh. Had not been driven since 12/30/15) and he advised me that the steering pump needed replacing, veh. Was at 67,747 miles. Paid $1,154.17 for repairs. Mechanic advised me to do research as he has heard of this problem with other mini owners. Researched on internet to find I was not the only 2006 mini owner to experience this problems. Same problem that occurred to the mini's that bmw has recalled and extended warranty. Please do what is necessary to have them include 2006 mini coopers and fix the problem and/or reimburse those of us who have already paid for repairs. I have contacted mini USA, but they claim my veh. Is not included in recall, though I feel it should be since the problem is the exact same thing as those veh.'s that were recalled.
Power steering pump failure at <64k miles. This is ridiculous. Such a failure may result in an accident, injury or death. Mini cooper has known about such issues for years! Fix the problem mini before someone gets killed.
Parked my car with a valet. Returned in an hour. It would not start. There was a smell as if something had burned. They jump started my car. As I began to drive the power steering was out. Immediately drove it to my car repair shop. By the time that I had traveled the 2 miles, the engine was heavily smoking. My car repair shop says that the power steering pump electrically malfunctioned - internal failure of the power steering pump.
The power steering on my 2006 mini cooper spontaneously combusted, melting the power steering harness and draining the battery. The incident went like this: when we returned from an extended vacation, the car wouldn't start because of a dead battery. We jumped started it using jumper cables. When I tried to drive away, there was no power steering. We had the car towed to the mini dealership, where they discovered that the wiring harness had "melted into the pump." because of the "known defect" in similar mini models and the car's low mileage, mini USA and the dealership replaced the power steering kit and the battery for no charge.
Steering became choppy , not smooth,it continues to deteriorate to a dangerous state of operation.
I was driving on the highway. My car swerved to the right. I pulled left to correct the car and it began to fishtail swerving left and right and I was unable to control the car. Suddenly it went off the road, hit the guardrail and down a small embankment and flipped over. The car came to a stop upside down with the rear window smashed and snow in the car. I was minorly injured with a small cut on my face and bruises on my right side.
The passenger air bag sensor went on in my mini cooper. I noticed this seems to be a common issue. I also had to replace the steering components in the mini cooper, which again seems to be a common issue. I am concerned regarding all the air bag recalls, but at 1,7k to replace the entire seat; that is quite a burden upon a tight budget. I just wanted to use this website as a place where I have documented these issues, so that if there is a insurance claim down the road, because of these faulty issue, I have a documented complaint.
The power steering drained the battery and vehicle was inoperable. Parts necessary to replace were: power steering pump power steering pump fan power steering fluid pen I am filing this complaint because the above parts have been recalled up until 2005. My vehicle is 2006 but I suspect that the older pump has been used on my vehicle because the fan has been working in an odd way ever since I got the car. Mini refused to pay for this part and I am asking you to extend the recall if there are enough people with issues with these parts.
Backing out of my long residential driveway, the power steering failed. Since my mileage was out of standard warranty and since I didn't purchase extended warranty, I used the "bentley publisher's" comprehensive mini cooper service manual to investigate the trouble. I tested the power steering cooling fan and the pump for operation. The fan was ok, but the pump wasn't getting any power. I removed the 100-amp fuse from the fuse block aside the battery compartment, inspected it for failure, but it looked good, wiped it clean with alcohol, and re-installed it. After everything was reconnected, the power steering returned to full operation. Several times from 2008 to 2014, the power steering failed, usually at slow speeds or upon start up of the vehicle, but it was always intermittent and returned to full operation on its own within a few days or weeks. It failed once again about two months ago, and has not returned to operation on its own since then. Although the federal safety agency website shows 122 complaints on 2006 mini's, of which about 25% of the complaints are for failed power steering, and since I can't locate any official manufacturer's recall on the internet for repeated 2006 mini power steering failures, I guess I'll take it to my local repair guy for a fuse or pump replacement.
Power steering completely quit working. Car was very difficult to steer. Stopped and turned off car for a while. Started car again and power steering was ok. Now power steering is very difficult until car has been running for a few minutes.
The car began to make a high pitched whine which increased over the next couple of weeks, it continued to get worse and I noticed when I would move the steering wheel back and forth the noise became much much worse, leading to the failure of my power steering pump. Mini issued a recall on the power steering pumps for their 2001-2005 models (13 year, 150,000 miles.) mine is a 2006, I still don't think the problem has been resolved for this year of model as I am finding multiple accounts online of individuals with 2006 mini power steering pump failure.
Power steering pump stopped working while driving a 35mph. Stopped and restarted vehicle no change, an hour later pump worked again.
Exiting the highway, the power steering on my 2006 mini cooper stopped working. I was unable to keep the car on the pavement. The car left the roadway, narrowly missing a highway sign (wooden post), and stopped in a grassy area off the shoulder of the road. My wife and I were shaken but unhurt. The vehicle body does not appear to be damaged. However, there is now a loud rattle coming from the rear or undercarriage of the vehicle. The power steering is also completely gone. The car can be driven but it is very difficult to do so.
The car was parked in front of our townhome. That afternoon, my neighbor knocked on the door to tell me that there was black smoke coming out from under the hood and that she had heard a loud pop under the hood. After calling the fire department, the firefighters cautiously raised the hood and discovered that something had caught fire under the hood. They told me to not drive the vehicle, and I called my insurance company, had the car towed to the mechanic who works on our automobiles, and the insurance company sent a claims agent to assess the damage. The power steering pump had caught on fire, and numerous other parts were damaged. *ln
Power steering system failure. Dealership mechanics stated fan and pump had seized.
Power steering pump failed while traveling at highway speed late at night on a long road trip home. Was told by mechanic this is a common problem with this vehicle make and model and well known by mini/bmw.
Power steering lose the power suddenly, hard to turn or change lane when my wife was driving. Checked this car history, the power steering pump was changed at bmw dealer in 3 year ago. This time the steering lost its power again.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 mini cooper. The contact stated that while parked, he noticed a whining sound coming from the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis. The technician stated that the power steering pump would have to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000.
Power steering failed while attempting to turn in an intersection. Almost caused an accident.
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