This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The power steering quit while driving on interstate (I85) on March 3, 2012. We had just purchased the car so we took it back to dealer and he had the pump and reservoir replaced (took 2 weeks). Power steering just went out again (09/26/12) with same symptoms (sporadic operation - mainly not working) while driving to work.
On the morning of Sunday May 13th 2012 (mothers day), I drove the vehicle approx 11 miles to my mother-in-law's home. During this 11 mile ride all seemed normal with the vehicle. After visiting for a few hours I drove it approx 5 more miles to a stop & shop, again all seemed fine with the vehicle. Within the 10-15minutes I was inside purchasing mothers day flowers, stop and shop employees had noticed a fire in the parking lot. I walked into the parking lot to find the police and fire fighters approaching my car. When I got to it there was no more fire but still plenty of smoke coming from under the hood and driver side wheel well. I took a look under the car to see that there was no more fire, so the fire department left. I was not able to start the car so I jacked up the front of the vehicle to see what had caught fire. The fire had originated from the electric/hydraulic power steering pump. The socket on the pump was still smoking a lot and very melted. The plug connector on the 12V/grounding cables feeding the pump was also very melted. Since this fire occurred on a 12V line it also shorted out the battery completely. I was able to jump the car started in order to drive it about 15-16 miles home. Since then the pump has been disassembled to find that the entire circuit board was compromised (burned/ashes). I decided to file this complaint after I had researched this issue extensively. Apparently this is a common problem. Most simply fail, either causing accidents or merely making it extremely hard do drive. Few other unlucky owners have there pumps burst into flames. MINIis aware of the issue but offers minimal to no compensation. In Canada a recall has already been issued for these defective pumps. I can only hope and pray that NHTSA along with MINIusa choose to issue a recall before this causes a very serious accident (if it hasn't already).
I drove my car to my sports team practice, parked and promptly had to relocate my car to an adjacent lot. The power steering did not work upon starting the car to move it and there was no evidence or warning of it's failure. Not even the check engine light went on.
As I was pulling away from a stop sign, I realized that I couldn't turn the steering wheel. I put the car in reverse and went back and forth trying to see if something was stuck. I did this a couple times, then realized my power steering was out. I checked the fluids and they were fine. Took the car to a mechanic and they ran diagnostic tests and determined the power steering pump was faulty.
- San Francisco, CA, USA
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My power steering suddenly failed as I was driving on a windy back road, almost didn't make the turn, and since it has failed completely. When I called the local MINIdealership (MINIof fairfield county, ct) last week to finally get the part replaced (quoted $1700 at multiple locations) the customer service person replied with, "how did you know about the recall?" overjoyed I drove my MINIin this morning at 7am only to be told that there is no official recall and I am still on the hook for the $1700. Not pleased. Calling MINItoday.
Drove 2003 MINIto work 11.5 miles. As I was making a turn into the parking garage the steering went out and became very difficult to maneuver. There was no warning or previous indication that there might be a problem with the steering.
After leaving the highway and negotiating the off ramp, the power steering simply stopped working. The steering became extremely difficult so I pulled over, shut the car off and lifted hood to inspect. The was no visual indication of issues an fluid level is fine. After restarting the steering worked fine again. Several days later the same situation occurred in the middle of a corner, it was all I could to maintain control through the corner. I read where there was some "opinions" that if power steering cooling fan was bad it could cause this to happen so I replaced. Still happens intermittently. I will likely pull the steering unit to inspect but the biggest issue is it gives a false sense of security. When you restart the engine everything seems ok so you continue, sometimes for weeks. The problem is that the failure can occur in the middle of a turn and cause a serious accident. There is also no lighted indication of the failure on your dash, so you don, T expect it. This will end up killing someone if it hasn't already.
Was stopped in parking lot, fire started in engine bay. Power steering has been intermittent for awhile. Shop indicated that the fan failed and caused the pump/wiring to completely melt. This issue is widely known and found on MINIcooper forums.
The contact owns a 2003 MINICooper. While driving approximately 30 mph, the contact noticed a chattering noise and suddenly the vehicle would not accelerate. The contact also stated that he was a mechanic. After inspecting the vehicle, he noticed that the transmission would have to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Prior to the transmission failure, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. After inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the power steering pump and cooling fan would have to also be replaced. The approximate failure mileage was 106,000.
Power steering failed. Car is rack and pinion steering and can be driven without the pump but had I been going around a curve when it failed, the increased wheel effort required could have resulted in a serious accident!
Power steering pump is whining and according to dealer is going to fail at anytime. Unfortunately this unit does not fail in the driveway it fails while driving the vehicle. Hopefully I will be driving when this happens as my wife will not have the strength to get the car under control. There has been a recall in Canada for this same problem and all of us MINIdrivers in the us are wondering why we don't have a recall here.
I was going around a 90 degree corner at about 15 mph when the steering seemed to lock up. I quickly realized that the power steering had failed, and I wrestled the steering wheel to complete the turn. Since then, the power steering has not worked 90% of the time.
While I was driving MINI2003 (odo: 74K) on I-90 highway at 70mph, suddenly the power steering wheel stopped working on June 28, 2012. I barely made to exit from the highway, and got home. Next day, the car was sent to the BMW-MINIdealership, and assessed the failure of power steering pump. They know this happens frequently with MINIbut it was not covered by manufacturers. The only option was to replace the part. The part was replaced and the cost was $1,200.
Power steering failed, making it very difficult to steer. Nearly impossible to turn wheel while stopped. My wife can barely drive the car. From researching this site and other sites, my situation seems to be the same as thousands of others, and I would like my name to be added to the current investigation.
On 6/12/12 I was driving my car towards my small neighborhood at speed of 10-15 miles an hour. For no apparent reason the steering wheel felt as if it was locked in place. With all my force I had to pull over to the side. I had the car checked and confirmed that the hydraulic power steering pump has failed. There was no service engine light on or any warnings what so ever, the power steering pump failed without any notice. If I were driving at high speeds of 70 miles an hour on the freeway I could have seriously been hurt.this is unacceptable.
At approximately 35mph the power steering of my 2003 MINICooper erratically engaged and disengaged several times. I responded by slowing down and trying to maintain control of the vehicle. Once stopped, I turned the car off completely. Once out of the vehicle I heard an electric motor running. I opened the hood to investigate and noted a small amount of smoke rising from the aft portion of the engine compartment. I went back to the ignition switch to confirm it was off and removed the keys. The electric motor continued to run and as I went back to the open hood the smoke volume had increased dramatically. The smoke had a very clear electrical smell and color. I immediately began trying to disconnect the battery. While obtaining tools from the hatch of the car, the electric power steering pump assembly erupted in flames. I obtained my fire extinguisher and directed it at the aft portion of the engine compartment. This produced no results and the flames returned quickly. I then got the tools from the hatch of the car and cut the battery cables. This caused the fire to subside immediately. At the repair facility the power steering pump assembly (electric) was removed and determined to be the cause of the fire. The fact that I had tools and 25 years mechanical experience prevented this car from burning to the ground. In my opinion this is a major safety issue on two levels. First: Loss of directional control. Second: Fire hazard, electrical component that cannot be turned off with the ignition switch. This must be investigated and the manufacture directed to apply a fix to all affected vehicles.
I purchased a used MINICooper S six months ago, in December 2011. I drove my vehicle as I normally due, just across town about 10 miles, and it was fine. I parked my car and went inside. When I came out, about 10-15 minutes later, and tried to back out of the driveway, the power steering was non-existent. I pulled back into the driveway and checked the fluid level and let the car cool down for a few more minutes. When I restarted the car, the power steering was back. Since then, the power steering is intermittent. If the car is hot, it usually does not work, but if the car is given a chance to cool down, then it seems to work, but the problem is occurring more and more frequently and I have found many complaints from other MINIowners.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Pleasanton, CA, USA