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 contact owns a 2003 MINICooper. The contact was driving approximately 55-60 mph when the power steering failed without warning and the steering wheel would not turn. The vehicle was not been inspected or repaired and the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The current and failure mileages were 82,500. Updated 06/13/11 updated 2/15/2012
Power steering pump failure. The failure happened on a snow covered curvy road, lost control and went into the ditch. No damage, was able to get the car slowed enough before crashing. Thankful no other cars were in the other lane. Was able to drive the car out under its own power. Will not drive the car now.
Hi, I'm the third owner of a 2003 MINICooper S since February 2010, located in montreal, quebec, Canada. In the begining of May 2011 my car started to have big issues with the power steering. The power steering pump is running discontinous, all the lights (front, back and dashboard) are dimming and after just afew miles of driving the steering wheel becomes stiff and hard to turn. I have this problem now everyday when I try to drive the car. I've checked the power steering pump fan and it spins free. No blow of the F5 fuse (as other people reported). It happend to me in the last year for 3 times, but only for a short time. The power steering pump went out, but few hours after I turned off the engine and didn't drive the car, the pump came back normally (excepting the continous whining noise of it). Didn't take it to the dealer yet for a pump replacement. I know the power steering pump failure is a common problem on minis 2002-2006 and I want to claim this problem on my car too. Hope this problem to become a recall soon for MINIBMW. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
I own a 2003 MINICooper. I am experiencing unexpected power steering loss that is currently a temporary condition. It often occurs while exiting onto hwy 10/61 cloverleaf in woodbury, minnnesota. On a couple occasions I have nearly driven off of the roadway down an embankment. It is an exit that is taken at 45-50 mph and an hill downward. When it occurs the car veers hard left as the power steering fails. The steering requires a heavy driver input in order to maintain direction of travel. The first time it occurred I was off the roadway briefly until I could muscle it back onto the roadway. A very scary experience. I am sure if this occurred with my wife or daughter behind the wheel, an accident would have occurred. I am trying to figure out what the issue is, so I conducted an internet search and found many complaints from other owners. Seems clearly to be a problem that is more an issue of design that wear and tear. What should I do?
Power steering pump and fan failed at 55,000 miles. While it happened in my case while I was trying to park, it could easily happen at highway speeds and created a serious hazard.
- Greenwich, CT, USA
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2003 MINICooper S power steering pump failure. Sudden loss of steering assist and nearly wrecked the car if my wife was driving I doubt she could have saved it. Google search turns up hundreds of like posts. On another quick search, as of 2006, 50 pump failures resulted in the total loss of the car because of fire. And these are people that post. Maybe 10% of the MINIdrivers post online. This is a disgrace!
Power steering failed as car was moving. No apparent reason for failure. It was very difficult to control car without the steering. I was not going too fast but if it had happened at a higher rate of speed it would have been a disaster. Steering remained unusuable until car was turned off and cooled slightly. When I started it, it was fine. It has happened several times since then after the car has been running about a half an hour or so.
The contact owns a 2003 MINIcopper. While the vehicle was parked with the engine on the contact heard a loud whining noise. The noise was coming from the front end of the vehicle. The failure occurred continuously. The last time the contact experienced the failure the vehicle was parked with the engine shut off and the power steering pump continued to run and drained the battery. The contact had to jump start the vehicle in order to start it. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer. The technicians stated that the power steering pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 79,000.
The contact owns a 2003 MINICooper. While driving approximately 40 mph, the power steering failed making it impossible to control the steering wheel. The vehicle then jerked violently followed by an independent reset of the power steering. The contact barely missed crashing into another vehicle as a result of the failure. The contact did not inform the dealer or manufacturer nor was the vehicle diagnosed or repaired. The current and failure mileage was 104,000.
While backing out of a parking spot I noticed that the steering was stiff and it was soon evident that the power steering was not working at all. There was no prior warning that the power steering was starting to fail. The failure was sudden. After pulling back into the parking spot, shutting the car off and then restarting, the power steering became functional. After a few minutes of driving the power steering failed again without any warning which made it difficult to steer. Luckily no accident occurred. Power steering now appears to be completely non-functioning. Coincidentally, this car has already had a steering pump replacement in December 2004 with 23070 miles on it. The first power steering pump failure was gradual, but alarming for such a low-mileage vehicle. This most recent failure occurred with less than 48000 miles on the new pump and suggests a faulty part/design which has the potential to cause more serious incidents.
The contact owns a 2003 MINICooper. The contact was driving approximately 55 mph when the battery warning light illuminated and the steering wheel became stiff and failed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the technician stated that the power steering pump and harness was melted and would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 98,000. Updated 5/24/11 the power steering pump and wiring harness had to be replaced. Updated 06/10/11
Yesterday I was driving home normally. When I slowed to turn into the alley where I park my car my power steering failed. I missed slamming into the corner of the building by a couple inches and was able to park. I checked the fluid level and even put a little in. Since the then the power steering is almost completely gone, but "catches" every now and then. This makes it extremely hard to drive. After reading of numerous others having this issue, I called BMW today. They recorded my information and said I would be informed if there was a recall by NHTSA, but that nothing was being done at this time.
There were no warnings or events leading up to the power steering failure. Fortunately, in my case there were no accidents or injuries resulting from the failure. My wife was driving when the power steering failed as she was close to home. She does not have enough strength to make the turn without the power steering so had it occurred on her way to work around a curve, there would have been a crash for sure. A couple of turns she needs to make have steep drop offs and oncoming traffic that may have resulted in death. I don't know if any deaths have been reported due to this, but I can see where it could easily happen and not be pinpointed as the cause since the failure was immediate and while she was driving, not after being stopped.
Have had the car for 7 years and it has never done this before. I was taking a right turn into my work when my power steering failed with no warning. This caused me apply the brakes hard and turn the wheel with a good amount of force to make the turn. It was lucky there wasn't anything on the other side of the road or I would have hit them. It happened at the end of a 50 mile drive, no issues until then. I stopped the car and restarted it an hour later and I worked fine. I drove it back home the next morning 50 miles with no issues. My main concern is having had the car for this amount of time it caught me by surprise, and my worry now is when will it happen again.
While driving, the power steering assist will intermittently fail completely, making it very difficult to steer the vehicle, and greatly increasing the likelihood of an accident. The fluid levels are correct, and power steering will return after shutting the vehicle off and letting it sit for a while.. I have not yet taken corrective action.
The contact owns a 2003 MINICooper S. while the contact was driving approximately 30 mph, the power steering failed to operate. The vehicle was driven to the side of the road, and the engine was turned off. The vehicle began to function normally within thirty seconds before the failure recurred. The was able to continue driving. He vehicle was inspected and he observed that electric power steering pump had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 91,000. The VIN was unavailable.
The contact owns a 2003 MINICooper S. the contact stated that while driving 30 mph the steering wheel became very stiff and within a few minutes he smelled fumes inside the vehicle. He opened the hood of the vehicle and it was on fire. The fire department was notified; however, there was no mention of a fire report. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or local mechanic for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was contacted and did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included in any of the recalls. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 113,000.
I was leaving my home when I notice, as soon as I start my car, that my steering is very stiff. I have to use my whole body to turn the wheel and maneuver the car. It has been going on for almost a week now off and on. Go online and research problem to find its going to cost me near $1000 to fix.
Experienced a complete loss of power steering while driving at high-speed and preparing to exit the highway. As such, I nearly drove off the road attempting to turn the vehicle on the exist ramp -- very hard emergency braking was necessary because it was virtually impossible to turn, and thus, control the car. I later discovered by MINIof san diego (who conducted repairs) that the power steering pump had failed and had to be replaced costing approximately $1,100. They also informed me that chronic problems with MINIpower steering pumps were being investigated and that a recall might be issued to correct the problem. I researched further and believe that the 1st year being reviewed is the 2004. I believe that the 2003 should also be included as well in the event of a recall since I experienced the very same problem being investigated, and the danger resulting from the defect is considerable.
The contact owns a 2003 MINICooper S. while driving approximately 20 mph, the power steering failed without prior warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. The contact was awaiting a response from the technician to determine the cause of failure. The contact discovered that the power steering pump defect was a common problem while doing further research on the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 89,000. The VIN was unavailable.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Yorem, UT, USA