The power steering went out while going up hill on a curvy two lane road. The loss of power steering forced me to go into the other lane, where fortunately no cars were present. If I was going down hill on the same road I would have definitely gone against the side of the hill or off the side of the cliff if not hitting an on coming car first. The dealership charged me over $1000 to change the electro/hydraulic steering pump. The sudden loss of power steering seems to be an issue with many minis according to forum posts.

- Berkeley, CA, USA

Power steering pump is failing. So far no major problems but I have had other MINIowners report this same problem and worse. I am having my pump replaced this weekend with the hope of avoiding any further issues. Hopefully this one will last a long time.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

Car is very noisy on cold starts when turning the steering wheel. Steering would judder when being turned. Wheel will feel heavy and stuck at times. Power steering reservoir was empty with no signs of leaks. Power steering fluid flooded into steering rack due to failed seal. Steering rack needed replacement.

- Staten Island, NY, USA

Driving normally when suddenly power steering fails completely causing instant control issues. Power steering returns intermittently.

- Wheat Ridge, CO, USA

On a 2004 MINICooper S, intermittent failure of the power steering pump causing extreme difficulty steering. Car has 43,000 miles. Many similar cases reported in online forums.

- Washington, DC, USA

Driving on the highway and the power steering failed for no apparent reason. Car had just been inspected and there were no other mechanical or road hazard issues but I almost collided with a vehicle because the steering wheel froze. In actuality, it required a great deal of strength--unexpectedly so it felt frozen.

- Centreville, VA, USA

Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) why has the NHTSA administration taken no action against MINIand BMW for the known defect in power steering systems. I am wondering, amid all the Toyota controversy and recalls, especially now about the broken steering rods, why there has not been a recall, or at least a public warning of some kind about steering issues on the MINIThe power steering pump in MINIs of all ages and mileages are prone to fail while driving. This happened to me while driving my 2004 MINICooper S across a snowy and icy mountain pass here in Washington state. It was quite a surprising, frightening, and unsafe experience to say the least. Others have filed complaints with you folks, as well as the company, but so far as I know nothing has been done. If injuries and fatalities are the criteria, how would anyone know the steering was an issue unless they had experienced the terror of losing steering at speed" this issue prompted a recall in great britain. Why not here. Even a cursory search of the internet reveals the depth of the problem, yet neither BMW nor MINIhave taken any steps to address the issue here in the us. Can you tell me why?" [xxx]

- University Place, WA, USA

1. an hour into a highway drive, all the electrical failed. All lights, gauges, radio, etc. All but the power steering returned in a moment, less than a second. 2. the power steering does not work. 3. power steering pump internal electronics area shows significant scorching and melting. Pump was replaced but power steering system still inoperable. The old pump is available.

- Springfield, MA, USA

2004 MINICooper. Consumer states while driving power steering malfunctioned.

- University Place, WA, USA

I was driving on I-95N when the steering became all tight like I couldn't turn the wheel. No indicatior lights came on. I reached my destination, shut the car off for several min, got in started it up and it was fine. Got back on I-95S and 5 min later the steering wheel felt like it was locked up I couldn't turn it. Again no warnings!!!!! are you people going to wait till some one is killed to make BMW fix this!!!!!! I have read it's beein going on since 2002 power steering pump failures

- Greenwich, CT, USA

The contact owns a 2004 MINICooper. While driving at approximately 35 mph, the contact noticed steering became extremely difficult. After the initial failure, the steering problems became intermittent. The vehicle identification number was unavailable at the time of the complaint. The current mileage was approximately 78,000. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

- Portland, OR, USA

Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). I have a 2004 MINICooper S (BMW) that I have owned for about a year and a half but recently, past 3 months., I have had the power steering quit suddenly on 3 separate occasions. Thankfully I was not on a high speed road at any of those times because when the power steering went out it I could barely turn the wheel and I'm a 36 yr. Old male with quite a bit more strength than my fiance who also drives the car. I believe this is a very serious flaw with the car as I have checked with other MINIcooper owners across the country who each and everyone of them has experienced the same exact problem with the power steering failing suddenly. I can only imagine what would happen if this occurs at high speeds or during inclement weather, this is a safety hazard that should be recalled by BMW since I am not the only MINIcooper owner with this problem. [xxx]

- O'fallon, MO, USA

The power steering pump suddenly failed. This is an electric-hydraulic steering system and the car is not controllable when the pump fails. The car has been properly maintained and has less than 50,000 mile.

- Houston, TX, USA

Power steering suddenly cut out during normal driving conditions in downtown san francisco, making it very difficult to steer. Driver was able to bring the car to a stop safely, but this failure could have caused an accident had it occurred on a curving road. The power steering pump was determined to have failed, and was replaced by the consumer, for a repair cost of close to $700. The power steering pump is not supposed to fail this early in the lifetime of a vehicle.

- Palo Alto, CA, USA

2004 MINICooper- 50K miles- power steering fan / motor failure leading to electrical system malfunction, heat/fire damage resulting in inability to turn off engine.

- Huntington Beach, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2004 MINICooper. While driving 15-20 mph, the power steering suddenly failed. The contact had to pull the vehicle over. A diagnostic has not been performed to determine the cause of the failure. The failure mileage was 37,640.

- San Francisco, CA, USA

Intermittent power steering failure.

- Columbus, OH, USA

Power steering failed soon after starting. The car had been outside on a cold day, but not unusual (~20 degrees F). It functioned again when re-started.

- Arlington, MA, USA

While driving on the freeway my power steering pump died I could hardly change lanes on the freeway, it felt like my steering wheel had locked, turning in any angle was very hard worst than driving a truck, I kept a firm grip with one hand while trying to control the gears, my arms, back, and hand is still hurting, had no warning signals, it wheel just locked up and was very hard to managed I wasnt able to handle the car did not feel safe, did not have full control of handling the steering this is serious protential accident waiting to happen I called the dealer and was told that there were recalls but not for my VIN 2004. My MINIis now in the repair shop to have the pump replace and the fan. This is a deadly issue and MINIshould recall and pay for this problem for those of us who had to pay out of pocket we should get refunds, so far out of pocket is over $1100, I hope this send a message to the manaufacture that lives are at stake here, great car but not safe to drive without full control. I'm so thankful I didnt have to move quickly out of the way or I would not be here to report this bad experience I lost a day of work trying to get this resolved and the cost of a rental car.

- Rancho Dominguez, CA, USA

Approximately one month ago I was on ortega highway in southern California with my child in the back seat. As I was maneuvering the MINIalong the curvy road the power steering went out. Fortunately I had gotten through the worst of the hair pins and was going slower than the speed limit etc. Suddenly the steering began to work again. My husband was informed by a mechanic that it was the power steering fan. We had it replaced and it seemed okay. On November 26th I had my children in the car going to my sisters I went to make a left hand turn and the car didn't want to turn. The power steering failed again. I was fortunate once again as there was no on coming traffic because if there was I would have had a head-on collision. There are no warning lights for this issue and I had never been informed of power steering issues being so sudden on this vehicle. I believe a massive recall for the 02-04 years would be an extremely good idea. I goggled the issue and have found many others with these years that are having the same problem. My vehicle is only 4 years old. I have a truck older than it that has never had to have the power steering replaced. I can not afford to replace it now due to financial issues. The pump alone is between 400-500 dollars. Please, please, please get them to recall this before someone dies! or is that what everyone is waiting for"!"

- Murrieta, CA, USA