I bought a used 2004 MINICooper last year. Under certain conditions on a curvy road the power steering pump would get very hard to turn the wheel, especially in a sharp curve. With no dealerships within 150 miles I put up with it. Now it stays on all the time and cannot be disconnected without taking the battery cable off the battery. It ruined 2 batteries before I realized it was staying on 24 hours a day. I bought the repair book and wiring diagram cd's to find it is straight wired from battery to inside the pump which glows bright red after running a few hours. If I had any type of oil leak, it would catch on fire. I contacted a repair center in atlanta ga and they can change it out for about $1000+ for the power steering pump and the open faced fan that caused the failure in the pump. It failed the exact month my warranty was over and they said sorry charlie. Cannot currently pay to have it repaired so it has been sitting in my yard for almost a year.

- Millbrook, AL, USA

As an owner of a 2004 Cooper S I was greatly disappointed to learn that I now need to replace my electric steering pump at only 55K miles. I have been told by the dealer that the part "goes regularly" and that "we keep a bunch in stock" and that it will cost me $600 for a new one not including labor. With this bit of information, I began to search MINIcooper fansites and blogs to see how often this problem occurs. I wasn't surprised to find that many of the members and "fans" of the car have had multiple pump failures, and that there is a growing number of those who are discussing the failure issue. I believe this is both a costly fix as well as a safety problem. The sudden loss of a steering pump is quite dangerous and may cause some drivers to lose control. I am fortunate that I noticed the problem and understood what the failure was, so I personally did not have an accident, but for those who are less car savvy, they may not notice the noise of the failure that is about to occur.

- Livonia, MI, USA

Power steering went out in early 2008. Luckily the car was parked when that happened or else it would have been a disaster since MINIsteering wheel is already heavier than other cars. Had it fixed (replaced) at the dealership and had to pay around $1000 since the warranty expired. It's unacceptable that the steering power pump died this early only after 4 years. It's a ripoff for the consumers. Something must be done about this. A few months later, the steering column and the lower shaft started to have issues as well. They started to make creaking noises. Took the car to the dealership and they quoted at almost $1000 to replace the parts. The steering column and power pump should not have to be replaced after only four years!

- Boston, MA, USA

Power window on passenger side comes down only sometimes and sometimes it doesn't work for weeks. Steering is making noises.

- Bellflower, CA, USA

At first my battery died after I came out of work. I couldn't understand why since I didn't leave anything on. So I got the battery replaced for $200. Recently the steering has been cutting out while driving. If you pull off into a parking lot and turn off the car you can still hear the cooling fan going. After approx 30 min the power steering will return to normal until it overheats again. So my battery was being drained by the power steering cooling fan.

- Palatine, IL, USA

I own a 2004 MINICooper S and the power steering pump has failed after only 4 years and 65,000 miles. This seems to be a very common occurrence with this vehicle and the manufacture is acutely aware of the issue, but will not issue a recall or warranty the item.

- Collegeville, PA, USA

(1) on Thursday, July 3rd, I attempted to manipulate a 90 degree righthand turn in my 2004 MINICooper S during my very short commute to work and did so only with great difficultly. From that point forward my car turns neither left nor right properly and only with great difficulty. There was no warning or noises of any kind to alert me to the problem. My significant other, who is a trained mechanic, inspected the vehicle and identified the power steering pump as the problem. I also spoke with several individuals herb chambers BMW MINIof boston who acknowledged that the power steering pump was either a known and/or common problem. The parts department explained that the pump manufacturer who made the pump in my MINIis no longer making pumps for MINI2) the power steering pump has failed therefore my MINIis relying on the rack and pinion to turn. The MINIturns only with great difficulty and requires two hands on the wheel at all times; this is exceedingly difficult to do while navigating corners as I have a standard transmission. The MINIis unsafe to drive, so I am forced to borrow another vehicle. (3) my car has approximately 57,000 miles on it and MINIs warranty only covers problems up through 50,000 miles despite the fact that the pump is a known problem and safety hazard. Nothing has been done by the dealership to correct the problem. My MINIremains parked while I await the new power steering pump that I ordered and paid for. The new pump is manufactured by a different company than the defective pump that has failed.

- Enfield, NH, USA

The power steering pump on my 2004 MINICooper has failed. I believe that this failure made the car dangerous to drive. The car is a low-mileage vehicle (43,000 miles at 4 years) and I believe this component has failed prematurely. I am a member of several MINIenthusiast communities and am aware that this is a common problem with the MINIa href="http://www.mini2.com">www.mini2.com has reports of around 1 in 4 vehicles having this pump fail prematurely. I believe an investigation is important due to member reports of fires starting under the hood. The part was replace at a MINIdealership.

- Arlington Heights, IL, USA

I had driven 2004 MINIfor about 30 minute, then parked it in driveway. Within 15 minutes I looked over to see smoke coming from the engine. I opened the compartment and got help. We pushed it into a nearby field and called the fire dept. If it had stayed in the drive, it would have also ignited 2 cars, the house and a boat. Who know about people and animals. I almost got run over trying to stop the MINIas it was pushed. After the car was out, we had it towed to inskip auto in warwick ri. Jeof said at first it was a power steering hose that burst and got on the hot exhaust...igniting. After looking at it further and with metlife insurance agent, they thought it was the power steering fan and pump failure. This overheated the electrical harness, to start the electrical fire. Neither the insurance nor inskip felt it was covered by them. I am to pay $2,600. Today when it pick it up. This covers labor, a power steering pump, fan and harness. I googled the problem on the internet to upsetting to me and find at least 250 posted MINIs with the same problem. I don't understand how MINIdoes not have to recall it. Are they waiting for just as many deaths?

- Onset, MA, USA

I have a 2004 MINICooper with about 61000 miles, and have recently experienced problems with the power steering. It was a very scary situation as the steering locked as I was driving on a los angeles freeway at a high speed. There is no warning indication, and there is definitely a potential danger.

- Tustin, CA, USA