CarComplaints.com Notes: Power steering problems are a major issue with the 2005 Mini Cooper, with hundreds of owners reporting complaints to the NHTSA about their power steering suddenly failing while driving.
Some power steering failures have caused crashes & injuries. Average mileage at failure is well under 100,000 miles & the repair cost is over $1,000. Not good.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
12 / 17
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
73,862 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
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.
While driving approximately 45 mph, the power steering on my 2005 MINICooper failed and I had trouble turning the car. The power steering failure continued until I was able to pull into a parking lot and turned the car off. I let the car to cool down for approximately one hour before restarting it and the power steering worked fine the rest of the trip home. This was the second time I experienced this failure, but did not record the date, etc. Of the first incident so am unable to accurately report that. Both times that the power steering failed, it was only due to my driving vigilance and arm strength that I was able to successfully avoid an accident. The local MINIdealer cannot look at my car for almost two weeks to identify the problem and I am afraid to drive my car fearing another failure of the power steering.
Over heating constantly no technical person knows of a remedy. Overflow tank blows out when car overheats constantly.this seems to be a problem since the beginning no matter what year the car was built and never remedied. Why not a recall" not knowing what other damage this causes to the engine. This has to be a recall for the company to fix it is a hit and miss fix??" this is a costly process and even in the forums on MINIit has been an ongoing issue. Front end fails all at the same time. (control arms, cv joints) steering becomes hard to control. MINIhelp
The contact owns a 2005 MINICooper. The contact stated that the steering wheel became extremely difficult to turn while driving 35 mph. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure and the current mileage was 53,000. Updated 03/15/12
The contact owns a 2005 MINICooper. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, the steering wheel seized. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they advised her that the power steering pump failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contact and they offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000. The VIN was unavailable.
- Ivan, UT, USA
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The car lost power steering intermittently lasting different length of times. The steering was extremely hard to move. This occurred as I was driving 35 mph with no warning on a left hand turn. MINIdiagnostics identified the power steering pump and fan needed to be replaced and said it was infact the same issue being investigated by NHTSA but declined to assist in repairs.. $1200... standing only behind the 30,000mi/3 yr warranty expiration. Please recall the 2005 MINIfor this issue...
Power steering failure. Very difficult to steer to back up or drive. After shutting off and restarting car twice the power steering is working again. Car is unsafe if power steering fails at any speed. Could cause loss of control resulting in injury or death.
Was driving in traffic on interstate 95 when power steering failed without warning. Car became very difficult to drive. Pulled off road, checked fluid levels and couldn't find any obvious problems. Power steering came back on when restarted car. Power steering stayed on for rest of drive, but has gone out several times since. Always comes back if turn off car and restart.
The contact owns a 2005 MINICooper. The contact stated that while parking, the power steering system malfunctioned and the vehicle became difficult to steer. The contact restarted the vehicle and the power steering system began operating normally. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 35,192.
Power steering failed on low and high speed. Had to slow down to stop, key off and rekey several times to get power steering to return. This has happened many times since the first time. It happens without warning and with no notice. By looking at this website and online forums I see this is a ongoing concern, and that this concern resulted in a recall in Canada. I would hope that NHTSA would adopt the same recal as Canada, as this defect is not the fault of the consumer. The appx cost of a known defect in the $1200 to $2000 dollar range that is not the fault of the consumer seems grossly unfair.
I was on my way to work and as I made a right hand turn, I almost lost control of the vehicle. The power steering had failed and I had to find the strength to turn the steering wheel before I ran into the building on the navy base where I work. I had a power steering pump put on. It hasn't even been a year and already I am having the same problems with the power steering. I do not think I should have to buy a new power steering pump every year.
Power steering pump failure. The steering wheel completely locks up and can't be turned. On top of that, it's completely unpredictable when the failure occurs. The first time it happened I was taking a right turn out of a roundabout, when the steering wheel wouldn't turn completely. Fortunately, I was going slow enough that I could brake so that I didn't have a head on collision with a car waiting at a stop light. It was extremely scary.
At highway speed, the power steering suddenly lost power (no noise or other indications). The wheel became extraordinarily difficult to turn. I managed to get the car off the road, but the steering would not have responded to a smaller/weaker driver.
The contact owns a 2005 MINICooper S convertible. The contact stated while driving at the speeds of 30 mph, without any warning the power steering malfunctioned. The vehicle was turned off and then on when the power steering began to function properly. The failure occurred four times. The failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 75,000 and the current mileage was 75,020.
The contact owns a 2005 MINICooper. The contact stated that the power steering pump was emitting a noise. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 44,300 and the current mileage was 44,800. The VIN was unavailable.
On three occasions, my 2005 MINICooper has had power steering failure. Each time, I was driving at speeds between 35-45mph and has put me in dangerous positions where I was unable to steer myself out of major materials and onto a safer road. I am not strong enough to easily overpower my vehicle's steering. My first experience happened as I was driving 35mph on a busy road at peak hour. I was on a four lane road, two in each direction. I was in the left hand lane coming up to my apt when my steering went out. I was unable to maneuver to the right lane to pull over due to the sheer strength needed and high traffic volumes. I immediately put my hazards on to alert motorists and slowed down my speed. I was left stranded before a major curve in the road. I was unable to move my car in either direction. A second experience occurred prior to a curve as I was exiting an interstate highway. As I attempted to turn the wheel I noticed the wheel was stiff/rigid. I could not make the curved exit ramp and blocked tremendously high speeding exiting traffic behind me. I believe this is a significant danger to drivers. Prior to each incident, there were no warnings/lights indicating issues of any kind. I would suggest an investigation, as I was not able to find any recalls from miniusa. I have searched the internet and have found many forums (usa & uk) of MINIowners discussing each of their incidents caused by power steering failures. I strongly believe this is not an isolated problem and could cause great harm to owners. It is common that once an accident/death has occurred due to faulty parts, a recall is made. An investigation should be made before this happens.
Power steering pump seized and needed to be replaced. Power steering fan failure and also needed to be replaced. Power steering hoses leaking and also needed to be replaced. Output shaft seal is leaking, but has not been replaced at this time. These repairs cost me approximately $1000! I have found numerous complaints about power steering failures in the 2004-2005 MINIPlease make BMW pay for this!
When turning into our neighborhood at 10-15mph, there was a sudden loss in power and the steering became stiff. I did not think anything of till I pulled the vehicle into our garage and turned it off. At this time the cooling fan and power steering remained active, creating loud whining noises. I let it run for 30 minutes but the issue remained. Only thing that resolved the issue was disconnecting the battery. Even reconnecting the battery the powersteering fan re-engaged.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Garnet Valley, PA, USA