Yeah I just picked up my 02 Mini and today the power steering went out on me and almost stuck me to the guard rail! it got really hard to turn the wheel,it almost felt like something got pined between my wheel and body..

I had to drive awhile before I could even get off the road so I had to tuff it out about 5 miles and no change it didn't come back on..

I got to work and parked went in then came back out and turned the car on problem gone!

I drove over 60 plus miles home at night with no issue on the way back.

What's up with that?

 

Mine went intermittent as well before it lost it entirely. This is becoming a real common story and people do not believe how difficult the steering becomes without the power assist.

I urge you to report your experience to the NHTSA so they can compile this information. This is really dangerous. You need to get the power steering pump and the cooling fan replaced ASAP. Also check for fluid leaks as the hoses go bad probably due to overheating. I suspect your system is out or really low on fluid. It requires PENTOSIN fluid, not ATF. But don't be fooled if you fill it up and it works. The system has been severely compromised.

I have lodged a report with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) through their online Technical Information Service (TIS). I urge you to do the same in order to get Mini to recognize they have a serious problem. Here is the website: http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/problems/trd/

 

Ok yup the power steering keeps going out when I drive longer distances,most of the time the other day I went to Burger King and it cut out on me in the drive threw,then again leaving for work.

I took it to the dealer I bought it from and he had it checked out.
Power steering fluid is clear,the pump they said was fine,he then said they replaced a switch that looked gummed up..He also mentioned the switch cost them 180. and they replaced the power steering fluid witch cost them 60. bucks

I drive home no issues the next day rite when I got the other side of town,there it went again so I pull over turn the car off then back on again,still gone so I drive a ways pull over into a service station turn off the car then on then I had power steering no problem.

So when should the power steering fan be running? I've looked under there at least 15 times and it's not been running,I had the air conditioning on and the car running after an hour drive and it's not going?

Yet the dealer says everything is working normally..

My dealer drove my car down to Winston Salem and they looked over the power steering and said the car is running fine,
My dealer asked if he should go ahead and replace the pump and Mini said No.

I needed to wait till it goes completely out so they can diagnose the problem,Thats write but what if they can't diagnose the problem cause the car has been turned into scrap metal if I end up recking it!

 

Fleazilla:

I had the same issue on my 04 Mini S and reported my experience in an earlier reply on this thread. The dealer, in my humble opinion, is being negligent. They have to know there is a power steering problem which starts with the fan quitting and overheating the pump as it has occurred frequently particularly in pre 2006 models. Just Google "Mini Power Steering Problem". Once the pump quits you can not steer the car without super human effort. This is indeed a safety issue when the pumps quit.

I suggest you do the following:
I have lodged a report with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) through their online Technical Information Service (TIS). I urge you to do the same in order to get Mini to recognize they have a serious problem. Here is the website: http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/problems/trd/

This is such a significant issue that a number of enterprising companys are overhauling the pumps and want the cores in return. There has also been an upgraded pump and caged fan made available OEM as there has been some recognition of a problem.

Please report your experiences here as well as to the NHTSA.

Best regards.

 

FYI:

FYI:

U.S. examining Mini Cooper steering


By BRAD CONSTANT

The government says there have been 54
consumer complaints about the steering in
the Mini Cooper.

　　
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration is investigating
Mini Coopers for unexpected loss of power steering.
NHTSA has launched an investigation of 2004-model Coopers after receiving
54 consumer complaints and a confidential number of field reports, the
administration stated on its Web site. The reports state that it is hard to
control the vehicle when the power steering fails.
The reports also say that the loss of power steering may be linked to the
failure of the power steering pump.
The company will provide information sought by the safety agency, a
spokesman for BMW, Mini's parent company, said.

 

An investigation ha been opened into potential power steering problems in Mini Coopers built by German automaker BMW AG.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Tuesday on its website that it had received 54 complaints about the loss of power steering in Mini Coopers from the 2004-2005 model years.

When the power steering stops working, it becomes more difficult for the driver to steer or control the vehicle.

The preliminary investigation covers about 80,000 Mini Coopers.

BMW did not immediately comment on the investigation.
I have had this problem and paid almost $900 for the repair. I have filed a complaint today with NHTSA. They said the more compaints files the beter chance of a recall and reimbursement for reapirs alreay completed.
Here is the link to the article. http://www.clickondetroit.com/automo...81/detail.html

Here is the NHTSA hotline phone number to file a complaint. Have your vehicle VIN available. Toll-Free: 1-888-327-423

 

Here is the correct NHTSA Hotline phone number to file a compalint.
Toll-Free: 1-888-327-4236

 

My dealer decided to go ahead and replace the pump, Turned out from what they said that the power couplink had broken off.

So they went ahead and replaced the hole pump,didn't cost me anything they went ahead and did it under warranty,So I have my Perma-grin back!

 

Greetings. Well you can chalk up another unhappy mini owner with power steering issues.
I just purchased a used 2005 mini s about 2 months ago. (90 k) The 60 day warranty just expired.......go figure. Anyway, I live in Pa. (USA) where you must have your vehicle inspected once a year. Just recently I was introduced to a new semi high Pitched whirring noise from underneath the hood. Low and behold its the ps unit. My mechanic verified this today. Now ofcourse I asked hiïm how long do I have til complete failure ? Who knows. But so far I haven't had any hard steering ..yet. So here I go looking for a new pump. A pump that is already known to fail on minis with less than 10000 miles. Should I be a little leary? You bet your a s s! Let's look at this unit from a design standpoint. Most ps units that I'm familiar with are belt driven. Why on earth would a car maker especially BMW design such a thing as an electrical pump. Especially hydraulic where fluid pressures get extremmely high. I would think that the engine supplies plenty of power for a belt drive. Secondly, why mount the thing close to the ground where your most likely to collect dust and dirt? Probably one of the reasons the units are failing maybe due. To dust dirt and foreign matter getting into seals. I dunno. But as a starter Im going to try to find out what particular parts of the units are failing. Any links or info as always would be awesome thanks, Tom

 

Anyone in the US who wants the direct link to the On Line Form for filling out your power steering complaint , it's right here:


https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/