2004 MINI COOPER S Complaints

POWER STEERING DROPPED OUT UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE I WAS MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN, TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 10-15 MPH. I WAS ABLE TO REGAIN STEERING CONTROL BEFORE A COLLISION, BUT POWER STEERING NEVER CAME BACK ON. I FOUND OUT THE POWER STEERING PUMP HAD FAILED, PERHAPS BROUGHT ON BY A POWER STEERING FAN FAILURE. BOTH THE FAN AND PUMP WERE REPLACED. *TR

DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 45MPH, WHEN POWER STEERING FAILED. POWER STEERING FAILURE ACCOMPANIED BY OTHER ELECTRICAL ISSUES. GAUGE CLUSTER RESET, ALL FAILURE LIGHTS WENT ON. POWER STEERING RESTORED SHORTLY AFTER FAILURE. OCCURRED APPROXIMATELY TWO MORE TIMES AFTER FIRST INCIDENT. AFTER POWER STEERING FAILURE NOTICED, ISSUE WITH CHARGING SYSTEM ALSO. CHARGING SYSTEM VOLTAGE CONSISTENTLY LOW, SOMETIMES EVEN GOING DOWN TO 10V ACCOMPANIED BY LOSS OF POWER AND OTHER MALFUNCTION LIGHTS. *TR

THE POWER STEERING ON MY 2004 MINI COOPER S HAS FAILED SEVERAL TIMES WITHOUT WARNING. THE CAR IS VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER WHEN THE PUMP STROPS WORKING WITHOUT WARNING AND MY WIFE NEARLY HAD AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF THIS INTERMITTENT FAILURE. I CHECKED ONLINE AND THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE VERY SAME PROBLEM.. STOPPING THE CAR AND SHUTTING THE ENGINE OFF AND THEN RESTARTING IT, CLEARS THE PROBLEM. *TR

LOST POWER STEERING ON FREEWAY AT 70 MILE AN HOUR. NEXT DAY IT WORK FOR 40 MILES THEN FAILED AGAIN ON FREEWAY AT 70 MILES AN HOUR, THERE IS NO WARNING OR FLUID LOSS,JUST COMPLETE STEERING LOSS . THEN IT IS VERY HARD TO CONTROL. *TR

THE STEERING WHEEL WENT ALMOST COMPLETELY RIGID AND THE WHEEL REQUIRED A GREAT DEAL OF EFFORT TO TURN. TURNING THE WHEEL WAS FAR MORE DIFFICULT THAN IN ANY VEHICLE I HAVE DRIVEN WITHOUT POWER STEERING, AND THERE WAS A PULSE OF DIFFERING PRESSURE AGAINST THE TURNS AT TIMES. AFTER SHUTTING OFF THE CAR AND STARTING AGAIN, THE STEERING WAS BACK TO NORMAL. *TR

AFTER STOPPING AT A RED LIGHT, WHEN I ACCELERATED TO MAKE A LEFT TURN, LOST POWER STEERING. DROVE TO WORK NEXT DAY WITH NO POWER STEERING, BUT ON THE WAY HOME, IT CAME BACK ON. HOWEVER, WHEN I TURN OFF THE ENGINE, THE ELECTRIC MOTOR KEPT ON RUNNING. HAD TO DISCONNECT BATTERY TO KEEP IT FROM DRAINING AND/OR CAUSE A FIRE. *TT

THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED... SAW SMOKE COMING FROM ENGINE AREA, EVEN WHEN POWER TO ENGINE WAS SHUT OFF AND KEY REMOVED. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO RESTART VEHICLE AFTER TALKING WITH SERVICE MECHANIC, HE ADVISED TO "RESTART" CAR UNTIL THE POWER STEERING UNIT POSSIBLY TURNED BACK ON. AFTER 6 ATTEMPTS (APPOX 3 MINS APART), THE SYSTEM STARTED TO WORK AGAIN, BUT WITH A "STIFF & GRINDING" NOISE COMING FROM THE PUMP BEING TRANSMITTED THRU THE STEERING WHEEL. CAUSE OF FAILURE IS "POWER STEERING PUMP/FAN UNIT". VERY DANGEROUS, AS THIS HAPPENED AT SPEED ON FREEWAY, AND LOST ALMOST ALL CONTROL OF STEERING.

THE VEHICLE'S POWER STEERING FAILED WITHOUT WARNING WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. THIS CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO BE VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER. THE CAR IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO DRIVE. *KB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 45 MPH WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME HARD TO MANEUVER. THE VEHICLE WAS MERGED ONTO THE SHOULDER AND THEN TOWED TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO INSPECTED THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE POWER STEERING PUMP WAS REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED WHO OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 140,000.

POWER STEERING JUST CUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING FOR NO REASON. YOU HAVE TO STOP THE VEHICLE AND TURN OFF ENGINE AND THEN TURN IT BACK ON TO (I GUESS) RESET THE POWER STEERING. THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE IF YOU ARE DRIVING ON A ROAD THAT YOU CANNOT PULL OVER AND ESPECIALLY ON A CURVY ROAD. *KB