Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2005 record →
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 MINI. PLEASE MAKE BMW PAY FOR THIS! *TT
WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY (I-684) AT 65 MPH THE VEHICLE LOST POWER STEERING ASSIST APPROX. 30 MILES FROM MY HOME. THIS MADE THE CAR DIFFICULT TO CONTROL, ESPECIALLY WHEN TAKING TURNS IN AND OFF OF EXITS. MUCH FORCE WAS REQUIRED TO MAINTAIN CONTROL AND STEERING THE VEHICLE FOR THE REST OF THE TRIP HOME. I WILL REPORT THIS TO MINI ON MONDAY. *TR
POWER STEERING FAILS DURING DRIVING. SEEMS TO BE AFTER ENGINE GETS HOT. HAPPENS UNEXPECTEDLY AND WITHOUT WARNING. *TR
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. *TR
THE PASSENGER AIRBAG SRS FLOOR MAT SENSOR IS DAMAGED AND MAY CAUSE THE PASSENGER AIRBAG TO NOT DEPLOY IN THE CASE OF AN ACCIDENT. THE SRS AIRBAG LIGHT IS ILLUMINATED. *TR
POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURE AND CAR BECOME VERY HARD TO TURN. ALMOST CRASHED INTO A CURB TAKE A 90 DEGREE SHARP TURN. ALL FUSES RELATED TO PUMP DID NOT FAIL. STEERING FLUID LEVEL IS AT PROPER AMOUNT. I JACKED UP THE CAR FRONT THE FRONT AND IT WAS A LITTLE BETTER WITHOUT ANY LOAD ON THE FROM END BUT FELT VERY NOTCHY ABOUT EVERY 20% OF A FULL TURN OF THE WHEEL. ELECTRIC COOLING FAN THAT COOLS THE PUMP IS NOT BLOCKED AND I CAN SPIN IT FREELY. MANY MINI COOPER OWNERS ARE COMPLAINT ABOUT THIS. MY POWER STEERING PUMP DOES NOT KEEP RUNNING AFTER THE CAR IS SHUT DOWN. *TR
SOMETIME IN LATE SUMMER OF LAST YEAR, MY CAR BEGAN TO MAKE A "HONKING" SOUND. IT SOUNDED LIKE THE CLUTCH THAT HAD ALREADY BEEN REPLACED ON BOTH OF OUR 2005 MINI COOPERS UNDER WARRANTY (ANOTHER POSSIBLE SAFETY ISSUE?) BUT THE CLUTCHING SEEMED OK. UP UNTIL THE TIME I WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR IN TO THE SHOP TO GET LOOKED AT, I NOTICED A PUDDLE IN THE GARAGE, AND I ALSO NOTICED IT WAS GETTING HARDER TO STEER. THE SHOP DETERMINED THAT MY STEERING RACK WAS LEAKING AND NEEDED TO BE COMPLETELY REPLACED, WHICH WE DID. NOW, JUST OVER 1 YEAR LATER, THE CAR IS ALREADY EXHIBITING THE SAME BEHAVIORS EXACTLY. SOMETHING IN THE VEHICLE IS CAUSING THE RACK TO MALFUNCTION AND REQUIRE REPLACEMENT. *TR
I HAD TO REPLACE THE POWER STEERING PUMP AS IT HAD FAILED. IT FIRST FAILED WHILE I WAS ON A HIGHWAY OFF-RAMP AND NEARLY CRASHED. THE FAILURE WAS DUE TO THE POWER STEERING FAN SEIZING AND THEREFORE IT WAS NOT COOLING THE POWER STEERING PUMP. AFTER SOME INVESTIGATION OF MY OWN, I FOUND OUT THAT THE ROOT CAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM WAS THE LOW FAN SPEED RESISTOR FAILED ON THE ENGINE COOLING FAN. THE POWER STEERING FAN WILL ONLY ACTIVATE ONCE THE ENGINE COOLING FAN IS RUNNING. IF THE LOW FAN SPEED RELAY FAILS, THE ENGINE COOLING FAN WILL ONLY TURN ON AT 233F (HIGH SPEED FAN MINIMUM TEMPERATURE). ONCE THE ENGINE COOLING FAN TURNS ON AT 233F, THE POWER STEERING FAN WILL TURN ON TO COOL THE POWER STEERING PUMP. THE POWER STEERING FAN WILL BE TOO HOT AT THIS POINT AND WILL OVERHEAT ITSELF AND SEIZE. THE POWER STEERING FAN FAILURE THEN CAUSES THE POWER STEERING PUMP TO OVERHEAT AND FAIL. IF THE POWER STEERING FAN IS NOT REPLACED BEFORE THE POWER STEERING PUMP FAILS, THIS CAUSES THE ENTIRE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM FOR THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM TO FAIL AS WELL AND LEAK HYDRAULIC FLUID. IF THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM FAILS, THIS CAN CAUSE THE POWER STEERING PUMP TO ULTIMATELY CATCH ON FIRE DUE TO IT OVERHEATING FROM LOW LEVELS OF HYDRAULIC FLUID. THE COMPLETE REPLACEMENT OF PARTS ALONE FOR THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM IS $1,296.35. THIS SYSTEM IS REQUIRED FOR DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT ANY SPEED AS IT IS A "POWER ASSISTED STEERING" SYSTEM, THUS MAKING IT VERY HARD TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE AT ANY SPEED. IF YOU VI
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER S. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO STEER AND SEIZED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE AND WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTICS OR REPAIRS. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 118,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER S. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO MOVE WHEN THE CONTACT NOTICED A BURNING ODOR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHERE HE WAS INFORMED THAT THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING COMPONENT HAD MELTED AND NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THERE WAS A CONCURRENT INVESTIGATION FOR THE FAILURE HOWEVER, THERE WERE NO RECALLS. THE MANUFACTURER OFFERED NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE. NO REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED. THE CURRENT AND THE FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 63,260. UPDATED 12/20/11*LJ THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THE POWER STEERING UNIT HAD SUFFERED A COMPLETE MELT DOWN WHICH SPREAD TO THE POWER STEERING HOSE AND WIRING HARNESS. UPDATED 01/20/12
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER S. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED UNTIL THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WHENEVER THE ENGINE WAS IN OPERATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO STATED THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR PAD WAS FAULTY AND WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM IN WHICH THERE WAS NO RESOLUTION. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 41,000.
POWER STEERING FOR THE LAST YEAR OR SO ONLY WORKS A FRACTION OF THE TIME. THE FIRST TIME IT WENT OUT WAS WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY. LAST WEEKEND IT STOPPED WORKING AND DIDN'T WORK AGAIN FOR A FULL WEEK. VERY HARD TO DRIVE THIS VEHICLE WHEN IT GOES OUT UNEXPECTEDLY. *KB
IN THE EARLY FALL, SEPTEMBER 2011, I ENCOUNTERED ISSUES WITH MY CAR NOT SHIFTING PROPERLY. IT'S AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SO I KNOW THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD BE DOING TO CAUSE THIS PROBLEM. THE CAR HAS BEEN SERVICED REGULARLY AND DRIVEN WITH CARE WHILE IN MY POSSESSION(I'M THE SECOND OWNER. NO SIMILAR ISSUES ON CARFAX REPORT). WHILE THE ENGINE IS COOL AND NOT YET AT ITS OPTIMAL TEMPERATURE THE DRIVE IS FINE AND YOU MAY NOT EVEN NOTICE A PROBLEM; HOWEVER, EVERY RIDE, ONCE WARMED UP THE CAR BEGINS TO SHIFT INCREDIBLY VIOLENTLY AS IT IS OBVIOUSLY STRUGGLING TO SWITCH GEARS. THIS OCCURS ALSO WHILE SLOWING DOWN AND THE CAR IS DOWNSHIFTING CREATING AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE "SLUNG" INTO A CAR FROM BEHIND(THIS HAPPENED IN THE MID SUMMER OF 2011). AFTER DROPPING THIS CAR OFF SEPTEMBER 15TH TO THE LOCAL MINI DEALERSHIP, I DID NOT HEAR FROM THEM FOR ALMOST THREE WEEKS. IN THE FIRST WEEK OF OCTOBER I WAS CONTACTED AND TOLD IT LOOKS LIKE MY CAR IS VERY EASILY FIXABLE AND SHOULD BE READY SHORTLY. IT WAS EXPLAINED TO ME THAT A SEAL HAD BROKEN ON THE TRANSMISSION LEAKING FLUID ONTO IT CAUSING THIS SHIFTING MALFUNCTION. WHEN THEY FINALLY TOLD ME I CAN PICK UP MY CAR(APPROXIMATELY OCTOBER 18TH) THEY REGRETTED TO INFORM ME THE PROBLEM WAS NOT ABLE TO BE FIXED AND I WOULD HAVE TO BRING IT ELSEWHERE AS THEY DO NOT REBUILD TRANSMISSIONS. NOW IT IS BACK IN MY POSSESSION WHERE I AM FORCED TO COMMUTE IN IT DAILY, DRIVING WORSE THAN IT WAS BEFORE I DROPPED IT OFF. IT NOW DISPLAYS "PE" FOR ITS CURRENT GEAR
I WAS DRIVING DOWN BROOKWOOD STREET AND WENT TO MAKE A CURVE WHEN I REALIZED THAT I COULDN'T TURN THE CAR. I WAS ABLE TO PULL HARDER ON THE WHEEL AND MAKE THE CURVE. I PULLED OVER AND TURNED THE CAR OFF TO LOOK THINGS OVER,CHECKED THE POWER STEERING FLUID WHICH WAS FULL. I RESTARTED THE CAR AND THE STEERING WORKED AGAIN.I FINISHED DRIVING TO WORK WITH NO PROBLEMS. WHEN I CAME OUT OF WORK I AGAIN HAD NO POWER STEERING AND HAD THE CAR TOWED INTO A SHOP WHERE THEY TOLD ME THE POWER STEERING PUMP HAD FAILED AND IT WAS GOING TO COST OVER $1300 TO FIX. I HAD THE REPAIR DONE BUT AM AFRAID TO DRIVE THE CAR AS THEY TOLD ME IT COULD HAPPEN AGAIN EVEN WITH THE NEW PART. *TR
TEMPORARY LOSS OF POWER STEERING. AFTER DRIVING FOR ABOUT 2 HOURS, I STOPPED TO FILL UP AT A GAS STATION. I THEN STARTED THE CAR AND BEGAN TO DRIVE OUT OF THE GAS STATION. I SOON NOTICED THE POWER STEERING WAS NOT WORKING. I PULLED INTO A PARKING SPACE, OPENED THE HOOD, AND PROCEEDED TO CHECK THE POWER STEERING FLUID. THE POWER STEERING FLUID RESERVOIR WAS FULL. I RESTARTED THE CAR AFTER ABOUT 5 MINUTES AND THE POWER STEERING WAS WORKING AGAIN. THIS TEMPORARY POWER STEERING LOSS HAS OCCURRED 3 MORE TIMES OVER THE LAST MONTH SINCE THE INITIAL INCIDENT DESCRIBED ABOVE. DURING THE LAST OCCURRENCE, I DROVE A SHORT DISTANCE BACK TO MY HOME WITH NO POWER STEERING. I'D LIKE TO POINT OUT STEERING WAS VERY DIFFICULT, NEARLY UNDRIVEABLE AROUND SLOW SPEED TURNS. THE STEERING EFFORT WAS MUCH MORE THAN MANUAL STEERING CARS I'VE OWNED IN THE PAST. *TR
POWER STEERING COMPLETELY FAILS. *TR
ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS AT VARIOUS SPEEDS AND AT RANDOM TIMES, THE POWER STEERING ON MY 2005 MINI COOPER S WILL STOP WORKING. AFTER RESEARCHING THE ISSUE, THIS APPEARS TO BE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM THAT PLAGUES ALMOST EVERY MINI SOLD SINCE 2002. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO REFERENCE NHTSA ACTION NUMBER :EA11005, AS IT APPLIES TO MY PARTICULAR ISSUE. *TR
NOTICED LEVEL OF POWER STEERING FLUID WAS LOW. NO APPARENT LEAK ON GROUND. NOTICED THE BOOTS ON RACK AND PINION ARE PRESSURIZED AND REALIZED THAT IS WHERE THE FLUID IS LEAKING INTO. *TT
THE POWER ASSIST FOR THE STEERING FAILS INTERMITTENTLY. OFTEN THIS OCCURS MIDWAY THROUGH A TURN. SOMETIMES TURNING THE CAR OFF AND RE-STARTING WILL RESOLVE THE PROBLEM, OTHER TIMES IT DOES NOT. REPORTED THE ISSUE TO THE DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND BEFORE I COULD FINISH THE SENTENCE THE TWO SERVICE WRITERS SAID THERE WAS NOT ISSUE WITH THE POWER STEERING PUMP! WITHOUT THE POWER ASSIST THE STEERING IS VERY HEAVY. AS A STRONG, EXPERIENCED DRIVER I KNEW WHAT TO DO WHEN THE POWER ASSIST FAILED, BUT THIS WOULD BE VERY DANGEROUS FOR AN OLDER OR LESS PHYSICAL DRIVER SINCE THE ASSIST FAILURE IS SUDDEN AND WITHOUT WARNING. AS A DRIVER YOU GO FROM BEING ABLE TO CASUALLY STEER WITH MINIMAL INPUT TO INSTANTLY NEEDING TO FORCEFULLY TURN THE STEERING WHEEL TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE CAR!!!! THE CAR CURRENTLY HAS 40,011 MILES AND CONTINUES TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM INTERMITTENTLY. *TR
I STARTED TO HEAR THIS WINDING OR LOUD HUMMING SOUND, DID NOT KNOW WHERE IT WAS COMING FROM..IT WAS EXAMINED BY A MECHANIC,,AND IT WAS THE POWER STEERING PUMP FAILING, AND THE ELECTRIC COOLING FAN FAILING. READ ABOUT MANY PROBLEMS WITH THIS STEERING PUMP ON 2005 MINI'S. THE COST WAS $1226.00 TO REPLACE. EVEN THOUGH I DID NOT LOST POWER STEERING, IT COULD HAVE HAPPENED AT ANYTIME. *TR
MY POWER STEERING PUMP ON MY 2005 MINI COOPER S FAILED AT 45 MPH IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES. I HAVE TAKEN MY VEHICLE IN FOR A DIAGNOSES IN WHICH THEY INFORMED ME THE REPAIR WOULD BE OVER $1K. I DECLINED THE REPAIR AS I HAVE LOCATED A NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS REGARDING THIS ISSUE, AND AM NOW TAKING IT UP WITH MINI HQ. *TT
POWER STEERING STOPPED WORKING NEAR THE END OF A 15 MILE DRIVE TO WORK. POWER STEERING FUNCTIONED NORMALLY ON THE DRIVE HOME 9 HOURS LATER. *KB
BOUGHT MY DREAM CAR, AN '05 MINI COOPER S MONDAY, LABOR DAY, AND IMMEDIATELY STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE STEERING RANDOMLY CUTTING IN AND OUT. NOT AWESOME! EACH TIME, TURNING THE CAR OFF AND THEN BACK ON HAS RESOLVED THE ISSUE, HOWEVER IT WOULD SEEM THAT IT SHOULDN'T BE HAPPENING, LIKE, AT ALL, LET ALONG HAVING TO 'CYCLE' THE ENGINE EACH TIME. *TR
PARKED THE VEHICLE AFTER A SHORT TRIP OF APPROX. 10 MILES. LEFT CAR FOR APPROX 5 TO 7 MINUTES. RETURNED TO FIND SMOKE BILLOWING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. IMMEDIATELY STARTED TO UNHOOK THE BATTERY CABLE. GOT THE BATTERY UNHOOKED AND SMOKE DIMINISHED. TRIED RESTARTING CAR, RESTARTED FINE, BUT NO POWER STEERING. ASSUMING THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP WENT UP IN SMOKE. FORTUNATELY, DAMAGE SEEMS TO BE LIMITED TO PS PUMP... NOT SURE YET IF SMOLDERING/SMOKE INDICATES ANY OTHER DAMAGE UNDER THE HOOD OR NOT. *TR
POWER STEARING WENT OUT ON 2005 MINI COOPER WHILE DRIVING ON LOTS OF CURVES ALONG COLUMBIA RIVER, SEEMS TO BE A THING WITH THESE CARS AFTER LOOKING ON LINE. JUST GLAD I'M NOT SWIMMING WITH THE FISHES DUE TO HAVING TO MUSCLE THE CAR ON THE ROAD. *TT
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP WOULD CONTINUE TO RUN EVEN WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO LOOSE POWER STEERING WHILE DRIVING. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR THE MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 73,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 74,000.
2005 MINI COOPER S - ENGINE FIRE A FEW DAYS AGO (7/27/2011) MY 2005 MINI COOPER S CAUGHT FIRE IN THE LOWER REAR ENGINE COMPARTMENT WHILE PARKED IN A BUSINESS PARKING LOT. IT HAD BEEN DRIVEN A SHORT DISTANCE (ABOUT 6 MILES) THREE HOURS PRIOR WITH NO INDICATION OF A PROBLEM. THE CAR IGNITION WAS OFF AND THERE WAS NO KEY PRESENT IN OR NEAR THE VEHICLE. FORTUNATELY, A CO-WORKER SPOTTED THE CAR BILLOWING SMOKE FROM BENEATH THE HOOD AND WE WERE ABLE TO QUICKLY EXTINGUISH THE FIRE BEFORE ANY SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE WAS DONE TO THE VEHICLE OR SURROUNDING PROPERTY. ACCORDING TO THE MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THE CAR AND SUBSEQUENT ELECTRICAL FIRE - THE INCIDENT WAS CAUSED BY AN OVERHEATING AND EVENTUAL IGNITION OF AN ELECTRICAL HARNESS CAUSED BY A SUDDEN FAILURE OF THE POWER STEERING PUMP. I MUST EMPHASIZE THAT PRIOR TO THE FIRE, THERE WAS NO INDICATION IN THE VEHICLE (WARNING SYSTEM) OR BY THE VEHICLES PERFORMANCE THAT THERE WAS ANY PROBLEM WITH THE PUMP OR HANDLING. IT FAILED COMPLETELY WITHOUT WARNING! WHILE PARKED AND UNATTENDED! THANKFULLY, THE CAR WAS NOT PARKED IN MY GARAGE AT NIGHT WHERE THE FIRE WOULD HAVE CERTAINLY GOTTEN A LOT WORSE BEFORE BEING DISCOVERED AND COULD HAVE POTENTIALLY BEEN DEVASTATING TO MY PROPERTY AND FAMILY. AS IT STANDS THE CAR IS SCHEDULED TO BE REPAIRED AT A COST OF NEARLY 1000.00, POSSIBLY MORE AS WE DO NOT YET KNOW IF THERE WAS ANY DAMAGE CAUSED TO ADDITIONAL COMPONENTS WITHIN THE VEHICLE BY THE PUMPS FAILURE. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER AND ONLY DRIVER OF THIS VE
I HAVE A JANUARY 2005 BUILT MINI COOPER S (R53) WITH APPROXIMATELY 21,000 MILES ON IT. ON FEBRUARY 12, 2011 I WAS DRIVING THE CAR ON A WINDING ROAD IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WHEN THE POWER STEERING PUMP CATASTROPHICALLY FAILED WITHOUT ANY WARNING IN THE MIDDLE OF A HIGH SPEED TURN. THE UNEXPECTED POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURE MADE THE STEERING COMPLETELY UNRESPONSIVE CAUSING THE CAR TO SPIN OUT OF CONTROL AND NEARLY HIT A TREE (I WAS VERY LUCKY THAT I WASN'T KILLED!). AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH, IT APPEARS THAT UNWARRANTED POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURES ARE QUITE COMMON WITH THE EARLIER MINI COOPER MODELS. I FEEL THAT THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY CONCERN THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BY THE MANUFACTURE VIA A MANDATORY SAFETY RECALL. AFTER THE INITIAL CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE POWER STEERING PUMP, THE PUMP WOULD WORK INTERMITTENTLY IN THAT IT WOULD RUN FINE FOR A WHILE AND THEN FAIL AGAIN WITHOUT WARNING A SHORT TIME LATER MAKING THE CAR EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. AT TIMES, THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING PUMP WOULD NOT SWITCH OFF AFTER TURNING OFF THE CAR'S IGNITION AND THE CAR'S BATTERY WOULD ULTIMATELY GO FLAT LEAVING US STRANDED. WE TOOK THE CAR INTO THE MINI DEALERSHIP ON 2/17//2011 AND THEY DIAGNOSED THE CAR AS HAVING A BAD BATTERY (CLAIMING THAT THE BATTERY WAS SO LOW THAT THE CAR WAS ACTUALLY SHUTTING DOWN THE POWER STEERING IN ORDER TO STAY RUNNING). THEY CHARGED US $160 FOR THE DIAGNOSTICS. WE THEN REPLACED THE BATTERY WITH AN OEM BATTER FROM THE DEALERSHIP ($130) AND IT DIDN'T MAKE AN
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHORTLY AFTER POWERING OFF THE IGNITION, HE NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE STEERING PUMP. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED AND CUT THE BATTERY LINE. THE DEALER DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT REPLACED THE STEERING PUMP. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 40,746 AND THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,540. UPDATED 9/13/11 *CN THE CONSUMER REPALCD THE PUMP, FLUID AND OTHER SMALL PARTS. UPDATED 01/23/12
POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURE ON 2005 MINI COOPER LEADS TO DANGEROUS DRIVING *KB
UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE AND SOMETIMES WHILE MOVING AT LOW SPEEDS THE POWER STEERING WOULD FAIL MAKING THE VEHICLE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO STEER. THE DEALER EXPLAINED THAT THE RELAY IN THE AUXILIARY ENGINE FAN HAD FAILED LIKELY AS A RESULT OF THE POWER STEERING FAN FAILING. BOTH THE AUXILIARY ENGINE FAN AND THE POWER STEERING FAN HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE COST OF THE REPAIRS AND LABOR WAS $1060.14.
POWER STEERING IS INTERMITTENT MAKING CAR DIFFICULT TO CONTROL. I'M THE SECOND OWNER OF CAR. FIRST FAILURE OCCURRED AT APPROXIMATELY 85,000 MILES.
2005 MINI COOPER WARNING LIGHTS INDICATED THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG TURNED OFF WHILE AN ADULT PASSENGER WAS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. ISSUE STARTED DURING A COLD NY WINTER AFTER 5 YRS OF FAULT FREE OPERATION. NORMALLY THE PASSENGER SEAT WILL SENSE THE WEIGHT OF A PASSENGER AND AUTOMATICALLY ADJUST THE FORCE OF A DEPLOYING AIRBAG. DEALER REPORTED FAULTY SEAT MAT SENSOR WITH A REPLACEMENT COST OF $1300 WHICH IS NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY. AFTER EXTENSIVE INTERNET SEARCH FOR SIMILAR PROBLEMS, THESE SENSOR MATS FAIL AT A REGULAR RATE, AND ARE NOT COVERED BY ANY RECALL. DUE TO THE HIGH COST AND REPEATED FAILURE THESE REPAIRS ARE NOT BEING PERFORMED. *TR
POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY, RESULTING IN LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL. *KB
AFTER DRIVING FOR APPROX 2 HOURS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, POWER STEERING FAILED. NOTICED UPON EXITING HIGHWAY - NO ACCIDENT, BUT STEERING REQUIRED UNEXPECTEDLY SIGNIFICANT FORCE. *TR
2005 MINI COOPER POWER STEERING FAILURE. *TR
2005 MINI COOPER S POWER STEERING FAILED WHILE TURNING OFF HIGHWAY ALMOST CAUSING ME TO CRASH INTO AN ADJACENT CAR BECAUSE I HAD TO MUSCLE THE CAR INTO A CORNER. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM WHICH HAPPENED ONE MORE TIME LATER IN THE WEEK WHILE I WAS TURNING INTO MY DRIVEWAY. A WOMAN MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO MUSCLE THE CAR CORRECTLY THUS CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. *TR
I OWN A 05 MINI COOPER S THAT HAS POWER STEERING PROBLEMS..THE STEERING WENT OUT WHEN DRIVING 75MPH..SINCE THEN THE POWER STEERING MOTOR WILL NOT SHUT OFF ON ITS OWN AND THE BATTERY MUST BE DISCONNECTED WHICH IS ANOTHER ISSUE ALTOGETHER...I AM NOT ABLE TO DRIVE THIS VEHICLE AS IT IS NOT SAFE...IT STARTED AS AN INTEMITTENT PROBLEM AND NOW IS A CONSTANT PROBLEM...I ONLY OWN THIS VEHICLE AS WAS HOPING MINI WOULD STEP UP AND TAKE CARE OF THIS... *TT
2005 MINI COOPER S. POWER STEERING FAILURE: I WAS DRIVING MY CAR FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES, WHEN THE POWER STEERING FAILED. I REACHED MY DESTINATION (WITHOUT POWER STEERING), THE CAR SAT FOR APPROX 3 HOURS, WHEN I GOT BACK IN THE CAR, THE POWER STEERING WORKED. THE FIRST OCCURRENCE WAS ON TUESDAY, JUNE 14, 2011. ON WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, THIS OCCURRED NUMEROUS TIMES AFTER DRIVING THE VEHICLE ONLY FOR A FEW MINUTES. AGAIN, AFTER THE CAR SAT FOR A FEW HOURS, THE POWER STEERING RESUMED WORKING. MY CAR HAS APPROX 56K MILES ON IT, AND I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THE VEHICLE. UPDATED 07/26/11 *BF *TR UPDATED 3/16/12 *CN
WHILE DRIVING MY 2005 MINI COOPER S THROUGH A CROWDED PARKING LOT, MY POWER STEERING JUST SUDDENLY WENT OUT WITHOUT WARNING. THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF THE SUDDEN FAILURE AND I WAS BARELY ABLE TO GET MY MINI INTO A PARKING SPOT AWAY FROM PEDESTRIANS. *TR
I HAVE A 2005 MINI COOPER S. THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT ON ME AS I WAS DRIVING ON THE BAY BRIDGE. ALMOST KILLED ME AND GOD ONLY KNOWS WHO ELSE WAS ON THE BRIDGE! HOW CAN THE PEOPLE AT BMW SLEEP AT NIGHT KNOWING THERE ARE MINIS OUT THERE WITH THIS PROBLEM! DO THE RESEARCH AND YOU WILL SEE HOW MANY TERRIFIED MINI OWNERS ARE OUT THERE! THANK GOD I WAS IN THE FAR RIGHT LANE SO I COULD PULL THE CAR OVER AND COAST THE REST OF THE WAY. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO MINISF, WHO TOLD ME THE POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED. I REPLACED THE PUMP, BUT FOR SOME REASON THE PROBLEM CONTINUES INTERMITTENTLY. THE FAN RUNS ALL THE TIME, EVEN WHEN DRIVEN FOR A SHORT TIME. THE ENTIRE SYSTEM NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. AND, WHAT'S WORSE IS THE THOUGHT OF SELLING THIS CAR TO SOMEONE WHO MIGHT EXPERIENCE THE SAME TERROR I DID. THERE WERE NO INJURIES OR CRASHES. THANK GOD FOR THAT. *TR
POWER STEERING INTERMITTENTLY GOES OUT WHILE DRIVING AND CONTINUES TO RUN WHILE THE CAR HAS TURNED OFF. HAS ALMOST CAUSED ME TO CRASH SEVERAL TIMES WHEN IT HAS GONE OUT ON THE EXPRESS WAY. *TR
THE AIRBAG LIGHT FOR THE PASSENGER SEAT COMES ON INTERMITTENTLY WHEN SOMEONE IS SITTING IN THE SEAT. ALSO, THE LIGHT WHICH INDICATES THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG IS OFF COMES ON WHEN SOMEONE IS SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. CERTAINLY, THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND WE BELIEVE BMW/MINI SHOULD FIX THIS AT NO CHARGE. *TR
POWER STEERING INTERMITTENTLY GOES OUT WHILE DRIVING AND DOES NOT RETURN UNTIL CAR IS CYCLED OFF AND BACK ON AGAIN. *TR
MY POWER STEERING BEGAN TO STOP WORKING AS I RODE. I WOULD PARK THE CAR, SWITCH THE ENGINE OFF AND RESTART AND THE POWER STEERING WOULD COME BACK. THIS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES BOTH IN BACK ROADS AND HIGHWAYS. FINALLY LAST MONTH IT STOPPED WORKING COMPLETELY AND NOW IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO DRIVE AND REALLY A DANGER TO BE ON THE ROAD WITH. *TR
MY 2005 MINI COOPER S HAS POWER STEERING WHEEL FAILURE. IT STARTED HAPPENING AFTER THE CAR HIT 50,000 MILES WHICH I THINK IT'S STILL TOO LOW FOR ANY CARS. I FIRST ENCOUNTERED THE PROBLEM A COUPLE WEEKS AGO WHEN I WAS TRYING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN ON A MAIN RD. THE STEERING WAS SO DIFFICULT TO TURN EVEN WITH BOTH HANDS THAT I HAD TO COME TO HALT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. THE CAR WOULD HAVE HIT THE BUILDING IF I KEPT ON GOING AT FULL SPEED WHICH IS 30 MILES. SO GLAD THERE WAS NO CAR BEHIND ME. ENCOUNTERED A FEW MORE TIMES AFTER THIS. MY CAR IS NOW PARKED AT MY CONDO LOT AS IT COST OVER $1300 TO GET IT FIXED. IT WILL BE VERY DANGEROUS IS THIS HAPPENS ON THE FREEWAY. A FEW OF MY FRIENDS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE OR LIFE WILL BE LOST. BMW/MINI NEEDS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS. *TR
PASSENGER AIRBAG SYSTEM FAILURE--PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND WON'T GO OUT. ACCORDING TO WEB-FORUMS, PART FAILED IS A SEAT SENSOR. DEALER WANTS CLOSE TO $2K TO REPLACE IT, BUT IT FAILED A LONG LONG LONG TIME AGO. I WOULD THINK IT SHOULD LAST LONGER THAN 2 OR 3 YEARS. CAN FIND TONS OF THE SAME PROBLEMS AT HTTP://WWW.NORTHAMERICANMOTORING.COM/FORUMS/STOCK-PROBLEMS-ISSUES-9-2.HTML. *TR
POWER STEERING HAS BEEN FAILING TO WORK INTERMITTENTLY OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. IT OCCURS MAINLY AFTER STARTING THE CAR AND DRIVING AWAY FROM A STOP. STOPPING AND RESTARTING CLEARS THE PROBLEM. IT DID HAPPEN ONCE AT FREEWAY SPEED ON A LEFT HAND OFF RAMP. IT MADE THE STEERING VERY HEAVY AND HARD TO TURN AND COULD HAVE LEAD TO LOSS OF CONTROL HAD THE PAVEMENT BEEN SLIPPERY. THE POWER STEERING DID RETURN AFTER SLOWING AND COMPLETING THE TURN. *TR
VIN: [XXX], DELIVERED SEPT. 2004. CURRENT MILEAGE 49,940 THIS CAR WAS ORDERED VIA MINI.COM. THE ONLY DRIVERS ARE A 63 YR FEMALE AND A 63 YR MALE. NO CHILDREN HAVE EVER DRIVEN THIS CAR, NOR HAS IT BEEN RACED, DRIVEN HARD, SIMPLY DRIVEN TO WORK AND BACK LAST WEEK I WAS DRIVING TO WORK, A 11 MILE TRIP MAX SPEED ON A 55 MPH HIGHWAY. THE FRONT END MADE A HUGE NOISE, THE CAR SHOOK, AND I STOPPED. I HAD TO CALL A TOWING SERVICE, AS I FELT THE CAR WAS UNDRIVABLE. THE SERVICE TOWED THE CAR TO MINI OF NASHVILLE, WHERE I WAS TOLD THE "HARMONIC BALANCER" BROKE, AND IT THEN BROKE THE FRONT AXLE. WHAT? I ASKED, IS A HARMONIC BALANCER" AND WHAT DOES IT DO?, AFTER A LENGTHY CONVERSATION, I FIND OUT THAT IF THE CAR IS TOO OLD, THE RUBBER DRIES OUT AND THIS CAN HAPPEN. FOR A PART TO WEAR OUT, I AM STUCK WITH $2,000 REPAIR BILL. THIS CAR IS NOT TOO OLD, IT HAS LESS THAN 50,000 MILES ON IT AND IS ALWAYS GARAGED. IF THE PARTS MINI USES ON A CAR AND IF MINI KNOWS THAT THEY WEAR OUT THEN MINI SHOULD FULLY DISCLOSE THIS, AS CONSUMERS CAN MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS WHEN MAKING DECISIONS ON CAR PURCHASES. THIS IS NOT WHAT I EXPECT FROM A MINI, THIS CAR WAS GENTLY DRIVEN, WELL TAKEN CARE OF. YOUR "HARMONIC BALANCER" IS DEFECTIVE, YOU SHOULD MAKE THE BUYERS OF YOUR CARS AWARE OF THE DEFECT, PUT YOURSELF IN POSITIONS TO MAKE IT RIGHT. THIS CAR WAS UNDRIVABLE, I COULD HAVE HAD A SERIOUS ACCIDENT AT HIGH SPEED IF A BROKEN AXLE OCCURRED WHILE ON A LONG TRIP, LET ALONE THE INCONVENIENCE OF REPAIRS, HOTEL STAYS,
WHILE DRIVING, THE POWER STEERING STOPS WORKING. THIS PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT AND HAPPENS EVERY FEW DAYS. SIMPLY CYCLING THE IGNITION GETS IT WORKING AGAIN BUT IS A BIG SAFETY CONCERN IN MY BOOK. *TR
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Full record for the 2005 Mini Cooper S → · Every Cooper S year → · How the figures are calculated →