Driving to work 4 mile trip power steering randomly stops working almost locking up the steering wheel. Tried to pull over to the side of the road a full grown man struggles to be able to turn the wheel about a quarter of a turn. Shut off car wait to start back up. Power steering still dead call tow truck and have it hauled to repair shop. Told power steering pump has died and needs replaced along with power steering pump fan.

- Greenville, OH, USA

The contact owns a 2002 BMW MINICooper. The contact stated the steering failed while driving at a low speed and had to be held with force with both hands in order to turn it, or keep the vehicle under control. There were no warning lights before or after the failure occurred. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who performed a diagnostic test that located the failure in the power steering pump. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer stated the failure was not recalled, and they would not assist with the repair. The failure and the current miles were 114,000. Updated 07/20/11 the consumer stated the vehicle then began to make a humming sound in which the power steering pump was running when the vehicle was off, which caused the battery to die. Updated 08/01/11

- Saint Louis , MO, USA

The contact owns a 2002 MINICooper. While driving approximately 25 mph and attempting to make a left or right turn the steering wheel was difficult to turn. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle will be taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The failure and the current mileage was 82,426. Updated 05/03/11 updated 05/16/11

- Enfeild , CT, USA

Took my car in for winding sound coming from motor. Diagnosed as the alternator...they replaced it and sound was still present...misdiagnosed and was actually the supercharger, but while they were checking it out initially the power steering pump stayed on...which didn't happen to me until they had it. After changing the alternator power steering pump no longer stayed on per the dealer. Had it home 3 days to wake up one morning hearing the pump on and I go to start my car and in drained my battery. Had to jump the car and then disconnect the cable to keep from the ps pump continuously running. The car is at the dealer getting a new pump $975 plus tax, researched MINIowner website and found several complaints of the same issue also that some cars actually caught fire from a failure of the pump. Researched more on North american motoring. There was a long list of people who had the exact experience. Sure would be awful for the pump to go out while driving on expressway and not able to steer correctly. Surprised it hasn't caused an accident/death yet.

- Clarksville, TN, USA

The contact owns a 2002 BMW MINICooper. While driving 35 mph he noticed smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle, as well as pieces of burning plastic falling from the vehicle. He attempted to apply the brakes however, the vehicle would not stop. He then noticed flames coming from the engine. He was able to pull over and tried to contain the fire however, the fire continued to spread into the interior of the vehicle. The fire department extinguished the fire. The fire destroyed the vehicle. The current and failure mileages were 86,000.

- Prabuco Canyon, CA, USA

Several, the air bag warning light has illuminated more then ten different times, each time it was repaired by the dealer (westchester BMW/westchester MINIthe last fix was after the normal warranty had expired and required much fuss to get it repaired for free. The power steering pump suddenly stopped working while driving on the highway. The radiator fan was replaced two times by me (car out of warranty) even though I complained to the dealer when the car was still quite new about the frequency of the fan motor's starting and stopping which will severely shorten the life of any electric motor. The windshield stress cracked while under warranty and was repaired. The windshield wiped motor has just failed during an incredible rainstorm.

- Cortlandt Manor, NY, USA

Power steering motor failure on MINICooper. 1 - while driving, the steering became very difficult, at times almost impossible. 2 - once home while parking the car, smoke started to billow our from under the hood. Turned off the ignition, smoke continued to billow and get thicker, opened the hood, heard a sizzling sound and noticed that some of the wires were melting. Immediately disconnected the battery, the smoke started to dissapate, the noise stopped etc. 3 - the car had to be towed to the dealer for repair. According to the tow operator, based upon the condidtion of the wiring harness, if the battery had not be disconnected quickly, the car would have caught on fire. The dealer informed us that the power steering pump motor had failed and that MINIwould replace the parts at no charge, but labor would be at our cost. Total parts were approximatley $1,000 with labor totaling about $400. The car is now fixed and operating properly.

- Verona, PA, USA

Power steering pump failed. Replacement was required at 48,000 miles. Viewing the MINIowners website revealed many similar situations where the pump required replacement on many 2002-2004 models. This could lead to serious safety issues.

- Holliston, MA, USA