My power steering first failed as I went into a turn on a highway. It suddenly became very hard to control the car, but luckily it started working again in time for me to complete the turn and not crash. I took it to my mechanic, who said it could be the power steering, but to wait and see if it does it again, as this is extremely expensive to repair. Then, two weeks later, the power steering failed permanently as I was attempting to make a turn after waiting at a stoplight. Luckily I was able to force the wheels to turn and avoid an accident, but now I will have a costly repair bill. I am fortunate that I was not injured in these incidents because I very easily could have been, especially when it failed on the highway.

- Austin, TX, USA

The power steering stops working while driving. Restarting vehicle would correct problem, dangerous because it is re-occurring more frequently. Dealership presently replacing faulty pump out of warranty. Youthfull - inexperienced driver warning to all!!!

- Franklin Square, NY, USA

Power steering went out while driving making it hazardous to maneuver turning left. I reported this December 14 2011 and the dealership couldn't find problem. Replaced the power steering fan in December. Replaced the entire power steering pump January 30, because power steering would go out intermittently. I feel this is a dangerous problem and the power steering shouldn't fail. There should be a recall of this problem.

- Grand Prairie, TX, USA

I was driving the MINICooper on a busy road when the power steering stopped working. The vehicle was impossible to steer. We were lucky not to have had an accident or hit a pedestrian. This is an unacceptable design. The vehicle should never be that hard to control even when the power steering malfunctions. This is a safety hazard and these parts should be recalled. I would not allow any of my family to operate the vehicle until there is a change in design to the part. Simply replacing the power steering pump with a new or refurbished part with a similar design will not make the vehicle safe.

- New Albany, OH, USA

Turning from a left hand turn lane on to a side street as I have done at least 4 times a day for over 10 years, I lost all power and the ability to control the vehicle. In the middle of the turn the loss of power, the loss of steering, and the loss of brakes caused me to run into the curb. This accident resulted in the right front wheel and assembly being replaced. Not long after getting my MINICooper S the hesitation of the accelerator when stating off in first gear began. I was told by the service rep at the MINIdealership that there was no fix for this problem. I've had too many near accidents because of it. Going back as far as 2005 I have complained about my steering and the noise it makes. The whole steering unit has been replaced 2 times, yet in 2009 I experienced a total loss of power while traveling at speeds of 65 mph. The power loss was electrical even though my engine was still running. The final outcome was MINIreplaced the alternator and battery. I've complained time and again yet with no help unless it's coming out of my own pocket. Since owning this MINICooper S I've spent nearly $6000 in repairs. Because of the interdependent nature of the asc/dsc on the vehicles braking, electronics, and even starting acceleration from a stop; has this feature been properly studied as the culprit for the many and varied problems this particular car has? in the uk there is a blog called watchdog that has 180 people who posted between February and April 2009 that all had the same problem with the power steering that I and hundreds of others have reported. How can such a serious problem go unresolved for so long. There is no doubt that this problem alone falls under the United States code for motor vehicle safety (title 49, chapter 301).

- Dallas, TX, USA

Power steering failure. Power steering pump failed suddenly without warning, causing the vehicle to become unresponsive to normal steering wheel operation, resulting in driver having to take unexpected and sudden steering correction to avoid running off the road or colliding with an oncoming vehicle.

- Springfield, NJ, USA

2003 MINICooper, power steering pump just quit making the car unsafe too drive. Was told this is a common thing with the MINICooper and after checking on line I see there is a lot of people having the same problem! I think BMW needs to step up to the plate and take care of this!!! after all 800 dollars for a new one is a bit much!!!

- Vassar, MI, USA

On the date of incident I parked my car in a wells fargo bank parking lot after going to the gym. Upon returning to my car an individual who had parked next to me informed me that "your car is smoking" I looked and white smoke was coming from under the hood. I opened the hood to inspect it and saw white smoke which smelled electrical. The individual who noticed smoke came out of her SUV to help. She and I looked and she informed me that she saw a small flame coming from under the engine. I saw it and extinguished it with a bottle of water I had. I then heard an electrical spinning/humming as if something was still electrically charged. The smoke then began to intensify and got so out of control I was tempted to call 911 but then I thought to disconnect any power to the car by disconnecting the battery. This action cut all power to the car and stopped the smoke and electrical spinning/humming. I called aaa and had my car towed to my mechanic. On the evening of 12/23/2011 my mechanic called me and informed me that my power steering pump had failed and estimated the repairs at $1,046. On 12/26/2011 my car was returned to me by my mechanic who showed me the failed power steering pump which melted other wires and components of the power steering mechanism. Total out-of-pocket expenses was $1,053.

- Fountain Valley, CA, USA

The power steering pump failed while driving and proceeded to fail intermittently for several months with no warning, sometimes at high rates of speed and in turns. The power steering pump quit for good approximately six months later. I could have been severely injured or killed - or worse, hurt someone else. The MINICooper is very hard to steer without power steering. I'm a strong woman but it takes some serious upper arm strength and core strength to control the vehicle manually. The most disturbing part is the lack of warning. There is no clue that you are about to lose power. These parts are prohibitively expensive and there is a shortage of mechanics willing to work on these cars in our area. I don't know if the power steering fan was affected, as well, but I suspect it broke somewhere in that time, too. I know there are incidents of these cars catching fire, and thankfully, we have not experienced that. Please help. This is so dangerous.

- Tucson, AZ, USA

The contact owns a 2003 MINICooper S. while driving at approximately 25 mph the steering wheel became stiff and difficult to maneuver. The contact restarted the vehicle and regained power steering. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic. The mechanic stated the electric power steering pump would have to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 72,000.

- Reading, PA, USA

The incident occurred back in June 27, 2007. I parked my car and then noticed there was smoke coming from the front of the car. Opened the bonnet and there were flames coming from the underside of the engine. The first attempt at using a fire extinguisher temporarily put out the fire, but it re-ignited and at this point called the fire department to put it out safely. The BMW dealer kept saying there was never a fire, just smoldering. The "smoldering" was the cause of a steering pump failure which overheats, which in turn damaged the loom (harness, or main wiring for the vehicle), which also ruined the battery. The cost was over $1000 to repair the "smoldering" damages. Prior to the steering pump failure, there was no indication that there were steering problems, nor any possible electrical problems. Car mileage was at 65,525 at the time of the incident.

- Long Beach, CA, USA

Power steering pump failed, steering became very difficult. Pump remained on after car was turned off and drained battery, now car will not run. Very dangerous issue!

- Lake Oswego, OR, USA

The power steering went out while I was driving on the freeway.

- Union City, CA, USA

Attempting to turn into school parking lot, power steering abruptly stopped working, steering wheel became extremely difficult to turn. The power steering has intermittently faltered several times in the last year but has now failed entirely.

- Cibolo, TX, USA

Driving at slow speed turning right into parking garage power steering failed and almost caused vehicle to contact another car. This is the second time in the past week that the power steering has randomly failed. Turned off and restarted car and steering starts working correctly again.

- Dallas, TX, USA

2003 MINICooper S. car over heated and power steering failed. Pulled off to the side of the road. Fan on power steering pump failed, caused pump to fail and car to over heat.

- Voluntown, CT, USA

Power steering failed after 27,000 miles. Intermittently works for 5 minutes in the morning and sometimes intermittently functions when driving which creates a dangerous situation. Had the MINIdealer inspect it from MINIcorporates recommendation. Dealer indicated the electronics are malfunctioning and that they had plenty of replacement units in stock for circa $1,600. My claim was rejected because it is not uncommon for earlier MINIcooper power steering units to fail. I have investigated and there are multiple companies now in the business of rebuilding/remanufacturing specifically MINIcooper power steering units. Odd that a relatively low volume vehicle could generate so many business opportunities to fix a problem that apparently does not exist.

- Oxford, MI, USA

Electric power steering pump went out without any warning. I noticed it when I was going around a bend and the steering effort had greatly increased. If I had to make a emergency maneuver, I probably would not have been able to complete it successfully.

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

The contact owns a 2003 MINICooper S. while driving approximately 10 mph, the power steering completely failed without warning causing difficulty in maneuvering the steering wheel. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and the engine was turned off. Upon restarting, the contact resumed cautiously with the steering malfunction. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who advised that the failure was related to the power steering pump. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The failure mileage was 50,000.

- Tuson , AZ, USA

The contact owns a 2003 MINICooper. He contact was driving and the steering wheel became very tight indicating that the power steering failed. The contact did not have any warning prior to the failure. The vehicle was not inspected to diagnose the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage and current mileage was 52,000.

- Denver, CO, USA