The vehicle intermittently looses power steering, making it difficult to steer. The power assist cuts out intermittently, and will occasionally come back while the vehicle is in motion, though more often it begins working the next time the car is started. The frequency is variable - it goes months without a problem and then may have the problem for several consecutive days.

- Houston, TX, USA

1. no events led up to this failure. It occurred spontaneously after turning off my car. 2. power steering pump stays on after car's engine is off, and the pump will not shut off. This occurs every time the car is turned off and persists until the car is restarted or the battery dies. The constantly on power steering pump is know to lead to fires or spontaneously killing power steering while driving around turns. 3. the only way to fix this issue is to replace the power steering pump or leave the battery unplugged in the car. I currently have ordered a new power steering pump.

- Maryville, TN, USA

May 17th while turning left at an intersection was taken by surprise at the effort suddenly needed to turn my vehicle, causing me to go wider than needed. Nearly hit another motorist turning left in other direction. Stopped to check for low fluid level and found no deficiencies. Was able to make it home where I will park the car indefinitely.

- Indiantrail, NC, USA

MINICooper S 2004- power steering failure, going in and out, extremely difficult to navigate the vehicle around corners and disturbing to say the least. Have not taken it to the dealership yet, apparently this is a 'common' problem on MINIcoopers of this manufacturing period, according to the service department representative at the local dealership. I'm afraid that if this happens when I'm driving at a crucial moment that it will lead to an accident. Also concerned that the cost of repair (the car is not under warranty any more) will be more than I can bear as far as cost. This does not seem like a cost that should be burdened by the owner, it is an issue of safety and should be a major concern of the auto manufacturer.

- Seattle, WA, USA

Power steering pump failure.

- Rochester, NY, USA

Power steering is not reliable; sometimes works, and sometime does not. Consequently it causes dangerous situations particularly in slippery conditions. Initially the problem was barely noticeable. When consulted, MINIservice stated that this is not a fault but a characteristic of the MINIWith time the steering got progressively less predictable. And, the problem was rectified about two years ago with replacement of the power steering pomp. One year later, the unpredictable loss of power steering returned again (sporadically), and now come (permanent) future of driving.

- Putnam Valley, NY, USA

Drove 70 mi from milltown, NJ to valhalla, NY on April 26. Power steering stopped functioning upon arrival. Turning off and restarting engine remedied the problem. On return trip, failure occurred just past essex tolls on garden state - about half way to return destination. Checked and topped fluid. The steering fails regularly according to this pattern. It appears that power steering pump cooling fan has stopped working. I will replace fan. If this does not remedy the situation, I will replace the power steering pump. I will retain the old parts.

- Milltown, NJ, USA

Complete loss of power steering immediately after starting vehicle. This is much harder to steer than a car which never had power steering to begin with. Almost impossible to turn the wheel.

- Mclean, VA, USA

Was driving my son home from a soccer tournament, traveling about 70 mph, when the steering failed-I could only turn the steering wheel about 1" in each direction. Terrifying. The problem persists, and the car is unsafe to drive-I'll probably need to tow it to the mechanic.

- Norwich, VT, USA

The contact owns a 2004 BMW MINICooper. While driving approximately 20 mph, the contact noticed that the steering wheel became hard to move. The contact did not inform the dealer or manufacturer of the failure nor was the vehicle diagnosed or repaired. The current and failure mileage was 71,331.

- Brainerd, MN, USA

The contact owns a 2004 MINICooper. The contact was driving 35 mph when the power steering failed. The vehicle was turned off and restarted yet the failure continued. The vehicle was taken to a repair shop where the power steering pump and power steering cooling fan were replaced. The manufacturer was not notified. The current and failure mileage was approximately 85,500. Updated 09/07/11 updated 10/31/11

- Evergreen Park, IL, USA

Lost power steering intermittently last month while driving and now the fan stays on and runs the engine till the battery is dead. I need to have it jumped everytime I want to drive it. MINIstated they will not replace it for free "they don't care if there is an investigation, unit were ordered to fix it the cost is on the customer"

- Baltimore, MD, USA

2004 MINICooper S power steering failed on I93 South on my way to work in boston without any warning, speed about 80 at 4:00am on the morning of 4/25/2011. Made it to work had car taken in for service at MINIof peabody MA the same day and was charged $1180 dollars to replace steering pump. Two weeks prior on 4/8/2011 at the same dealer at their recommendation replaced steering fan and return hose as a precaution during routine maintenance charged $500 dollars. Friday 4/22/2011 car was at same dealer to have the catalytic converter replaced followed by their usual test drive, there was no mention of any steering problem at that time nor did I experience any problem with the steering on my way back home after repair. My concern is if this had happened with out warning on an off ramp or when my wife or daughter were driving the out come could have been much different. I paid an extra $60 dollars to keep the old pump.

- Derry, NH, USA

I had driven my car ~ 40 miles at speeds ranging from 45 mph to 70 mph. The last 20 or so miles had been on an interstate. Shortly after I exited the freeway, my steering became very tight and hard to manipulate. This continued until I parked the car, about 5 miles later. When I re-started the car, the power steering had returned to normal. This has happened no less than 15 times since then. It occurs without warning and usually will correct itself if I turn the car off and restart it.

- Johnston, SC, USA

Occasional difficulty in steering my 2004 MINICooper. The steering becomes difficult and I have to turn the car off and restart it for it to work again. This happens about once a week.

- San Francisco, CA, USA

I have a 2004 MINICooper S with approx 80K miles. The power steering randomly and intermittently fails to work. This problem has occurred approximately six times during the last two months. I intend to replace the power steering pump, but am told that this may happen again, even with replaced pump.

- Tempe, AZ, USA

The contact owns a 2004 MINICooper S. the contact was driving 40 mph when the power steering malfunctioned and the vehicle became extremely difficult to steer. The contact took the vehicle to a local mechanic where he was advised that the power steering pump and the rack of the rack and pinion would need replacing. The mechanic replaced both the rack and power steering pump. The failure mileage was 70,000.

- West Hills, CA, USA

Acute loss of power steering in my 2004 MINICooper S. I was driving normally and was pulling onto the interstate when the steering became very difficult. I was able to continue to steer the vehicle but it required a great deal of effort. I've been told by my mechanic that it doesn't involve the failure of the power steering pump fan...the fan has been tested and is working ok. The cost for the repair is going to be approximately $1160. My mechanic has told me that failure of the P. S. pump in this year and model MINIcooper is common.

- St Paul, MN, USA

For the past year, my MINICooper S has had several sudden power losses in the power steering, resulting in the car becoming difficult to control. It has been looked at by a MINIservice department, who knew about the problem, but did not inform me. My warranty was called in, and they did not authorize its repair either. I live in a remote area, with a driving need for 3-4 hours for medical care. This drive is through canyons and over mountains, so the loss of steering control is in no way an option, and may also result in an accident causing injury or worse, death. I have documentation that the complaint was made to MINIby me, and yesterday, received confirmation that they did, in fact, know about the problem.

- Lakeside, AZ, USA

While driving my 2004 MINICooper home from work one afternoon, I began having difficulty turning the steering wheel. After the initial failure, the problem continues to remain a constant when turning at any speed. The power steering reservoir has been checked and is low, but not empty. I understand that a power steering pump failure is common in this year, make, and model of MINICooper vehicles. The vehicle currently has just over 80K miles. No replacement parts have been ordered and no repairs have been made.

- Apple Valley, MN, USA