The contact owns a 2004 MINICooper S. the contact stated that there was a progressing condition in which the steering wheel made an abnormal noise and was difficult to turn left or right. The vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 15V660000 (steering). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

- Columbia, MO, USA

I was driving around 40 miles per hour and the car abruptly slowed down then sped up without any warning, if another car was behind me, it would have caused some serious damage. Now my car wouldn't shift shift out of first gear. I was told by my mechanic that the cvt transmission is gone. After reaching out to MINIusa, they told me they haven't had any problem with this transmission and it's pass the warranty date. If the folks at MINIusa had been honest with me I could have made the deadline for a settlement pertaining to the same problem they claimed they had no idea about. This product need to be recalled! after doing extensive research the cvt transmission have had problems all along and the company have been settling claims for quite some time. Why are they allowed to run hard working folks into death because they know most of us can't and wouldn't pursue this matter. It will cost me $6500 for the part and another $2200 for labor, the car is now valued at $5500. It there something wrong with this?

- St. Thomas, VI, USA

Vehicle intermittently becomes extremely difficult to steer.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

I was driving my daughter to school when it first happened, the wheel got so tight and I hit the curb. Thank god I was in a school zone and therefore I was driving slow. After that, I noticed that same day that my battery was drained when I was leaving from work. I got a jump but then it happened again when I stopped for groceries. I figured something must be wrong with the battery (which is fairly new) or the alternator. I took my car to a shop and they diagnosed the battery and the alternator was fine. But they also said there was a strange noise coming from my power steering pump. I bought power steering fluid thinking that was the reason, but after I poured some its still the same. I started researching and I found out a lot of people are having this same issue and its a defective issue for this MINIgeneration.

- Boynton Beach, FL, USA

The power steering on my 2004 MINICooper, base, sporadically quits working, especially in cold weather. I was told by MINIdealership that it is a known defect but they will not replace it until it fails completely. Very sub-par customer service, as they know it is a problem. Unhappy.

- Sylvania, OH, USA

I was changing lanes in a heavy traffic situation and my power steering quit causing the car to continue in the "changing" direction. This nearly caused me to hit a car in another lane because I could not move into the intended lane.

- San Juan Capistrano, CA, USA

I experienced a sudden loss of power steering on my vehicle. Fortunately this did not result in a crash but it sure scared me. I am concerned about my safety driving this vehicle and may consider getting rid of it. I am disappointed in MINIs unresponsiveness to this issue.

- Donaldsonville, LA, USA

Was about to park my car and all of sudden the steering began feeling tight. It seems that all assistance with the power steering was lost. Upon investigation over the internet it seems that the power steering pump is blown. Fortunately, I was not driving fast, but this can cause a potential fatal injury.

- Trenton, GA, USA

3 months ago I became aware of a fault in my MINIcooper 2004 regarding the power steering cooling fan. Steering had become overly difficult, and after taking the vehicle to my usual mechanic and then BMW, this was found to be defective. I then discovered the issue had been the subject of an unofficial recall by MINIusa (BMW), and took the car to the nearest dealership, in beverly, MA, a round trip of 200 miles, to have the item fixed. After this, the car became hard to control on curves. It appears the failure of the power steering cooling fan put undue strain on the steering knuckle, and at 80,000 this has become prematurely worn. Consequently, the vehicle is very hard to handle properly on turns, and is becoming a safety issue. For three months my mechanic has been trying to secure this part from MINIusa to no avail. Meanwhile my car is becoming more undrivable by the day. This part is an essential component of the safety of the vehicle. I have petitioned BMW for an answer, and after two weeks of people avoiding the issue, it seems the part remains unavailable. MINIusa(BMW)'s best response was to ask me to drive back to MA to have the car looked at, which point they may offer me a loaner. But this is beside the point: Aside from not providing an essential component that affects the safety of the vehicle, they want me to waste a day driving to MA, then pay the dealer's over-inflated service charges, because they made it clear on the phone they will not sell this part to non-MINIrepair facilities when it finally does arrive (there is still no date for this, by the way). Essentially they are covering up an issue by keeping the matter in-house, failing to provide a component, and forcing customers to drive hundreds of miles and use only their facilities. Clearly this is outrageous and illegal. Any assistance from your office would be appreciated.

- Portland, ME, USA

The contact owns a 2004 MINICooper. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 mph, it was difficult to control the vehicle. The failure recurred multiple times. The vehicle has not been repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage 125,000.

- Orangetown, NY, USA

The steering knuckle on my car has become prematurely worn following a steering pump failure, and consequently, the steering has become imprecise and the car hard to control around curves. I was not made aware of the design defect (documented by dot) of the steering pump until I researched the steering issue and discovered there was an 'unofficial' recall to fix the pump. My complaint is that for two months, BMW usa still has the steering knuckle on back order. Meanwhile my vehicle is becoming harder to drive and will soon be a safety concern. It is imperative that dot force BMW usa to make this part available immediately because it is a crucial component in the safety of the vehicle.

- Portland, ME, USA

While driving around town the power steering quit working making the car very hard to turn. It was not noticeable driving straight, but when taking a left or right turn you almost cannot make the turn unless you really crank on the steering wheel. This problem has been happening intermittently without no warning. In order to get the power steering back, the ignition has to be completely shut off, and then restarted.

- Goodyear, AZ, USA

Steering failure whilst on highway, headed to the grass curb, smoke in cabin (smelt of burning wire insulation). Did manage to release the hood and open to see if I could extinguish, fire was focused directly behind the engine under exhaust manifold. Nothing to due but wait for the fire truck, car completely burned front to back, nothing left to salvage.

- Frankenmuth, MI, USA

The power steering quit working while driving vehicle, contact was made with the MINIdealer in nashville tn and I inquired about a recall on the power steering and was told no recall was placed on this vehicle.

- Clarksville, TN, USA

Replacement of power steering pump per recall, but unable to steer without replacement of U joint also.

- New Canaan, CT, USA

1) automatic transmission busted. Car stalled dangerously on the highway. 2) power steering pump busted. Steering locked dangerously on the road and could not be moved.

- Cambridge, MA, USA

After driving from san francisco to burlingame, California, I turned off the engine. When I returned 10 minutes later, I lost power steering when I started the car. On that same day, I drove from burlingame back to san francisco. I turned off the engine. 5 minutes later, I lost power steering again when I started the engine. The car is extremely difficult to turn without power steering, especially at low speeds.

- San Francisco, CA, USA

2004 MINICooper steering becomes hard to steer suddenly during driving and also at times after a restart from parking. After a couple of restarts it appears to be back to normal but quickly becomes hard to steer again while driving. During turns I feel kind of blocks in the steering during the turning that are required to be countered with a little more hard pressure on steering to complete the turn. Feel riskier to take it for downtown drives that need sharp and proper turns into lanes. Even more riskier for highway drives as not sure how it will react to a quick lane change or during exits. Power steering seems to no longer exist.

- Bloomington, IL, USA

Steering would work fine some of the time but then become very hard to turn.

- Houston, TX, USA

Was driving home from work, went to turn a corner and the steering got very hard.

- Janesville, WI, USA