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.

- Bothell, WA, USA

The contact owns a 2005 MINICooper. The contact stated the power steering failed, without warning, while driving approximately 55 mph. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road and shut off. He inspected the vehicle and was unable to detect a failure. The contact restarted the vehicle and resumed operation with the steering failure. The contact planned to take the vehicle to the dealer for diagnosis. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 57,000. Updated 06/03/11 the consumer was informed by the dealer that the power steering pump failed. Updated 06/13/11

- Glen Allen , VA, USA

Intermittent loss of power steering of a 2005 MINICooper. It occurred at least twice (3/14/2011 and 4/8/2011).

- San Francisco, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2005 MINICooper. The contact stated that the power steering would fail intermittently without warning. Once the vehicle was shut off and restarted, the power steering would reset itself. The contact had a mechanic inspect the vehicle and they stated that the power steering pump and rack would need to be replaced. The failure mileage was 70,000 and the current mileage was 85,000.

- Clearwater, FL, USA

For the past week, the power steering on my car has failed twice. When it fails, I will suddenly be unable to steer the car. This has occurred while driving the vehicle, e.g. while making at turn while driving on local streets, on an on-ramp to a freeway, and also while parking, maybe it impossible to pull into a parking space within reasonable time. While driving local street, I have had to slow down (for fear of not being able to make the turn trying to steer the vehicle with my own arms) and nearly got into an accident. Updated 08/17/11 updated 02/02/2012

- Cupertino, CA, USA

The power steering pump failed intermittently while performing turns or actions which could have resulted in over/under steering. The failure could have easily resulted in an accident.

- Huntsville, AL, USA

My power steering failed as I was making a turn in my neighborhood. The problem is intermittent and a little unnerving. I am strong enough to drive the car without the power assist, but this is not true of my wife. If the problem were to occur when she was driving she might lose control.

- Decatur, GA, USA

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.

- Bayfield , CO, USA

When backing out of garage noticed that steering felt "heavy", then as I proceeded forward, all power steering assist ceased. This has occurred two or three times (with no warning) in the past, and on the highway. The power steering outage may last a few minutes, or a few days. The outage reported here lasted 10 days. The car can be steered, but only with great effort.. very dangerous.

- Denver, CO, USA

Experienced abrupt and complete loss of the power steering system simultaneous with an immediate and sharp decrease in power. This incident occurred at 75 mph on an interstate highway, car in middle lane. Very narrowly avoided collision with a truck when moving vehicle to full stop in emergency lane. Vehicle currently not in use as we feel it is a road hazard and unsafe to operate in current condition. Also awaiting for response from MINIdealer.

- Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

2005 MINICooper power steering failure. Having problems with the power steering intermittently failing. Have been told by MINICooper dealership that this is not a "problem", but will probably need to replace the power steering pump. After reading multiple posts, and the investigation that your organization has started...this is looking more like a coverup on MINIs part instead of an acceptance of responsibility. This is my wife's car, and it has put her safety at risk twice now when it failed while making a turn.

- Raleigh, NC, USA

While driving at speeds of 45 to 55 mph, the power steering of the vehicle fails, causing the car to swerve dangerously into other lanes, as it requires a lot of strength to keep the car in its lane when this happens on a bend in the road. This occurs approximately once a month. At other times, the power steering pump does not even turn on when the vehicle is started. The steering wheel is nearly impossible to turn like this. When this occurs, the steering pump or fan can be heard clearly struggling. The car must be turned off and restarted several times to correct the issue. This occurs usually once weekly. I have heard this was a common problem with the MINICooper and not isolated to me and to file a complaint. Nothing has yet been done to correct the issue.

- Maryville, IL, USA

The power steering has been failing on and off for the past 2 years. I first noticed it when I was trying to get out of a parallel parking spot. Upon turning off the car and restarting it, the power steering was restored. It most often happened when maneuvering out of parallel parked spots. Sometimes it would happen several times in one day and then not again for a few months. Several times when I was driving I felt the power steering lock up and have had to drive the car to safely and restart the steering. I took it in to the MINIdealership and described the problem. I was told it sounded like the power steering pump and given a quote of $895 to get it replaced.

- Ca, CA, USA

Although it did not seem noticeable on the highway, when the power steering pump started to fail I was using extra pressure to stay in my lane. The pump would then work again and the car would lurch off to the side I was favoring and I almost went into a guard rail. When coming off the highway and not knowing the pump was quitting again, I would have to jump into emergency mode to negotiate the turn.

- Kings Park, NY, USA

On Tuesday, 5 April 2011, I drove my 2005 MINICooper S about 20 - 25 miles heading for work - I made a brief stop for coffee. The car operated properly during this drive, however, when I left the coffee shop I notice a very acrid smell in the area. When I got in my car and started it the "battery" indicator light was on. I check the owner's manual and it said this indicated the battery was not being charged. As the car was running I decided I could drive it to work and then address the charging issue. When I back out of the parking spot I realized I had also lost my power steering. I was concerned that my car might not be cooling as well, so moved the car to a spot further out in the parking lot to allow for a tow truck to pick it up. I realized the acrid smoke smell was still with me and decided to check under the hood. When I lifted the hood I found there was a fire in the engine compartment. Fortunately I carried a fire extinguisher and was able to put the fire out - the fire department also responded. The car was towed to sandia MINIcooper in albuquerque nm and I have since been informed that the power steering pump malfunctioned and caused the fire. From some research I have done on line it appears this is not an issue isolated to my vehicle, but that it was occurred in a number of cases.

- Sandia Park, NM, USA

My 2005 MINICooper S had a sudden power steering failure while approaching a highway off ramp. I went to turn into it and the car had become a tank. After some panic braking and all the upper body strength I could muster on the steering wheel... I did not fly into the ditch, but had the road been wet or icy I have no doubt the results would have been different. Contacted the local dealership and was estimated $1200 for the repair of a known factory defect.

- Lawrence, KS, USA

Power steering fails intermittently. Failure has occurred numerous times while parking and twice unexpectedly while driving and making a right turn. Makes car hard to maneuver and unsafe because of the unpredictable nature of the failure.

- Webster, TX, USA

Electric power steering pump & fan failure during left turn. Several thousands of MINIcoppers in the uk have had similar recalls. In fact I did find a recall for the power steering pump fan for faulty wires. I could fall under the same recall, but BMW MINIdealers are stating that it will cost me just for diagnostics (roughly $90), they also states they knew about a filed complaint but said they couldn't even look at the fan without charging me. I did find after days and days of internet searches that their was a recall # issued for the fan but could not locate it again. Website citing bbc article. www.newmini.wordpress.com/?S=MINIcooper+power+steering+failure. Everyday I feel less and less safe driving my MINIThanks.

- Oakland, CA, USA

We purchased our 2005 MINIcooper less than a week ago. It has 51,000 miles on it. I was traveling on the interstate for about an hour. I tried to take an off ramp to the right traveling about 60 mph and realized the power steering had failed. I applied the brake and brought the car to a stop. I slowly drove the car to a gas station where I turned the car off. The fan continued to run. I waited for about 10 minutes and restarted the car. The power steering was working again. 2 days later I was driving in town only 10 minutes and the power steering failed again. I was driving in freezing rain...thank goodness I was in town. If the steering had failed on the interstate with these weather conditions there could have been a serious problem. I am taking my MINIinto the dealership tomorrow. When we bought the MINIcooper we thought we were buying a safe and dependable car..now it looks like an unsafe money pit.

- Fargo, ND, USA

Power steering very suddenly failed! nearly caused a serous accident when negociating a roundabout. The car is next to impossible to manoeuver, especially at a dead stop, or rounding corners. Steering is very hard to return to "middle" position.

- Ottawa, 00, USA