Noticed a whirring noise from the engine compartment. Then suddenly the steering became difficult likely due to power steering pump failure. Looked up possible issues on line and noticed that other folks had very similar experiences.

- North Huntingdon, PA, USA

Power steering began intermittently failing on our 2005 MINICooper at approx. 88,000 miles. Steering would become very stiff making maneuvering the car quite difficult. Usually would go out after traveling some distance on the highway. Very noticeable once stopped at intersection and trying to turn to new direction. Does not feel safe to drive. Has occurred about 10 times now in the past 3 weeks. Failed on way to MINIdealer today. MINIdealer has indicated the failure of the module in the powersteering pump. Will replace pump for $1,100 plus. Having this repair done as I write. No offer to discount even though NHTSA is investigating the failure of this part.

- Marysville , WA, USA

Power steering appears to not be working. Power in the vehicle is interrupted at low speeds after driving the vehicle for a brief period of time. Symptoms of this began occurring over three months ago with the battery of the car being drained after sitting for a period of 4 days or more. All relays and fuses have been checked. The power steering pump cooling fan was found to have been inoperative and was removed, cleaned and reinstalled approximately 2 weeks ago.

- Boise, ID, USA

There was a strange noise (like a fan running) coming from my 2005 MINICooper when the engine was turned off. It continued to make the noise until eventually the car battery died. I do not want to drive my car in fear of losing the power steering while driving. I took my car to the dealership's service department to evaluate the problem. I was told that it was the power steering pump and that it needed to be replaced. I am not sure why a 6 year old car with 36,600 miles would need the power steering pump replaced or why it is broken in the first place. The cost of the repair with parts and labor was estimated to be $1400. I had concerns regarding the repair and decided to return home with my car. I have done some research and have found that I am not the only one that has had the same problem. There are hundreds of complaints about the power steering pump failing on MINICoopers. I have requested assistance from the dealership and ultimately MINIusa for the repair as I believe it is a safety issue that needs to be addressed.

- Oakland, CA, USA

Same issue as complaints 10378962 and 10380308, related to investigation 10-038. Power steering failed while attempting to make a right hand turn

- Sun Lakes, AZ, USA

I have a 2005 MINICooper S with 51,000 miles on it. I recently had to replace the lower control arm bushings and have had a creak in my steering column that is getting worse. Last month, I first experienced complete lack of power steering. The car corrected itself and worked properly until a few intermittent occasions this week. Turning off the car and turning it back on seem to temporarily correct the lack of power steering. However, it is very temporary. While driving, I can feel the steering response change on/off due to lack of power steering control. When the power steering fails, the wheel is very difficult to turn. It feels like a 1961 Chevy truck with a 350 V8. It is nearly impossible to steer the car from a dead stop making parking extremely difficult. I am being forced to drive below the speed limit to limit my liability in corners and turns, especially on the interstate. I am setting up an appointment with my local MINIdealer to address and correct the failure. I understand this is under investigation by NHTSA, but I cannot wait to have the repair. I am bewildered as to why there hasn't been a recall yet. It is unacceptable that a vehicle's steering system can fail after very little miles. MINIneeds to be held accountable for this problem.

- Seattle, WA, USA

The contact owns a 2005 MINIcooper. While driving approximately 35 mph and attempting to make a right hand turn, the steering being difficult to control. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who contacted the manufacturer on her behalf. The manufacturer was notified who informed the contact that they would speak with the regional manager on her behalf and the contact was awaiting a response. The vehicle had not been repaired. The current and failure mileages were unknown.

- Oakland, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2003 MINICooper. While driving at any speed, the contact noticed that the vehicle would lose all power steering intermittently without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who performed a diagnostic test which concluded that the power steering pump needed to be replaced and completed the repairs. The contact did not inform the manufacturer. The current mileage was 108,648 and the failure mileage was unknown.

- Oakland, CA, USA

We bought this car 1 month ago for our 16 year old twins to learn to drive on. Twice while driving the steering has locked up to the point they are stranded in the middle of the road. Both times they called me from their cell phones and I instructed them to turn on the emergency flashers and try and get to a safe place. They could not move the car from side to side so I instructed them to stop putthe car in park and shut it off and try to re-start. Each times this seemed to help but when we have the car looked at there seems to be no problems. The car had only 27,982 miles a month ago when we bought it.

- Cairo, GA, USA

My 2005 MINICooper S suddenly lost power steering as I was driving almost causing an accident. I've not had it in for repairs yet, but researching on the internet it seems many consumers have had the same problem. I have even read of those whose car caught on fire and am fearful of the same happening to me not to mention the extremely high cost of repair. MINIshould recall the 2005 and fix this issue.

- Plano, TX, USA

The contact owns a 2005 MINICooper convertible. The contact stated that after she parked the vehicle and shut the vehicle off, she heard a loud noise from the vehicle. The vehicle was driven home and the contact unplugged the battery, which stopped the loud noise that she was hearing. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who informed the contact that she needed to replace the power steering pump. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that there was nothing they could do. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was 69,998.

- Freemont, CA, USA

The power steering pump failed suddenly and was unable to turn the car. Updated 08/24/11 updated 08/29/11

- Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA

I have an 05 MINICooper S and the power steering pump is defective along with 80,000+ others. I am roughly around 90,000 miles and the pump has just recently stared going out due to what the dealership called a "defective leak on the actually body of the pump". I asked them what I should do and they wanted to charge me $1100 to "fix it" but said that it could go out and fail at anytime while I am driving. This is a serious issue because my wife would not be able to control the car if it could go out at anytime" they also said that this was a very common problem in 04/05 MINIcoopers. I really wish somebody would make them recall this potential life threatening problem without charging us $1100 for their mistake in designing/installing the power steering pumps??"

- Pace, FL, USA

Sudden steering failure.

- Hendersonville, TN, USA

Multiple power steering failures. Initially when driving for more than 1 hour, now (Jan. 2011) often goes out when driving more than 10 minutes. Sometimes comes/goes during a turn. Extremely difficult to handle when cornering in the city or parallel parking.

- Lancaster, AL, USA

Same issue as complaint 10378962, related to investigation 10-038. Power steering failed when attempting to make a left hand turn.

- Sun Lakes, AZ, USA

I have a 2005 MINICooper I just hit 55K miles and my power steering pump has failed. My battery is now dead, alternator is fried. It was running fine one day and the next it turned on and I couldn't get it out of my garage and then the battery completely died. This is dangerous and an expensive cost that is the fault of the manufacturer. This is unacceptable that in the uk they are paying for parts but in the us it is a minor issue.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

Have a 2005 MINICooper with intermittent loss of power steering, driving along and occasionally the power steering just goes. Requires increased force to steer and maintain control of vehicle with great difficulty. Stop the car restart and all appears okay again.

- Alexandria, VA, USA

Power steering failed while attempting to turn corner. Failure continued for several miles/hours and then began working again after a period of inactivity

- Sun Lakes, AZ, USA

On 1/14/11 while driving my car on a highway my steering wheel tightened up and made steering impossible. I was able to get back to my driveway. It didn't happen again until 1/16/11 and then 1/20/11, all while driving my car at different speeds, also while trying to back into my driveway. It happens with absolutely no warning. No warning lights or notification from the MINIcomputer system has alerted me.

- Mamaroneck, NY, USA