Power steering went out while driving on the freeway. Has been happening for several months, but usually when this happens I can turn the car off and when the car is turned on again it is fine for a while. I had power steering fluid topped up but apparently it didn't fix the problem. I was told it is a power steering pump that needs to be replaced and costs approximately $1,000- $1,2000. Today the power steering went out completely and would not return to normal after above said actions. I read that continuing to drive the car in this state can cause battery drainage/failure, fan problems, and/or electrical fires.

- Thousand Oaks, CA, USA

The consumer stated that power steering stopped functioning, and turning the car was difficult or near impossible. This happened after driving the car for just a few minutes. Owner had to drive approximately 20 miles without power steering. The car was at the dealer, but dealer could not figure out what the problem was. Owner contacted MINICooper customer service, they suggested that the owner call NHTSA and report the problem. The owner did send an E-mail to inform NHTSA about the problem. The owner did not have any idea why vehicle failed. He had not run over any kind of objects. When starting the car power steering worked, but after driving about 100 yards power steering failed again. Owner provided all the information that was available. This defect could cause a crash or injury that could result in fatalities. This was a MINICooper S convertible.

- San Anselmo, CA, USA