1.Electronic power steering gearbox. Connections almost caught on fire. And yes it is available for inspection upon request. 2. If it would-??ve caught on fire. the whole vehicle would-??ve torched. I noticed there-??s a lot of Mini Cooper engine fires. 3. No it has not been confirmed by dealer. 4. No it has not been inspected by the manufacturer. I didn-??t feel it was safe to drive the vehicle. I did make them aware of it and ask him how much a New power steering gearbox would be. they said $2200 just for the part. Will also need the connecting wiring also.. so that will ensure more cost. 5. There was no warning lamps messages or symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. Not sure exactly when it first appeared. But there are several Mini Cooper-??s that have electrical fires and I just think I caught mine before it went to that level.

- Puyallup , WA, USA

Hello, yesterday afternoon I started my 2009 MINICooper and noted that my gauges suddenly failed. The tach dropped to zero. Suddenly I received a tire pressure warning light. I decided I would move the car to a more favorable location to look under the hood. As I placed the car in reverse I noted that my power steering had failed. I stopped the car immediately and popped the hood. I immediately noticed the smell of burning electrical equipment. I ran down to the basement to grab a wrench to disconnect the battery. When I returned I could hear pops and cracks and noted char on the hood interior. Though the keys were out I continued to hear pops and cracks and felt heat accumulating. I finally got the battery disconnected and the popping stopped. After some investigation I found that the wiring near the power steering module was completely burnt out. The car drove fine the day prior. My wife is 38 weeks pregnant and I am shaken by the idea that this could have happened while she was driving the day before.

- Seattle, WA, USA

Takata inflators power steering went out, going down road and wemt out.

- Marietta, GA, USA

The car's electric power steering module failed (apparently shorted out), and upon attempting to evaluate the issue the unit will spark and even catch fire. It has melted several of the wiring components in my car, and has adversely affected at least my ABS system and my tire pressure sensor. MINIcooper of escondido inspected the damage and deemed that I needed to replace the eps unit and the steering rack, but they are not willing to cover the costs of replacement.

- Carlsbad, CA, USA

I noticed power steering fluid on my driver side floor mats. I checked underneath and noticed that is was dripping from my wiring harness. I called alexander MINICooper and they told me to take it to a mechanic to check out the problem and if they couldn't fix it to bring it in and have it diagnosed for $180. They said that they have never heard of the problem but I believe it is a faulty power steering pump on my car. Can you assist me with any recall information so that I can get this repaired.

- Parount , CA, USA

The contact owns a 2009 MINICooper. The contact stated that while reversing, the power steering warning light illuminated. The failure was experienced numerous times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where a diagnostic was performed. The failure was located at the power steering electrical column, which would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 40,000 and the current mileage was 45,000.

- Catawba, NY, USA