Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | ||||||
| EA11005 | BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC | 05/04/2011 | Loss of Power Steering Assist | |||
| Odi has received 339 complaints alleging an unexpected loss of power steering assist while driving the vehicle.when the power steering assist stops working, drivers experienced difficulty in steering and/or controlling the vehicle.according to bmw drivers may experience either a temporary or permanent loss of power steering assist.bmw further advised that a temporary loss of power steering assist may be due to a malfunctioning cooling fan or an under-voltage condition in the power steering system.a permanent loss of power steering assist may be due to an error in the internal electronics, and may also result in the continuous running of the power steering pump.the voq complaints allege 5 minor crashes and 3 fires.the crashes are described as hit the curb.the fires are described as melted wires. there were no property damage claims.odi has received similar complaints for other model year mini cooper vehicles.additional information is required to evaluate the frequency, consequence, and scope of this issue.accordingly, the investigation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis. | ||||||
| STEERING - ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | ||||||
| EA11005 | BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC | 05/04/2011 | Loss of Power Steering Assist | |||
| Odi has received 339 complaints alleging an unexpected loss of power steering assist while driving the vehicle.when the power steering assist stops working, drivers experienced difficulty in steering and/or controlling the vehicle.according to bmw drivers may experience either a temporary or permanent loss of power steering assist.bmw further advised that a temporary loss of power steering assist may be due to a malfunctioning cooling fan or an under-voltage condition in the power steering system.a permanent loss of power steering assist may be due to an error in the internal electronics, and may also result in the continuous running of the power steering pump.the voq complaints allege 5 minor crashes and 3 fires.the crashes are described as hit the curb.the fires are described as melted wires. there were no property damage claims.odi has received similar complaints for other model year mini cooper vehicles.additional information is required to evaluate the frequency, consequence, and scope of this issue.accordingly, the investigation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis. | ||||||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - PUMP | ||||||
| EA11005 | BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC | 05/04/2011 | Loss of Power Steering Assist | |||
| Odi has received 339 complaints alleging an unexpected loss of power steering assist while driving the vehicle.when the power steering assist stops working, drivers experienced difficulty in steering and/or controlling the vehicle.according to bmw drivers may experience either a temporary or permanent loss of power steering assist.bmw further advised that a temporary loss of power steering assist may be due to a malfunctioning cooling fan or an under-voltage condition in the power steering system.a permanent loss of power steering assist may be due to an error in the internal electronics, and may also result in the continuous running of the power steering pump.the voq complaints allege 5 minor crashes and 3 fires.the crashes are described as hit the curb.the fires are described as melted wires. there were no property damage claims.odi has received similar complaints for other model year mini cooper vehicles.additional information is required to evaluate the frequency, consequence, and scope of this issue.accordingly, the investigation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis. | ||||||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | ||||||
| EA11005 | BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC | 05/04/2011 | Loss of Power Steering Assist | |||
| Odi has received 339 complaints alleging an unexpected loss of power steering assist while driving the vehicle.when the power steering assist stops working, drivers experienced difficulty in steering and/or controlling the vehicle.according to bmw drivers may experience either a temporary or permanent loss of power steering assist.bmw further advised that a temporary loss of power steering assist may be due to a malfunctioning cooling fan or an under-voltage condition in the power steering system.a permanent loss of power steering assist may be due to an error in the internal electronics, and may also result in the continuous running of the power steering pump.the voq complaints allege 5 minor crashes and 3 fires.the crashes are described as hit the curb.the fires are described as melted wires. there were no property damage claims.odi has received similar complaints for other model year mini cooper vehicles.additional information is required to evaluate the frequency, consequence, and scope of this issue.accordingly, the investigation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||
| 07/01/2012 | 70000 | ||
| Bought the vehicle in feb. 2012 a few months later on several occasions 15-20 times, to date. i have lost full control of the vehicle, no steering capability. several time has been while turning or exiting the freeway, vehicle becomes difficult to control. i have been close to causing several accidents due to the same problem. | |||
| 07/27/2011 | 55252 | 1 | |
| Drove 8 miles to work. parked car and turned it off. something kept running under hood. i could hear it. sounded like a fan. when left work at end of day, battery was drained. had to use key manually to get into car. car would not start. called aaa. aaa tried to jump start the car. the guy got it started, but then it shut down while he still had the jumper cables on it. he said that wasn't good and car was not safe to drive, even if it could be started. car was towed to my home. and the next day car was towed to mini dealership. mini service diagnosed and found that the root cause of the problem was that the power steering pump had shorted out. mini service replaced the power steering pump at a total cost to me of $1,162.77. *tr | |||
| 07/27/2011 | 55252 | ||
| Drove 8 miles to work. parked car and turned it off. something kept running under hood. i could hear it. sounded like a fan. when left work at end of day, battery was drained. had to use key manually to get into car. car would not start. called aaa. aaa tried to jump start the car. the guy got it started, but then it shut down while he still had the jumper cables on it. he said that wasn't good and car was not safe to drive, even if it could be started. car was towed to my home. and the next day car was towed to mini dealership. mini service diagnosed and found that the root cause of the problem was that the power steering pump had shorted out. mini service replaced the power steering pump at a total cost to me of $1,162.77. | |||
| 08/24/2012 | 42000 | 1 | |
| Was driving on an overpass between freeways when my power steering went out without warning. i was beginning my turn, and could not control or move the steering wheel and hit the railing. cars had to dodge quickly to not hit me. turned off ignition and turned back on and it was fine - but was really shook up. continued driving to work 3 miles later and it did it again pulling into the parking lot. later that day, started the car and once again no power steering. had it towed home, and checked it throughout the weekend, without success (to get it to a garage) then this morning it started working. drove 1/2 mile to garage, and it did it again. called bmw service and the manager acted like this was unusual and said to make an appointment. called another bmw and the same story. checked with my german mechanic down the street and he said that is the #1 reason he sees mini's 2005 in the stop. 2nd was my convertible top, which quite ironically broke the same day as my power steering. the passenger side won't disengage. i'm looking at over $3000 to fix a car with only 42k miles on it. shouldn't these parts be recalled? i was scared for my life driving on the freeway and almost caused a major accident! *tr | |||
| 08/24/2012 | 42000 | ||
| Was driving on an overpass between freeways when my power steering went out without warning. i was beginning my turn, and could not control or move the steering wheel and hit the railing. cars had to dodge quickly to not hit me. turned off ignition and turned back on and it was fine - but was really shook up. continued driving to work 3 miles later and it did it again pulling into the parking lot. later that day, started the car and once again no power steering. had it towed home, and checked it throughout the weekend, without sucess (to get it to a garage) then this morning it started working. drove 1/2 mile to garage, and it did it again. called bmw service and the manager acted like this was unusual and said to make an appointment. called another bwm and the same story. checked with my german mechanic down the street and he said that is the #1 reason he sees mini's 2005 in the stop. 2nd was my convertible top, which quite irronicly broke the same day as my power steering. the passenger side won't disengage. i'm looking at over $3000 to fix a car with only 42k miles on it. shouldn't these parts be recalled? i was scared for my life driving on the freeway and almost caused a major accident! | |||
| 07/11/2011 | 115000 | 1 | |
| Electric power steering pump failed while driving, making the car undriveable. *tr | |||
| 07/26/2011 | 60000 | 1 | |
| Power steering pump started working intermittently, then failed. contacted local mini dealer (midwestern auto group), who advised that i bring it in to confirm at the diagnostic cost of $140. when i inquired as to why i should pay a diagnostic fee when i had i identified the problem, mag service manager stated at that time that a full/partial repair by mini usa was highly likely if i brought the vehicle in for dealer service and paid the fee. after nearly a month of back-and-forth between mini usa, mag, and myself neither mini usa nor mag would offer any repair assistance. neither mini usa nor mag would acknowledge the nhtsa investigation, the recall in canada, or the numerous online complaints about this well-documented issue. bottom line: i experienced a shake down from mag and mini usa in an attempt to correct a known safety issue. deplorable practice. *tr | |||
| 07/26/2011 | 60000 | ||
| Power steering pump started working intermittently, then failed. contacted local mini dealer (midwestern auto group), who advised that i bring it in to confirm | |||
| 12/01/2011 | 55000 | ||
| At random times, the power steering fails, mostly at start-up, but sometimes while driving the car. i always need to turn off the ignition, and restart the car, which seems to temporarily re-engage the power assist steering. | |||
| 03/06/2012 | 65875 | ||
| While driving down straight road steering began to intermittently tighten up and become difficult to manage. road and weather conditions were clear and dry. next morning power steering assist failed completely while backing out of driveway, causing vehicle to almost hit a fence. vehicle had been garaged all night at ambient temperatures. power steering unexpectedly returned two miles later, causing driver to over-correct because of the sudden return of power steering assist. the intermittent nature of this failure is the most concerning safety issue, as the driver is unaware that effort required to change lanes or navigate a turn may change drastically and unexpectedly. over-correction in traffic is frightening. vehicle has not been subjected to unusual or extreme driving conditions. | |||
| 12/15/2011 | 101000 | ||
| Power steering randomly completely fails at lower speeds/ no assist at all | |||
| 07/01/2010 | 51000 | ||
| The power steering pump in my 2005 mini cooper s convertible intermittently stops working 1 to 5 times per week. there does not appear to be any pattern to it, it has happened at cold start, after warm start, hot/cold/wet/dry weather, level/sloped parking, while driving & stationary, etc. i've learned to live with it as an annoyance, until i recently had a very frightening failure that very nearly had *fatal* consequences. i was driving roughly 25 mph, the posted speed limit, in a residential area, when a young child (i estimate 4-5 years old) ran into the street from between two parked cars 5 or 6 car lengths in front of me. i slammed on the brakes (abs fully engaged) and attempted to swerve into the oncoming [empty] lane at avoid... but my steering pump was out and i could not alter my course sufficiently. i came to a stop with the child barely three feet off my front bumper! so no damage or injury, but... this failure could easily have been much, much worse! | |||
| 10/10/2011 | 30000 | ||
| My daughter experienced complete power steering failure while she was driving her mini cooper, nearly causing a collision with an oncoming vehicle. i drove the car afterward and could not believe how hard it was to steer the car (compared to a manual steering vehicle). i called mini at their toll free number and was told that they had no recall notice from the nhtsa, therefore they had no obligation to fix this incredible defect. i hope it doesn't take a body count for the nhtsa to recall the 223,000 mini's effected by this extremely dangerous defect. | |||
| 08/19/2011 | 43000 | ||
| My 2005 mini cooper s convertable had a fire in the engine compartment reportedly caused by the failure of the power steering pump. i pulled into my driveway and turned off my car. i had no problem steering the car up to that point. i got out and went into the house. my wife came intside and told me my car smelled funny and was smoking (light) under the hood. i raised the hood and smoke was coming out from under the heat shield in the rear of the engine, which is below the power steering reservoir and above the ps pump. i could hear sizzling, which i interpreted as water. i went inside to call a mechanic rfriend and then realized it wasn't a good idea to leave a smoking car alone. when i came outside again, the smoke had turned dark and heavier. when i reached the car, i could see a raging fire below the heat shield. i ran into my garage and returned with a fire extinguisher which i used to put out the fire. i have been told by my insurance adjuster that the pump caused the fire and they would only reimburse for the damage caused by the power steering pump, not for the pump itself. i was told that ps failure is a common problem on mini coopers of my year (as well as many others) and model. after checking the internet, i don't understand why there has not been a mfgr.'s recall and why there has not been a nhtsa investigation. this could have been very catistrophic! | |||
| 08/23/2011 | 64500 | ||
| 2005 mini cooper s convertible with 65k miles. original owner. yesterday my power steering went out as i drove home from work. no warning sign and it was hard to turn the steering wheel and maneuver the car. i was glad it was me driving and not my wife. scary experience when driving at 65mph+ on the highway. | |||
| 08/19/2011 | 43000 | ||
| My 2005 mini cooper s convertable had a fire in the engine compartment reportedly caused by the failure of the power steering pump. i pulled into my driveway and turned off my car. i had no problem steering the car up to that point. i got out and went into the house. my wife came intside and told me my car smelled funny and was smoking (light) under the hood. i raised the hood and smoke was coming out from under the heat shield in the rear of the engine, which is below the power steering reservoir and above the ps pump. i could hear sizzling, which i interpreted as water. i went inside to call a mechanic rfriend and then realized it wasn't a good idea to leave a smoking car alone. when i came outside again, the smoke had turned dark and heavier. when i reached the car, i could see a raging fire below the heat shield. i ran into my garage and returned with a fire extinguisher which i used to put out the fire. i have been told by my insurance adjuster that the pump caused the fire and they would only reimburse for the damage caused by the power steering pump, not for the pump itself. i was told that ps failure is a common problem on mini coopers of my year (as well as many others) and model. after checking the internet, i don't understand why there has not been a mfgr.'s recall and why there has not been a nhtsa investigation. this could have been very catistrophic! | |||
| 08/23/2011 | 64500 | ||
| 2005 mini cooper s convertible with 65k miles. original owner. yesterday my power steering went out as i drove home from work. no warning sign and it was hard to turn the steering wheel and maneuver the car. i was glad it was me driving and not my wife. scary experience when driving at 65mph+ on the highway. | |||
| 08/19/2011 | 43000 | ||
| My 2005 mini cooper s convertable had a fire in the engine compartment reportedly caused by the failure of the power steering pump. i pulled into my driveway and turned off my car. i had no problem steering the car up to that point. i got out and went into the house. my wife came intside and told me my car smelled funny and was smoking (light) under the hood. i raised the hood and smoke was coming out from under the heat shield in the rear of the engine, which is below the power steering reservoir and above the ps pump. i could hear sizzling, which i interpreted as water. i went inside to call a mechanic rfriend and then realized it wasn't a good idea to leave a smoking car alone. when i came outside again, the smoke had turned dark and heavier. when i reached the car, i could see a raging fire below the heat shield. i ran into my garage and returned with a fire extinguisher which i used to put out the fire. i have been told by my insurance adjuster that the pump caused the fire and they would only reimburse for the damage caused by the power steering pump, not for the pump itself. i was told that ps failure is a common problem on mini coopers of my year (as well as many others) and model. after checking the internet, i don't understand why there has not been a mfgr.'s recall and why there has not been a nhtsa investigation. this could have been very catistrophic! | |||
| 08/23/2011 | 64500 | ||
| 2005 mini cooper s convertible with 65k miles. original owner. yesterday my power steering went out as i drove home from work. no warning sign and it was hard to turn the steering wheel and maneuver the car. i was glad it was me driving and not my wife. scary experience when driving at 65mph+ on the highway. | |||
| 03/25/2011 | 69500 | ||
| Bought mini cooper used from dealer just prior to going to florida for 2 wks. when almost home from florida power steering went out. my 3000 mile used car warranty had just ran out so checked on recalls, found none. but i did find out there was an investigation in progress. continued to drive vehicle occasionally and found the steering sometimes worked and again would cut out with no warning, making it difficult to steer when not expected. then one day i came home and shut the vehicle off but the steering pump would not shut off. i had to disconnect the battery to get it to stop. when i reconnected the battery it would start right back up again. thats when i decided i needed to bite the bullit and take it in to be fixed. i reconnected the battery and drove it to a mini cooper dealer who told me it was the steering pump that was bad, that it had internal electronics that fail. i had them replace it for a total cost of $1072.38 and that came with a 2 yr warranty. please note ~ the vehicle had a whirring noise when i bought it that i thought was from the turbo. i found out later it was the steering pump making the noise. when the new pump was installed it was a lot quieter. | |||
| 04/30/2011 | 46000 | ||
| Power steering failure | |||
| 04/23/2011 | 40000 | ||
| The car ( 2005 mini cooper) was completely dead overnight. we charged the battery and a fan wouldn't turn off which must have caused the drain. we had it fixed. it was a faulty relay in the power steering pump, which had also been leaking onto the engine. read on the internet that thousands of people are having this very issue. we spent $1,000 to fix this on a car with 40,000 miles! | |||
| 08/04/2008 | 98000 | ||
| 2005 mini cooper s convertible - pending a second replacement of the power steering pump/cooling fan assembly due to failure - the whole assembly was replaced 18 months ago and the replacement fan has already stopped running, causing a severe leak of ps fluid (twice found completely empty) and resultant power steering failure. first failure summer 2008, repeat failure winter 2010. | |||
| 02/22/2011 | |||
| I own a 2005 mini cooper s convertible & noticed my power steering starting to make noise about a week ago. now it is working very intermittenly. i have noticed in doing some research that many others have had this problem. i took it to the dealer an they want to replace my power sterring pump which is going to be very costly. i am to say the least a little disappointed that a car with the bmw name on it is having this many complaints. | |||
| 02/12/2011 | 105600 | ||
| Power steering quit unexpectedly. i was in a parking lot, just started the car, and had no power steering. i drove it a few miles down the road to a gas station, turned it off, and when turned back on again it worked fine. originally happened on 2/12/11 and has not recurred as of 2/22/11. | |||
| 02/22/2011 | |||
| I own a 2005 mini cooper s convertible & noticed my power steering starting to make noise about a week ago. now it is working very intermittenly. i have noticed in doing some research that many others have had this problem. i took it to the dealer an they want to replace my power sterring pump which is going to be very costly. i am to say the least a little disappointed that a car with the bmw name on it is having this many complaints. | |||
| 02/12/2011 | 105600 | ||
| Power steering quit unexpectedly. i was in a parking lot, just started the car, and had no power steering. i drove it a few miles down the road to a gas station, turned it off, and when turned back on again it worked fine. originally happened on 2/12/11 and has not recurred as of 2/22/11. | |||
| 11/18/2010 | 28000 | ||
| 2005 mini cooper 's' convertible. the power steering will occasionally stop working while driving making it difficult to steer. if you shut off the engine and resart the car it resets and works again. it normally happens when slowing for a stop or making a turn, which you don't notice until you start moving and find you are unable to turn the car. luckily i haven't pulled out into oncoming traffic. the dealer said it was probably the pump and they would replace it for approximately $680. | |||
| STEERING - ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||
| 07/11/2011 | 115000 | 1 | |
| Electric power steering pump failed while driving, making the car undriveable. *tr | |||