NHTSA Complaint #10361571 — 2005 MINI COOPER S

COMPLAINT IN ASSOCIATION WITH NHTSA ACTION NUMBER: PE10038 2005 MINI COOPER S - POWER STEERING FAILURE WHILE DRIVING. I OWN A 2005 MINI COOPER S WITH APPROXIMATELY 60,000 MILES ON THE CLOCK. RECENTLY WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM WORK, IN THE PROCESS OF TURNING A CORNER, THE STEERING ON THE CAR BECAME INSTANTLY HEAVY CAUSING ME TO TEMPORARILY VEER IN TO THE ONCOMING TRAFFIC LANE. FORTUNATELY AT THE TIME THERE WERE NO OTHER CARS COMING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION AND I WAS ABLE TO COMPENSATE FOR THE LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL AND CORRECT THE DIRECTION OF THE CAR. THE SITUATION REMAINED FOR THE DURATION OF MY JOURNEY, BUT I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY NAVIGATE THE CAR HOME. I RESTARTED THE ENGINE AND THIS APPEARED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER, DURING THE NEXT 2 CAR TRIPS SIMILAR FAILURES OCCURRED (FORTUNATELY I WAS PREPARED FOR THE POSSIBILITY AND SO DID NOT END UP IN THE OPPOSING TRAFFIC LANE). THE MINI DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSED THIS AS A FAILURE OF THE POWER STEERING PUMP, A PROBLEM WHICH I UNDERSTAND TO BE THE SUBJECT OF A RECENTLY OPENED NHTSA INVESTIGATION (PE 10038). PERSONALLY I BELIEVE THIS SITUATION TO BE POTENTIALLY EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. THERE WAS NO WARNING THAT THE POWER STEERING WAS GOING TO FAIL, AND WHEN IT DID, THE IMPACT WAS IMMEDIATE AND CAUSED ME TO STEER IN TO THE ONCOMING TRAFFIC (AS A RESULT OF NOT BEING ABLE TO TURN THE CORNER AT THE REQUIRED ANGLE). DUE TO THE IMMEDIATE NATURE OF THE FAILURE I WAS NOT ABLE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM SAFELY IN TIME. I AM WRITING THIS REPORT TO BE ADDED TO THE EXISTING NHTSA INVESTIGATION (PE 10038). *TR