NHTSA Complaint #10362833 — 2003 MINI COOPER S

2003 MINI COOPER S - POWER STEERING HAS REPEATEDLY FAILED AT HIGH AND LOW SPEED DRIVING. WIFE RAN ONTO SIDEWALK ONCE WHEN CONTROL WAS LOST. SMELLS LIKE SOMETHING IS BURNING WHEN DRIVING. STEERING FAILS. WHEN CAR COOLS CONTROL COMES BACK, BUT FAILS AGAIN AFTER LESS THAN A MILE. CALLED 3 DEALERSHIPS WHO ALL KNEW & HAD REPAIRED CARS WITH THE SAME ISSUES. ESTIMATED $1500-2000 OUT OF MY POCKET TO FIX WITH NO HELP FROM MANUFACTURER. I COMPLAINED THAT THE CAR HAD BARELY 40,000 MILES ON IT AND FAILURE SHOULD NOT BE OCCURRING ON GERMAN ENGINEERED CAR. ONE SERVICE TECH SAID "THE PROBLEMS ARE IN THE PUMPS AND THOSE AREN'T DESIGNED OR MANUFACTURED BY BMW, SO IT IS NOT BMWS' FAULT." BUT THEY ARE THE ONES WHO SOLD THESE CARS WITH THESES ISSUES FOR 4 YEARS. FLUSHED POWER STEERING FLUID MYSELF WHICH WAS BURNT AND BLACK. REPLACED WITH NEW RECOMMENDED FLUID. LASTED ABOUT 30 MILES BEFORE BURNING SMELL RETURNED AND STEERING PROBLEMS CONTINUED AS BEFORE. SAW ONLINE ARTICLE WHERE BMW CAUTIONED THAT 2002-2005 MINIS MAY HAVE STEERING ISSUES BUT NO RECALL WOULD BE ISSUED. THE ARTICLE ESTIMATED 225,000 CARS AT RISK AND A RECALL MIGHT DESTROY THE MINI LINE. SO BE IT. 2002 AND 2003 MODELS SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN INVESTIGATION OF 2004 AND 2005 MODEL YEARS. CONSIDERING SELLING THE CAR TO RECOUP INVESTMENT, BUT AFTER HEARING OF NUMEROUS STEERING FAILURES AND EVEN FIRES THAT TOTAL THE CARS AND EVEN BURN DOWN HOMES AND GARAGES WHERE THEY ARE PARKED MAKES ME FEEL LIKE I WOULD BE PUTTING SOMEONE ELSE UNWITTINGLY IN DANGER. THE CAR HAS CURRENTLY SAT IN STORAGE WITH THE BATTERY REMOVED FROM THE CAR WHILE I DEBATE WHETHER OR NOT TO REPLACE THE POWER STEERING PUMP IN HOPES OF FIXING THE PROBLEM OR GET RID OF THE CAR. I WOULD HAVE TO TELL THEY BUYER THE ISSUES, WHICH MEANS LESS MONEY, AND I STILL OWE $6500. I WOULD LOSE ALL EQUITY I HAVE IN A CAR I PAID $20,000 FOR JUST A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO. BMW SHOULD FIX THIS PROBLEM OR I AND OTHERS HAVE UNSAFE CARS WORTH A FRACTION OF COST. *TR