NHTSA Complaint #10380898 — 2004 MINI COOPER

LAST NIGHT WHILE DRIVING ON A BUSY STREET IN ONE OF THE LARGEST CITIES IN THE U.S., I EXPERIENCED COMPLETE POWER STEERING FAILURE - WHICH BECAME EVIDENT TO ME ONLY WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN AND FOUND THAT THE STEERING WHEEL WAS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO TURN. BEFORE THIS HAPPENED, NO WARNING LIGHTS BECAME ILLUMINATED ON THE DASH & NOTHING ABOUT THE CAR'S PERFORMANCE SUGGESTED A PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE - THERE WAS SIMPLY NO WARNING OF ANY KIND. AT THE TIME THIS OCCURRED I HAD BEEN DRIVING FOR LESS THAN 15 MINUTES @ APPROX. 35 MPH & I HAD MADE SEVERAL TURNS (RIGHT & LEFT) DURING THE COURSE OF THIS TRIP WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS - THE LAST OF WHICH HAD BEEN ONLY 2 OR 3 MINUTES PRIOR TO THIS EVENT. THOUGH I WAS ULTIMATELY ABLE TO COMPLETE THE TURN WITHOUT LEAVING THE ROAD BY USING ALL OF MY STRENGTH TO SLOWLY TURN THE WHEEL, MY CAR TRAVELED FOR APPROX. 1/2 BLOCK IN THE OPPOSING LANE OF TRAFFIC BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO STEER THE CAR BACK INTO MY LANE. IF THERE HAD BEEN ONCOMING TRAFFIC ON THE STREET I TURNED ONTO I WOULD HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY UNABLE TO AVOID A COLLISION. DESPITE BEING RESTARTED SEVERAL TIMES SINCE THIS EVENT, THE VEHICLE'S POWER STEERING HAS NOT RETURNED OR IMPROVED. AT THIS TIME IT APPEARS THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP IS THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. THIS EXPERIENCE WAS EXTREMELY TERRIFYING & COULD HAVE EASILY RESULTED IN THE SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH OF MYSELF AND/OR OTHERS. *TR