NHTSA Complaint #10384545 — 2006 MINI COOPER

MINI COOPER 2006 - POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURE. FEB 2ND WE HAD A MAJOR WINTER STORM IN KANSAS CITY , I WAS DRIVING LESS THAN 10 MILES /HR WITH ABOUT 2 FEET SNOW MY CAR STOPPED AT THE CURB NEXT TO APT. SINCE THEN MY STEERING WHICH IS SOMEWHAT MILDLY STIFF FOR YEARS(MY FRIENDS HAD PREVIOUSLY WONDERED IF I EVEN HAD POWER STEERING ) WAS VERY STIFF , AND MADE A SCRATCHING NOISE. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT AT THE MINI DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD I HAD A MECHANICAL BREAKDOWN POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURE AT 56000MILES , AND MINE WAS THE SECOND CAR HE HAD TO CHANGE THE PUMP ON . IN AUG 2010 I WAS TOLD EVERYTHING WAS PERFECT AND IN THE PAST WHENEVER I MENTIONED THE STEERING WHEEL - THEY SAID ITS FINE , NO PROBLEMS DETECTED . THIS TIME THEY TOLD ME THE FLUID WAS LOW , PROBABLY LEAKING . IF THIS HAD HAPPENED ON THE HIGHWAY I DREAD TO THINK WHAT THE CONSEQUENCES MIGHT HAVE BEEN , GIVEN FROM WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE FROM THE CLASS ACTION SUIT THAT MINE IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT AS I WAS LED TO BELIEVE. MY INSURANCE COMPANY PERSON WHO INSPECTED THE CAR ALSO STATED THIS WAS UNRELATED TO THE WINTERSTORM , AND LIKELY MECHANICAL ERROR. *TR