NHTSA Complaint #10470195 — 2004 MINI COOPER

I WAS YIELDING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN ON GREEN. THE CAR WAS IN NEUTRAL. IT WAS A RELATIVELY HOT DAY. WHEN I WENT TO GO I SHIFTED INTO GEAR AND IMMEDIATELY FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO TURN. AS I FURTHERED DOWN THE ROAD TO MY EVENT AND WAS USHERED INTO THE PARKING LOT BY TRAFFIC CONTROL, THE POWER STEERING DIMINISHED MORE AND MORE AS I DROVE ON. BY TIME I GOT TO A PARKING SPACE, I COULD JUST BARELY TURN INTO MY SPOT. A FEW HOURS AFTER THE EVENT I TURNED ON MY CAR AND IT DROVE AS NORMAL AGAIN. AFTER THIS POWERSTEERING FAILURE I HAD A POWER STEERING FLUID FLUSH DONE. IT HAS BEEN A BIT OVER A YEAR SINCE THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED, BUT IN THE PAST TWO WEEKS I'VE LOST MY POWER STEERING ABOUT TEN TIMES. IT'S ALWAYS WHEN I'M AT A SLOW SPEED OR STOPPED. USUALLY SHUTTING THE ENGINE ON AND OFF AGAIN WILL SOLVE THE PROBLEM BUT ONCE IT DID NOT. I LEFT THE CAR ALONE FOR A FEW HOURS AND WHEN I WENT TO DRIVE IT AGAIN IT WAS LIKE NORMAL. IT HAS NOT ALWAYS BEEN HOT WHEN MY POWER STEERING FAILS. I KEEP MY CAR IN A GARAGE SO IT IS SELDOM BAKING IN THE SUN. WHEN THE POWER STEERING GOES, IT FEELS AS IF THE CAR IS GRIPPING BACK AND GETS PROGRESSIVELY WORSE AS I CONTINUE TO DRIVE. I AM NOT AN AGGRESSIVE DRIVER AND I LIVE IN A FLAT AREA WHERE DRIVING IS A SIMPLE TASK. *TR