Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Mini Cooper owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2004 Mini Cooper. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V660000(STEERING); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had experienced the failure, causing the driver to lose control of the steering and drive off the road. The exact cause of the failure was not determined, and the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 160.000. Parts distribution disconnect.
Mini felt like it was getting pushed by the wind . Realized wasn't wind Mini loss of completely all functions of steering wheel. On super busy highway. Devine intervention Was in far left car went left to right lanes then hit median gaurd rail spun around Finally got it to stop. Never Hitting and hurting anyone around me. Nobody hit me. Car is totalled ! Still at tow place. I saw my life flash as cars were zooming by me. Someone should be held responsible for my car and almost my life. Called out of work can't move upper body that well.
Mini Cooper power steering pump failure. Vehicle was recently driven and was parked on the street. We started the vehicle and backed up to pull out of the parking spot. There was no power steering. We had to attempt to back up again to get off of the street and in to the parking spot. A burning smell and smoke started from under the hood. The power steering pump and cooling fan had failed. There are documented issues with this failure. When I contacted the dealership, I was told the extended warranty for this issue expired in April. This happened June 12th.
I had driven 2004 Mini for about 30 minute, then parked it in driveway. Within 15 minutes I looked over to see smoke coming from the engine. I opened the compartment and got help. We pushed it into a nearby field and called the fire dept. If it had stayed in the drive, it would have also ignited 2 cars, the house and a boat. Who know about people and animals. I almost got run over trying to stop the Mini as it was pushed. After the car was out, we had it towed to inskip auto in warwick ri. Jeof said at first it was a power steering hose that burst and got on the hot exhaust...igniting. After looking at it further and with metlife insurance agent, they thought it was the power steering fan and pump failure. This overheated the electrical harness, to start the electrical fire. Neither the insurance nor inskip felt it was covered by them. I am to pay $2,600. Today when it pick it up. …
I was driving around 40 miles per hour and the car abruptly slowed down then sped up without any warning, if another car was behind me, it would have caused some serious damage. Now my car wouldn't shift shift out of first gear. I was told by my mechanic that the CVT transmission is gone. After reaching out to Mini USA, they told me they haven't had any problem with this transmission and it's pass the warranty date. If the folks at Mini USA had been honest with me I could have made the deadline for a settlement pertaining to the same problem they claimed they had no idea about. This product need to be recalled! After doing extensive research the CVT transmission have had problems all along and the company have been settling claims for quite some time. Why are they allowed to run hard working folks into death because they know most of us can't and wouldn't pursue this matter. …
I was driving 45-50 miles an hour on i95s over the q bridge near new haven. I turned gently to the right hand lane and could not steer the car to straighten up. I was unable to steer the car at all. I tried to brake but it did not help. Nothing like this happened before. My car was bounced from one side of the concrete barrier to the other. All airbags were deployed. The car was totaled. I was deemed to be at fault. I sustained severe spinal injury and required major surgery immediately. I was unable to work for over 3 months. I got reimbursement from my insurance for the car,s kbb value. I think the car was taken to hartford. I have not been able to file this complaint until now due to my physical disability. Please investigate this case for steering failure.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Mini Cooper. The contact stated that while driving at 25 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact had to apply force to the steering wheel in order to steer the vehicle. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 15V660000 (steering) however, the part needed to repair the vehicle was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 58,000. VIN tool confirms parts unavailable.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Mini Cooper. While driving at an unknown speed, the steering wheel seized without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the power steering electric pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V660000 (steering); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 65,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Mini Cooper. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V660000 (steering) however, the part to do the recall repair was not available. . The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact was able to pull the vehicle over and shut it down. The vehicle was restarted and functioned as normal. The dealer was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 145,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Mini Cooper. The contact stated that the vehicle lost power steering and the power steering warning indicator illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V660000 (steering); however, the dealer refused to perform the repair due to the updated part previously being installed on the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
Related recalls
Steering › Electric power assist system
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2002-2005 MINI Cooper and Cooper S vehicles and 2005 Cooper and Cooper S Convertible vehicles. The affected vehicles may experience temporary or permanent loss of the electro-hydraulic steering assistance.
Remedy: MINI will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the electro-hydraulic power steering system, replacing the components and wiring, as necessary, free of charge.
NHTSA investigations
Loss of Power Steering Assist
ODI has received 339 complaints alleging an unexpected loss of power steering assist while driving the vehicle.When the power steering assist stops working, drivers experienced difficulty in steering and/or controlling the vehicle.According to BMW drivers may experience either a temporary or permanent loss of power steering assist.BMW further advised that a temporary loss of power steering assist may be due to a…
Loss of power steering assist
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) originally opened the investigation of loss of power steering assist in model year (MY) 2004 and 2005 Mini Cooper as Preliminary Evaluation PE10-038.The investigation was upgraded to Engineering Analysis EA11-005 in May, 2011.During EA11-005 the scope was expanded to include MY 2002 and 2003 vehicles that use the same steering system.The subject vehicles now include MY 2002,…
Steering complaints in other Cooper years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2004 Mini Cooper?
NHTSA has 238 complaints about the steering of the 2004 Mini Cooper, 84% of the model year's 282 complaints. The component named most often is hydraulic power assist › pump (6 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Mini Cooper steering problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 15V-660 (electric power assist system, Oct 15, 2015). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2004 Mini Cooper steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 75,000 miles, and 3% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 5 fires and 0 injuries to steering problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.