Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Mini Cooper owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Driving at approximately 10-15 miles an hour entering a parking lot when I noticed flames coming out of the hood scoop of my 2005 Mini Cooper S. After brief inspection from my mechanic, it is believed to have been caused by the wiring harness for ABS or possibly the power steering unit since the fire originated from the rear/right hand side of the engine and those two components. I have a claim opened with USAA but during simple research, I have found tens, if not close to a hundred issues with similar characteristics. I know I am not the first R53 Mini Cooper (2002-2006 run) with this problem and this should be considered a hazard and public safety issue. I have included the link to many of the cases captured by the North American Motoring Association (a primarily North American Mini car association) which details 24 pages of these issues. …
The contact owns a 2005 Mini Cooper. The contact stated that there was water accumulated on the passenger's side front floorboard. The contact stated that the heater was causing some undisclosed issues. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V337000 (Electrical System). The contact called the local dealer and was informed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that the sunroof drain tubes were clogged, the drain tubes were cleared, and an undisclosed reprogramming was completed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 172,843.
Parked at shopping mall and not running for at least 30 minutes, come out to Mini Cooper on fire. Smoke coming out of engine area, high pitch fan whirling, electrical smell. Power steering failed, shorted out, and caught on fire. Vehicle was not even on and parked when this happened. Appears to be a major failure many others owning a Mini Cooper have experienced. BMW/Mini Cooper of USA did nothing for us and put it all on our and my insurances shoulders. Amazed so many cases of this same issue have happened yet they do nothing and seem to expect everyone else to foot the bill. Got the run around by BMW and unless it was for my insurance company, the Mini would have been scrapped.
After an hours drive, I was standing outside of the vehicle talking w/ the car off. All of sudden smoke starts pouring out from under the hood. I quickly opened the hood to hear some type of electrical fan/pump sound & smoke coming from the bottom/rear side of the motor. I was able to pull the battery terminal & the noise/smoke stopped. I then searched online & found the known issues of the electrical assisted power steering. I found the fuse for the circuit, a 100 amp fuse hidden on the bottom side of the fuse box that had not popped even though the pump was burning itself up. I had enough tools w/ me to pull the fuse, get the car started & make my way home w/o the power steering assist.
I use my Mini Cooper the night before parking it at around 10:00 pm the night of December 22nd, 2011. The next morning went to work as usual by mass transit. At around 8:00 am I received a call from my neighbor telling me that my car was on fire. The superintendent of my building had seen the car smoking and by the time he came back to grab an extinguisher the car had caught on fire. The fire was put of in short time and the fire department assured the fire was off spreading fire retardant, a powder talc like over the area that caught fire. The fire was over the right side grille between the windshield and hood. The estimate of record prepared by geico adjuster describes damages in the instrument panel, dash pad crossmember, supercharger, air grille and much more parts. …
While I was driving on the highway approximately 65 MPH my steering gave out and locked up, almost slamming me into the guard rail. I was fortunate enough to stop before tragedy. Unfortunately I was blocking a lane of traffic until I could force my way of the roadway. The second incident happened as I was turning into my own driveway. The steering locked up again causing me to miss my driveway and crash into the ditch. The other safety issues with my car is the windshield wipers will stop working at random and the reverse and tail lights will fail at random. The engine light stays on and the codes read emissions failure. When I talk to Mini Cooper customer relations they gave me an extended 100,000 mile warranty on the power steering and emissions. Mini Cooper claims they can't do the safety repairs due to a part shortage. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Mini Cooper. While driving 60 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. When the vehicle was turned off, the contact noticed that the electric fan kept running. The following day, the vehicle failed to start. The battery was dead. When roadside assistance arrived, the battery was jumpstarted and the fan remained active. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the power steering pump and the power steering fan needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.
My 2005 Mini Cooper convertible was parked in a parking lot after a short trip, not running. I came out of a store and saw smoke pouring out from all around the hood area. I raised the hood and the smoke began to subside. Smelled like an electrical fire. There was no previous warning of any kind. The repairs include the alternator, power steering pump, reservoir, power steering pump fan. At a total out of pocket of $1900.00.
Power steering pump goes out from time to time, brought it to Mini dealerships once and was working fine when we brought it in, and was told nothing was wrong, and was sent on our way. Now had to disconnect battery to replace a part, and when reconnecting the battery, power steering pumps runs and wont shut off. Vehicle was stationary. Please hep, and thank you.
Power steering problems, air bag off and on, clutch went out near accident, electrical issues(many) windows up and down on their own, ever brake not working properly numerous items I have them detailed on paper
Electrical complaints in other Cooper years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2005 Mini Cooper?
NHTSA has 37 complaints about the electrical system of the 2005 Mini Cooper, 8% of the model year's 468 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2005 Mini Cooper electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2005 Mini Cooper, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2005 Mini Cooper electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 65,000 miles, and 6% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 5 fires and 1 injury to electrical system 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.