2002 MINI Cooper S

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, the first year BMW sold MINI in the U.S., through mid-MY 2005 covering approximately 109,000 vehicles.The subject vehicles use an electrically driven pump to provide hydraulic pressure to a conventional rack-and-pinion steering gear.A pump, the electric motor, and an electronic control unit (ECU) are housed in a single component BMW calls a Power Pack.The investigation focused on contaminant-induced failure of the ECU resulting in a loss of assist without warning.When assist is lost mechanical steering is retained however increased steering effort is required to keep the vehicle on an intended path.Some consumers reported that restarting the vehicle (cycling the ignition switch) would often reinstate the steering assist.Additionally, and by design, assist can also reinstate during the drive cycle in limited circumstances.The unexpected loss of assist, and/or possibly the reinstatement of assist while driving, may contribute to a loss of vehicle control in certain driving situations.During MY 2005 production BMW introduced a revised Power Pack design (the ECU incorporated a conformal coating of the circuit board) which resulted in a significant reduction in failures.ODI identified 20 reports describing crashes consistent with a loss of power assist event possibly caused by a failure of the Power Pack.Two reports alleged an injury however both were minor in nature and did not require emergency treatment (a subsequent doctor's visit occurred in one case).Ten of these reports described low speed crashes with minimal, or in most cases no property or vehicle damage (e.g., striking a movable barrier in a parking lot).Additionally 27 other reports alleged or indicated that a crash occurred due to a Power Pack failure however in reviewing these reports, ODI either 1) was unable to confirm that a crash actually occurred (8 reports), or 2) determined that the crash circumstances (e.g., adverse road/weather conditions) or cause (e.g., the crash was caused by steering linkage failure) were not attributable to a Power Pack failure (19 reports).Throughout the investigation BMW maintained that loss of assist in the subject vehicles did not constitute a safety related defect, noting that the subject vehicles are smaller, light weight vehicles that can be reasonably controlled when assist is lost.In May 2013 BMW launched a 13 year/150,000 mile extended warranty coverage utilizing the redesigned Power Pack as a replacement part.ODI continued its investigation.In July 2014 BMW provided ODI a status of the ongoing extended warranty program, and in May 2015 ODI requested an update of complaint data.Following a review of the provided data, ODI informed BMW of its assessment that loss of steering assist failures were not adequately resolved by an extended warranty program.On October 12, 2015 BMW notified NHTSA that it would conduct a safety recall (15V-660) on approximately 86,000 subject vehicles not previously remedied with the new design Power Pack through regular or extended warranty programs.The recall covers MY 2002-2005 MINI Cooper, MY 2002-2005 MINI Cooper S, and MY 2005 MINI Cooper/Cooper S convertibles manufactured through Feb 9, 2005.Vehicles produced after this date are not included si

THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) ANALYZED CONSUMER COMPLAINTS TO BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC (BMW)AND TO ODI THAT ALLEGED FAILURES OF THE ELECTROHYDRAULIC POWER STEERING (EHPS) USED IN MODEL YEAR 2002 THROUGH 2003 MINI COOPER VEHICLES.THE ANALYSIS DETERMINED THAT 43 OF THE 52 (83%) REPORTS WERE RELATED TO ALLEGATIONS OF POWER STEERING LOSS AND 9 (17%) WERE RELATED TO ALLEGATIONS OF ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES. ALTHOUGH SOME OF THE REPORTS ALLEGING FIRES NOTE SMALL FLAMES WERE VISIBLE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, ANALYSIS OF THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY THESE FAILURES INDICATES THAT EVEN THE MOST SEVERE INCIDENTS WERE LIMITED TO LOCALIZED THERMAL DAMAGE TO THE EHPS ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS AND WIRING INSULATION.NONE OF THE COMPLAINTS ALLEGING LOSS OF POWER ASSISTED STEERING INDICATED THAT THE INCREASED EFFORT RESULTED IN A CRASH OR LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT TREND HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AT THIS TIME AND FURTHER USE OF AGENCY RESOURCES DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE WARRANTED. ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DOES NOT EXIST. THE AGENCY WILL MONITOR THIS ISSUE AND RESERVES THE RIGHT TO TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED BY CIRCUMSTANCES.SEE DOCUMENT FILE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING THIS RESUME.

IN RESPONSE TO AN INFORMATION REQUEST (IR) LETTER SENT BY THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI), BMW STATED THAT THE CAUSE OF THE ALLEGED DEFECT IS AN INSUFFICIENT SEAL OF THE GROUND CABLE OF THE POWER STEERING PUMP AT ITS ATTACHMENT TO THE CHASSIS.WATER INGRESS CAN OCCUR AND THE WATER CAN TRAVEL ALONG THE POWER STEERING PUMP POWER CABLE AND COME IN CONTACT WITH THE POWER STEERING PUMP POWER CABLE CONNECTOR.THE CONNECTOR CAN THEN CORRODE AND A HIGH THERMAL LOAD CONDITION CAN OCCUR.ACCORDING TO BMW, THIS ULTIMATELY COULD RESULT IN A LOCALIZED SMOLDERING CONDITION THAT DOES NOT PROPAGATE. TO CORRECT THE WATER INGRESS ISSUE, BMW IMPLEMENTED CHANGES TO THE WIRE ROUTING, THE POWER STEERINGPUMP CONNECTOR AND THE GROUND EYELET CONNECTION BETWEEN FEBRUARY AND JULY OF 2002. IN A REVIEW OF WARRANTY CLAIM DATA SENT BY BMW, 67 PERCENT OF THE VEHICLES NOTED IN WARRANTY CLAIMS HAD PRODUCTION DATES AFTER AUGUST 1, 2002. ADDITIONALLY, ODI NOTED EIGHT REPORTS OF CONSUMERS WITNESSING FLAMES COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT.THIS PRELIMINARY EVALUATION HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS (EA07-011) TO FURTHER ASSESS THE SCOPE, FREQUENCY ANDPOTENTIAL SAFETY CONSEQUENCES ASSOCIATED WITH THE ALLEGED DEFECT.

The contact owns a 2002 Mini Cooper S. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45-55 MPH, the steering wheel seized. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was coasted to the side of the road. The contact restarted the vehicle and continued driving normally. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V660000 (STEERING). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 43,000.

NHTSA ID

11637336

Incident

Jan 17, 2025

Mileage

43,000 mi

THE VIN # OF MY 2002 MINI COOPER S WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL FOR THE ELECTROHYDRAULIC STEERING FAILURE OF 2002 - 2005 MINI COOPER S BUT I AM EXPERIENCING THE EXACT ISSUE OUTLINED IN THIS RECALL. THE STEERING IS INCREDIBLY HARD TO TURN WHEN PARKED, AS WELL AS WHILE DRIVING. I NOTICED THAT THE RECALL HAD ABOUT 339 COMPLAINTS AND ROUGHLY 85,000 VEHICLES WERE RECALLED, SO MAYBE AT THE TIME NO ONE WITH A SIMILAR VIN AS ME COMPLAINED.

NHTSA ID

11141804

Incident

Oct 13, 2018

Mileage

40,000 mi

PURCHASED THIS CAR USED WITH LOW MILES. SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASE I NOTICED THE STEERING ON MY VEHICLE GOT A LITTLE HARDER TO STEER, DIDN'T THINK TO MUCH ABOUT IT. THEN THE RADIATOR FAN WOULD NOT TURN OFF WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS OFF. TOOK THE CAR IN TO TWO DIFFERENT MECHANICS TO FIND THE PROBLEM. FOUND OUT IT WAS THE POWER STEERING PUMP WENT OUT CAUSING THE COOLANT RESERVOIR TO GO OUT. THIS COULD CAUSE EXTREME SAFETY HAZARDS WHEN DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND THE STEERING FREEZES!! I CONTACTED BMW AFTER HEARING THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM. I WAS TOLD WE MISSED THE RECALL TIME FRAME. I HAVE LOW MILES, 60,000. THE RECALL EXPIRED IN 2017. WELL, MY CARE WAS NOT HAVING THE ISSUES. I DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE SELLING THE CAR AND HANDING THE PROBLEM TO ANOTHER CONSUMER. THIS RECALL SHOULD BE EXTENDED AS IT COULD BE AN UNPLEASANT RESULT.

NHTSA ID

11120225

Incident

Jul 30, 2018

Mileage

60,000 mi

POWER STEERING SUDDENLY STOPPED WORKING. MAKING A WHINING NOISE WHEN TURNING THE WHEEL AND THE STEERING WHEEL ITSELF IS HARD TO TURN. NOT LEAKING ANY FLUIDS AND THE POWER STEERING FLUID IN THE RESERVOIR IS FULL.

NHTSA ID

11044428

Incident

Nov 5, 2017

Mileage

130,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MINI COOPER S. 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 DEALER WAS CONTACTED AT 865-693-4553 AND CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE RECALL REMEDY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND WAS NOT ABLE TO CONFIRM WHEN THE PARTS WERE TO BECOME AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

NHTSA ID

11012358

Incident

Oct 12, 2015

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MINI COOPER S. AFTER PLACING THE VEHICLE IN REVERSE, THE CONTACT SWITCHED GEARS INTO DRIVE. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE FORWARD, THE POWER STEERING FAILED. THE CONTACT ADDED POWER STEERING FLUID AND MADE ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO STEER THE VEHICLE; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE POWER STEERING WAS NO LONGER COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 85,000.

NHTSA ID

10891631

Incident

Jul 25, 2016

Mileage

85,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V660000 (STEERING) AND THE DEALER SCHEDULED A REPAIR APPOINTMENT. THE DEALER LATER CANCELED THE APPOINTMENT, STATING THAT THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT BEEN ABLE TO RECEIVE THE RECALL REPAIR REMEDY FOR MONTHS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS UNABLE TO PROVIDE A DATE THAT THE PART WOULD BE SUPPLIED TO THE DEALER. THE CONTACT WAS NOT EXPERIENCING A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE. ...UPDATED 04/12/16 *BF

NHTSA ID

10849568

Incident

Dec 18, 2015

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE, THE STEERING WHEEL WAS DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL WAS ON MANUAL CONTROL AND AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS WARMED UP, THE STEERING WHEEL FUNCTIONED AS NORMAL. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, A CLANKING NOSE WAS COMING FROM THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE AND THE POWER STEERING FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V66000 (STEERING) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, WHO INFORMED THAT A REMEDY WAS NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 94,000. VIN TOOLS CONFIRMS PARTS UNAVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID

10823573

Incident

Feb 9, 2015

Mileage

94,000 mi

The bar code on the vehicle identificatio nnumber (VIN) label (aka Manufacturer Compliance Label ) cannot be read.

Programming a Replacement EGS Module with ISTA/P. Programming a replacement electronic transmission control module (EGS) with ISTA/P requires the manual entry of the correct target basic and programmed part numbers. Programming concept.

NAVIGATION SYSTEM HAS MISSING OR INCORRECT ROAD MAP DATA: The route guidance is inaccurate and therefore irritating to the customer; or it is not possible to locate certain addresses, for instance:

NAVIGATION SYSTEM HAS MISSING OR INCORRECT ROAD MAP DATA: The route guidance is inaccurate and therefore irritating to the customer; or it is not possible to locate certain addresses, for instance:

This Service Information bulletin supersedes SI 32 02 14 dated August 2014. SUBJECT Installation of Right-Hand Drive Steering Spindle in Left-Hand Drive Vehicle is No Longer Required. Left-hand drive steering spindles are currently available.

MINI: BECAUSE OF THE DME SOFTWARE, AND A DAMAGED CLUTCH, THE DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION CHECK MESSAGE APPEAR. *MA