2003 MINI Cooper

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.

IN MARCH 2006, BMW REISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN FIRST ISSUED IN SEPTEMBER 2003, TO MINI DEALERS REGARDING THE REPAIR PROCEDURE FOR IMPROPER WIRE CRIMPS IN APPROXIMATELY 31,500 MODEL YEAR 2002 AND 2003 MINI COOPER VEHICLES PRODUCED UP TO JANUARY 2003.THE NEW SERVICE BULLETIN STATES THAT THE WARRANTY COVERAGE FOR THE ISSUE (I.E., AIR BAG WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATION WITH FAULT CODE FOR HIGH RESISTANCE IN SIDE AIR BAG/SEAT BELT PRETENSIONER CIRCUIT) IS EXTENDED TO 10 YEARS OR 150,000 MILES, WHICHEVER OCCURS FIRST.BMW PLANS TO SEND LETTERS TO OWNERS DURING MARCH 2006.THE SUBJECT WIRE CRIMPS ARE LOCATED UNDER THE FRONT SEATS AND ARE PART OF THE MAIN WIRING HARNESS THAT INTERFACE WITH THE UNDER-SEAT WIRING HARNESS CONNECTORS FOR SIDE AIR BAG AND SEAT BELT PRETENSIONER MODULES.BMW STATED THAT, ALTHOUGH THE SUBJECT CRIMPS WERE IMPROPERLY MANUFACTURED, THE CRIMP CONNECTION IS STILL SUFFICIENT FOR THE RESTRAINT SYSTEM TO DEPLOY WHEN NEEDED.ACCORDING TO BMW, THE ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE LEVELS IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES CAN EXCEED THE THRESHOLD THAT ILLUMINATES THE AIR BAG WARNING LAMP, BUT THEY DO NOT EXCEED A MUCH HIGHER LIMIT IN WHICH DEPLOYMENT OF THE RESTRAINTS MAY NO LONGER OCCUR.ODI BELIEVES THAT THERE IS LACK OF EVIDENCE AT THIS TIME TO CONCLUDE THAT THE RESTRAINT SYSTEMS MAY NOT DEPLOY WITH THE HIGH RESISTANCE CONDITION.THE AGENCY BELIEVES THAT FURTHER EXPENDITURE OF AGENCY RESOURCES DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE WARRANTED AT THIS TIME.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT NO SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT EXISTS.THE AGENCY WILL MONITOR THE ISSUE AND RESERVES THE RIGHT TO TAKE FUTURE ACTION IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.

The contact owns a 2003 Mini Cooper. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the steering wheel was difficult to turn in either direction. The contact stated that the steering wheel malfunctioned, making the steering wheel easy to turn, causing severe oversteer while making a turn in either direction. The contact stated that the failure was due to a faulty power steering pump, and installed as part of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V660000 (STEERING). The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that after turning off the vehicle, the power steering pump remained running, causing the battery to drain. The cause of the failure was not yet determined, and the vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 230,000.

NHTSA ID

11660994

Incident

Dec 14, 2024

Mileage

230,000 mi

68k miles on a 2003 mini cooper s and the power steering pump is whining. I feel as if this may be really early for it to be needing to be replaced.

NHTSA ID

11608390

Incident

Aug 13, 2024

The contact owns a 2003 Mini Cooper. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V660000 (Steering); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel was firm, and the vehicle was difficult to maneuver. No warning lights were illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure but failed to confirm if the parts were available for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to call the service center directly. The failure mileage was unavailable. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ID

11598379

Incident

Oct 4, 2022

No air or blower or heat to defog windshield. Water in driver-side foot well. Power steering intermittent fault. Engine continues running and panel gauge lights remain on with ignition off and key removed.

NHTSA ID

11562847

Incident

Dec 26, 2023

i Purchased the car in Dover Pa . INspection sticker had same milage as on car so i shoulda knew he slapped a sticker on . drove 150 miles dash lit ip like chrismas tree. 1st thing left window wont work , then left lock wont work had to lock from passenfger dide. then door wont open at all . have to get ou t passenger door . know that wont open have to put down passenger window pull handel to get out . car is possessed light work whren they want does all kinda crazt stuff . batter has problems . charge and still cant start it . and hatch locks so i cant get to battery. power steering leaking going bad . timing belt making noise . no power on hills .cracking noise in right front pulls to right had . hazard to me ive been locked inside three times could get out of car i coulda sat in heat and died or cold and froze . cant get out of car when it ts electric doors dont work . car sucks . this has been gradual thing these events from feb to may . now i just hate the car

NHTSA ID

11493892

Incident

Nov 1, 2022

My 2003 Mini Cooper was affected by the 2015 electrohydraulic steering assistance recall. Mini did the repair at 79, 322 miles in 2016. In November 2021, at 98, 000 miles, the car began having intermittent power steering loss. The power steering might disappear for under a minute, or it might return for mere seconds. There is no warning when the power steering goes out, so you have to assume that it is not going to respond with the electrohydraulic steering assistance feature operating. As of today, it has been completely offline for 3 days (although it did come back on for about 5 seconds yesterday). Without this feature operating properly, the car can be extremely difficult to steer.

NHTSA ID

11440510

Incident

Nov 5, 2021

Mileage

98,000 mi

While driving on I-81 to NY state, I experienced serious tire vibration followed by tire loss of air. All tires were checked for proper tire inflation before trip. After pulling off to the side of the road, I witnessed a large hole with metal fiber sticking through the tire tread. I believe the tread separation was the cause.

NHTSA ID

11423873

Incident

Jun 30, 2021

While driving on I-81 to NY state, I experienced serious tire vibration followed by tire loss of air. All tires were checked for proper tire inflation before trip. The service center in which I ended up in said that the tire belts had separated and caused the rapid tire deflation.

NHTSA ID

11423872

Incident

Jun 30, 2021

Cavity protection applied to underside of the hood is leaking out onto the wheel arch trim and grille.

W10 ENGINE: EMS2K - COMPREHENSIVE COMPONENT OBD READINESS MONITOR NOT COMPLETED: An affected vehicle fails to pass a state Inspection and Emission (I/M) test due to the ÒComprehensive ComponentÓ OBD readiness monitor status is Ònot complete,Ó or it fails complete after performing an applicable repair.

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

MINI: DIFFERENT FAULTS ACTIVATES ENGINE MALFUNCTION AND OIL WARNING. *MA

MINI: FAULTY SOFTWARE FOR THE TANK VENTILATION CONTROL DISPLAYS ENGINE THROTTLE REACTION WHEN TEMPERATURE IS HIGH OUTSIDE, AND MORE OBVIOUS IF THE TANK IS ONLY PARTLY FILLED. *MA