MINI Cooper Power Steering Pump – Warranty Extension

 

Do you own a 02-05 MINI Cooper, or a 02-05 MINI Cooper S, or a 2005 R52 MINI Cooper or Cooper S Convertible in the US? Have you had to replace your power steering pump at your cost? Did you receive the letter from MINIUSA regarding the power steering warranty extension? Here is the net of the letter –

In the interest of customer satisfaction, we are (MINIUSA) etending the warranty coverage for the power-assist steering pump and associated cooling fan on your vehicle to 13 years / 150,000 miles, whichever occurs first, starting from the date of first retail sale or the date the vehicle was first placed in service as a demonstrator or company vehicle, whichever is earlier.

If you have NOT had to replace yours, and if it should fail before your MINI is 13 years old or has 150k miles, the repair (by the MINI dealer) will be covered. If you have replaced your already, or even outside of this warranty, at your own expense, it is very likely that MINI USA will reimburse for the expense (we have had several customers take our work order / invoice for this repair to MINI NA and get reimbursed for their expense). We have seen a communication from MINI USA that also implies this –

Thanks for contacting MINI USA regarding the Electro-Hydraulic Power (Assist) Steering (EHPS) Pump. Affected vehicles include model year 2002 – 2005 MINI Cooper and Cooper S vehicles and model year 2005 Cooper Convertible and Cooper S Convertible vehicles. If you had the power assist steering pump and / or the associated cooling fan replaced at your own expense, you may qualify for reimbursement of the associated costs your incurred.

If you have been paying attention (and most MINI owners are very attentive to their cars), then you know already that this is not a new issue. We have been talking to our customers, and writing of this, since about 2010. Our first case of the ps pump failure was actually quite interesting. It did not represent itself in the normal manner. Here is what happened to him – he had gotten in his MINI in the morning to go to the super market. Car started fine, ran fine, drove to the store. He went into the store to get groceries, and was in the store for about 20 minutes. After getting his groceries, he came out, opened the car, put the groceries away, and tried to start the car. Nothing happened. No lights on the dash, no “click-click” from the starter, the engine did not turn over at all. Nothing. The customer was completely dismayed, as he had just drove the car there, and everything was fine. He called AAA, got them to jump the car, it started just fine, ran fine, and he drove home just thinking this was odd. He went into his house, unloaded the groceries, and after about 10 minutes, went back into the garage. When he walked into the garage, the car sounded like it was running. How could this be? He had the keys, and there was no one in the car. After a few minutes, it stopped, and he grabbed his keys, and drove the car to our shop. He parked it outside our front door, and came inside to tell us this tale. We also were dismayed, and walked out to the car to see if we could discover what had happened. As we were approaching the car, all of a sudden, the car started to make a noise that also sounded like the car was running. “There it goes” the customer exclaimed.Was the car possessed? Nope….the power steering pump had turned on all by itself. When it does, due to the draw of the pump, it drains the whole battery of the car.

This has subsequently happened to other customers as well, with the worse case being a customers MINI that had the pump fail, and then the pump started on fire, burning the wiring harness and some other wiring in the engine compartment. The big concern is not this, but the safety aspect. We have had other customers have the pump fail while driving, losing the assisted steering, making the car feel like a bus or truck. This has frightened many drivers.

Since this program only covers the repair or replacement of the pump after it fails, there is no preventative scenario. You just have to wait for yours to fail.

If you have questions or concerns regarding your MINI, let us know. We’re here for you.

BRracing – keeping your MINI moving.