2002 Mini Cooper S steering problems

The 2002 Mini Cooper S has 58 steering complaints filed with NHTSA — 55% of the year's total, and the first year with meaningful reports in this category.

Steering complaints

55%

Share of year

Crash-involved

Related recalls

Steering complaints by year

Cooper S steering complaints by model year. Red bars are years to avoid.

Related recalls

15V660000SteeringOctober 15, 2015 · 86,018 units

Defect

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.

Consequence

If the vehicle experiences a loss of power steering assist, extra steering effort will be required at lower speeds, potentially increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.

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. Interim notices were mailed to owners on December 10, 2015. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525.

What owners report

“I WAS EXITING THE FREEWAY WHEN MY BATTERY INDICATOR LIGHT WENT ON; I LOST POWER STEERING AND SAW A LARGE AMOUNT OF SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THE MINI DEALERSHIP HAS DETERMINED THAT THE POWER STEERING MODULE FAILED, AND SUBSEQUENTLY BURNED THE WIRING HARNESS. THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL REPORTS…”
Complaint filed with NHTSA · Steering · September 28, 2011 · fire

Common questions

How many steering complaints does the 2002 Mini Cooper S have?

NHTSA has 58 complaints about the 2002 Mini Cooper S steering — 55% of all complaints filed for that model year.

Are there recalls for the 2002 Mini Cooper S steering?

Yes — 1 NHTSA recall campaign for this model year is tied to the steering: 15V660000.

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.