2005 Mini Cooper S steering problems

The 2005 Mini Cooper S has 215 steering complaints filed with NHTSA — 56% of the year's total, and roughly flat versus the prior model year.

215

Steering complaints

56%

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

“1 NORMAL DRIVING ALL THE SUDDEN STEERING WHEEL GOT HARD TO MOVE , THEN IT LOOSENED UP AND THEN CAUSED OVERSTEER 2 POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURE PUT CAR INTO DITCH DAMAGED 2 TIRES/RIMS 3 REPLACED THE FAN UNIT ONCE THEN THE ENTIRE PUMP THE SECOND TIME IT IS CURRENTLY OUT FOR THE THIRD TIME. *TR”
Complaint filed with NHTSA · Steering · February 27, 2008 · crash

Common questions

How many steering complaints does the 2005 Mini Cooper S have?

NHTSA has 215 complaints about the 2005 Mini Cooper S steering — 56% of all complaints filed for that model year.

Are there recalls for the 2005 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.