In April 2013 I was merging onto highway I20 with my children in the back of my MINICooper S 2006. As I was speeding up to merge onto the highway the car completely cut off. I veered over into a median in the middle of six lanes of high-speed traffic. The car had completely shut off, even the hazard lights. I was very lucky that the median was there and that I had not yet entered the main stream of traffic. The police came, then a friend. After about a half hour it restarted without power steering and he was able to slowly drive it, and he fixed a belt that he said had looked like it had blown out. About four times in the year prior to this the car had cut off, but not while I was driving; it shut down as I was pulling out of a parking spot but then immediately restarted. No one could explain it. After the April incident I went to the MINIcooper dealer and spent close to $3000 to ensure that the car was safe for my children. However, yesterday, 11/5/13, I was backing out of a parking spot and the car completely shut down. I called the dealership for assistance and they said they had never heard of this kind of problem and couldn't help; fortunately the car restarted about ten minutes later. However, I am extremely concerned that this car is unsafe and I have heard from an acquaintance who also has a MINICooper S 2006 who said this has happened to her, that something random happened with her car and it completely shut down while she was driving. She told me that there was a recall, but I called MINIcorporate today, and was told there was no recall and referred me to NHTSA.

- Grand Prairie, TX, USA

The car was parked in front of our townhome. That afternoon, my neighbor knocked on the door to tell me that there was black smoke coming out from under the hood and that she had heard a loud pop under the hood. After calling the fire department, the firefighters cautiously raised the hood and discovered that something had caught fire under the hood. They told me to not drive the vehicle, and I called my insurance company, had the car towed to the mechanic who works on our automobiles, and the insurance company sent a claims agent to assess the damage. The power steering pump had caught on fire, and numerous other parts were damaged.

- Greensboro, NC, USA

Power steering system failure. Dealership mechanics stated fan and pump had seized.

- Burke, VA, USA

Power steering pump failed while traveling at highway speed late at night on a long road trip home. Was told by mechanic this is a common problem with this vehicle make and model and well known by MINIBMW.

- Upper Marlboro, MD, USA

Power steering lose the power suddenly, hard to turn or change lane when my wife was driving. Checked this car history, the power steering pump was changed at BMW dealer in 3 year ago. This time the steering lost its power again.

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

The contact owns a 2006 MINICooper S. the contact stated that when turning in either direction, the power steering assist would sporadically fail as the steering wheel seized. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis where it was stated that the power steering pump and fan needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired and the manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 51,000.

- Westbury , NY, USA

The contact owns a 2006 MINICooper. The contact stated that while parked, he noticed a whining sound coming from the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis. The technician stated that the power steering pump would have to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000.

- Santa Cruz, CA, USA

Power steering failed while attempting to turn in an intersection. Almost caused an accident.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2006 MINICooper S. the contact stated that while driving 30 mph, the power steering system malfunctioned. The steering wheel then became tight and became difficult to maneuver. The contact took the vehicle to dealer but did not diagnose the failure. The contact then took the vehicle to a local mechanic. The mechanic stated that the steering pump and pump cooling fan was defective. The mechanic replaced both the steering pump and pump cooling fan. The failure mileage was 52,000.

- Tiburon, CA, USA

Driving on road went to turn, and steering loss almost caused accident.L ## VIN failed ##

- Oden, MI, USA

The power steering when out on the car. This makes it difficult to steer. Also, because of the failure, the steering/car will not straighten itself out after making a turn. One has to make an extra effort to straighten the wheel out. I almost hit a parked car because of that problem. I see Canada made MINIdo a recall on this issue. Is it going to take an injury or worse before the usa makes MINIrecall the cars ?

- New Berlin, WI, USA

Power steering went out making vehicle very difficult to control. Was told by MINIdealer $1500 to replace.

- Des Plaines, IL, USA

While driving the vehicle, at any speed, the automatic power train does not shift gears properly. It will shift up, and down, and not engage the proper gear. The vehicle transmission will "wind-up", then jump into a gear. At times, the vehicle will not shift out of first gear.

- Fort Washington, PA, USA

The contact owns a 2006 MINICooper. The contact was driving 50 mph and lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle started to sway from side to side and caused the contact to crash into a utility pole. The vehicle was destroyed and had not been inspected for the cause of the failure. The contact sustained slight injuries in the crash. The failure and the current mileage was 70,000... updated 02-07-13 updated 02/13/2013

- Stone Mountain, GA, USA

Without any warranting the power steering wheel was hard to turn. The car became very difficult to drive I just had diagnosed test four days ago on the car the only problem noted was the thermostat. Know I can not drive the car.

- Vallejo, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2006 MINICooper. The contact stated that while driving 35 mph, the power steering failed as the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact was exiting the highway when the power steering failed and caused and increase in steering efforts. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection where they advised the contact that the power steering pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified and advised that there were no recalls for the vehicle and that they were aware of the failure that existed with the steering. The failure mileage was 100,000.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

I was slowing down to make a left hand turn and all of the sudden the power steering went out on it. Being a front wheel drive car made it extremely difficult to turn. Had someone with less arm strength been in the driver's seat they could have hit oncoming traffic head on and killed someone.

- Greensboro, NC, USA

The steering wheel locks. It first began locking when I turned it on. I didn't think anything of it since it unlocked a minute later. Then a month later it happened again. It started to happen once a month and just like the first time it unlocked. However, as of last month it has just locked and won't unlock. The 2004 and 2005 had recall on the steering wheel. I feel that 2006 has the same issue. It should also be recalled. How do I know that they have not used the 2004 or 2005 part on the steering wheel? this is a major safety issue, and it can cause major car accidents.

- La Crescenta, CA, USA

I purchased this vehicle about a month ago in a private sale. A few weeks ago, the MINIdeveloped a strong power steering whine. This is not the electrical buzzing noise typical of these models but a noise heard above the engine at all speeds or in neutral regardless of whether you turn the wheel. Several days ago, the steering began to stiffen up especially when parking. Yesterday, it failed entirely and this was while driving! now, I'm a 6' 180 lb male and was able to react and wrestle it safely but I'm thankful that my 5' 100lb wife was not behind the wheel. Make no mistake this is a safety issue that the manufacturer refuses to address!! just research the problem and you will see hundreds (probably thousands) of complaints across the globe about the same thing and it appears to be primarily 2001-2007 models. Other countries have mandated a recall but not the safety conscious U.S. which surprises me greatly. When other major manufacturers have listed recalls for things like seat belt anchors "that could crack" or air bag switches "that could corrode" why the heck isn't a MINIcooper recall done for power steering systems "that are failing"? if you value your family's safety, do yourself a favor and steer (no pun intended) clear of this vehicle. I will be dumping this T urd as soon as possible. My family is too important to waste on a fad car.

- Watkins Glen, NY, USA

Executing a left turn and all of a sudden the power steering went out. Was unable to control the car due to the fact that I was not expecting this issue. Damage front right side of car against curb. I have learned that this is a serious problem. This issue needs to be addressed on a recall!

- Lindenhurst , IL, USA