# 2003 MINI COOPER S — STEERING
> NHTSA complaint `684194` · 2008-08-20 · BMW of North America, LLC
## Severity
- **Deaths:** 0
- **Injured:** 0
- **Fire:** Yes
- **Crash:** No
- **Police report:** No
- **Medical attention:** No
- **Vehicle towed:** No
## Vehicle
- **Make:** MINI
- **Model:** COOPER S
- **Year:** 2003
- **Manufacturer:** BMW of North America, LLC
- **Component:** STEERING
- **Miles at failure:** 133,460
- **Speed:** 35 mph
## Narrative
I'VE BEEN FOLLOWING BLOGS ABOUT MINI COOPERS GOING ON FIRE SINCE I OWNED ONE, AND I NEVER THOUGHT IT WOULD HAPPEN TO ME. WELL, I HAD JUST GOTTEN BACK HOME FROM SCHOOL WHEN I SMELL SOMETHING LIKE WIRING BURNING IN MY CAR, SO I KILLED THE ENGINE AND OPENED THE HOOD. POWER STEERING STILL RUNNING AND SMOKING, SO I CALLED MY DAD TO HELP ME. HE DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY AND STOPPED THE EPS PUMP FROM BEING CONSUMED ON FIRE. THIS SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING, THE BMW-MINI FIRM SHOULD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY AND NOT LET THEIR CLIENTS SUFFER THE AFTERMATH. THIS IS SURELY A RECALL, NO ONE HAS DIED YET, THANKS GOD, BUT LET'S BE SERIOUS FOLKS. SINCE NEW PUMP AT DEALER IS $650.00 CALLED JUNK YARDS AND PART IS NOT READILY AVAILABLE AND IF AVAILABLE JUNK YARDS CHARGE VERY CLOSE TO A NEW ONE FOR A USED ONE. I WAS NOT ABLE TO ACQUIRE ONE ON MY STUDENT STATUS, SO I DON'T HAVE A VEHICLE TO GET TO SCHOOL; DAD HAS TO DROP ME OFF FOR NOW. *TR
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*Source: [NHTSA ODI](https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/downloads/) · AI Analytics · CC0 1.0*