Well, when I got under there to take a peak, it looked like the line burst, spilled about 1/2 of the coolant out, and melted shut again (it looks like a nasty scab). I think the colant proabbly put the fire out (thankfully), otherwise I think some other cars parked next to mine would be getting a check from my insurance company!

They need to recall these p/s pumps!

 

I disconnected that battery soon after the smoke/fire. It is at the dealership now, with the battery still disconnected. The adjuster will look at it out there, I wanted it away from my house!

 

I don't get why a recall has bit been issued and it has not been brought to the media's attention.

Posche just recalled all the Panomara's for a faulty seat belt tensioners.

Good article on the BBC

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/...ni_update.html

 

It's actually the fan that's the problem - the fan stops - jammed - the 03 is a dirrect wire ( 12g , I think, can't remember ) NO F'en fuse... & the fan is in a vulnerable spot... once the PS pump gets hot enough, lack of cooling....... IT CAN'T BE GOOD...did I miss something????

Hopefully you will get the car fixed quickly... glad no one got hurt

 

I've been checking mine regularly since the first PS fan failure/Radiator fan failure/overheating incident. Found the aftermarket shroud (which needs to be removed to get at the oil drain plug) at Moss Mini but a little too late for the new fan. It was feeling stiff when I did an oil change last weekend. Tore it out and cleaned out a bunch of grit. It seems the grit gets lodged in between the fan spindle and mount where there is about a millimeter or less size gap. Blew it out with air and applied some raw power to the wiring harness and got it moving just like new. We'll see how long this lasts. Anyone know how much the replacement wiring harness costs?

 

The bill is at $3600 so far, with most likely more hoses to be replaced. I'll update once it is done next week.

 

I can't believe other automakers issue recalls for small issues yet MINI will not recall the PS pump on older MINIs when they cause issues like cars lighting on fire!

Terrible.

 

Update: $4k worth of damage.

 

Finally got the car back. $4500 worth of damage - drives great now..

replace your power steering pumps if it starts to whine without a load!

 

I agree.

I just received a recall notice for my VW to inspect and modify the sunroof drains on all VW's with sunroofs form 1999 through 2005 as a reslult of a lawsuit settlement initiated by five individuals

 

bmalay, Glad to hear your car is doing GREAT

 

Peanut's fire occurred in May of '06, when she was 3 years old. She's now 7 years old, 94k miles, and still going strong! I haven't had any problems since then, either.

 

 

Please note that this is a 1st Generation MINI thread.

The 1st Gen fires have fairly clear traceability to root causes associated with a specific subsystem (i.e., the EHPS pump).

The one or two 2nd Gen instances...not so much.

 

My car ('02 MCS) has been whining since I bought it 9 months ago. It's noticeable but not annoyingly so. I'm not sure if it's louder than normal since I haven't inspected other Minis for this. It whines more under load. So is the whining the tell-tale sign or is it louder when going bad? Sporadic? Anyone?

 

From your description it's likely that your pump is operating normally. It is quite noticeable--especially in the early year models--and does jump up to a higher rpm when under load. Many of us think that the nifty pump whine adds positively to the character of the vehicle.

Keep your ear out for obvious abnormal sounds (e.g., grinding, drop-outs, running after the car has been shut down, etc.) and get it checked out promptly if that occurs. The catastrophic failures are a pretty rare occurrence, so don't fret too much about it. Just be vigilant.

 

Thanks Gil. I have not noticed any binding in the steering or other weirdness and I've inspected the coolant lines every time I've fixed/replaced the fan . All seems fine. Will keep this on the "watch" list.

 

Anyone catch the news that BMW was recalling some 1 series models due to the potential for car fire under certain collision circumstances? Strange they didn't include the MINI in the recall.

 

So, is my 2008 MCS the 3rd R56 one on fire?
I was able to put it off with a small bottle of water. It was somewhere under the oil filter. I think caused by two wires.
Happened driving back from work 0.8 miles from my office, so car wasn't even fully warmed up (although it was about 100 F yesterday).
Anyways, towed it to the dealer last night, and I haven't heard anything back (yeah, dealer doesn't disappoint )

 

Hi all, I'm new to the forum, but just wanted to add my experience and maybe get a little advice.

Basically my 2003 Mini Cooper S (65k miles) caught fire in the middle of a parking lot today while I was shopping. I came outside right when the firetruck arrived (someone else had reported the fire), and I guess the fire went out by itself. The damage doesn't seem to be all that bad luckily, but the fireman asked me to turn the car back on and everything seemed okay but it quickly started overheating and smoking and I noticed the power steering was shot. After reading some of the other posts on here I realize this could have been a lot worse.

I hadn't really noticed any problems with it and was completely unaware of these widespread issues. I did notice the fan seemed to be running more than usual but that's about it. I'm guessing the fire was caused by the power steering unit from what I've been reading.

It seems like the insurance company is going to cover this, but I was just wondering if anyone had any problems getting their insurance to cover it? Or if there was any sort of recall news. Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated, but mainly I just wanted to let people know of another person who has experienced this defect.

 

It is NOT fair that BMW is fully aware of this issue (Power Steering Pump Failure) but they have ZERO service advisories in their system about this problem and they continue to deny they know anything. I am sick of hearing about people's MINI's catching fire. If anyone is seriously interested in a class-action-lawsuit, I've already begun the process. Let's get this ball rolling immediately. Any good lawyers out there??

 

Lawsuits are not the way to solve everything....no product is perfect!! Honda's and Toyoda's have a belt, that when it brakes destroys the motor (the timing belt)!! it is considered normal maintenance to replace it....on ther MINI, the earlier cars have a LOUDER PS PUMP (pre-2005)...they whine...post 2005 is much better. Parts wear out from use...and electric motors are wear items.....they have a finite, but indefinite life...and HEAT kills them faster....keep them cool with a good fan, and you should be fine!!
Most folks have never had a failure....and those that get them replaced with new, are fine. Rebuilds are a bit of a crapshoot.....Some work, some don't...if the windings are bad from overheating, or the electronics are bad, the problem returns shortly....so to install a rebuil unit is a gamble....good to save money for a DIY, bad to spend $$$ omn a pro to do it IMO.
Remember...they are REBUILT...NOT RE- MANUFACTURED!!! They are taken appart, cleaned, and some parts replaced (Brushes). The electric motors are not re-wound, and the electronics are not replaced. If the fault is in either one,the fault return!!

 

Toyota KNEW about the brake issue for quite some time. It took media attention and a major lawsuit for them to start taking it seriously. BMW is no exception. They need to know that this is a dangerous problem and should at least be in a technical service bulletin. They will not acknowledge their vehicles catch fire. Call any local BMW mechanic or dealership and ask if they ever worked on a Mini Cooper that caught fire because of a failed Power Steering Pump. They will say, "OH YEAH!".

 

I'm going to have to disagree with you Zippy.

A timing belt is a wear item that has a time & mileage called out for its replacement. If one does break it does not endanger the vehicles occupant's.

There is no such time or mileage called out for a power steering pump on our MINIs. If it goes fubar it can cause a loss of steering, pretty damned unsafe. It can burn the car down, again pretty damned unsafe. Yes all things wear out, but my thought is that there is no way a power steering system should need to be replaced before one goes well in excess of 100K.

I do agree that a lawsuit will do little good. Everyone that has had an issue with their power steering failing needs to report it to the NHTSA. Manufacturers only issue a recall when NHTSA forces them to so.

 

I would have to respectfully disagree. In this world where nothing is paid attention to until it can damage someone's reputation or monetarily a lawsuit and/or media attention are the only venues of obtaining the NHTSA and MINI's attention. Think about it. What good has 100s of claims on the NHTSA website done? What good has thousands of phone calls to MINI/ BMW done? Absolutely nothing. We are still in the same situation we were in when this started happening 5+ years ago. There has been no acknowledgment and no resolution. It will not happen until the owners band together and make something happen.