The Mini is one famous car, with one small part which has two big problems. In February 2009, we revealed the first. A fault with the power steering pump in many petrol Minis made between 2001 and 2007 was leaving some drivers fighting to control their cars. The manufacturers BMW insisted the issue didn't make them unsafe to drive but on a test track, Paul Heiney saw how difficult the Mini was to steer after we replicated a power steering pump failure.
Another fault
But now another fault could leave you with more to worry about than finding your
Mini difficult to steer. This time, the steering pump could actually be on fire.
When it happened to Lisa Rowland's car on a journey home from work, she fell out of
love with her Mini.
"I was driving down a dual carriageway and I smelt like... a smoke smell." Lisa told Watchdog. She pulled over and called her breakdown company because she thought she saw steam coming from under her bonnet. "While I was on the phone to them a guy
came running over to tell me that it wasn't steam coming from the bonnet it was smoke from a fire!"
They managed to put the flames out with an extinguisher before the fire brigade arrived. The cause of the fire Her power steering pump had overheated, burning wiring and plastics in the engine causing nearly £600 worth of damage. And because the car was out of warranty, BMW refused to pay.
The same thing happened to police officer Lisa Tibbitts. She parked her Mini just around the corner from the police station where she works.
"I went into work, I'd probably been there about 20 minutes when a work colleague shouted to me 'Your car's on fire!' I just thought they were joking." Lisa said.
They weren't joking, her car was on fire, and when she got outside, the fire brigade was in the process of putting the flames out.
"You could see there was still smoke coming from the engine. The closer I got there was just a really strong smell of burning. I just couldn't believe it, I remember having this nervous laugh. Because I'd had no problems with it, and it was just real shock."
A known fault
The new problem is a known fault, that can affect power steering pumps fitted to
petrol Minis produced between 2001 and August 2003. BMW insists at worst it will only cause overheating and smouldering - not a fire.
We asked forensic fire investigator Steve Hannaford to look at photos of some of the burnt parts from Lisa Tibbitt's Mini. He was sure that there had been a fire. "We can see we've got an electrical wiring harness here with some damage at one end. The close up view shows that the connector where it was attached to the pump has started to melt. This is copper and it melts at over 1000 degrees centigrade. I'd say if you've got temperatures in excess of 1,000 degrees centigrade with these sorts of flammable materials around it, you've got the basis of a fire."
But a spokeswoman for The Vehicle Operator & Services Agency (VOSA) says they don't believe a fire danger is posed. "We know of no cases where a fire has occurred as a result of any problems with a power steering pump on these vehicles. We understand that the German and American type approval authorities are also unaware of any cases where a vehicle fire resulted from such a problem. Our view is also based on the fact that the power steering pump is located in a heat-resistant environment."
BMW statement
"MINI UK strives to provide the best possible service to its customers and is concerned when they are not completely satisfied with their cars. Thorough investigation of cases relating to the corrosion of wiring looms fitted to the power steering pumps of petrol-fuelled MINI cars produced from 2001-August 2003 shows no evidence of fire occurring as a result.
"Water ingress may have caused shorting and the eventual overheating of the pump, leading to smouldering. At no point did any MINI investigated by MINI UK catch fire as the pump as the pump is situated in a virtually fire-proof location near the exhaust system and does not, itself, feature any flammable materials.
"However, MINI UK takes such incidents very seriously and reports to independent
regulatory bodies on technical matters. No recalls or actions have been issued as
BMW Group does not believe that power-steering failure is a safety issue. All new MINIs on sale today feature new power steering mechanisms completely
unaffected by these issues.
"We would advise that if any owner of a petrol-engine MINI produced between 2001-
August 2003 has experienced a similar situation, they should contact their dealer or
a dedicated MINI UK Customer Service line on 0800 777 129. This line is available from
9am to 6pm Monday to Friday."
Minis that could catch fire
Another fault
But now another fault could leave you with more to worry about than finding your
Mini difficult to steer. This time, the steering pump could actually be on fire.
When it happened to Lisa Rowland's car on a journey home from work, she fell out of
love with her Mini.
"I was driving down a dual carriageway and I smelt like... a smoke smell." Lisa told Watchdog. She pulled over and called her breakdown company because she thought she saw steam coming from under her bonnet. "While I was on the phone to them a guy
came running over to tell me that it wasn't steam coming from the bonnet it was smoke from a fire!"
They managed to put the flames out with an extinguisher before the fire brigade arrived. The cause of the fire Her power steering pump had overheated, burning wiring and plastics in the engine causing nearly £600 worth of damage. And because the car was out of warranty, BMW refused to pay.
The same thing happened to police officer Lisa Tibbitts. She parked her Mini just around the corner from the police station where she works.
"I went into work, I'd probably been there about 20 minutes when a work colleague shouted to me 'Your car's on fire!' I just thought they were joking." Lisa said.
They weren't joking, her car was on fire, and when she got outside, the fire brigade was in the process of putting the flames out.
"You could see there was still smoke coming from the engine. The closer I got there was just a really strong smell of burning. I just couldn't believe it, I remember having this nervous laugh. Because I'd had no problems with it, and it was just real shock."
A known fault
The new problem is a known fault, that can affect power steering pumps fitted to
petrol Minis produced between 2001 and August 2003. BMW insists at worst it will only cause overheating and smouldering - not a fire.
We asked forensic fire investigator Steve Hannaford to look at photos of some of the burnt parts from Lisa Tibbitt's Mini. He was sure that there had been a fire. "We can see we've got an electrical wiring harness here with some damage at one end. The close up view shows that the connector where it was attached to the pump has started to melt. This is copper and it melts at over 1000 degrees centigrade. I'd say if you've got temperatures in excess of 1,000 degrees centigrade with these sorts of flammable materials around it, you've got the basis of a fire."
But a spokeswoman for The Vehicle Operator & Services Agency (VOSA) says they don't believe a fire danger is posed. "We know of no cases where a fire has occurred as a result of any problems with a power steering pump on these vehicles. We understand that the German and American type approval authorities are also unaware of any cases where a vehicle fire resulted from such a problem. Our view is also based on the fact that the power steering pump is located in a heat-resistant environment."
BMW statement
"MINI UK strives to provide the best possible service to its customers and is concerned when they are not completely satisfied with their cars. Thorough investigation of cases relating to the corrosion of wiring looms fitted to the power steering pumps of petrol-fuelled MINI cars produced from 2001-August 2003 shows no evidence of fire occurring as a result.
"Water ingress may have caused shorting and the eventual overheating of the pump, leading to smouldering. At no point did any MINI investigated by MINI UK catch fire as the pump as the pump is situated in a virtually fire-proof location near the exhaust system and does not, itself, feature any flammable materials.
"However, MINI UK takes such incidents very seriously and reports to independent
regulatory bodies on technical matters. No recalls or actions have been issued as
BMW Group does not believe that power-steering failure is a safety issue. All new MINIs on sale today feature new power steering mechanisms completely
unaffected by these issues.
"We would advise that if any owner of a petrol-engine MINI produced between 2001-
August 2003 has experienced a similar situation, they should contact their dealer or
a dedicated MINI UK Customer Service line on 0800 777 129. This line is available from
9am to 6pm Monday to Friday."
Minis that could catch fire