I have caught the BBC Watchdog programme a couple of times now and was surprised to see Mini in the docks both times. So many women drivers love this car and have paid a premium price to buy it. There is now a serious safety concern so they need to get their car checked to see if there are problems with the power steering system.

The problem affects petrol-engined Minis produced between 2001-07 although a modification was made in January 2005 which they claim has ‘virtually eradicated the problem’ but not completely I see.

BBC Watchdog showed driving examples of how the power assisted steering (PAS) could fail and how heavy the car steering would be afterwards. Yes I can vouch for that – I once owned a Porsche 924S without PAS and it was heavy to drive but by no means impossible or unsafe for that matter.

But the more worrying incident was if that same PAS system then overheated and caused a fire as several had done. It’ll be interesting to see how widespread this problem is as word spreads and more women drivers contact the Watchdog team.

If you have concerns as a result of reading this OR you have experienced a problem to do with your Mini’s steering OR have paid for a replacement power steering pump, you should contact Mini’s Customer Service line on 0800 777129.

Worryingly many motorists may then be told to pay to have their car checked. If that means main dealers rates that could be quite expensive and probably close to £100. Alternatively, you could join FOXY Lady Drivers Club for £20 per annum and claim free quarterly Car Fitness Checks carried out by some of the best and female friendly UK garages; this will allow you to keep an eye on this instance alongside other safety related items and your car’s CO2 motoring emissions.

No matter – get your car checked if you have a petrol Mini registered between 2001 to 2007 – what price your peace of mind.

FOXY