2002 MINI COOPER Complaints

DRIVING TO WORK 4 MILE TRIP POWER STEERING RANDOMLY STOPS WORKING ALMOST LOCKING UP THE STEERING WHEEL. TRIED TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD A FULL GROWN MAN STRUGGLES TO BE ABLE TO TURN THE WHEEL ABOUT A QUARTER OF A TURN. SHUT OFF CAR WAIT TO START BACK UP. POWER STEERING STILL DEAD CALL TOW TRUCK AND HAVE IT HAULED TO REPAIR SHOP. TOLD POWER STEERING PUMP HAS DIED AND NEEDS REPLACED ALONG WITH POWER STEERING PUMP FAN. *KB

POWER STEERING FAILED WHILE GOING DOWN A MULTI-STORY PARKING LOT. VERY SCARY. CAR CORRECTED ITSELF. LATER THAT DAY IT HAPPENED AGAIN. CALLED MY MECHANIC (A MINI MECHANIC) AND WAS TOLD THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME WITH 2002-2005 MINI COOPERS. WILL NEED TO REPLACE PUMP AND FAN WHICH WILL COST ME $1200 INC. LABOR. THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT MINI USA IS VERY AWARE OF. THEY RELEASED A CAR WITH KNOWN PROBLEMS (INC. CVT TRANSMISSION ISSUES) HOW CAN THEY DO THIS? SO FAR O ONE HAS BEEN KILLED (THAT WE KNOW OF) BUT I KNOW IT WILL HAPPEN ONE DAY. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS ISSUE. *TR

ON 13 JUNE 2011 A POWER STEERING FAN SHORTED ON MY DAUHTERS 2002 MINI COOPER S CAUSING THE RADIATOR FAN TO STOP. THIS CAUSED THE CAR TO OVERHEAT. ON 14 JUNE 2011 CAR WAS REPAIRED BY A MINI COOPER DEALER AFTER BEING TOWED. PARTS REPLACED ARE FAN HOUSING WITH FAN, FAN WITH PROTECTING GRILLE, WIRING SET FOR POWER SUPPLY, CABLE STRAP. POWER STEERING FAN SEIZED CAUSING COOLING FANS NOT TO WORK. DEALER REPLACED WIRING HARNESS (UPDATED) TO KEEP POWER STEERING FAN AND COOLING FANS SEPERATE (AS TOLD BY SERVICE REP). OLD PARTS WHERE NOT KEPT. THIS HAPPENED ONCE. *TT

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 BMW MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THE STEERING FAILED WHILE DRIVING AT A LOW SPEED AND HAD TO BE HELD WITH FORCE WITH BOTH HANDS IN ORDER TO TURN IT, OR KEEP THE VEHICLE UNDER CONTROL. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS BEFORE OR AFTER THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC TEST THAT LOCATED THE FAILURE IN THE POWER STEERING PUMP. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THE FAILURE WAS NOT RECALLED, AND THEY WOULD NOT ASSIST WITH THE REPAIR. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILES WERE 114,000. UPDATED 07/20/11*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE THEN BEGAN TO MAKE A HUMMING SOUND IN WHICH THE POWER STEERING PUMP WAS RUNNING WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS OFF, WHICH CAUSED THE BATTERY TO DIE. UPDATED 08/01/11

I WAS DRIVING FROM EAST LOS ANGELES TO WEST LOS ANGELES (PLAYA DEL RAY) ON THE 105 WEST HGWY WHEN THE CARS TRANSMISSION WENT OUT. THIS HAPPENED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FREEWAY IN LA DURING RUSH HOUR. I HAD TO SLOWLY MOVE OVER TO THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY UNTIL I COULD FIND AN AREA WITH A SHOULDER. I BARELY MADE IT TO THE SHOULDER AND COULD HAVE DIED FROM ONE OF THE CARS SPEEDING PAST ME. LUCKILY I MADE IT. I CALLED AAA AND THEY BROUGHT A TOW TRUCK WHICH TOWED THE CAR INTO A SHOP WHICH STATED THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO REBUILD THE TRANSMISSION. THEY SAID I WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THE WHOLE THING WHICH WOULD COST $7,000 MINIMUM. I CALLED MULTIPLE OTHER DEALERS AND SHOPS, WHOM ALL GAVE THE SAME ESTIMATE. I DONATED IT TO MY LOCAL NPR STATION BECAUSE I DID NOT WANT TO PAY THAT AMOUNT OF MONEY TO REPLACE A FAULTY TRANSMISSION, WITH ANOTHER FAULTY TRANSMISSION. *TR

DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH AND VEHICLE LOST POWER STEERING....MADE IT HOME...CHECKED ALL FLUID LEVELS...ALL OKAY....GOT BACK IN THE VEHICLE THE NEXT MORNING TO TAKE TO SERVICE STATION AND POWER STEERING WAS WORKING AGAIN...GARAGE COULD NOT FIND PROBLEM...SCARED TO DRIVE IT NOW FOR FEAR OF LOSS OF STEERING AGAIN! *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN TRAVELING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, HE WOULD LOSE POWER STEERING INTERMITTENT WITHOUT WARNING. HE NOTICED THAT THE POWER STEERING COOLING FAN WOULD REMAIN ACTIVE WITHOUT POWER TO THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER OR MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED NOR WAS THE FAILURE DIAGNOSED OR THE VEHICLE REPAIRED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 65,096. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000. UPDATED 06/24/11 *BF UPDATED 06/30/11*JB

POWER SYSTEM ON MY 2002 MINI COOPER WENT OUT. THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON OCCURRENCE. AND VERY DANGEROUS AND COSTLY. BMW HAD BETTER DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS BECAUSE I ALMOST CREAMED A COP... *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER STEERING OCCURRED WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITH DIFFICULTY IN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL. THE CONTACT RESTARTED THE ENGINE AND WAS ABLE TO RESUME NORMALLY. THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE POWER STEERING PUMP WOULD BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 132,000. UPDATED 07/08/11 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED THE POWER STEERING GOES OUT INTERMITTENTLY AT RANDOM TIMES. UPDATED 07/18/11

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HEADLIGHTS AND CABIN LIGHTS WOULD REMAIN ILLUMINATED AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS SHUT OFF. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE WOULD OFTEN BECOME LOCKED INSIDE OR OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A DEALER AND THEY ADVISED HIM THAT THE CONTROL MODULE WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 60,000.