2003 MINI COOPER Complaints

POWER STEERING FAILURE. POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED SUDDENLY WITHOUT WARNING,CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO BECOME UNRESPONSIVE TO NORMAL STEERING WHEEL OPERATION, RESULTING IN DRIVER HAVING TO TAKE UNEXPECTED AND SUDDEN STEERING CORRECTION TO AVOID RUNNING OFF THE ROAD OR COLLIDING WITH AN ONCOMING VEHICLE. *TR

2003 MINI COOPER, POWER STEERING PUMP JUST QUIT MAKING THE CAR UNSAFE TOO DRIVE. WAS TOLD THIS IS A COMMON THING WITH THE MINI COOPER AND AFTER CHECKING ON LINE I SEE THERE IS A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM! I THINK BMW NEEDS TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND TAKE CARE OF THIS!!! AFTER ALL 800 DOLLARS FOR A NEW ONE IS A BIT MUCH!!! *KB

ON THE DATE OF INCIDENT I PARKED MY CAR IN A WELLS FARGO BANK PARKING LOT AFTER GOING TO THE GYM. UPON RETURNING TO MY CAR AN INDIVIDUAL WHO HAD PARKED NEXT TO ME INFORMED ME THAT "YOUR CAR IS SMOKING" I LOOKED AND WHITE SMOKE WAS COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I OPENED THE HOOD TO INSPECT IT AND SAW WHITE SMOKE WHICH SMELLED ELECTRICAL. THE INDIVIDUAL WHO NOTICED SMOKE CAME OUT OF HER SUV TO HELP. SHE AND I LOOKED AND SHE INFORMED ME THAT SHE SAW A SMALL FLAME COMING FROM UNDER THE ENGINE. I SAW IT AND EXTINGUISHED IT WITH A BOTTLE OF WATER I HAD. I THEN HEARD AN ELECTRICAL SPINNING/HUMMING AS IF SOMETHING WAS STILL ELECTRICALLY CHARGED. THE SMOKE THEN BEGAN TO INTENSIFY AND GOT SO OUT OF CONTROL I WAS TEMPTED TO CALL 911 BUT THEN I THOUGHT TO DISCONNECT ANY POWER TO THE CAR BY DISCONNECTING THE BATTERY. THIS ACTION CUT ALL POWER TO THE CAR AND STOPPED THE SMOKE AND ELECTRICAL SPINNING/HUMMING. I CALLED AAA AND HAD MY CAR TOWED TO MY MECHANIC. ON THE EVENING OF 12/23/2011 MY MECHANIC CALLED ME AND INFORMED ME THAT MY POWER STEERING PUMP HAD FAILED AND ESTIMATED THE REPAIRS AT $1,046. ON 12/26/2011 MY CAR WAS RETURNED TO ME BY MY MECHANIC WHO SHOWED ME THE FAILED POWER STEERING PUMP WHICH MELTED OTHER WIRES AND COMPONENTS OF THE POWER STEERING MECHANISM. TOTAL OUT-OF-POCKET EXPENSES WAS $1,053. *TR

THE POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED WHILE DRIVING AND PROCEEDED TO FAIL INTERMITTENTLY FOR SEVERAL MONTHS WITH NO WARNING, SOMETIMES AT HIGH RATES OF SPEED AND IN TURNS. THE POWER STEERING PUMP QUIT FOR GOOD APPROXIMATELY SIX MONTHS LATER. I COULD HAVE BEEN SEVERELY INJURED OR KILLED - OR WORSE, HURT SOMEONE ELSE. THE MINI COOPER IS VERY HARD TO STEER WITHOUT POWER STEERING. I'M A STRONG WOMAN BUT IT TAKES SOME SERIOUS UPPER ARM STRENGTH AND CORE STRENGTH TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE MANUALLY. THE MOST DISTURBING PART IS THE LACK OF WARNING. THERE IS NO CLUE THAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO LOSE POWER. THESE PARTS ARE PROHIBITIVELY EXPENSIVE AND THERE IS A SHORTAGE OF MECHANICS WILLING TO WORK ON THESE CARS IN OUR AREA. I DON'T KNOW IF THE POWER STEERING FAN WAS AFFECTED, AS WELL, BUT I SUSPECT IT BROKE SOMEWHERE IN THAT TIME, TOO. I KNOW THERE ARE INCIDENTS OF THESE CARS CATCHING FIRE, AND THANKFULLY, WE HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED THAT. PLEASE HELP. THIS IS SO DANGEROUS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MINI COOPER S. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME STIFF AND DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER. THE CONTACT RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND REGAINED POWER STEERING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC. THE MECHANIC STATED THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING PUMP WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 72,000.

THE INCIDENT OCCURRED BACK IN JUNE 27, 2007. I PARKED MY CAR AND THEN NOTICED THERE WAS SMOKE COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE CAR. OPENED THE BONNET AND THERE WERE FLAMES COMING FROM THE UNDERSIDE OF THE ENGINE. THE FIRST ATTEMPT AT USING A FIRE EXTINGUISHER TEMPORARILY PUT OUT THE FIRE, BUT IT RE-IGNITED AND AT THIS POINT CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO PUT IT OUT SAFELY. THE BMW DEALER KEPT SAYING THERE WAS NEVER A FIRE, JUST SMOLDERING. THE "SMOLDERING" WAS THE CAUSE OF A STEERING PUMP FAILURE WHICH OVERHEATS, WHICH IN TURN DAMAGED THE LOOM (HARNESS, OR MAIN WIRING FOR THE VEHICLE), WHICH ALSO RUINED THE BATTERY. THE COST WAS OVER $1000 TO REPAIR THE "SMOLDERING" DAMAGES. PRIOR TO THE STEERING PUMP FAILURE, THERE WAS NO INDICATION THAT THERE WERE STEERING PROBLEMS, NOR ANY POSSIBLE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. CAR MILEAGE WAS AT 65,525 AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. *TR

POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED, STEERING BECAME VERY DIFFICULT. PUMP REMAINED ON AFTER CAR WAS TURNED OFF AND DRAINED BATTERY, NOW CAR WILL NOT RUN. VERY DANGEROUS ISSUE! *TR

WE HAVE A MINI COOPER COUPE 2003 WITH ONLY 30,000 MILES ON IT IN MINT CONDITION WHERE THE BELT FOR CVT TRANSMISSION DISINTEGRATED WITHOUT ANY WARNING LEAVING ME STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY HIGHWAY AND PLACING ME AT RISK FOR INJURY. WE HAD PROVIDED GOOD MAINTENANCE FOR THE MINI BY CHANGING THE TRANSMISSION OIL WHEN WE FIRST PURCHASED THE VEHICLE AT 8000.00 MILES AND THEN AT 15000 MILES WITH HIGH GRADE SYNTHETIC OIL AT $100.00. TRANSMISSION SHOP WORKING ON OUR CAR INQUIRED ABOUT PARTS FROM BMW AND WAS TOLD THEY DO NOT SELL PARTS FOR THAT TRANSMISSION AND IF YOU WANT IT FIXED YOU HAVE TO PURCHASE A NEW TRANSMISSION IN A BOX FOR $6,000.00. I FEEL THAT THIS IS NOT AN OPTION IF THE TRANSMISSION IS ONLY GOING TO LAST 30,000 MILES. WHO CAN AFFORD SUCH A DISPOSABLE CAR? *TR

UPON TURNING ON MY DRIVER'S SIDE HEATED SEAT, ONE PART OF MY BACK SEEMED TO BE GETTING EXTREMELY HOT. UPON TURNING AROUND, I SAW A SMALL HOLE HAD BEEN BURNED IN THE SEAT COVER AND WAS SMOLDERING AND SMOKING. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED OFF THE SEAT WARMER. IT TOOK MANY MINUTES TO COOL DOWN AND STOP SMOKING. THANKFULLY THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY WHEN THIS HAPPENED. IF IT HAD BEEN IN MOTION, MY SAFETY WOULD CERTAINLY HAVE BEEN COMPRISED, AS I COULD HAVE SUSTAINED BURNS BEFORE PULLING THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE DISTRACTION OF A BURNING SEAT IS ALSO NOT AN INSIGNIFICANT SAFETY HAZARD AS WELL. *TR

ATTEMPTING TO TURN INTO SCHOOL PARKING LOT, POWER STEERING ABRUPTLY STOPPED WORKING, STEERING WHEEL BECAME EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO TURN. THE POWER STEERING HAS INTERMITTENTLY FALTERED SEVERAL TIMES IN THE LAST YEAR BUT HAS NOW FAILED ENTIRELY. *TR