2004 MINI COOPER Complaints

POWER STEERING FAILED MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO DRIVE/ TURN VEHICLE. THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES. TYPICALLY THE POWER STEERING COMES BACK AFTER A MINUTE OR TWO BUT DURING THE LATEST INCIDENT IT DID NOT COME BACK ON. *TR

POWER STEERING FAILED, CAR WOULD NOT TURN. SECOND OCCASION 1/19/12 SAME THING AT 40MPH. AFTER CAR RESTS PROBLEM DISAPPEARS. ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO TURN CAR AT ALL. *TR

POWER STEERING STOPPED WORKING---WHILE DRIVING ON CURVE---IMPACTED CAR CONTROL. REGAINED POWER STEERING. THIS HAPPENED TWO MORE TIMES. VERY DANGEROUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *TR

VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH MINI COOPER AND THE CORPORATION OF BMW ON HOW THEY HANDLED MY ISSUES WITH MY 2004 MINI. I CAME TO THE DEALERSHIP SEVERAL TIMES IN RAMSEY, NEW JERSEY WITH THE REPAIRS THAT WERE RECALLED. I HAD PRINTED THE RECALLS AS EVIDENCE THAT THERE WERE IDENTICAL ISSUES AS THE REPAIRS NEEDED TO MY CAR! THE DEALERSHIP IGNORED AND REFUSED TO EVEN LOOK AT THE RECALLS ON PAPER AND TO MY DISMAY I WAS FORCED TO PAY OUT-OF-MY-OWN POCKET! I HAD NO CHOICE BECAUSE OF MY CONCERN TO DRIVE A 'SAFE' VEHICLE. TO MY DISAPPOINTMENT I HAD TO RETURN BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP WITH THE SAME AND ADDITIONAL ISSUES THAT WERE NO REPAIRED! THE NEXT DAY THE MANAGER ASSURED ME THAT ALL WAS TAKEN CARE OF AND THE CAR WAS FINALLY SAFE! WRONG AGAIN! WITH ADDITIONAL CALLS TO BOTH THE DEALERSHIP AND BMW I STILL DID NOT HAVE A SOLUTION NOR A SAFE CAR! . THE ISSUES WERE: 1.BRAKE LIGHT BEING REPLACED MULTIPLE TIMES AND THEN CAUSED A FIRE. 2.STEERING 3.STABILITY CONTROL ULTIMATELY, I HAVE CONTACTED NHTSA SEVERAL TIMES TO ASSIST AND THE RESPONSE WAS TO CONTACT THE DEALER. I'M AT THE POINT I NEED TO NOW TAKE THIS TO A NEW LEVEL TO RESOLVE THIS SITUATION. *TR

ELECTRIC POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED WHILE DRIVING. I NOTICED IT WHEN I WENT TO CHANGE LANES AND THE CAR RESISTED. I SLOWED FOR A CORNER AND WHEN ATTEMPTING TO TURN, IT BECAME VERY APPARENT THAT THERE WAS NO STEERING ASSIST. THIS IS A COMMON FAILURE ON THE FIRST GENERATION MINI COOPERS THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE AND DEPENDING ON THE CIRCUMSTANCES, POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS.

LENT CAR TO BOYFRIEND TO DRIVE ME TO BOSTON (100 MILE ONE WAY). ON THE WAY HOME HE STOPPED AT A STORE APPROXIMATELY 10 MILES FROM THE HOUSE. WHEN HE CAME BACK OUT OF THE STORE ( WAS IN STORE APPROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES) THE POWER STEERING NO LONGER WORKED. IT WAS LIKE TRYING TO STEER THROUGH CONCRETE FOR HIM. A FEW DAYS LATER HE TRIED THE CAR AND IT ALL WORKED FINE AGAIN. BASED ON PRIOR COMPLAINTS FILED, I AM CONCERNED THAT THE ISSUE WILL REOCCUR WHEN I AM DRIVING CAUSING OBVIOUS SAFETY CONCERNS, OR THAT IT MAY CATCH FIRE (BASED ON OTHER COMPLAINTS FILED FOR SIMILAR ISSUES) AND THAT I WILL BE FACING THE COST OF REPLACING THE POWER STEERING UNIT (WHICH DOES NOT SOUND LIKE IT HAS BEEN REENGINEERED SINCE THIS ISSUE BECAME KNOWN).

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MINI COOPER S. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE LOST ALL POWER STEERING. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED AND TO REPLACE THE PUMP AS WELL AS THE BATTERY TO CORRECT THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. NO REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 116,000 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 115,900.

POWER STEERING FROZE UP AS WE TURNED A CORNER AND THEN DIED OUT COMPLETELY. IT HAS NEVER RETURNED. VERY CLOSE TO CAUSING A COLLISION BECAUSE OF THE LOSS OF POWER STEERING. *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY MINI COOPER S ON THE FREEWAY GOING INTO A TURN, THE WHEEL BECAME EXTREMELY HARD TO TURN WITH NO NOTICE. I COULD NOT MAKE THE TURN ALL THE WAY AND THE DRIVERS SIDE TIRES AND FENDER HIT THE CURB ON THE FREEWAY. I FOUGHT THE CAR OFF THE FREEWAY AND LET IT SIT FOR 15 MINS WHILE I CALLED MINI. THE DEALER SAID THAT MY POWER STEERING HAD FAILED. AFTER A WAIT OF 15 MINS THE CAR STARTED AND DROVE JUST FINE. I DROVE THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY TESTED THE POWER STEERING PUMP AND SAID THAT IT WAS GOOD AT THAT TIME. THEY TOLD ME THAT IT WOULD CONTINUE TO BE A PROBLEM WITH JUST GIVING OUT AT RANDOM TIMES UNLESS I SPENT $4000 AND HAD ALL THE COMPONENTS REPLACED EVEN THOUGH IT TESTED GOOD AT THE TIME. THEY REPLACED ALL THE BUSHINGS AND STRUTS IN THE FRONT AT THAT TIME FOR $2000. THEY TOLD ME NOT TO REPLACE THE POWER STEERING UNLESS IT TOTALLY STOPPED WORKING. THE SECOND INCIDENT WAS 5000 MILES LATER ON A ROUND ABOUT AT 35 MPH. THE STEERING HAD JUST FAILED AGAIN. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION WHEN THE DEALER TESTS THE SYSTEM AFTER A FAILURE AND CLAIMS THAT IT IS GOOD, AND THEN IT FAILS AGAIN WITH NO WARNING. I THINK THAT THE MANUFACTURE SHOULD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY AND HAVE ALL THE SYSTEMS UPGRADED TO NOT FAIL AT SUCH LOW MILEAGE AND IF THEY DO FAIL TO BE ABLE TO TRACK SUCH A FAILURE. *TR

I HAD DRIVEN THE VEHICLE TO WORK WITHOUT INCIDENT. STARTED VEHICLE AFTER WORK AND IMMEDIATELY NOTICED THAT THE POWER STEERING WAS NOT WORKING. DROVE THE VEHICLE 34 MILES AND PARKED IT FOR 30 MINUTES. WHEN I RESTARTED THE VEHICLE THE POWER STEERING WAS AGAIN WORKING. *TR