2005 MINI COOPER Complaints

WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED I OR MY HUSBAND HAVE LOST POWER STEERING IN OUR 2005 MINI COOPER S. THIS ELECTRO-HYDRAULIC POWER STEER PUMP & FAN HAS BEEN A LONG STANDING PROBLEM IN THESE MINIS. (THIS HAS BEEN A COMPLETE RECALL IN CANADA.) THE LOSS OF POWER STEERING MAKES THE VEHICLE VERY UNSAFE AS IT IS A SUDDEN ONSET. IT IS PROBLEMATIC AT SLOW OR FAST SPEEDS. I CAN BARELY STEER THE VEHICLE WHEN THIS OCCURS. IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO GET IN/OUT OF OUR GARAGE OR IN/OUT OF PARKING SPACES. I HAVE HAD TO FIND PARKING IN STRATEGIC AREAS MOST OFTEN WHERE I COULD PULL STRAIGHT IN A SPOT AND PULL STRAIGHT OUT. IT IS ALSO SCARY ON RAMPS OR INTERSTATE AS INSTEAD OF HAVING A RESPONSIVE SPORTY CAR IT FEELS LIKE YOU ARE DRIVING A TANK THAT YOU CANNOT CONTROL. THIS HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES IN LAST 10-12 MONTHS. IT HAS BECOME MORE FREQUENT IN LAST FEW MONTHS. WE RECEIVED A NOTICE FOR "WARRANTY EXTENSION/ REPAIR REIMBURSEMENT" AND CALLED FOR SEVERAL MONTHS BUT WERE TOLD MINI HAD BEEN UNABLE TO GET THE PARTS. WE CALLED AND THEY NOW SAY THEY HAVE THE PARTS SO WE DROVE NEARLY 1 HOUR TO DEALERSHIP AND NOW THEY WILL NOT REPAIR IT BECAUSE THE PART HAS NOT FAILED. THEY STATE THEY DROVE IT AND THERE HAS BEEN NO FAILURE. I WOULD GUESS IT HAS STOPPED WORKING WHILE I HAVE BEEN DRIVING IT ABOUT AVERAGE 1X/WEEK BUT MORE FREQUENT AS TIME PROGRESSES. THE FAILURE MAY END UP BEING ME... IN A CASKET! *TR

LAST DECEMBER MY STEERING WENT OUT ON MY CAR. I DID SOME RESEARCH ONLINE AND FOUND THAT A POSSIBLE CLASS ACTION SUIT WAS IN THE PROCESS. I CALLED MINI NORTH AMERICA TO DISCUSS MY FINDINGS AND TO SEE IF A RECALL WAS IN THE WORKS. THE CUSTOMER SERVICE AGENT STATED SHE WASN'T AWARE OF ANY. I TOOK THE CAR TO MY DEALER AND HAD TO HAVE 4,000 DOLLARS IN REPAIRS. WATER PUMP, SUPER CHARGER AND SEVERAL BEARINGS. I THEN GET A LETTER IN EARLY JUNE OF 2013 STATING THAT A RECALL WAS IN THE WORKS AND TO SEND ALL MY INFORMATION IN FOR POSSIBLE REIMBURSEMENT. I WAS TOLD THAT I QUALIFY AND THAT A CHECK WAS GOING TO BE CUT AND SENT OUT BY THE END OF JUNE OR EARLY AUGUST. WHEN THE CHECK DIDN'T ARRIVE, I CONTINUED TO CALL MINI NORTH AMERICA AND I KEEP GETTING THE RUN AROUND. I WAS TOLD IT WAS GOING TO BE LATE SEPTEMBER OR EARLY OCTOBER. I JUST CALLED AGAIN TODAY AND NOW I'M TOLD IT WILL BE CUT BEFORE THE NEW YEAR. CAN SOMEONE PLEASE PUT SOMEONE'S HAND ON THE FIRE AND GET THIS RESOLVED? [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER CONVERTIBLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, SHE NOTICED SMOKE EMITTING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. IN ADDITION, THERE WAS A STRONG BURNING ODOR INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE WITH A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER STEERING. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED AT THE TIME OF THE MALFUNCTION. THE VEHICLE TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE FAILURE WAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE FAULTY COOLING FAN, WHICH CAUSED THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM TO OVERHEAT AND EXPOSE MELTED WIRES. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,057.

MY BROTHER WAS DRIVING MY 2005 MINI COOPER S CONVERTIBLE WHEN HE SMELLED WIRES BURNING AND SMOKE, WENT TO PULL OVER AND THE CAR WAS HARD TO CONTROL. UPON INSPECTION THE MECHANIC SAID THAT THE POWER STEER PUMPS ELECTRONICS HAD CAUGHT FIRE AND BURNED THE ADJACENT PARTS. UPON CONTACT RAULPH SCHOMP MINI COOPER DEALER I WAS TOLD THAT MY VIN NUMBER WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE CARS BEING REPLACED FOR SIMILAR PROBLEMS. THE CAR JUST HAD MAJOR WORK DONE TO THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM A YEAR AND HALF AGO BY THE SAME DEALER. SPOKE WITH THE MINI USA REP AND WAS TOLD THAT THIS WAS NOT BEING COVERED. *TR

THE AUTOMATIC CVT TRANSMISSION JUST DOWN SHIFTED AND NOW WON'T GO INTO HIGH GEAR. THIS WILL HAPPEN ON THE FREEWAY AND WILL SHIFT AND CLUNK INTO GEAR. BMW IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM WITH THIS TRANSMISSION BUT WON'T STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT. IT IS VERY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. *JS

WHILE I WAS DRIVING, MY POWER STEERING SUDDENLY CUT OFF COMPLETELY. LUCKILY, I WAS CLOSE TO HOME, BUT IT WAS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO PARALLEL PARK MY CAR. THE NEXT DAY, THE POWER STEERING WORKED AGAIN. *JS

THE POWER STEERING PUMP STARTS AND STOPS WHENEVER IT WANTS TO. YOU CAN BE DRIVING AND THE PUMP STOPS AND THE STEERING GETS VERY HARD. THE PUMP ALSO RUNS AFTER THE CAR IS SHUT OFF. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS AN EXTENDED WARRANTY TO COVER THE PROBLEM BUT THEY COULD NOT REPAIR IT FOR TWO MONTHS UNTIL PARTS CAME IN. I TOOK THE CAR BACK WHEN THE PARTS CAME IN AND THEN WHEN THEY RAN THE VIN THEY SAID THE CUTOFF WAS IN FEB AND MY CAR WAS BUILT IN APRIL SO IT IS NOT COVERED UNDER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY.I CALLED MINI AND THEY SAID THAT THEY WORKED EXTENSIVELY WITH YOU TO FIGURE OUT WHAT YEARS HAD THE BAD PARTS. WHEN I LOOK ON LINE I SEE MANY PROBLEMS NOTED FOR 2005 AND EVEN 2006 AND IT LOOKS LIKE CANADA MADE THEM RECALL THE CARS. WOULD YOU REVISIT AND SEE WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THE 2005 MODELS BEFORE SOMEONE IS SERIOUSLY INJURED. THANK YOU *TR

I WAS DRIVING AND LOST ALL POWER IN MY STEERING. VERY HARD TO TURN, NEARLY GOT INTO AN ACCIDENT CROSSING THE YELLOW LINE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. RECOVERED AND DROVE THE REST OF THE WAY HOME. *JB

AIRBAG SENSOR LIGHT IS ON, INDICATING A PROBLEM WITH THE PASSENGER AIRBAG. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH MINIS AND CERTAIN BMWS. MINI HAS VOLUNTARILY REPAIRED THE DEFECT IN SOME VEHICLES BUT IS REFUSING TO REPAIR OTHERS. MINI TOLD ME TO TAKE IT TO A DEALER, PAY FOR A DIAGNOSTIC AND THEY'D THINK ABOUT A REPAIR. I HAVE NO FAITH IN THEIR WILLINGNESS TO PROVIDE A REPAIR SINCE ETHER HAVE REFUSED THE REPAIR REPEATEDLY TO OTHER CONSUMERS. THIS IS A COMMON SAFETY ISSUE, AND APPEARS TO CLEARLY BE A DEFECT RATHER THAN AN EXPECTED WEARING OUT OF THE VEHICLE. *TT

THE PASSENGER AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT ON THIS 2005 MINI COOPER STAYS ON AND WON'T GO OFF. DEALER ADVISED ON 8/19/2011 THAT THIS WOULD COST $1229.88 TO REPLACE THE SEAT MAT SENSOR BUT TOLD OWNER THAT THE AIRBAG WAS WORKING, IT WAS JUST THE SENSOR/LIGHT THAT DIDN'T WORK. MANY, MANY COMPLAINT ABOUT THIS EXACT ISSUE WITH THE 2005 MINI MODELS ARE ON THE INTERNET. DEALERS REFUSE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. SINCE THE LIGHT IS ON AND THE REPAIR IS EXPENSIVE, PASSENGERS TAKE A RISK THAT THE AIRBAG WON'T WORK AT ALL. *TR