2004 MINI COOPER Complaints

INTERMITTENT POWER STEERING FAILURE. POWER STEERING HAS GONE OUT TWICE, BOTH TIMES THIS WAS NOTICEABLE SHORTLY AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE (BACKING OUT OF DRIVEWAY). IN THE FIRST INCIDENT, POWER STEERING RETURNED AFTER DRIVING ABOUT HALF A BLOCK. IN THE SECOND INCIDENT (A COUPLE MONTHS LATER), POWER STEERING DID NOT RETURN WHILE DRIVING (1 MILE), BUT RETURNED WHEN CAR WAS STARTED THE FOLLOWING DAY. DEALERSHIP SERVICE CENTER IS CURRENTLY UNABLE TO PINPOINT ISSUE THROUGH CAR'S COMPUTER, BUT POWER STEERING PUMP IS SUSPECTED. CAR IS UNDER 30K MILES. *TR

POWER STEERING FAILS. ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS THE POWER STEERING HAS FAILED, BOTH WHILE DRIVING AS WELL AS AFTER JUST STARTING THE CAR. THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT AND I SEE NO PATTERN TO IT'S OCCURRENCE. TYPICALLY IT IS REMEDIED BY TURNING OFF THE CAR AND RE-STARTING. THERE HAS BEEN A FEW OCCASIONS WHERE IT WILL SPUTTER IN AND OUT BEFORE IT GOES OUT COMPLETELY BUT THE MOST COMMON OCCURRENCE IS WHEN I START THE CAR, THERE'S IS NO POWER STEERING.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 70 MPH WHEN THE POWER STEERING MALFUNCTIONED AND THE VEHICLE BECAME DIFFICULT TO CONTROL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP WAS REPLACED SEVERAL YEARS AGO BY A LOCAL MECHANIC. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE LOCAL MECHANIC FOR THE MOST RECENT FAILURE FOR A REPLACEMENT TO THE POWER STEERING PUMP AND THE RACK AND PINION. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND WAS CONCERNED WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF THE FAILURE CAUSING A CRASH. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 96,000. UPDATED 06/24/11 *BF UPDATED 06/30/11. *JB

POWER STEERING FAILURE WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE. FAILURE OCCURS WITHOUT WARNING, REQUIRING AN EXTREME EFFORT TO TURN STEERING WHEEL OR MAINTAIN WHEEL POSITION IF FAILURE OCCURS WHILE MANEUVERING ON A CURVED SECTION OF HIGHWAY. FAILURES BEGAN AS WARRANTY EXPIRED, AND IS NOW PERMANENT. BMW SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES WERE FAMILIAR WITH PROBLEM, STATING THAT THE CAUSE WAS FAILURE OF THE ELECTRO-HYDRAULIC POWER STEERING PUMP, A NON-REPAIRABLE PART. BMW HAD THE PART IN STOCK, AND WITH INSTALLATION, GAVE AN ESTIMATE EXCEEDING $600.00 TO REPLACE PUMP. DUE TO THE COST, I HAVE NOT HAD THE REPAIR DONE. *TR

INTERMITTENT POWER STEERING FAILURE CAUSING UNEXPECTED LOSS OF POWER STEERING WHILE CAR IS IN MOTION. *TR

THE VEHICLE INTERMITTENTLY LOOSES POWER STEERING, MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO STEER. THE POWER ASSIST CUTS OUT INTERMITTENTLY, AND WILL OCCASIONALLY COME BACK WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION, THOUGH MORE OFTEN IT BEGINS WORKING THE NEXT TIME THE CAR IS STARTED. THE FREQUENCY IS VARIABLE - IT GOES MONTHS WITHOUT A PROBLEM AND THEN MAY HAVE THE PROBLEM FOR SEVERAL CONSECUTIVE DAYS. *TR

1. NO EVENTS LED UP TO THIS FAILURE. IT OCCURRED SPONTANEOUSLY AFTER TURNING OFF MY CAR. 2. POWER STEERING PUMP STAYS ON AFTER CAR'S ENGINE IS OFF, AND THE PUMP WILL NOT SHUT OFF. THIS OCCURS EVERY TIME THE CAR IS TURNED OFF AND PERSISTS UNTIL THE CAR IS RESTARTED OR THE BATTERY DIES. THE CONSTANTLY ON POWER STEERING PUMP IS KNOW TO LEAD TO FIRES OR SPONTANEOUSLY KILLING POWER STEERING WHILE DRIVING AROUND TURNS. 3. THE ONLY WAY TO FIX THIS ISSUE IS TO REPLACE THE POWER STEERING PUMP OR LEAVE THE BATTERY UNPLUGGED IN THE CAR. I CURRENTLY HAVE ORDERED A NEW POWER STEERING PUMP. *TR

MAY 17TH WHILE TURNING LEFT AT AN INTERSECTION WAS TAKEN BY SURPRISE AT THE EFFORT SUDDENLY NEEDED TO TURN MY VEHICLE, CAUSING ME TO GO WIDER THAN NEEDED. NEARLY HIT ANOTHER MOTORIST TURNING LEFT IN OTHER DIRECTION. STOPPED TO CHECK FOR LOW FLUID LEVEL AND FOUND NO DEFICIENCIES. WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT HOME WHERE I WILL PARK THE CAR INDEFINITELY. *TR

MINI COOPER S 2004- POWER STEERING FAILURE, GOING IN AND OUT, EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO NAVIGATE THE VEHICLE AROUND CORNERS AND DISTURBING TO SAY THE LEAST. HAVE NOT TAKEN IT TO THE DEALERSHIP YET, APPARENTLY THIS IS A 'COMMON' PROBLEM ON MINI COOPERS OF THIS MANUFACTURING PERIOD, ACCORDING TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT REPRESENTATIVE AT THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP. I'M AFRAID THAT IF THIS HAPPENS WHEN I'M DRIVING AT A CRUCIAL MOMENT THAT IT WILL LEAD TO AN ACCIDENT. ALSO CONCERNED THAT THE COST OF REPAIR (THE CAR IS NOT UNDER WARRANTY ANY MORE) WILL BE MORE THAN I CAN BEAR AS FAR AS COST. THIS DOES NOT SEEM LIKE A COST THAT SHOULD BE BURDENED BY THE OWNER, IT IS AN ISSUE OF SAFETY AND SHOULD BE A MAJOR CONCERN OF THE AUTO MANUFACTURER. *TR

POWER STEERING IS NOT RELIABLE; SOMETIMES WORKS, AND SOMETIME DOES NOT. CONSEQUENTLY IT CAUSES DANGEROUS SITUATIONS PARTICULARLY IN SLIPPERY CONDITIONS. INITIALLY THE PROBLEM WAS BARELY NOTICEABLE. WHEN CONSULTED, MINI SERVICE STATED THAT THIS IS NOT A FAULT BUT A CHARACTERISTIC OF THE MINI. WITH TIME THE STEERING GOT PROGRESSIVELY LESS PREDICTABLE. AND, THE PROBLEM WAS RECTIFIED ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO WITH REPLACEMENT OF THE POWER STEERING POMP. ONE YEAR LATER, THE UNPREDICTABLE LOSS OF POWER STEERING RETURNED AGAIN (SPORADICALLY), AND NOW COME (PERMANENT) FUTURE OF DRIVING. *TR