2005 MINI COOPER Complaints

HAD BEEN DRIVING FOR ABOUT THIRTY MINUTES WAS GOING WEST ON A BUSY FOUR LANE CITY STREET, PREPARING TO TURN ONTO A SIDE STREET AND THE POWER STEERING STOPPED WORKING. I COULD HARDLY TURN THE MINI INTO THE SIDE STREET AND CAME CLOSE TO HITTING ANOTHER CAR TURNING BESIDE ME. WAS ABLE TO PARK AND AN HOUR LATER TRIED TO DRIVE HOME, POWER STEERING WORKED FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES AND THEN QUITE AGAIN. DID NOT HAVE AN ACCIDENT BUT IT WAS CLOSE SEVERAL TIMES. IT WAS ALL I COULD DO TO STEER THE CAR AT SLOW SPEEDS AND I AM 6'2 AND 205 POUNDS A WOMAN WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO IT IN ALL PROBABILITY. *TR

POWER STEERING WENT OUT MAKING THE CAR VERY HARD TO STEER. THE FIRST TIME WAS JANUARY 2012, RANDOMLY OFF AND ON SINCE. I HAVE HAD THE POWER STEERING RETURN AFTER SIMPLY TURNING THE CAR OFF THEN ON, OTHER TIMES AFTER A WEEK. IT APPEARS THE POWER STEERING PUMP HAS DECIDED TO QUIT ALTOGETHER AT THIS POINT. *TR

IN 2009, THE POWER STEERING WOULD INTERMITTENTLY WORK, USUALLY RESTARTING RESOLVED THE PROBLEM. INCREASINGLY WORSENED. P PULLING OUT FROM THE BUSINESS TO A RESIDENTIAL STREET, VERY BUSY AFTERNOON TRAFFIC. I HURRIEDLY TURNED RIGHT ONTO THE STREET, THEN LEFT AT THE TRAFFIC SIGNAL. WHILE MAKING THE LEFT MY POWER STEERING DECIDED TO STOP COMING TOO CLOSE TO RUNNING STRAIGHT INTO A LIGHT STANDARD ON THE OPPOSITE CORNER. HITTING THE CURB VERY HARD AND STEERING WITH NO POWER, I CORRECTED MY DIRECTION TO AVOID HITTING OTHER VEHICLES, HIT THE CURB AGAIN, FOUND THE FIRST POSSIBLE PARKING LOT AND PULLED OFF AND THANK GOD I DIDN'T HIT ANYONE. MAY 2012 NO POW STEERING WED, OCTOBER 3, 2012 @ 117K MILEAGE, BELT BROKE, BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON, OVERHEATED. MINIUSA TAKES PRIDE IN BEING RESPONSIBLE AND CARING ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS. THEIR JOVIAL, FREETHINKING, CLEAVER BANTER IS SO FALSELY REPRESENTED SINCE I CAN'T EVEN GET SOME ONE AT MINI TO TALK TO ME. NOW, I'M WAITING ON FINDING THE RIGHT REPAIR SHOP THAT WON'T COST ME MY RETIREMENT. IN 2007, I LOCKED MY GLOVE COMPARTMENT SINCE I HAD JUST PICKED UP THE $2500 ENGAGEMENT RING MY SON HAD BEEN PAYING ON SO HE COULD PROPOSE TO HIS GIRLFRIEND. WHEN I GOT HOME THE GLOVE BOX WOULDN'T COME UNLOCKED, OTHER THAN FORCING IT AND RISK BREAKING SOMETHING I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED, THE CAR, HOPING THEY MIGHT HAVE A KNOWN WAYS, SECRET SOLUTION. UNFORTUNATELY, A $80 SERVICE FEE FROM JUST DRIVING ONTO THE LOT, PLUS $350 FOR A NEW GLOVE BOX! JUST BECAUSE I LOCKED IT FOR THE FIRST TIME FOR SAFETY . NOW UNDRIVABLE, I SHUDDER A THE THOUGHT OF REPAIR BILLS FOR EVERYTHING THAT'S FAILING NOW, I AM OBVIOUSLY NOT THE ONLY ONE. NOT SO FUNNY NOW MINI COOPER! *TR

I HAD JUST BOUGHT THE CAR AND FLEW TO NEW JERSEY TO GET IT. THE MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT THE POWER STEERING WAS OUT AND HE WAS NOT SURE WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. I DROVE IT BACK TO FLORIDA AND DID NOT HAVE POWER STEERING THE WHOLE WAY. IN APRIL 2010, THE POWER STEERING CAME BACK. I CONTINUED TO HAVE POWER STEERING AND THEN IN OCTOBER 2010, IT WENT OUT AGAIN FOR TWO DAYS. THEN IT CAME BACK. THEN IN 2011, IT WENT OUT AGAIN FOR TWO DAYS DURING THE YEAR. AND NOW IT HAS BEEN OUT SINCE APRIL OF THIS YEAR. I HAD BEEN ON DISABILITY FROM JANUARY TILL JULY, SO I WAS NOT DRIVING MY CAR THAT MUCH. I HAVE NOT WORRIED ABOUT FIXING IT. ALSO, WHEN I PICKED MY CAR UP IN NJ, THEY HAD WRITTEN ON MY RECEIPT THAT THEY WOULD PAY $500 TOWARDS THE REPAIR OF MY POWER STEERING. I HAVE NOT HAD A CHANCE TO ASK MY ATTORNEY IF THAT WOULD STILL BE VALID OR NOT. BUT IT SEEMS THAT A LOT OF THE MINI'S ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. I WAS WONDERING IF MINI WILL BE RECALLING THE POWER STEERING AND I CAN HAVE MY CAR FIXED? *TR

THE FIRST PROBLEM WAS WHEN THE POWER STEERING FAILED FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES. THE VEHICLE BECAME VERY DIFFICULTY TO CONTROL, BUT EVENTUALLY THE STEERING STARTED WORKING AGAIN. IN AUGUST THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED ONLY THIS TIME FOR AN HOUR. THIS MADE THE VEHICLE ALMOST USELESS. TODAY 10/2/2012 THE POWER STEERING FAILED COMPLETELY WHILE MY WIFE WAS ON THE INTERSTATE. IT WAS PHYSICALLY TIRING TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THIS TINY CAR. THIS VEHICLE IS DANGEROUS AND WE NO LONGER FEEL COMFORTABLE DRIVING IT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THERE WAS A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER STEERING WITHOUT ANY WARNING. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE DRIVING WITH EXTREME DIFFICULTY IN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL. THE STEERING MALFUNCTION RECURRED THREE TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT AUTO SHOP WHERE THE POWER STEERING PUMP, FAN AND OTHER RELATED COMPONENTS WERE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECT. THERE WAS A CONCURRENT INVESTIGATION UNDER NHTSA ACTION NUMBER: EA11005 (STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:PUMP). THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000.

THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO FEEL LIKE THE TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING: HESITATION, WHEELS SKIDDING, ROUGH ACCELERATION AND DECELERATION. THE PROBLEM CONTINUES AFTER 2 TRIPS TO MINI COOPER IN WHICH THE CAR'S COMPUTER WAS "RESET" BECAUSE NO PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION WERE FOUND. THE PROBLEM DESCRIBED ABOVE PERSISTS, BUT THERE WAS ALSO ONE EPISODE WHERE THE CAR DID NOT START AND LATER TURNED OFF WHILE DRIVING ON A CONGESTED NYC ROAD. *TR

AFTER DRIVING ONE EVENING A SHORT DISTANCE TO THE STORE AND FEELING A STRANGE PULLING OF THE CAR BUT NOT REALLY MOVING AS FAST AS IT SHOULD, I TOOK IT TO BE CHECKED OUT AT THE MINI OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY. I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS A FAULTY TRANSMISSION BUT THAT I COULD STILL CONTINUE TO DRIVE IT SHORT DISTANCES. THIS COST $138. SO AFTER A COUPLE OF SHORT TRIPS TO WORK, I WAS ON MY WAY HOME ON MONDAY SEPTEMBER 10TH WHEN IT STARTED TO "SHUT DOWN", IT WAS REVVING VERY LOUDLY BUT ONLY MOVING AT ABOUT 20MPH AT THE MOST. I HAD TO PULL OVER MANY TIMES DUE TO ANXIETY, FEAR AND CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. I HAD TO FIND A BACK WAY HOME BECAUSE I COULD NO LONGER DRIVE ON ANY OF THE MAIN ROADS SINCE IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT I WAS GOING TO GET HIT FROM BEHIND! *TR

THE POWER STEERING PUMP STOPS OPERATING WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. IT HAS HAPPENED THREE TIMES TO DATE: THE FIRST INCIDENT WAS AT LOW SPEED IN A PARKING STRUCTURE; THE SECOND INCIDENT HAPPENED AT FREEWAY SPEED; THE MOST RECENT INCIDENT OCCURRED ON A SURFACE STREET WHILE DECELERATING TO A STOP. IN EACH CASE, CONTROL OF THE CAR WAS MAINTAINED BUT WAS VERY DIFFICULT. THE PUMP FUNCTION WAS RESTORED BY STOPPING AND CYCLING THE VEHICLE IGNITION TO OFF AND THEN RESTARTING THE ENGINE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO DRIVE THE POWER STEERING FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. HOWEVER, THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED WHO STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING UNIT MIGHT BE DEFECTIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 149,000.