2005 MINI COOPER Complaints

WHEN TURNING OFF THE ENGINE, THE FAN WON'T TURN OFF AND KEEPS RUNNING. IT DRAINS THE BATTERY VERY QUICKLY. I TOOK IT TO AUTO SHOP AND THE REPORT SAYS STEERING PUMP INTERNAL FAILURE. *TR

DROVE ON THE HIGHWAY AT 65 MPH FOR ABOUT 15 MINS. AFTER EXITING THE HIGHWAY, I REALIZED THE STEERING WHEEL WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN. FORTUNATELY, I WAS COMING TO A TRAFFIC JUNCTION AND I WAS ABLE TO STOP THE CAR AND PULL ASIDE WITHOUT ANY INCIDENT. FROM WHAT I'VE READ ON THE INTERNET, THERE IS AN INHERENT PROBLEM WITH THE POWER STEERING PUMP THAT CAUSES THE POWER STEERING TO FAIL INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM THAT CAN EASILY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. THERE IS ALSO A WHINING NOISE THAT I HEAR COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WHILE DRIVING THE CAR WHICH I FOUND IS ALSO RELATED TO THE POWER STEERING PUMP PROBLEM. *TR

WHILE DRIVING THROUGH A RESIDENTIAL AREA, THE WHEEL OF THE CAR BECAME VERY HARD TO TURN. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE ELECTRIC HYDRAULIC POWER STEERING PUMP (EHPS) WAS MALFUNCTIONING. THE FAN OF THE EHPS WAS NOT DISENGAGING WHEN THE CAR IGNITION WAS TURNED OFF, THEREFORE RUNNING DOWN THE BATTERY AND CAUSING THE EHPS TO NOT WORK CORRECTLY. THE NEXT DAY, WITH THE SAME EHPS, THE POWER STEERING WAS WORKING FINE. *TR

I WAS EXITING THE INTERSTATE AND THE RAMP CURVED TO THE RIGHT, AS I BEGAN TO NEGOTIATE THE CURVE I NOTICED I HAD NO POWER STEERING AT ALL. I REACHED MY DESTINATION ABOUT 15 MINUTES LATER AND HAD NO POWER STEERING ASSISTANCE AT ALL THE ENTIRE TIME. I PARKED THE VEHICLE AND DID NOT USE IT AGAIN UNTIL 9/3/12 AND THE STEERING APPEARED TO BE WORKING PROPERLY AGAIN. IN READING THE INVESTIGATIVE STUDY I NOTED THAT IT MAY BE DUE TO AN ERROR IN THE INTERNAL ELECTRONICS AND MAY ALSO RESULT IN A CONTINUOUS RUNNING OF THE POWER STEERING PUMP. LAST YEAR ALMOST TO THE DAY, THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WENT HAYWIRE AND THE CAR WOULD NOT STEER AND HAD WHAT SEEMED LIKE POWER SURGE AND AFTER SHUTTING THE CAR OFF AND REMOVING THE KEY THE CAR CONTINUED TO MAKE A CLICKING SOUND AND THE WINDOWS ROLLED DOWN BY THEMSELVES. I COULD NOT GET THE CAR TO RESTART AND HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD TO REPLACE THE BATTERY,WHICH I DID, I NOW WONDER IF THAT WAS A RELATED INCIDENT. *TR

THE PASSENGER AIR BAG WEIGHT SENSOR STOP WORKING. AS A RESULT MY VEHICLE DISPLAYS A WARNING THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAGS ARE OFF. MY DRIVER SIDE FOG LIGHT HOUSING MELTED AND CRACK APART. I USED STOCK 55W HALOGEN BULBS. MY PASSENGER SIDE FOG LIGHT HOUSING HAS ALSO BEGUN TO MELT. MY POWER STEERING IS NOT LEAKING NOW. BUT IT HAS BEEN REPLACED 3 TIMES. *TR

POWER STEERING FAILED, CALLED DEALER TWICE AND BMW COMPANY TWICE, KNEW ABOUT PROBLEMS, BUT SENT ME IN A CIRCLE. DEALER SAID TO GO TO COMPANY FOR HELP AND INFO, COMPANY SAID TO GO TO DEALER, VERY DECEPTIVE PRACTICES. *TR

RIGHT AFTER EXITING THE HIGHWAY, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME SUDDENLY VERY STIFF AS I WAS MAKING A STANDARD 90 TURN. I ALMOST HIT THE CAR NEXT TO ME BUT DIDN'T AS I MANAGED TO HIT THE BRAKES. I FINISHED THE CURVE ON THE VERY LAST LANE ON THE RIGHT. IF A CAR HAD BEEN ON MY WAY, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A CRASH, FORTUNATELY THERE WAS NONE. MINI DIAGNOSED A POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURE. BROWSING ON THE WEB, I CAME ACROSS PAGES OF PEOPLE HAVING HAD THE SAME ISSUE FOR THIS YEAR'S MODEL (MINI COOPER S 2005). CANADIAN AUTHORITIES EVEN ORDERED A RECALL FOR THIS EXACT SAME FAILURE. I HAVE ALSO READ THAT NHTSA IS CURRENTLY STUDYING THIS ISSUE; COULD YOU PLEASE CONFIRM THIS IS TRUE ANY IDEA HOW LONG IS THE PROCESS TO DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT A RECALL WILL BE DECIDED IF A RECALL WAS DECIDED, WOULD WE GET REIMBURSE NOT MATTER THE REPAIR WAS DONE IN A MINI DEALER OR AN INDEPENDENT GARAGE ? THANK YOU *TR

GENERALLY, I LOVE THE MINI COOPER HAVING PURCHASED IT IN THE AFTER MARKET. HOWEVER, NOT LONG AFTER THE WARRANTY RAN OUT, I HAD PROBLEMS FOR SEVERAL WEEKS WITH MY STEERING WHEEL SEIZING UP BUT AN INCIDENT IN FEBRUARY 2012 STICKS OUT MOST IN MY MIND SINCE I WAS ON I-95 IN THE RAIN AND COULD NOT ADEQUATELY STEER THE CAR TO TAKE AN EXIT. MY 11 YR OLD DAUGHTER WAS WITH ME AT THE TIME. I PULLED TO THE SHOULDER AND SHUT THE CAR OFF AND WAS ABLE TO RESTART AND RESUME DRIVING. FINANCIALLY, I COULD NOT AFFORD TO TAKE THE CAR INTO THE DEALER BUT THE CONDITION AND WORK AROUND CONTINUED INTERMITTENTLY FOR A FEW WEEKS WHEN I COULD AFFORD THE REPAIR. IN EARLY MAY 2012, I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIR AND IT COST OVER $1300 TO REPLACE THE POWER STEERING PUMP. AT THE TIME OF THE REPAIR, IT WAS NOTED THAT THE COOLING FAN ALSO NEEDED REPAIR FOR ANOTHER $720 -- I JUST DIDN'T HAVE IT. TODAY, MY 2-YR OLD BATTERY FAILED APPARENTLY DUE TO DRAINING FROM THE FAN. FOR NOW, I REPLACED THE BATTERY FOR $249. I WILL BE INCREMENTALLY GETTING REPAIRS DONE, HOWEVER, IN READING SOME PEOPLE'S EXPERIENCE WITH THE STEERING PUMP, I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE MAY BE SOME RELEVANCE BETWEEN THE PUMP GOING BAD AND AN IMPACT ON THE FAN. I'D APPRECIATE ANY INSIGHTS YOU MAY HAVE ON THAT POSSIBILITY. I AM REPORTING THIS NOT ONLY FOR MYSELF BUT FOR OTHERS WHO ALSO MAY BE IMPACTED BY THE PUMP DEFECT THAT I AM LEARNING IS SOMEWHAT COMMON. I LOOK FORWARD TO THE OUTCOME OF YOUR ENGINEERING ANALYSIS. THANK YOU. *TR

MY POWER STEERING WENT OUT WHILE I WAS MAKING A LEFT TURN IN FRONT OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC. I MANAGED TO AVOID HITTING THE CURB AND PULLED OVER AFTER COMPLETING THE TURN. IT FELT LIKE DRIVING WITH FOUR FLAT TIRES. AFTER RESTARTING, THE POWER STEERING WORKED AGAIN. THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN TWO DAYS LATER. IN BOTH CASES, THIS HAPPENED SHORTLY AFTER STARTING UP. *TR

WAS DRIVING ON AN OVERPASS BETWEEN FREEWAYS WHEN MY POWER STEERING WENT OUT WITHOUT WARNING. I WAS BEGINNING MY TURN, AND COULD NOT CONTROL OR MOVE THE STEERING WHEEL AND HIT THE RAILING. CARS HAD TO DODGE QUICKLY TO NOT HIT ME. TURNED OFF IGNITION AND TURNED BACK ON AND IT WAS FINE - BUT WAS REALLY SHOOK UP. CONTINUED DRIVING TO WORK 3 MILES LATER AND IT DID IT AGAIN PULLING INTO THE PARKING LOT. LATER THAT DAY, STARTED THE CAR AND ONCE AGAIN NO POWER STEERING. HAD IT TOWED HOME, AND CHECKED IT THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND, WITHOUT SUCCESS (TO GET IT TO A GARAGE) THEN THIS MORNING IT STARTED WORKING. DROVE 1/2 MILE TO GARAGE, AND IT DID IT AGAIN. CALLED BMW SERVICE AND THE MANAGER ACTED LIKE THIS WAS UNUSUAL AND SAID TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT. CALLED ANOTHER BMW AND THE SAME STORY. CHECKED WITH MY GERMAN MECHANIC DOWN THE STREET AND HE SAID THAT IS THE #1 REASON HE SEES MINI'S 2005 IN THE STOP. 2ND WAS MY CONVERTIBLE TOP, WHICH QUITE IRONICALLY BROKE THE SAME DAY AS MY POWER STEERING. THE PASSENGER SIDE WON'T DISENGAGE. I'M LOOKING AT OVER $3000 TO FIX A CAR WITH ONLY 42K MILES ON IT. SHOULDN'T THESE PARTS BE RECALLED? I WAS SCARED FOR MY LIFE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND ALMOST CAUSED A MAJOR ACCIDENT! *TR