2005 MINI COOPER Complaints

POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURE. THE STEERING WHEEL COMPLETELY LOCKS UP AND CAN'T BE TURNED. ON TOP OF THAT, IT'S COMPLETELY UNPREDICTABLE WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURS. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED I WAS TAKING A RIGHT TURN OUT OF A ROUNDABOUT, WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL WOULDN'T TURN COMPLETELY. FORTUNATELY, I WAS GOING SLOW ENOUGH THAT I COULD BRAKE SO THAT I DIDN'T HAVE A HEAD ON COLLISION WITH A CAR WAITING AT A STOP LIGHT. IT WAS EXTREMELY SCARY. *TR

POWER STEERING FAILED WHILE MAKING A RIGHT HAND TURN. THE FAILURES HAVE BEEN OFF AND ON SINCE THEN. FAILURE IS USUALLY DURING IN TOWN DRIVING. *TR

VERY DISAPPOINTED TO FIND OUT THAT A VEHICLE I HAVE TAKEN EXCEPTIONAL CARE OF TO AVOID COSTLY REPAIRS HAS ALSO HAD THE OCCUPANCY MAT GO BAD OUT OF THE BLUE.... I WASN'T EVEN DRIVING THE CAR! I HELD OUT HOPE THAT THE REPAIR WOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, AND WAS TOLD OFF THE RECORD BY THE SERVICE ADVISOR THAT THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN ONE OF THE BIGGEST COMPLAINTS HE RECEIVES AND IN HIS OPINION HAS COST MINI A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF REPEAT BUSINESS. IT IS VERY HARD TO SWALLOW THE $1400 REPAIR WHEN IT IS EVIDENT THAT THIS IS A MANUFACTURES PROBLEM WHICH WILL COST SOMEONE THEIR LIFE ONE DAY; MAYBE THEN THEY WILL DO THE RIGHT THING AND FIX THEIR PROBLEMS. LIKE TOYOTA; IT TOOK PEOPLE DYING FOR THEM TO ADDRESS THE ACCELERATOR PROBLEM. SAD, VERY SAD. *TR

AT HIGHWAY SPEED, THE POWER STEERING SUDDENLY LOST POWER (NO NOISE OR OTHER INDICATIONS). THE WHEEL BECAME EXTRAORDINARILY DIFFICULT TO TURN. I MANAGED TO GET THE CAR OFF THE ROAD, BUT THE STEERING WOULD NOT HAVE RESPONDED TO A SMALLER/WEAKER DRIVER. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER S CONVERTIBLE . THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT THE SPEEDS OF 30 MPH, WITHOUT ANY WARNING THE POWER STEERING MALFUNCTIONED. THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF AND THEN ON WHEN THE POWER STEERING BEGAN TO FUNCTION PROPERLY. THE FAILURE OCCURRED FOUR TIMES. THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 75,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 75,020.

FOR THE PAST 5 YEARS, THE POWER STEERING ON OUR MINI WOULD GO OUT AT RANDOM TIMES. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON THE FREEWAY (AT SPEEDS OF 60-70MPH) AND DRIVING AROUND TOWN (SPEEDS OF 10-35). IT WOULD GO OUT RANDOMLY WITH NO WARNING. MY WIFE COULD BARELY STEER THE CAR AND ALMOST GOT INTO A CRASH TRYING TO TURN RIGHT ONE DAY. LAST WEEKEND, THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT FOR GOOD. WE ARE TAKING IT IN ON MONDAY FOR MINI TO LOOK AT. I HAVE READ COUNTLESS ARTICLES OF THIS PROBLEM AND WANTED TO REPORT IT HAPPENING IN OUR VEHICLE. *TR

THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT COMES ON INTERMITTENTLY. THE REPAIR SHOP SAYS THE SENSOR UNDER THE PASSENGER SEAT IS BAD. BMW HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS ISSUE FOR SEVERAL YEARS AND ISSUED A 10 YEAR 150,000 MILE EXTENDED WARRANTY AND RECALL FOR APPROXIMATELY 150,000 VEHICLES OVER MODEL YEARS 2004 - 2006. FOR SOME REASON THEY REFUSE TO INCLUDE THE 2005 MINI COOPER S IN THE EXTENDED WARRANTY AND WANT ~$2,000 TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE SEAT BOTTOM FOR THE DEFECTIVE SENSOR. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE CAUSED BY A KNOWN AND ADMITTED DEFECTIVE PART. MINI SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL AND REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE SENSOR UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY AS THEIR PARENT COMPANY BMW HAS DONE FOR VARIOUS MODELS AFFECTED BY THE SAME DEFECT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP WAS EMITTING A NOISE. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR THE MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 44,300 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 44,800. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

ON THREE OCCASIONS, MY 2005 MINI COOPER HAS HAD POWER STEERING FAILURE. EACH TIME, I WAS DRIVING AT SPEEDS BETWEEN 35-45MPH AND HAS PUT ME IN DANGEROUS POSITIONS WHERE I WAS UNABLE TO STEER MYSELF OUT OF MAJOR MATERIALS AND ONTO A SAFER ROAD. I AM NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO EASILY OVERPOWER MY VEHICLE'S STEERING. MY FIRST EXPERIENCE HAPPENED AS I WAS DRIVING 35MPH ON A BUSY ROAD AT PEAK HOUR. I WAS ON A FOUR LANE ROAD, TWO IN EACH DIRECTION. I WAS IN THE LEFT HAND LANE COMING UP TO MY APT WHEN MY STEERING WENT OUT. I WAS UNABLE TO MANEUVER TO THE RIGHT LANE TO PULL OVER DUE TO THE SHEER STRENGTH NEEDED AND HIGH TRAFFIC VOLUMES. I IMMEDIATELY PUT MY HAZARDS ON TO ALERT MOTORISTS AND SLOWED DOWN MY SPEED. I WAS LEFT STRANDED BEFORE A MAJOR CURVE IN THE ROAD. I WAS UNABLE TO MOVE MY CAR IN EITHER DIRECTION. A SECOND EXPERIENCE OCCURRED PRIOR TO A CURVE AS I WAS EXITING AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY. AS I ATTEMPTED TO TURN THE WHEEL I NOTICED THE WHEEL WAS STIFF/RIGID. I COULD NOT MAKE THE CURVED EXIT RAMP AND BLOCKED TREMENDOUSLY HIGH SPEEDING EXITING TRAFFIC BEHIND ME. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT DANGER TO DRIVERS. PRIOR TO EACH INCIDENT, THERE WERE NO WARNINGS/LIGHTS INDICATING ISSUES OF ANY KIND. I WOULD SUGGEST AN INVESTIGATION, AS I WAS NOT ABLE TO FIND ANY RECALLS FROM MINIUSA. I HAVE SEARCHED THE INTERNET AND HAVE FOUND MANY FORUMS (USA & UK) OF MINI OWNERS DISCUSSING EACH OF THEIR INCIDENTS CAUSED BY POWER STEERING FAILURES. I STRONGLY BELIEVE THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED PROBLEM AND COULD CAUSE GREAT HARM TO OWNERS. IT IS COMMON THAT ONCE AN ACCIDENT/DEATH HAS OCCURRED DUE TO FAULTY PARTS, A RECALL IS MADE. AN INVESTIGATION SHOULD BE MADE BEFORE THIS HAPPENS. *TR

POWER STEERING PUMP SEIZED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. POWER STEERING FAN FAILURE AND ALSO NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. POWER STEERING HOSES LEAKING AND ALSO NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. OUTPUT SHAFT SEAL IS LEAKING, BUT HAS NOT BEEN REPLACED AT THIS TIME. THESE REPAIRS COST ME APPROXIMATELY $1000! I HAVE FOUND NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT POWER STEERING FAILURES IN THE 2004-2005 MINI. PLEASE MAKE BMW PAY FOR THIS! *TT