2004 MINI COOPER Complaints

THE PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW MOTOR HAS FAILED ON MY 04 MINI COOPER S. UPON RESEARCHING THE PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET, I'VE FOUND THAT THOUSANDS OF OTHER MINI COOPER OWNERS HAVE THE SAN=ME RECURRENT ISSUE. MINI COOPER NEEDS TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM WITH A RECALL. *TR

POWER STEERING WENT OUT IN EARLY 2008. LUCKILY THE CAR WAS PARKED WHEN THAT HAPPENED OR ELSE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A DISASTER SINCE MINI STEERING WHEEL IS ALREADY HEAVIER THAN OTHER CARS. HAD IT FIXED (REPLACED) AT THE DEALERSHIP AND HAD TO PAY AROUND $1000 SINCE THE WARRANTY EXPIRED. IT'S UNACCEPTABLE THAT THE STEERING POWER PUMP DIED THIS EARLY ONLY AFTER 4 YEARS. IT'S A RIPOFF FOR THE CONSUMERS. SOMETHING MUST BE DONE ABOUT THIS. A FEW MONTHS LATER, THE STEERING COLUMN AND THE LOWER SHAFT STARTED TO HAVE ISSUES AS WELL. THEY STARTED TO MAKE CREAKING NOISES. TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY QUOTED AT ALMOST $1000 TO REPLACE THE PARTS. THE STEERING COLUMN AND POWER PUMP SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BE REPLACED AFTER ONLY FOUR YEARS! *TR

PASSENGER WINDOW DOES NOT ROLL DOWN. THIS IS THE SECOND OCCURRENCE. THE FIRST TIME, IT CORRECTED ITSELF AFTER A FEW DAYS. *TR

POWER WINDOW ON PASSENGER SIDE COMES DOWN ONLY SOMETIMES AND SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T WORK FOR WEEKS. STEERING IS MAKING NOISES. *TR

AT FIRST MY BATTERY DIED AFTER I CAME OUT OF WORK. I COULDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY SINCE I DIDN'T LEAVE ANYTHING ON. SO I GOT THE BATTERY REPLACED FOR $200. RECENTLY THE STEERING HAS BEEN CUTTING OUT WHILE DRIVING. IF YOU PULL OFF INTO A PARKING LOT AND TURN OFF THE CAR YOU CAN STILL HEAR THE COOLING FAN GOING. AFTER APPROX 30 MIN THE POWER STEERING WILL RETURN TO NORMAL UNTIL IT OVERHEATS AGAIN. SO MY BATTERY WAS BEING DRAINED BY THE POWER STEERING COOLING FAN. *TR

I OWN A 2004 MINI COOPER S AND THE POWER STEERING PUMP HAS FAILED AFTER ONLY 4 YEARS AND 65,000 MILES. THIS SEEMS TO BE A VERY COMMON OCCURRENCE WITH THIS VEHICLE AND THE MANUFACTURE IS ACUTELY AWARE OF THE ISSUE, BUT WILL NOT ISSUE A RECALL OR WARRANTY THE ITEM. *TR

(1) ON THURSDAY, JULY 3RD, I ATTEMPTED TO MANIPULATE A 90 DEGREE RIGHTHAND TURN IN MY 2004 MINI COOPER S DURING MY VERY SHORT COMMUTE TO WORK AND DID SO ONLY WITH GREAT DIFFICULTLY. FROM THAT POINT FORWARD MY CAR TURNS NEITHER LEFT NOR RIGHT PROPERLY AND ONLY WITH GREAT DIFFICULTY. THERE WAS NO WARNING OR NOISES OF ANY KIND TO ALERT ME TO THE PROBLEM. MY SIGNIFICANT OTHER, WHO IS A TRAINED MECHANIC, INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND IDENTIFIED THE POWER STEERING PUMP AS THE PROBLEM. I ALSO SPOKE WITH SEVERAL INDIVIDUALS HERB CHAMBERS BMW MINI OF BOSTON WHO ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP WAS EITHER A KNOWN AND/OR COMMON PROBLEM. THE PARTS DEPARTMENT EXPLAINED THAT THE PUMP MANUFACTURER WHO MADE THE PUMP IN MY MINI IS NO LONGER MAKING PUMPS FOR MINI. (2) THE POWER STEERING PUMP HAS FAILED THEREFORE MY MINI IS RELYING ON THE RACK AND PINION TO TURN. THE MINI TURNS ONLY WITH GREAT DIFFICULTY AND REQUIRES TWO HANDS ON THE WHEEL AT ALL TIMES; THIS IS EXCEEDINGLY DIFFICULT TO DO WHILE NAVIGATING CORNERS AS I HAVE A STANDARD TRANSMISSION. THE MINI IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE, SO I AM FORCED TO BORROW ANOTHER VEHICLE. (3) MY CAR HAS APPROXIMATELY 57,000 MILES ON IT AND MINI'S WARRANTY ONLY COVERS PROBLEMS UP THROUGH 50,000 MILES DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE PUMP IS A KNOWN PROBLEM AND SAFETY HAZARD. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE BY THE DEALERSHIP TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. MY MINI REMAINS PARKED WHILE I AWAIT THE NEW POWER STEERING PUMP THAT I ORDERED AND PAID FOR. THE NEW PUMP IS MANUFACTURED BY A DIFFERENT COMPANY THAN THE DEFECTIVE PUMP THAT HAS FAILED. *TR

THE POWER STEERING PUMP ON MY 2004 MINI COOPER HAS FAILED. I BELIEVE THAT THIS FAILURE MADE THE CAR DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. THE CAR IS A LOW-MILEAGE VEHICLE (43,000 MILES AT 4 YEARS) AND I BELIEVE THIS COMPONENT HAS FAILED PREMATURELY. I AM A MEMBER OF SEVERAL MINI ENTHUSIAST COMMUNITIES AND AM AWARE THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE MINI. WWW.MINI2.COM HAS REPORTS OF AROUND 1 IN 4 VEHICLES HAVING THIS PUMP FAIL PREMATURELY. I BELIEVE AN INVESTIGATION IS IMPORTANT DUE TO MEMBER REPORTS OF FIRES STARTING UNDER THE HOOD. THE PART WAS REPLACE AT A MINI DEALERSHIP. *TR

I OWN A 2004 MINI COOPER S MODEL, WITH 39,000 MILES. THE CAR IS WELL CARED FOR. MY WARRANTY EXPIRED AT 30,000 AND I BEGAN RECEIVING ANNOYING CALLS AND LETTERS FROM MINI TO PURCHASE AN ADDITIONAL EXTENDED WARRANTY. I DID NOT, BELIEVING THAT SIMPLY MAINTAINING MY CAR PROPERLY WOULD TAKE CARE OF ANY FUTURE ISSUES. I TRUSTED BMW/MINI THAT THEY WOULD STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT IF SOME UNUSUAL FAILURE OR BREAKDOWN OCCURRED. APPROXIMATELY ONE MONTH AGO MY POWER STEERING WOULD INTERMITTENTLY GO OUT. AT FIRST, ONLY AFTER STARTING THE CAR AND THEN IT STARTED OCCURRING WHILE DRIVING THE CAR. WE CHECKED THE POWER STEERING FLUID AND ALL WAS WELL. TOOK IT IN TO MY MECHANIC AND HE INFORMED ME THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. HE EXPLAINED THAT MINI HAD TOLD HIM "THEY" HAD BEEN EXPERIENCING A HIGH INSTANCES OF STEERING POWER PUMP FAILURES. HE ASKED IF THE POWER STEERING PUMP WAS ON THE RECALL LIST. "THEY" TOLD HIM NO AND EXPLAINED THAT THE PUMP WAS ELECTRICAL AND NOT MANUALLY THEREFORE IT WAS CONSIDERED WEAR AND TEAR. CREVIER MINI, WHERE I PURCHASED THE CAR TOLD ME IT WOULD COST $1100.00 TO REPLACE THE PUMP! MY MECHANIC TOLD ME HE WOULD REPLACE IT FOR $880.00. MY MECHANIC INFORMED ME THAT IN ORDER FOR HIM TO GET A POWER STEERING PUMP, HE NEEDED TO TURN MY OLD PUMP INTO THEM. CREVIER TOLD HIM THAT "THEY" WERE REBUIDLING THESE!.THEY COULD NOT KEEP ENOUGH OF THEM ON THE SHELVES. THIS IS A SCANDALOUS OUTRAGE, PARTICULARLY AFTER READING VARIOUS BLOGS AND COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM THAT I AM EXPERIENCING WITH MY MINI. I SHOULD CONSIDER MYSELF LUCKY IN THAT MY CAR DID NOT CATCH FIRE, SINCE IT IS ALWAYS GARAGED, OR THAT I DID NOT KILL MYSELF OR HURT SOME INNOCENT PEOPLE BY THE PROBLEM OCCURRING ON A STEEP CURVEY GRADE WHILE DRIVING. ADDITIONAL PROBLEMS APPROXIMATELY SIX MONTHS AGO, MY DRIVER SIDE WINDOW STOPPED WORKING!! TOOK IT IN CREVIER WANTED $900 TO FIX THE PROBLEM, AGAIN STATED WEAR AND TEAR!! MY MECHANIC CHARGED ME $400.00. *TR

2004 MINI COOPER, HAD SEVERAL PROBLEM WITH FRONT EXCEL , HYDOROPLATES AND DANGEROUS CAR TO DRIVE. *TR