2005 MINI COOPER Complaints

ON 2/11/2016 I GOT HOME FROM WORK AND I PARKED MY 2005 MINI COOPER S (53,000 MILES) ON THE DRIVEWAY, TURN OFF CAR AND STAYED WITH MY KIDS & WIFE SINCE THEY WERE WAITING FOR ME OUTSIDE, MY WIFE NOTICE A SOUND & SMOKE COMING FROM THE CAR, THE SMOKE WERE COMING FROM THE ENGINE, I IMMEDIATELY OPEN THE HOOD & THERE WAS MORE SMOKE COMING OUT, THE HEADLIGHTS & ALL THE LIGHTS TURNED ON & STARED FLICKERING, ALSO THE WIPERS TURNED ON, COUPLE OF SECONDS LATER THE BOTOM OF THE ENGINE WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES. MY WIFE RAN TO GET THE WATER HOSE & I WERE ABLE TO PUT THE FIRE OUT, WE WERE LUCKY THAT I DIDN'T WALK INSIDE THE HOUSE LIKE I ALWAYS DO, IT COULD HAVE BEEN A HORRIBLE TRAGEDY FOR ME, MY FAMILY AND EVEN OUR NEIGHBORS. THE NEXT DAY I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO MY MECHANIC WHO AFTER AN INSPECTION FOUND OUT IF WAS THE POWER STEERING PUMP THAT GOT ON FIRE AND DAMAGED ALL THE WIRES AROUND IT, SINCE HE IS A MINI SPECIALIST HE TOLD US ABOUT A RECALL FOR THAT SPECIFIC PART, BUT TO OUR DISAPPOINTMENT HE RAN OUR VIN # AND FOUND THAT OUR CAR IS EXCLUDED FROM THAT RECALL SINCE ITS A LATE 2005 PRODUCTION. THAT EXACTLY SAME THING HAPPEND TO US WITH THE ACTUATORS, ONE DAY WHILE MY WIFE WAS SHOPPING WITH MY KIDS, THEY JUST GOT LOCKED INSIDE THE VEHICLE WITH THE WINDOWS ROLLED UP, IT WAS A SUMMER DAY AND LUCKILY SHE WAS ABLE TO GET OUT THROUGH THE BACK TRUNK, WE CONTACTED MINI BECAUSE THERE IS ALSO A RECALL FOR THE ACTUATORS AND THEY ALSO EXCLUDED OUR CAR SAYING THAT IT WAS A LATE 2005 PRODUCTION AND WERE NOT ABLE TO GET THE RECALL. THE WAY WE SEE IT MINI IS NOT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR DEFECTIVE COMPONENTS, IT IS NOT FAIR SINCE I HAVE NO WAY TO FIND OUT IF MY CAR WAS BUILD WITH NOT DEFECTIVE PARTS, OBVIOUSLY IT WAS. I AM TERRIFIED BY THE IDEA THIS COULD HAVE BEEN WORST SINCE WE R ALWAYS DRIVING WITH OUR KIDS. U NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS & MAKE MINI LIABLE FOR THESE SAFETY ISSUES.

TRANSMISSION PREVIOUSLY REPLACED AT 48K MILES BY MANUFACTURER DUE TO NOISE. MY TRANSMISSION IS BROKEN. MY TIRES CHIRP EVERY TIME I PUSH ON THE GAS BECAUSE THE TRANSMISSION DOES NOT KNOW WHAT GEAR TO BE IN DUE TO THE BAD BODY CONTROL VALVE. THE TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE I CANNOT VERIFY HOW MUCH MECHANICAL DAMAGE HAS TAKEN PLACE DURING THE TIME THAT THE VALVE BODY HAS BEEN BROKEN. ONCE THE VALVE BODY BREAKS DOWN, THE MECHANICAL UNIT ALSO BEGINS TO BREAK DOWN. MINI NEEDS TO ISSUE A SERVICE BULLETIN TELLING THE DEALERS TO COMMENCE SERVICING THE AISIN TRANSMISSIONS EVERY 40K BY REPLACING THE FLUID. BMW/MINI'S TRANSMISSION FLUID IS NOT LIFETIME. VOLKSWAGEN ISSUED A SIMILAR BULLETIN A FEW YEARS AGO BECAUSE IT ALSO USES THE AISIN TRANSMISSION. THE INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOPS MAY NOT REPLACE THE FLUID RIGHT BECAUSE THE TRANSMISSION FLUID IS HARD TO DRAIN AND IN MANY CASES IF IT'S NOT DONE RIGHT, GREAT DAMAGE IS DONE THE ENGINE. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS UNDER POWERED UPON ACCELERATION. THE VEHICLE WOULD JERK, AND BUCK. THE VALVE BODY IN THE TRANSMISSION BEGAN TO BREAK DOWN BECAUSE THE SHAVINGS FROM THE TRANSMISSION GEARS BEGAN TO CLOUD THE FLUID AND INHIBIT COMMUNICATION FROM THE VALVE BODY SOLENOIDS TO THE MECHANICAL COMPONENTS. UPDATED 03/23/16.*JB

POWER STEERING GOES OUT. VERY HARD TO TURN THE WHEEL. ITS LIKE HAVING NO STEERING AT ALL AT TIMES. I HAVE TWO MINI COOPERS. THIS ONE HAS NOT YET TO GET THE RECALL FOR THE STEERING PUMP. I HAVE A RECALL FOR THE OTHER MINI THAT I OWN BUT THAT ONE DOESNT HAVE A PROBLEM.

MY MINI COOPER S CONV, 2005, HAS BEEN HAVING STEEERING ISSUES FOR SOME TIME NOW. IT WILL RANDOMLY LOSE WHAT SEEMS LIKE THE POWER STEERING WHILE I AM DRIVING! I HAVE FOUND THAT BY TURNING THE CAR OFF (IF I AM STOPPED AND IN AREA WITH TIME TO TURN OFF MY CAR) THAT IT WORKS AGAIN FOR 10 MINUTES TO 30 MINUTES. OTHER TIMES I CAN DRIVE FOR 45 MINUTES NO PROBLEMS AT ALL. HOWEVER, MORE OFTEN THAN NOT THE STEERING GOES OUT IS NOT WORKING AS SOON AS I TURN THE CAR ON. I K NOW THAT I HAVE TO SELECT A DATE OF WHEN THIS HAPPENED AND I AM PUTTING TODAY'S DATE SINCE IT HAPPENS DAILY. HOWEVER, I WANT IT NOTED IT IS NOT ONLY TODAY.

IN COLD WEATHER THE DRIVER SIDE PARKING BRAKE FREEZES/STICKS. ONE OF MANY EXAMPLES WAS THIS MORNING. IT WAS 27 DEGREES IN MY GARAGE AND I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE WITH NO PROBLEMS, I DROVE FOR A FEW MILES WITH THE CAR FULLY WARMED UP. I STOPPED FOR COFFEE AND LEFT THE CAR RUNNING (WIFE IN CAR) AND RETURNED NO MORE THAN 5 MINUTES LATER. WHEN I TRIED TO DRIVE THE PARKING BRAKE WAS NOT RELEASED ALL THE WAY. AFTER DRIVING A SHORT DISTANCE THE PASSENGER REAR BRAKE WAS COOL TO THE TOUCH BUT THE DRIVER SIDE WAS RADIATING HEAT AND SMELLED OF BURNING BRAKES. THIS IS AN UNACCEPTABLE FLAW AND CAN BE DANGEROUS. THE REAR CALIPERS ARE RELATIVELY NEW AND THE BRAKE FLUID IS FLUSHED EVERY TWO YEARS. I ALSO HAVE A 2006 MINI COOPER THAT DOES NOT HAVE THIS ISSUE. A QUICK INTERNET SEARCH PROVIDES NUMEROUS EXAMPLES ALL SEEM TO BE ISOLATED IN THE 2004-2005 YEARS AND IN COLD CLIMATES.

I HAVE A SAFETY RECALL (NO. 25V-205), AN AIR BAG PROBLEM, ISSUED LAST JUNE AND HAVE NOW RECEIVED ANOTHER RECALL ((15V-660). THE FIRST RECALL HAS YET TO BE REPAIRED.THE AIR BAG "OFF" LIGHT IS ON ALL THE TIME. I HAVE CONTACTED MINI AND THE DEALER TWICE AND THEY TELL ME THERE IS NOT A FIX YET. I THINK 6 MONTHS IS LONG ENOUGH FOR AN AIR BAG PROBLEM. I HAVE NOT HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE SECOND RECALL, A STEERING PROBLEM, BUT I ASSUME IT COULD HAPPEN. I AM CONCERNED THAT THE COMBINATION OF THESE TWO CREATES AN EXTRA DANGEROUS CONDITION. I ASKED MINI IF THEY WOULD PAY FOR A RENTAL WHEN I NEEDED TO HAVE A PASSENGER. THEY REFUSED. THIS IS MY ONLY VEHICLE AND I HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER S. WHILE IN PARK, THE CONTACT HEARD AN ABNORMAL NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF. THE CONTACT HAD TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY CABLE TO GET THE NOISE TO STOP. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE POWER STEERING ASSIST PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 103,000. ...UPDATED 02/19/16 *BF... UPDATED 05/03/18*JB

THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM ON DIFFERENT OCCASIONS HAS STOPPED WORKING COMPLETELY, OTHER TIMES IT JUST TAKES MORE OF AN EFFORT TO TURN THE WHEEL EACH OCCURANCE CAN LAST FROM A FEW SECONDS OR MUCH LONGER PERIODS OF TIME AND DOESN'T MATTER IF ITS LOW OR HIGH SPEEDS. ALSO WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE A LOW BATTERY LIGHT IS SOMTIMES ILUMINATED. THE LOSS OF POWER STEERING ASSISTANCE IS COMPLETE UNPREDICTABLE.

I WAS LEAVING WORK LATE AT NIGHT WHEN I TRIED TO DRIVE THE CAR OUT OF THE PARKING LOT THE STEERING DISAPPEARED. IT WAS DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER THE CAR. I HAD THE CAR AT THE MINI DEARLSHIP EARLIER IN THE WEEK TO REPLACE LIGHT BULBS SO I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP TO FIND OUT WHERE WHAT THIS COULD BE, WHERE I COULD CHECK THE POWER STEERING FLUID LEVELS. THEY WERE NOT THAT HELPFUL. THEN LATER I LOOKED ONLINE AT ALL THE STEERING COMPLAINTS AND CALLED THE DEALERSHIP BACK AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM AND MY CAR (VIN#) WOULD BE COVERED FOR 13 YEARS/150,000. I AM REPORTING THIS BECAUSE ALL MINI'S WITH THIS PROBLEM SHOULD BE COVERED. DEALERSHIPS SHOULD CHECK VEHICLES FOR RECALLS WHEN CUSTOMERS CALL WITH PROBLEMS. I LIKE MY DEALERSHIP BUT I AM DISAPPOINTED THAT I HAD TO RESEARCH THIS DANGEROUS PROBLEM.

POWER STEERING FAILED AT LOW SPEED WHILE TURNING AT A STOP SIGN IN A SCHOOL ZONE. STEERING EFFORT INCREASED DRAMATICALLY THEN SHORTLY AFTER THE BATTERY LIGHT, THEN ALTERNATOR LIGHT CAME ON. WAS ABLE TO JUST MAKE IT HOME. I LOOKED ONLINE AND DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND THAT MINI IS OFFERING AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. I CALLED MINI AND GAVE THEM MY VIN. THEY TOLD ME MY 2005 COOPER S IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE EXTENDED WARRANTY AND WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING FOR ME. IT SEEMS THAT MINI IS NOT CAPTURING ALL THE VEHICLES THAT HAVE THIS PROBLEM. I NEVER RECEIVED A LETTER NOTIFYING ME OF THE ISSUE. LOT OF FORUMS ABOUT THIS ISSUE. SO GLAD THIS DID NOT HAPPEN ON THE HWY.