2005 MINI COOPER S Complaints

MY BROTHER WAS DRIVING MY 2005 MINI COOPER S CONVERTIBLE WHEN HE SMELLED WIRES BURNING AND SMOKE, WENT TO PULL OVER AND THE CAR WAS HARD TO CONTROL. UPON INSPECTION THE MECHANIC SAID THAT THE POWER STEER PUMPS ELECTRONICS HAD CAUGHT FIRE AND BURNED THE ADJACENT PARTS. UPON CONTACT RAULPH SCHOMP MINI COOPER DEALER I WAS TOLD THAT MY VIN NUMBER WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE CARS BEING REPLACED FOR SIMILAR PROBLEMS. THE CAR JUST HAD MAJOR WORK DONE TO THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM A YEAR AND HALF AGO BY THE SAME DEALER. SPOKE WITH THE MINI USA REP AND WAS TOLD THAT THIS WAS NOT BEING COVERED. *TR

THE AUTOMATIC CVT TRANSMISSION JUST DOWN SHIFTED AND NOW WON'T GO INTO HIGH GEAR. THIS WILL HAPPEN ON THE FREEWAY AND WILL SHIFT AND CLUNK INTO GEAR. BMW IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM WITH THIS TRANSMISSION BUT WON'T STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT. IT IS VERY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. *JS

WHILE I WAS DRIVING, MY POWER STEERING SUDDENLY CUT OFF COMPLETELY. LUCKILY, I WAS CLOSE TO HOME, BUT IT WAS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO PARALLEL PARK MY CAR. THE NEXT DAY, THE POWER STEERING WORKED AGAIN. *JS

AIRBAG SENSOR LIGHT IS ON, INDICATING A PROBLEM WITH THE PASSENGER AIRBAG. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH MINIS AND CERTAIN BMWS. MINI HAS VOLUNTARILY REPAIRED THE DEFECT IN SOME VEHICLES BUT IS REFUSING TO REPAIR OTHERS. MINI TOLD ME TO TAKE IT TO A DEALER, PAY FOR A DIAGNOSTIC AND THEY'D THINK ABOUT A REPAIR. I HAVE NO FAITH IN THEIR WILLINGNESS TO PROVIDE A REPAIR SINCE ETHER HAVE REFUSED THE REPAIR REPEATEDLY TO OTHER CONSUMERS. THIS IS A COMMON SAFETY ISSUE, AND APPEARS TO CLEARLY BE A DEFECT RATHER THAN AN EXPECTED WEARING OUT OF THE VEHICLE. *TT

AIR BAG INDICATOR CAME ON, AND THE "PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF" INDICATOR CAME ON SIMULTANEOUSLY. CALLED MINI COOPER OF PENSACOLA, FL AND THEY SAID THE CAR WAS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR REPAIR. THEY SAID THE BAG WOULD DEPLOY IF THEIR WAS AN ACCIDENT AT FULL FORCE. I BOUGHT THE CAR FOR MY GRAND DAUGHTER AND FEEL THE AIR BAGS SHOULD BE ACTIVE AND OPERABLE FOR THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE. THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET ABOUT THIS ISSUE. I FEEL BMW IS NEGLIGENT IN NOT RECALLING THESE VEHICLES AND CORRECTING A MAJOR FLAW, AND INHERENT SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

I HAD A TEMPORARY LOST OF POWER STEERING ASSIST. I DROVE TO A FEW BLOCKS TO STOP. THE PROBLEM DISAPPEARED AFTER I RESTARTED THE CAR AGAIN. THIS HAPPENED TWICE BEFORE WHILE MY WIFE WAS DRIVING A MONTH EARLIER OR SO. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS, I HAD A VERY HARD TIME TO STEER THE CAR AND FIND A SAFE PLACE TO PARK. *TR

THE AIRBAG LIGHT ON THE DASH AND ABOVE THE WINDSHIELD FOR THE PASSENGER SEAT USED TO GO ON AND OFF WITHOUT A PASSENGER IN THE SEAT. STARTING IN 2011, IT CONTINUES TO STAY ON, MEANING THE AIRBAG IS TURNED OFF. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THE AIRBAG SENSORS WERE BAD AND THE ENTIRE PASSENGER SEAT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AT AN ESTIMATE OF $1,000. THE DEALERSHIP COULD NOT CONFIRM THAT THE AIRBAG WOULD OR WOULD NOT DEPLOY IF THE CAR FACED IMPACT AND SOMEONE WAS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND NO FAULT OF THE CAR OWNER. PLEASE RECALL THIS PROBLEM BEFORE SOMEONE GETS INJURED OR DIES. *TR

AFTER THE CAR WENT FOR AN OIL CHANGE, THE SEAT BELT SENSOR (BEEPER) STOPPED WORKING. MINI WOULD NOT PAY FOR THIS TO BE REPLACED. SAID IF THE SEAT BELT SENSOR WAS NOT WORKING, THE AIRBAGS MIGHT NOT DEPLOY. VERY COSTLY REPAIR (COMPUTER SYSTEM REPLACEMENT). SHOULDN'T SAFETY FEATURES (REQUIRED BY THE GOVERNMENT) BE FIXED, WITHOUT CHARGE, FOR THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE? *TR

I WAS TOLD THE FOLLOWING ABOUT MY PASSENGER AIRBAG SYSTEM. BASICALLY THE COMPUTER FAILED AND I HAD A CRACK IN THE PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR. THIS CAR HAS ONLY 32,000 MILES AND WAS MOSTLY DRIVEN WITH NO ONE IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE FAILED WITH SUCH MINIMAL USE.: REPLACE MRS MODULE AND PROGRAM,ENCODE (MRS MODULE FAILURE, INTERNAL SHORT CIRCUIT) FAIL $774.06 REPLACE PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY MAT (PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY MAT HAS MICRO CRACK ON MAT FAULT 0071)FAIL $874.55. *TR

PROBLEM OF POWER ASSIST FAILING CAUSING STEERING TO BECOME DIFFICULT. ONLY HAPPENS AFTER BEEN ON HIGHWAY FOR MORE THAN 15 MINUTES. VERY SIMILAR TO OTHER REPORTS ON 2004-2005 MINI COOPER S'S REPORTING THIS PROBLEM. *TR