2005 MINI COOPER S Complaints

POWER STEERING RANDOMLY COMPLETELY FAILS AT LOWER SPEEDS/ NO ASSIST AT ALL. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE, THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD NOT TURN IN EITHER DIRECTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND THEY ADVISED HER THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP AND ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. APPROXIMATELY ONE AND A HALF YEARS LATER WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND WOULD NOT RESTART. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY ADVISED HER THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED AGAIN AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED FOR THE POWER STEERING PUMP. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED ON BOTH OCCASIONS AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 37,800. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONSUMER STATED ONE INCIDENT OCCURRED ON 01-SEP-2009 WITH 37800 FAILURE MILEAGE AND AGAIN ON 16-FEB-2012 AT 53827 UPDATED 06/07/12 *JS

OVER HEATING CONSTANTLY NO TECHNICAL PERSON KNOWS OF A REMEDY. OVERFLOW TANK BLOWS OUT WHEN CAR OVERHEATS CONSTANTLY .THIS SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM SINCE THE BEGINNING NO MATTER WHAT YEAR THE CAR WAS BUILT AND NEVER REMEDIED. WHY NOT A RECALL? NOT KNOWING WHAT OTHER DAMAGE THIS CAUSES TO THE ENGINE. THIS HAS TO BE A RECALL FOR THE COMPANY TO FIX IT IS A HIT AND MISS FIX??? THIS IS A COSTLY PROCESS AND EVEN IN THE FORUMS ON MINI IT HAS BEEN AN ONGOING ISSUE. FRONT END FAILS ALL AT THE SAME TIME. (CONTROL ARMS, CV JOINTS) STEERING BECOMES HARD TO CONTROL. MINI HELP *TR

VEHICLE DARTING AROUND ON ROAD LIKE STEERING STOPS THEN STARTS BACK UP,ACCELERATION DARTS LEFT , DECELERATION DARTS RIGHT. *TR

WAS DRIVING IN TRAFFIC ON INTERSTATE 95 WHEN POWER STEERING FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. CAR BECAME VERY DIFFICULT TO DRIVE. PULLED OFF ROAD, CHECKED FLUID LEVELS AND COULDN'T FIND ANY OBVIOUS PROBLEMS. POWER STEERING CAME BACK ON WHEN RESTARTED CAR. POWER STEERING STAYED ON FOR REST OF DRIVE, BUT HAS GONE OUT SEVERAL TIMES SINCE. ALWAYS COMES BACK IF TURN OFF CAR AND RESTART. *TR

THE AIRBAG SENSOR IN THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT DOES NOT CORRECTLY DETECT A PERSON SITTING IN IT. WHEN A PASSENGER IS IN THE SEAT, THE AIRBAG SENSOR STAYS "OFF". *TR

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