2004 MINI COOPER S Complaints

I WAS DRIVING MY DAUGHTER TO SCHOOL WHEN IT FIRST HAPPENED, THE WHEEL GOT SO TIGHT AND I HIT THE CURB. THANK GOD I WAS IN A SCHOOL ZONE AND THEREFORE I WAS DRIVING SLOW. AFTER THAT, I NOTICED THAT SAME DAY THAT MY BATTERY WAS DRAINED WHEN I WAS LEAVING FROM WORK. I GOT A JUMP BUT THEN IT HAPPENED AGAIN WHEN I STOPPED FOR GROCERIES. I FIGURED SOMETHING MUST BE WRONG WITH THE BATTERY (WHICH IS FAIRLY NEW) OR THE ALTERNATOR. I TOOK MY CAR TO A SHOP AND THEY DIAGNOSED THE BATTERY AND THE ALTERNATOR WAS FINE. BUT THEY ALSO SAID THERE WAS A STRANGE NOISE COMING FROM MY POWER STEERING PUMP. I BOUGHT POWER STEERING FLUID THINKING THAT WAS THE REASON, BUT AFTER I POURED SOME ITS STILL THE SAME. I STARTED RESEARCHING AND I FOUND OUT A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE HAVING THIS SAME ISSUE AND ITS A DEFECTIVE ISSUE FOR THIS MINI GENERATION. *TR

I EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER STEERING ON MY VEHICLE. FORTUNATELY THIS DID NOT RESULT IN A CRASH BUT IT SURE SCARED ME. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT MY SAFETY DRIVING THIS VEHICLE AND MAY CONSIDER GETTING RID OF IT. I AM DISAPPOINTED IN MINI'S UNRESPONSIVENESS TO THIS ISSUE. *TR

WAS ABOUT TO PARK MY CAR AND ALL OF SUDDEN THE STEERING BEGAN FEELING TIGHT. IT SEEMS THAT ALL ASSISTANCE WITH THE POWER STEERING WAS LOST. UPON INVESTIGATION OVER THE INTERNET IT SEEMS THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP IS BLOWN. FORTUNATELY, I WAS NOT DRIVING FAST,BUT THIS CAN CAUSE A POTENTIAL FATAL INJURY. *TR

3 MONTHS AGO I BECAME AWARE OF A FAULT IN MY MINI COOPER 2004 REGARDING THE POWER STEERING COOLING FAN. STEERING HAD BECOME OVERLY DIFFICULT, AND AFTER TAKING THE VEHICLE TO MY USUAL MECHANIC AND THEN BMW, THIS WAS FOUND TO BE DEFECTIVE. I THEN DISCOVERED THE ISSUE HAD BEEN THE SUBJECT OF AN UNOFFICIAL RECALL BY MINI USA (BMW), AND TOOK THE CAR TO THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP, IN BEVERLY, MA, A ROUND TRIP OF 200 MILES, TO HAVE THE ITEM FIXED. AFTER THIS, THE CAR BECAME HARD TO CONTROL ON CURVES. IT APPEARS THE FAILURE OF THE POWER STEERING COOLING FAN PUT UNDUE STRAIN ON THE STEERING KNUCKLE, AND AT 80,000 THIS HAS BECOME PREMATURELY WORN. CONSEQUENTLY, THE VEHICLE IS VERY HARD TO HANDLE PROPERLY ON TURNS, AND IS BECOMING A SAFETY ISSUE. FOR THREE MONTHS MY MECHANIC HAS BEEN TRYING TO SECURE THIS PART FROM MINI USA TO NO AVAIL. MEANWHILE MY CAR IS BECOMING MORE UNDRIVABLE BY THE DAY. THIS PART IS AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT OF THE SAFETY OF THE VEHICLE. I HAVE PETITIONED BMW FOR AN ANSWER, AND AFTER TWO WEEKS OF PEOPLE AVOIDING THE ISSUE, IT SEEMS THE PART REMAINS UNAVAILABLE. MINI USA(BMW)'S BEST RESPONSE WAS TO ASK ME TO DRIVE BACK TO MA TO HAVE THE CAR LOOKED AT, WHICH POINT THEY MAY OFFER ME A LOANER. BUT THIS IS BESIDE THE POINT: ASIDE FROM NOT PROVIDING AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT THAT AFFECTS THE SAFETY OF THE VEHICLE, THEY WANT ME TO WASTE A DAY DRIVING TO MA, THEN PAY THE DEALER'S OVER-INFLATED SERVICE CHARGES, BECAUSE THEY MADE IT CLEAR ON THE PHONE THEY WILL NOT SELL THIS PART TO NON-MINI REPAIR FACILITIES WHEN IT FINALLY DOES ARRIVE (THERE IS STILL NO DATE FOR THIS, BY THE WAY). ESSENTIALLY THEY ARE COVERING UP AN ISSUE BY KEEPING THE MATTER IN-HOUSE, FAILING TO PROVIDE A COMPONENT, AND FORCING CUSTOMERS TO DRIVE HUNDREDS OF MILES AND USE ONLY THEIR FACILITIES. CLEARLY THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS AND ILLEGAL. ANY ASSISTANCE FROM YOUR OFFICE WOULD BE APPRECIATED. *TR

THE STEERING KNUCKLE ON MY CAR HAS BECOME PREMATURELY WORN FOLLOWING A STEERING PUMP FAILURE, AND CONSEQUENTLY, THE STEERING HAS BECOME IMPRECISE AND THE CAR HARD TO CONTROL AROUND CURVES. I WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE DESIGN DEFECT (DOCUMENTED BY DOT) OF THE STEERING PUMP UNTIL I RESEARCHED THE STEERING ISSUE AND DISCOVERED THERE WAS AN 'UNOFFICIAL' RECALL TO FIX THE PUMP. MY COMPLAINT IS THAT FOR TWO MONTHS, BMW USA STILL HAS THE STEERING KNUCKLE ON BACK ORDER. MEANWHILE MY VEHICLE IS BECOMING HARDER TO DRIVE AND WILL SOON BE A SAFETY CONCERN. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT DOT FORCE BMW USA TO MAKE THIS PART AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY BECAUSE IT IS A CRUCIAL COMPONENT IN THE SAFETY OF THE VEHICLE. *TR

WHILE DRIVING AROUND TOWN THE POWER STEERING QUIT WORKING MAKING THE CAR VERY HARD TO TURN. IT WAS NOT NOTICEABLE DRIVING STRAIGHT, BUT WHEN TAKING A LEFT OR RIGHT TURN YOU ALMOST CANNOT MAKE THE TURN UNLESS YOU REALLY CRANK ON THE STEERING WHEEL. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN HAPPENING INTERMITTENTLY WITHOUT NO WARNING. IN ORDER TO GET THE POWER STEERING BACK, THE IGNITION HAS TO BE COMPLETELY SHUT OFF, AND THEN RESTARTED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE'S AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR WAS CONSTANTLY ILLUMINATED AND BOTH FRONT WINDOWS HESITATED TO ROLL UP AND DOWN. ALSO, THE AIR BAG INDICATOR WOULD ILLUMINATE WHEN THE FRONT SEAT BELTS WERE BUCKLED OR UNBUCKLED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THERE WAS A POSITIVE CABLE IN THE FUSE BOX THAT MALFUNCTIONED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE FAILURE COULD DESTROY THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, CAUSE A FIRE, AND KEEP THE AIR BAG FROM DEPLOYING IN A CRASH. THE SEAT BELT BUCKLES WERE REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE DEALER ALSO DISCOVERED THAT THE CABLE WAS BEING STRETCHED AND THE CENTER SWITCH PACK CASE WAS SEPARATED, WHICH COULD CAUSE THE WINDOWS TO DETACH FROM THE VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING HIGH SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 124,500.

MERGING ONTO INTERSTATE I ACCELERATED AND SUDDENLY LOST POWER. ENGINE WAS RUNNING BUT I COULD NOT GET ANY SPEED. EML MESSAGE LIT UP ON DASH. THIS WAS VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION, LOSING POWER AS I MERGED WITH TRAFFIC THAT WAS GOING AT HIGHWAY SPEED. I MANAGED TO LIMP TO SIDE OF THE ROAD. SHUTTING OFF CAR AND RESTARTING RESET SOMETHING AND EML MESSAGE DISAPPEARED AND ENGINE OPERATED NORMALLY. GOOGLING PROBLEM SHOWED MY EXPERIENCE WAS NOT UNIQUE AND THAT COULD EXPECT IT TO OCCUR AGAIN. AND IT SEEMS DEALER CAN ONLY DIAGNOSE SOURCE OF PROBLEM IF ERROR MESSAGE IS ON. *TR

MY 2004 MINI COOPER S HAS A PASSENGER SEAT BELT/AIR BAG LIGHT THAT IS ILLUMINATED AT ALL TIMES. ORIGINALLY, IT WAS SPORADIC, AND CONNECTING THE SEAT BELT WOULD CAUSE THE LIGHT TO GO OFF. NOW IT IS LIT ALL THE TIME, WHETHER THERE IS A PASSENGER IN THE SEAT OR NOT. I WAS TOLD TODAY THAT THE SENSOR IS BAD AND WILL COST $1600 TO FIX, WHICH INCLUDES COMPLETELY REPLACING THE ENTIRE PASSENGER SEAT. MY MECHANIC SAYS THAT THE AIR BAG WILL NOT DEPLOY IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT. THIS IS MOST CONCERNING. OBVIOUSLY, THE DEFAULT SHOULD BE FOR THE AIRBAG TO DEPLOY. WHAT IF I AM IN AN ACCIDENT AND MY PASSENGER IS GRAVELY INJURED (OR KILLED!)?? UNACCEPTABLE! I HAVE READ THAT BMW HAS ISSUED A RECALL FOR BMW MODELS WITH A SIMILAR PROBLEM. MINI COOPER SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL, AS THEY ARE MADE BY BMW, OFTEN USING THE SAME PARTS! WHERE IS THE OVERSIGHT?!? *TR

STEERING FAILURE WHILST ON HIGHWAY, HEADED TO THE GRASS CURB, SMOKE IN CABIN (SMELT OF BURNING WIRE INSULATION). DID MANAGE TO RELEASE THE HOOD AND OPEN TO SEE IF I COULD EXTINGUISH, FIRE WAS FOCUSED DIRECTLY BEHIND THE ENGINE UNDER EXHAUST MANIFOLD. NOTHING TO DUE BUT WAIT FOR THE FIRE TRUCK, CAR COMPLETELY BURNED FRONT TO BACK, NOTHING LEFT TO SALVAGE. *TR