2004 MINI COOPER S Complaints

DRIVING NORMALLY WHEN SUDDENLY POWER STEERING FAILS COMPLETELY CAUSING INSTANT CONTROL ISSUES. POWER STEERING RETURNS INTERMITTENTLY. *TR

ON MY WAY UP DRIVEWAY I NOTICED A SHARP STINGING SENSATION IN THE LUMBAR OF MY BACK. FELT SORT OF LIKE AN "CONTINUOUS ELECTRIC SHOCK". I IMMEDIATELY ARCHED MY BACK AS A REACTION TO THE STING AND HAD TO STRAIGHTEN MY BACK IN ORDER TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE. WHEN STRAIGHTENING MY BACK I FELT SOMETHING HOT, VERY HOT THIS TIME LIKE SOMETHING THAT WAS ON FIRE. I COULD NOT LONGER CONTROL THE VEHICLE GRABBED FOR THE HANDLE OPENED THE DOOR AND ROLLED OUT ONTO THE DRIVEWAY WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS MOVING. THE VEHICLE BUCKED AND STALLED OUT. I IMMEDIATELY LOOKED AT THE VEHICLE INTERIOR AND NOTICED THAT THE SEAT WAS SMOLDERING AND THERE WAS A HOLE THE SIZE OF A QUARTER BURNED THROUGH THE SEAT IN THE LUMBAR. IT WAS A 100 DEGREE DAY SO I WASN'T USING THE SEAT HEATER, NONETHELESS IT WAS ON, MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSED A FIRE WHICH RESULTED IN ME JUMPING OUT OF THE MOVING VEHICLE. I ALSO READ ONLINE ABOUT THIS HAPPENING TO ANOTHER 2004 MINI COOPER S "PASSENGER SEAT" AS WELL. *TR

ON A 2004 MINI COOPER S, INTERMITTENT FAILURE OF THE POWER STEERING PUMP CAUSING EXTREME DIFFICULTY STEERING. CAR HAS 43,000 MILES. MANY SIMILAR CASES REPORTED IN ONLINE FORUMS. *TR

INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) WHY HAS THE NHTSA ADMINISTRATION TAKEN NO ACTION AGAINST MINI AND BMW FOR THE KNOWN DEFECT IN POWER STEERING SYSTEMS. I AM WONDERING, AMID ALL THE TOYOTA CONTROVERSY AND RECALLS, ESPECIALLY NOW ABOUT THE BROKEN STEERING RODS, WHY THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL, OR AT LEAST A PUBLIC WARNING OF SOME KIND ABOUT STEERING ISSUES ON THE MINI. THE POWER STEERING PUMP IN MINI'S OF ALL AGES AND MILEAGES ARE PRONE TO FAIL WHILE DRIVING. THIS HAPPENED TO ME WHILE DRIVING MY 2004 MINI COOPER S ACROSS A SNOWY AND ICY MOUNTAIN PASS HERE IN WASHINGTON STATE. IT WAS QUITE A SURPRISING, FRIGHTENING, AND UNSAFE EXPERIENCE TO SAY THE LEAST. OTHERS HAVE FILED COMPLAINTS WITH YOU FOLKS, AS WELL AS THE COMPANY, BUT SO FAR AS I KNOW NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE. IF INJURIES AND FATALITIES ARE THE CRITERIA, HOW WOULD ANYONE KNOW THE STEERING WAS AN ISSUE UNLESS THEY HAD EXPERIENCED THE TERROR OF LOSING STEERING AT SPEED? THIS ISSUE PROMPTED A RECALL IN GREAT BRITAIN. WHY NOT HERE. EVEN A CURSORY SEARCH OF THE INTERNET REVEALS THE DEPTH OF THE PROBLEM, YET NEITHER BMW NOR MINI HAVE TAKEN ANY STEPS TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE HERE IN THE US. CAN YOU TELL ME WHY?? [XXX] *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON I-95N WHEN THE STEERING BECAME ALL TIGHT LIKE I COULDN'T TURN THE WHEEL. NO INDICATIOR LIGHTS CAME ON. I REACHED MY DESTINATION, SHUT THE CAR OFF FOR SEVERAL MIN, GOT IN STARTED IT UP AND IT WAS FINE. GOT BACK ON I-95S AND 5 MIN LATER THE STEERING WHEEL FELT LIKE IT WAS LOCKED UP I COULDN'T TURN IT. AGAIN NO WARNINGS!!!!! ARE YOU PEOPLE GOING TO WAIT TILL SOME ONE IS KILLED TO MAKE BMW FIX THIS!!!!!! I HAVE READ IT'S BEEIN GOING ON SINCE 2002 POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURES

INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). I HAVE A 2004 MINI COOPER S (BMW) THAT I HAVE OWNED FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF BUT RECENTLY, PAST 3 MONTHS., I HAVE HAD THE POWER STEERING QUIT SUDDENLY ON 3 SEPARATE OCCASIONS. THANKFULLY I WAS NOT ON A HIGH SPEED ROAD AT ANY OF THOSE TIMES BECAUSE WHEN THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT IT I COULD BARELY TURN THE WHEEL AND I'M A 36 YR. OLD MALE WITH QUITE A BIT MORE STRENGTH THAN MY FIANCE WHO ALSO DRIVES THE CAR. I BELIEVE THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS FLAW WITH THE CAR AS I HAVE CHECKED WITH OTHER MINI COOPER OWNERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY WHO EACH AND EVERYONE OF THEM HAS EXPERIENCED THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM WITH THE POWER STEERING FAILING SUDDENLY. I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF THIS OCCURS AT HIGH SPEEDS OR DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER, THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD THAT SHOULD BE RECALLED BY BMW SINCE I AM NOT THE ONLY MINI COOPER OWNER WITH THIS PROBLEM. [XXX] *TR

WHEN THE WEATHER IS COLD, THE CENTER CONSOLE CONTROLS (HEAT, REAR DEFOGGER), THE HEADLIGHTS, FRONT/REAR WIPERS WILL NOT FUNCTION. WHEN CAR STARTS TO WARM UP, THOSE ITEMS WILL START WORKING WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL IS TURNED TO EITHER SIDE. WHEN CAR IS FULLY WARMED UP, WILL WORK MOST OF THE TIME UNLESS YOU HIT A BUMP. MINI SHOP SAID IT WAS A BAD COMPUTER - $800 TO FIX. ENGINE HAD AN OIL PLAN LEAK 2 YEARS AGO RESULTING IN MAJOR LOSS OF OIL. FIXED UNDER WARRANTY. WHEN GETTING ELECTRICAL PROBLEM FIXED, MINI SHOP FOUND 3 OIL LEAKS. TOTAL COST TO FIX WAS $3200. NOT NECESSARY TO GET THE FIX BUT NEED TO WATCH THE OIL LEVELS. *TR

THE POWER STEERING PUMP SUDDENLY FAILED. THIS IS AN ELECTRIC-HYDRAULIC STEERING SYSTEM AND THE CAR IS NOT CONTROLLABLE WHEN THE PUMP FAILS. THE CAR HAS BEEN PROPERLY MAINTAINED AND HAS LESS THAN 50,000 MILE. *TR

DOOR LOCK MECHANISM FREEZES AND TRAPS DRIVE AND OCCUPANTS INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. ANYTIME THE TEMPERATURE IS BELOW FREEZING DOOR LOCKS FREEZE. UPON CONTACTING MINI THEIR RESPONSE WAS THAT THEY GET THIS COMPLAINT FREQUENTLY BUT THEY DO NOT HAVE A METHOD TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. *TR

THE DRIVER SIDE SEATBELT BUCKLE DOES NOT RELEASE WHEN THE BUTTON IS PRESSED. THIS STARTED WHEN I FIRST BOUGHT THE VEHICLE IN FEBRUARY 2009. THIS HAPPENS EVERYTIME I TRY TO REMOVE THE SEATBELT. I HAVE TO JIGGLE THE BUCKLE TO GET IT TO RELEASE. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO FIX THIS PROBLEM YET; THE DEALER WILL NOT WARRANTY THE BUCKLE. *TR