2004 MINI COOPER S Complaints

A YEAR AFTER PURCHASING THE CAR, THE FRONT DRIVER'S WINDOW'S AUTOMATIC MOTOR WORKED INTERMITTENTLY, THEN WOULD NOT WORK AT ALL. THE DEALER FIXED IT SINCE IT HAPPENED TO BE UNDER FULL WARRANTY. TWO YEARS LATER, THE PASSENGER'S AUTOMATIC WINDOW MOTOR CEASED WORKING AT ALL. AT THE SAME TIME, THE DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW WAS MAKING A SCRATCHING SOUND AS IT WAS AUTOMATICALLY ROLLED UP /OR DOWN. I ONLY HAD A FEW MONTHS LEFT ON THE WARRANTY, AND THE DEALER WAS REQUIRED AGAIN TO REPLACE THE WINDOW MOTOR. I HAVE READ SEVERAL OTHER MINI OWNERS THAT HAD TO REPLACE AT LEAST ONE WINDOW MOTOR AS WELL, BUT AT THEIR OWN COST SINCE THE WARRANTY HAD RUN OUT. IF THIS IS A INCESSANT AND OBVIOUS DEFECT BY MINI COOPER, IT SHOULD BE RECALLED OR ADDRESSED IN A FAIR CONSUMER MANNER. *TR

SUPERCHARGER FAILED AT 60,950 MILES, RESULTING IN COMPLETE REBUILD OF UNIT. FAULTY GEAR AND LUBRICATION DESIGN. *TR

MY 2004 MINI COOPER S HAS 48,000 MILES. THE TRANSMISSION HAS GOTTEN SO BAD THAT I CANNOT CHANGE GEARS WITHOUT GREAT DIFFICULTY. I HAVE READ NUMEROUS REPORTS ONLINE ABOUT POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURE, BRAKE FAILURE AND A HOST OF SAFETY ISSUES WITH THE COOPER. I THINK THIS CAR NEEDS TO BE EVALUATED FOR SAFETY ISSUES. THANKS, KAREN *TR

AS AN OWNER OF A 2004 COOPER S I WAS GREATLY DISAPPOINTED TO LEARN THAT I NOW NEED TO REPLACE MY ELECTRIC STEERING PUMP AT ONLY 55K MILES. I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT THE PART "GOES REGULARLY" AND THAT "WE KEEP A BUNCH IN STOCK" AND THAT IT WILL COST ME $600 FOR A NEW ONE NOT INCLUDING LABOR. WITH THIS BIT OF INFORMATION, I BEGAN TO SEARCH MINI COOPER FANSITES AND BLOGS TO SEE HOW OFTEN THIS PROBLEM OCCURS. I WASN'T SURPRISED TO FIND THAT MANY OF THE MEMBERS AND "FANS" OF THE CAR HAVE HAD MULTIPLE PUMP FAILURES, AND THAT THERE IS A GROWING NUMBER OF THOSE WHO ARE DISCUSSING THE FAILURE ISSUE. I BELIEVE THIS IS BOTH A COSTLY FIX AS WELL AS A SAFETY PROBLEM. THE SUDDEN LOSS OF A STEERING PUMP IS QUITE DANGEROUS AND MAY CAUSE SOME DRIVERS TO LOSE CONTROL. I AM FORTUNATE THAT I NOTICED THE PROBLEM AND UNDERSTOOD WHAT THE FAILURE WAS, SO I PERSONALLY DID NOT HAVE AN ACCIDENT, BUT FOR THOSE WHO ARE LESS CAR SAVVY, THEY MAY NOT NOTICE THE NOISE OF THE FAILURE THAT IS ABOUT TO OCCUR. *TR

THE PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW MOTOR HAS FAILED ON MY 04 MINI COOPER S. UPON RESEARCHING THE PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET, I'VE FOUND THAT THOUSANDS OF OTHER MINI COOPER OWNERS HAVE THE SAN=ME RECURRENT ISSUE. MINI COOPER NEEDS TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM WITH A RECALL. *TR

I OWN A 2004 MINI COOPER S AND THE POWER STEERING PUMP HAS FAILED AFTER ONLY 4 YEARS AND 65,000 MILES. THIS SEEMS TO BE A VERY COMMON OCCURRENCE WITH THIS VEHICLE AND THE MANUFACTURE IS ACUTELY AWARE OF THE ISSUE, BUT WILL NOT ISSUE A RECALL OR WARRANTY THE ITEM. *TR

(1) ON THURSDAY, JULY 3RD, I ATTEMPTED TO MANIPULATE A 90 DEGREE RIGHTHAND TURN IN MY 2004 MINI COOPER S DURING MY VERY SHORT COMMUTE TO WORK AND DID SO ONLY WITH GREAT DIFFICULTLY. FROM THAT POINT FORWARD MY CAR TURNS NEITHER LEFT NOR RIGHT PROPERLY AND ONLY WITH GREAT DIFFICULTY. THERE WAS NO WARNING OR NOISES OF ANY KIND TO ALERT ME TO THE PROBLEM. MY SIGNIFICANT OTHER, WHO IS A TRAINED MECHANIC, INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND IDENTIFIED THE POWER STEERING PUMP AS THE PROBLEM. I ALSO SPOKE WITH SEVERAL INDIVIDUALS HERB CHAMBERS BMW MINI OF BOSTON WHO ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP WAS EITHER A KNOWN AND/OR COMMON PROBLEM. THE PARTS DEPARTMENT EXPLAINED THAT THE PUMP MANUFACTURER WHO MADE THE PUMP IN MY MINI IS NO LONGER MAKING PUMPS FOR MINI. (2) THE POWER STEERING PUMP HAS FAILED THEREFORE MY MINI IS RELYING ON THE RACK AND PINION TO TURN. THE MINI TURNS ONLY WITH GREAT DIFFICULTY AND REQUIRES TWO HANDS ON THE WHEEL AT ALL TIMES; THIS IS EXCEEDINGLY DIFFICULT TO DO WHILE NAVIGATING CORNERS AS I HAVE A STANDARD TRANSMISSION. THE MINI IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE, SO I AM FORCED TO BORROW ANOTHER VEHICLE. (3) MY CAR HAS APPROXIMATELY 57,000 MILES ON IT AND MINI'S WARRANTY ONLY COVERS PROBLEMS UP THROUGH 50,000 MILES DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE PUMP IS A KNOWN PROBLEM AND SAFETY HAZARD. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE BY THE DEALERSHIP TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. MY MINI REMAINS PARKED WHILE I AWAIT THE NEW POWER STEERING PUMP THAT I ORDERED AND PAID FOR. THE NEW PUMP IS MANUFACTURED BY A DIFFERENT COMPANY THAN THE DEFECTIVE PUMP THAT HAS FAILED. *TR

I OWN A 2004 MINI COOPER S MODEL, WITH 39,000 MILES. THE CAR IS WELL CARED FOR. MY WARRANTY EXPIRED AT 30,000 AND I BEGAN RECEIVING ANNOYING CALLS AND LETTERS FROM MINI TO PURCHASE AN ADDITIONAL EXTENDED WARRANTY. I DID NOT, BELIEVING THAT SIMPLY MAINTAINING MY CAR PROPERLY WOULD TAKE CARE OF ANY FUTURE ISSUES. I TRUSTED BMW/MINI THAT THEY WOULD STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT IF SOME UNUSUAL FAILURE OR BREAKDOWN OCCURRED. APPROXIMATELY ONE MONTH AGO MY POWER STEERING WOULD INTERMITTENTLY GO OUT. AT FIRST, ONLY AFTER STARTING THE CAR AND THEN IT STARTED OCCURRING WHILE DRIVING THE CAR. WE CHECKED THE POWER STEERING FLUID AND ALL WAS WELL. TOOK IT IN TO MY MECHANIC AND HE INFORMED ME THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. HE EXPLAINED THAT MINI HAD TOLD HIM "THEY" HAD BEEN EXPERIENCING A HIGH INSTANCES OF STEERING POWER PUMP FAILURES. HE ASKED IF THE POWER STEERING PUMP WAS ON THE RECALL LIST. "THEY" TOLD HIM NO AND EXPLAINED THAT THE PUMP WAS ELECTRICAL AND NOT MANUALLY THEREFORE IT WAS CONSIDERED WEAR AND TEAR. CREVIER MINI, WHERE I PURCHASED THE CAR TOLD ME IT WOULD COST $1100.00 TO REPLACE THE PUMP! MY MECHANIC TOLD ME HE WOULD REPLACE IT FOR $880.00. MY MECHANIC INFORMED ME THAT IN ORDER FOR HIM TO GET A POWER STEERING PUMP, HE NEEDED TO TURN MY OLD PUMP INTO THEM. CREVIER TOLD HIM THAT "THEY" WERE REBUIDLING THESE!.THEY COULD NOT KEEP ENOUGH OF THEM ON THE SHELVES. THIS IS A SCANDALOUS OUTRAGE, PARTICULARLY AFTER READING VARIOUS BLOGS AND COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM THAT I AM EXPERIENCING WITH MY MINI. I SHOULD CONSIDER MYSELF LUCKY IN THAT MY CAR DID NOT CATCH FIRE, SINCE IT IS ALWAYS GARAGED, OR THAT I DID NOT KILL MYSELF OR HURT SOME INNOCENT PEOPLE BY THE PROBLEM OCCURRING ON A STEEP CURVEY GRADE WHILE DRIVING. ADDITIONAL PROBLEMS APPROXIMATELY SIX MONTHS AGO, MY DRIVER SIDE WINDOW STOPPED WORKING!! TOOK IT IN CREVIER WANTED $900 TO FIX THE PROBLEM, AGAIN STATED WEAR AND TEAR!! MY MECHANIC CHARGED ME $400.00. *TR

DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW MOTOR HAS FAILED FOR THE THIRD TIME. WINDOW IS STUCK CLOSED. THIS IS A CONCERN IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY AND CAUSES PROBLEMS WHEN CLOSING THE DOOR AS THE GLASS HITS THE LIP OF THE ROOF SINCE IT DOES NOT DROP AS DESIGNED. *TR

POWER WINDOW FAILURE TO PROPERLY LIFT AND SEAL WHEN DRIVER AND PASSENGER DOORS ARE CLOSED. *TR