2005 MINI COOPER S Complaints

EXPERIENCED ABRUPT AND COMPLETE LOSS OF THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM SIMULTANEOUS WITH AN IMMEDIATE AND SHARP DECREASE IN POWER. THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED AT 75 MPH ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY, CAR IN MIDDLE LANE. VERY NARROWLY AVOIDED COLLISION WITH A TRUCK WHEN MOVING VEHICLE TO FULL STOP IN EMERGENCY LANE. VEHICLE CURRENTLY NOT IN USE AS WE FEEL IT IS A ROAD HAZARD AND UNSAFE TO OPERATE IN CURRENT CONDITION. ALSO AWAITING FOR RESPONSE FROM MINI DEALER.

THE POWER STEERING HAS BEEN FAILING ON AND OFF FOR THE PAST 2 YEARS. I FIRST NOTICED IT WHEN I WAS TRYING TO GET OUT OF A PARALLEL PARKING SPOT. UPON TURNING OFF THE CAR AND RESTARTING IT, THE POWER STEERING WAS RESTORED. IT MOST OFTEN HAPPENED WHEN MANEUVERING OUT OF PARALLEL PARKED SPOTS. SOMETIMES IT WOULD HAPPEN SEVERAL TIMES IN ONE DAY AND THEN NOT AGAIN FOR A FEW MONTHS. SEVERAL TIMES WHEN I WAS DRIVING I FELT THE POWER STEERING LOCK UP AND HAVE HAD TO DRIVE THE CAR TO SAFELY AND RESTART THE STEERING. I TOOK IT IN TO THE MINI DEALERSHIP AND DESCRIBED THE PROBLEM. I WAS TOLD IT SOUNDED LIKE THE POWER STEERING PUMP AND GIVEN A QUOTE OF $895 TO GET IT REPLACED. *TR

THE AIRBAG LIGHT ON THE DASH CAME ON WHILE DRIVING. THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT OR INCIDENT THAT PROMPTED THE LIGHT TO COME ON. APPARENTLY, MINIS PRODUCED THREE MONTHS AFTER THIS VEHICLE ARE INCLUDED IN A RECALL OR "EXTENDED WARRANTY" BY THE MANUFACTURER FOR AIRBAG SENSOR LIGHTS, BUT NOT THIS SPECIFIC VEHICLE. BASED ON DISCUSSIONS WITH DEALER SERVICE, IT COULD BE A VERY COSTLY REPAIR, ESTIMATED AT $1200. IT SEEMS VERY STRANGE THAT VEHICLES MANUFACTURED SO CLOSE TO THE COVERED TIME PERIOD ARE ALSO HAVING ISSUES. PERHAPS MINI NEEDS TO CONSIDER EXPANDING THE SCOPE OF THE AIRBAG SENSOR EXTENDED WARRANTY.

ON TUESDAY, 5 APRIL 2011, I DROVE MY 2005 MINI COOPER S ABOUT 20 - 25 MILES HEADING FOR WORK - I MADE A BRIEF STOP FOR COFFEE. THE CAR OPERATED PROPERLY DURING THIS DRIVE, HOWEVER, WHEN I LEFT THE COFFEE SHOP I NOTICE A VERY ACRID SMELL IN THE AREA. WHEN I GOT IN MY CAR AND STARTED IT THE "BATTERY" INDICATOR LIGHT WAS ON. I CHECK THE OWNER'S MANUAL AND IT SAID THIS INDICATED THE BATTERY WAS NOT BEING CHARGED. AS THE CAR WAS RUNNING I DECIDED I COULD DRIVE IT TO WORK AND THEN ADDRESS THE CHARGING ISSUE. WHEN I BACK OUT OF THE PARKING SPOT I REALIZED I HAD ALSO LOST MY POWER STEERING. I WAS CONCERNED THAT MY CAR MIGHT NOT BE COOLING AS WELL, SO MOVED THE CAR TO A SPOT FURTHER OUT IN THE PARKING LOT TO ALLOW FOR A TOW TRUCK TO PICK IT UP. I REALIZED THE ACRID SMOKE SMELL WAS STILL WITH ME AND DECIDED TO CHECK UNDER THE HOOD. WHEN I LIFTED THE HOOD I FOUND THERE WAS A FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. FORTUNATELY I CARRIED A FIRE EXTINGUISHER AND WAS ABLE TO PUT THE FIRE OUT - THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ALSO RESPONDED. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO SANDIA MINI COOPER IN ALBUQUERQUE NM AND I HAVE SINCE BEEN INFORMED THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP MALFUNCTIONED AND CAUSED THE FIRE. FROM SOME RESEARCH I HAVE DONE ON LINE IT APPEARS THIS IS NOT AN ISSUE ISOLATED TO MY VEHICLE, BUT THAT IT WAS OCCURRED IN A NUMBER OF CASES. *TR

MY 2005 MINI COOPER S HAD A SUDDEN POWER STEERING FAILURE WHILE APPROACHING A HIGHWAY OFF RAMP. I WENT TO TURN INTO IT AND THE CAR HAD BECOME A TANK. AFTER SOME PANIC BRAKING AND ALL THE UPPER BODY STRENGTH I COULD MUSTER ON THE STEERING WHEEL... I DID NOT FLY INTO THE DITCH, BUT HAD THE ROAD BEEN WET OR ICY I HAVE NO DOUBT THE RESULTS WOULD HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT. CONTACTED THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND WAS ESTIMATED $1200 FOR THE REPAIR OF A KNOWN FACTORY DEFECT. *TR

POWER STEERING FAILS INTERMITTENTLY. FAILURE HAS OCCURRED NUMEROUS TIMES WHILE PARKING AND TWICE UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE DRIVING AND MAKING A RIGHT TURN. MAKES CAR HARD TO MANEUVER AND UNSAFE BECAUSE OF THE UNPREDICTABLE NATURE OF THE FAILURE. *TR

ELECTRIC POWER STEERING PUMP & FAN FAILURE DURING LEFT TURN. SEVERAL THOUSANDS OF MINI COPPERS IN THE UK HAVE HAD SIMILAR RECALLS. IN FACT I DID FIND A RECALL FOR THE POWER STEERING PUMP FAN FOR FAULTY WIRES. I COULD FALL UNDER THE SAME RECALL, BUT BMW MINI DEALERS ARE STATING THAT IT WILL COST ME JUST FOR DIAGNOSTICS (ROUGHLY $90), THEY ALSO STATES THEY KNEW ABOUT A FILED COMPLAINT BUT SAID THEY COULDN'T EVEN LOOK AT THE FAN WITHOUT CHARGING ME. I DID FIND AFTER DAYS AND DAYS OF INTERNET SEARCHES THAT THEIR WAS A RECALL # ISSUED FOR THE FAN BUT COULD NOT LOCATE IT AGAIN. WEBSITE CITING BBC ARTICLE. WWW.NEWMINI.WORDPRESS.COM/?S=MINI+COOPER+POWER+STEERING+FAILURE. EVERYDAY I FEEL LESS AND LESS SAFE DRIVING MY MINI. THANKS. *TR

WE PURCHASED OUR 2005 MINI COOPER LESS THAN A WEEK AGO. IT HAS 51,000 MILES ON IT. I WAS TRAVELING ON THE INTERSTATE FOR ABOUT AN HOUR. I TRIED TO TAKE AN OFF RAMP TO THE RIGHT TRAVELING ABOUT 60 MPH AND REALIZED THE POWER STEERING HAD FAILED. I APPLIED THE BRAKE AND BROUGHT THE CAR TO A STOP. I SLOWLY DROVE THE CAR TO A GAS STATION WHERE I TURNED THE CAR OFF. THE FAN CONTINUED TO RUN. I WAITED FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES AND RESTARTED THE CAR. THE POWER STEERING WAS WORKING AGAIN. 2 DAYS LATER I WAS DRIVING IN TOWN ONLY 10 MINUTES AND THE POWER STEERING FAILED AGAIN. I WAS DRIVING IN FREEZING RAIN...THANK GOODNESS I WAS IN TOWN. IF THE STEERING HAD FAILED ON THE INTERSTATE WITH THESE WEATHER CONDITIONS THERE COULD HAVE BEEN A SERIOUS PROBLEM. I AM TAKING MY MINI INTO THE DEALERSHIP TOMORROW. WHEN WE BOUGHT THE MINI COOPER WE THOUGHT WE WERE BUYING A SAFE AND DEPENDABLE CAR..NOW IT LOOKS LIKE AN UNSAFE MONEY PIT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER CONVERTIBLE S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT COOLANT BEGAN TO LEAK FROM THE VEHICLE ABNORMALLY AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER REPLACED THE THERMOSTAT WHICH HE FOUND TO BE FRACTURED. LATER, THE CONTACT BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE FAILURES WITH THE REAR BRAKES. THE DEALER REPLACED THE BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS AND LATER, THE CONTACT BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE AN ABNORMAL RATTLING FROM THE CLUTCH. THE DEALER THEN ADVISED THAT THE CLUTCH AND FLY WHEEL WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALER ALSO ADVISED THAT THERE WAS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN ISSUED BY THE MANUFACTURER (NHTSA ITEM NUMBER : 10025903- POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION) REGARDING REPLACING THE CLUTCH WITH A NEWLY DESIGNED CLUTCH AND FLY WHEEL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 28,800.

POWER STEERING HAS FAILED TWICE. ONCE WAS IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC AND THE OTHER WAS IN MID-DAY TRAFFIC. THE VEHICLE BECAME EXTREMELY HARD TO HANDLE. THE FIRST TIME, I ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. MY CAR ONLY HAS 53,000 MILES AND THIS SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING. *TR