2003 MINI COOPER S Complaints

I HAD NOTICED THAT THE POWER GOING UP HILLS HAD BEEN SLOWING DOWN FOR SOMETIME BUT AS WE WERE DRIVING IN TOWN AND LOST IT'S NUMBER THREE CYLINDER, TOOK IT TO SHOP AND WITH SEVERAL DAYS OF WORK FOUND OUT I WOULD BE BETTER OFF SCRAPPING IT THAN FIXING IT. MECHANIC WHO DEALS WITH BMW SAID THAT HE COULD PUT IN A NEW ENGINE BUT HE SAND THAT THE ISSUES THAT HE HAS SEEN ON THIS YEARS COOPER SHOW IT IS JUST A MONEY PIT. HE SAID, JUST SCRAP IT AND TAKE YOUR LOSSES. THE ONLY THING IS I BOUGHT IT USED AND STILL OWE OVER $3,000. ON IT. I HAVE NO CAR AND CAN'T AFFORD TO REPLACE IT AND HAVE TWO PAYMENTS AS I AM DISABLED WITH A LOW INCOME FROM INJURIES. I FINALLY GOT MY CAR OF MY DREAMS AND IT BECAUSE MY NIGHTMARE. MISSING MY MINI. *TR

I WAS EXITING AN EXPRESSWAY AND WHILE ON THE RAMP COMING OFF, THE STEERING BECAME VERY UNRESPONSIVE AND HEAVY. IN DOING SOME RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET IT SOUNDS LIKE MY POWER STEERING PUMP HAS FAILED. *TR

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE STREET AND WAS GOING TO MAKE A RIGHT TO TURN, SLOWED DOWN TO SAY HI TO MY ROOMMATE WHO WAS LEAVING AND WENT OUT OF GEAR WHEN I WENT BACK IN MY STEERING WAS EXTREMELY STIFF AND I COULD BARELY MOVE THE WHEEL. *TR

ON FEBRUARY 6, 2014 MY MINI COOPER S WAS SERVICED AT THE DEALERSHIP MINI COOPER OF CONCORD FOR A RECALL IN THE POWER STEERING PUMP. SHORTLY, AFTER IN MARCH MY CAR STARTED TO SMOKE FROM THE ENGINE AND MY CAR BURSTED INTO FLAMES. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME AND TURNED DOWN THE FIRE, HOWEVER MY CAR IS A COMPLETE LOSS. I CALLED MINI COOPER OF CONCORD, HOWEVER NO ONE COULD PROVIDE HELP. I ALSO EMAILED THE HEAD OF THE DEALERSHIP AND THERE WAS NO RESPONSE. I INVESTIGATED ONLINE AND NOTICED THAT MANY PEOPLE HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH THE WATER PUMP LEAKING AND CATCHING FIRE IN THE ENGINE. I CALLED MINI USA AND FILED A CASE,AND THEY PROMISED TO RESPOND WITHIN 3 DAYS. HOWEVER, THEY DID NOT ONLY UNTIL I CALLED VARIOUS TIMES AND FINALLY WAS ABLE TO REACH A REPRESENTATIVE. JAMES INFORMED ME THAT THERE WAS NO WAY TO EVALUATE THE MINI COOPER WAS AS AT FAULT AND ONLY TRIED TO SELL ME A NEW CAR. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH MINI COOPER'S CUSTOMER SERVICE AND LACK OF SUPPORT. MY CAR IS NOW A COMPLETE LOSS. *TR

DRIVING HIGHWAY SPEEDS, STEERING GOT REALLY HEAVY HARD TO TURN, THEN THE BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON, STARTING SMELLING SOMETHING ELECTRICAL BURNING, PULLED OVER OFF THE ROAD SHUT CAR OFF, SMOKE COMING FROM THE HOOD, OPEN IT, SMOKE WAS COMING FROM THE BACK OF ENGINE. SMOKE SUBSIDED IN A FEW MINUTES, CALLED TOW TRUCK, TOW BACK TO WORK, OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS FOUND THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP LOCKED UP AND FRIED IT, IT ALSO DRAW A LOT OF AMPERAGE THAT IT BLOW 100 AMP MAIN FUSE UNDER FUSE BLOCK, BURNT MAIN POWER WIRE TO POWER STEERING PUMP. REPLACED PUMP, WIRING AND FUSE. *TR

FOR THE SECOND TIME IN THE LIFE OF THIS CAR (FIRST IN 2011), THE STEERING PUMP STOPPED WORKING WHILE I WAS DRIVING. THE FIRST TIME I WAS LUCKY AND AT LOW SPEED HIT A CONCRETE PILING IN A PARKING GARAGE. THE SECOND TIME I WAS ACTUALLY IN TRAFFIC IN AN INTERSECTION. I WAS LUCKY NOT TO HIT THE COLLEGE STUDENTS IN THE CROSS WALK, AGAIN BECAUSE I WAS NOT GOING VERY FAST, BUT IT'S A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE. AND HAD I NOT KNOWN WHAT WAS GOING ON DUE TO THE FIRST TIME THE STEERING PUMP BLEW OUT, I WOULD NOT HAVE KNOWN TO BREAK AND RE-START THE CAR TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE. HONESTLY, THE CAR CANNOT BE STEERED WHEN THE PUMP STOPS FUNCTIONING. AND MINI HAS KNOWN FOR YEARS THAT THIS IS AN ISSUE. I HAD TO WAIT 8 WEEKS FOR THE FAN TO COME IN AND THEY DIDN'T WANT TO DO ANY WORK UNTIL THEY HAD BOTH PARTS. THE PUMPS NEED TO BE RE-DESIGNED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MINI COPPER S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS MANEUVERED INTO A PARKING SPACE WHERE THE CONTACT SHUT OFF AND RESTARTED THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE DRIVEN TO THE CONTACT'S PLACE OF RESIDENCE BUT HAD NOT BEEN TAKEN TO A DEALER OR INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 83,000.

BACK IN MAY OF 2013 THE POWER STEERING PUMP STARTING BEING VERY LOUD AND MAKING NOISES. THE STEERING WHEEL IS ALSO QUITE HARD TO TURN SINCE THEN. THIS COULD END UP BADLY WHEN COMPLETELY FAILS WHEN I'M MID-TURN OR SOMETHING. THIS NEEDS TO BE FIXED ASAP. *TR

MY POWER STEERING PUMP HAD BEEN LOSING FLUID, RANDOMLY CONTINUING TO RUN AFTER SHUTTING THE CAR OFF AND FINALLY GAVE OUT TWO OR THREE TIMES WHILE DRIVING. I RECEIVED A LETTER IN THE MAIL AND THAT STATED THE PUMP HAD AN EXTENDED WARRANTY ON THE ITEM. WHEN I CONTACTED THE DEALER TO HAVE WORK PERFORMED, I WAS TOLD TO CONTINUE ADDING FLUID SINCE THIS WAS NOT A FORMAL RECALL ITEM. I ADVISED THEM THE PUMP HAD FAILED TWICE (AT THAT TIME) AND THEY STILL INSISTED I REFILL THE FLUID AND I WOULD BE FINE. THIS SEEMS LIKE A CHEAP WAY TO AVOID A RECALL AND THEY'RE NOT ACTUALLY FIXING THE ISSUE. THIS NEEDS TO BE REVIEWED AGAIN AND BMW/MINI NEEDS TO FIX THESE ISSUES BEFORE A CATASTROPHIC EVENT HAPPENS THAT COSTS MORE THAN A STRESSFUL SITUATION.

POWER STEERING ISSUE WHICH MINI USA REACHED AN AGREEMENT WITH NTSB TO AVOID A RECALL BY PROVIDING AN "EXTENDED WARRANTY." SPOKE WITH MINI SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND INFORMED THEM MY STEERING PUMP WAS MAKING NOISE AND HAD GONE OUT INTERMITTENTLY TWICE. THEY INFORMED ME THAT DUE TO THE FACT THIS WAS NOT AN OFFICIAL "RECALL" BUT RATHER AN EXTENDED WARRANTY, THE STEERING UNIT WOULD HAVE TO CATASTROPHICALLY FAIL BEFORE THEY WERE PERMITTED TO REPLACE IT. WHAT KIND OF A SAFETY BOARD IS THE NTSB THAT WOULD ALLOW SUCH AN AGREEMENT TO BE REACHED WHEREIN SOMEONE HAS TO BE PUT AT RISK TO DRIVE A VEHICLE TO CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF A STEERING UNIT, POTENTIALLY RESULTING IN ACCIDENT, BODILY INJURY OR EVEN DEATH, BEFORE THEY WOULD COMPEL THE AUTOMAKER TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE TO MAKE IT SAFE? THIS IS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS!!! I AM SUPPOSED TO CONTINUE DRIVING A VEHICLE WITH A KNOWN PROBLEM IN THE STEERING, PUTTING MYSELF, FAMILY AND OTHERS ON THE ROAD AT RISK AWAITING "CATASTROPHIC FAILURE" ....... NOT KNOWING WHEN, WHERE OR UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES THAT IS GOING TO OCCUR? MINI USA & BMW YOU WILL NEVER GET ANOTHER PENNY FROM ME AND I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO ACTIVELY BOYCOTT THEIR PRODUCTS & DEALERSHIPS! *TR