2005 MINI COOPER S Complaints

ABOUT TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO THE FIRE, MY BACK BUMPER WAS HIT BY SOMEONE,NOTHING TOO SERIOUS JUST THE TAIL LIGHT BROKEN. THEIR INSURANCE HAD MY CAR FIXED AT WORLD TOYOTA COLLISION CENTER IN ATLANTA GEORGIA. ON SATURDAY MORNING, I PICKED UP MY CAR. I NOTICED CLICKING NOISE COMING OUT FROM INSIDE THE CAR AND THE STEERING WHEEL BECOMING RIGID AS SOON AS I STARTED DRIVING. I PULLED TO THE CLOSEST GAS STATION (WAS IN NEED OF GAS AS WELL). WHITE SMOKE CAME OUT FROM THE FRONT RIGHT AFTER I PARKED. MY HUSBAND LIFTED UP THE HOOD TRYING TO SEE WHERE THE SMOKE IS FROM. NOT EVEN TWO MINUTES LATER, THERE WAS FLAME, YES, ACTUAL FIRE UNDERNEATH THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. FORTUNATELY, THERE WERE TWO OFFICERS NEXT TO US AT THAT TIME SO THEY USED FIRE EXTINGUISHER TO TAKE THE FIRE DOWN. I'M EXTREMELY FRIGHTENED AND DISAPPOINTED AT MINI COOPER. VERY DANGEROUS CAR. *TR

POWER STEERING ABRUPTLY STOPPED WORKING WHILE CORNERING CAUSING DRIVER TO USE HEAVY MANUAL FORCE TO CORNER THE VEHICLE THRU A TRICKY VIADUCT TRAIN BRIDGE PASSAGEWAY. WHILE MIDWAY INTO THE TURN, THE POWER STEERING ABRUPTLY "KICKED BACK ON" CAUSING THE STEERING WHEEL TO TURN VIOLENTLY ACROSS LANE AND NEARLY INTO CORNER OF CEMENT WALL HOLDING UP OVERHEAD TRAIN BRIDGE. OTHER CARS WERE MISSED, AND DRIVER STOPPED CAR WITH FRONT BUMPER SLIGHTLY TOUCHING VIADUCT CEMENT WALL. WIFE AND 7 YEAR OLD CHILD WERE ON THE IMPACT SIDE OF VEHICLE. VEHICLE WAS CHECKED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHICH NOTED THE EHPS POWER STEERING PUMP IS FAILING. HE CLEANED THE POWER STEERING PUMP AND INSTALLED A NEW COOLING FAN ON THE POWER STEERING PUMP. THE PUMP WAS OVERHEATED AND PACKED WITH METAL DEBRIS. INDEPENDENT MECHANIC ADVISED ME TO RETURN TO MINI AS POTENTIAL RECALL ISSUE WHICH HAS BEEN WIDELY REPORTED BUT REFUTED BY MINI. POWER STEERING PUMP STILL HAS SIGNIFICANT NOISE AND IS SCHEDULED FOR REVIEW BY A MINI DEALER. *TR

A "POP" WAS HEARD WHEN I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE ON I95. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE CONSIDERING WHEN THE "POP" OCCURRED, MY MINI LOST POWER. AS I WAS PULLED OVER, THE VEHICLE BURST INTO FLAMES. *TR

MY PASSENGER AIR BAG SENSOR LIGHTS GOES ON AND OFF. IT DOES NOT MATTER IF A PERSON IS IN THE SEAT. I DON'T KNOW IF THE AIR BAGS WILL WORK OR NOT. MY RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET SUGGEST THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE MININ PASSENGER WEIGHT SENSOR SIMILAR TO THE ONES IN BMWS. *TR

SAW ON THE WEB THAT MINI RECALLED AND THEN EXTENDED WARRANTY RECALL ON AN AIRBAG MALFUNCTION. THE LIGHT CAME ON A FEW DAYS AGO, BUT I CAN NOT FIND ANY INFORMATION AS TO THE TRUTH IN THAT STATEMENT. SUPPOSEDLY 10 YEARS OR 150,000 MILES. *TR

AT THE BEGINNING, THE STEERING PUMP MAKES SOME NOISES AND A FEW WEEKS LATER, MY POWER STEERING COMPLETELY WENT OUT, REALLY HEARD TO STEER ESPECIALLY AT THE LOWER SPEED AND AT THE CORNER. *TR

STEERING EFFORT INCREASED TREMENDOUSLY DURING LOW SPEED DRIVING AND AT ANY SPEED DURING TURNING. POWER STEERING APPEARS TO BE INOPERATIVE. *TR

POWER STEERING SUDDENLY FAILED RESULTING IN NEAR ACCIDENT. UPON REVIEW OF THIS SITE WARRANTY EXTENSION ON POWER-ASSIST STEERING PUMP AND COOLING FAN PUMP WAS ISSUED. DESPITE THE EXTENSION OF WARRANTY AND LACK OF DEALER OR AUTHORIZED SERVICE FACILITY IN LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY, MINI REFUSED TO HONOR WARRANTY UNLESS CUSTOMER TOWED VEHICLE, AT CUSTOMER'S EXPENSE, TO NEAREST AUTHORIZED DEALER WHICH WAS APPROXIMATELY 80 MILES AWAY. LEAVING WARRANTY EXTENSION ON KNOWN PROBABLE DEFECTIVE CONDITION WORTHLESS. BELIEVE INVESTIGATION SHOULD BE PERFORMED TO DETERMINE IF RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED RELATING TO POWER ASSIST STEERING PUMP FAILURES. *TR

WHEN PASSENGER EXITED VEHICLE, LIGHT AIRBAG OFF NOTIFICATION CAME ON. THIS HAPPENS EVERY TIME SOMEONE EXITS THE PASSENGER SEAT. ALSO AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT & SEATBELT NOT BUCKLED LIGHT COME ON. *TR

PULLED2005 MINI COOPER S IN GARAGE, BRAKES WORKED FINE. NEXT DAY, BACKED CAR OUT THE GARAGE AND THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. NO BRAKES AT ALL! NO FLUID IN THE RESERVOIR SO I REFILLED IT BUT STILL NO BRAKES AT ALL. HAD CAR FLAT BEDDED TO WALSH'S GARAGE 7 MILE RD REDFORD,MI 313-532-2823 REAR BRAKE LINES WERE TOTALLY RUSTED THRU WHERE THE BRAKE LINES ARE HELD UP TO THE FRAME. LINES WERE RUSTED THRU UNDER THE BRACKET THAT IS TACKED TO THE FRAME. I DO NOT DRIVE THE CAR IN THE WINTER AND HARDLY EVER IN THE RAIN SO I CAN JUST IMAGINE WHAT THE BRAKE LINES WOULD LIKE IF I DROVE IT IN THE WINTER IN MICHIGAN?? I CONTACTED MINI USA AND THEY DID NOT SEEM TO CARE ABOUT MY BRAKE FAILURE?? THE REP STATED: " WHAT DO U WANT MINI TO DO ABOUT IT? *TR