MINI Complaints

DRIVING OFF-RAMP AT 35 MPH POWER STEERING STOPPED FUNCTIONING AND STEERING BECAME REALLY HARD, LIGHTS WENT OFF, AC STOPPED WORKING, AND LOTS OF ENGINE LIGHTS CAME UP, ALMOST CRASHED WHEN TURNING A CORNER AND ENGINE STARTED FAILING.....GOT HOME AND SHUT OFF CAR, WHEN TRIED TO TURN ON AGAIN, IT FAILED TO START....... *TR

DROVE 8 MILES TO WORK. PARKED CAR AND TURNED IT OFF. SOMETHING KEPT RUNNING UNDER HOOD. I COULD HEAR IT. SOUNDED LIKE A FAN. WHEN LEFT WORK AT END OF DAY, BATTERY WAS DRAINED. HAD TO USE KEY MANUALLY TO GET INTO CAR. CAR WOULD NOT START. CALLED AAA. AAA TRIED TO JUMP START THE CAR. THE GUY GOT IT STARTED, BUT THEN IT SHUT DOWN WHILE HE STILL HAD THE JUMPER CABLES ON IT. HE SAID THAT WASN'T GOOD AND CAR WAS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE, EVEN IF IT COULD BE STARTED. CAR WAS TOWED TO MY HOME. AND THE NEXT DAY CAR WAS TOWED TO MINI DEALERSHIP. MINI SERVICE DIAGNOSED AND FOUND THAT THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM WAS THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP HAD SHORTED OUT. MINI SERVICE REPLACED THE POWER STEERING PUMP AT A TOTAL COST TO ME OF $1,162.77. *TR

POWER STEERING PUMP IS BEGINNING TO FAIL. FROM REPORTS I HAVE READ I AM WORRIED THAT THE CAR WILL CATCH ON FIRE AND IN TURN CATCH MY HOUSE ON FIRE. *TR

POWER STEERING FAILED AT FREEWAY SPEED. DRIVER NARROWLY ESCAPED ACCIDENT AT FREEWAY SPEED. POWER STEERING PUMP TOTAL FAILURE. SOMEONE WILL DIE UNLESS THIS ISSUE IS ADDRESSED. *TR

MY PASSENGER SIDE SEAT, WHICH HAS A WEIGHT-SENSOR TO DETERMINE AIR-BAG OPERATION (ON/OFF, FULL FORCE, PARTIAL FORCE) IS FAULTY, AND WITH A 110 LB PERSON SEATED IN THERE, THE SENSOR STILL BELIEVES THE PERSON WEIGHS BELOW 25 LBS, AND AS SUCH, DISABLES THE AIRBAG. THIS IS CONCERNING TO ME AS I DRIVE WITH A PASSENGER MUCH OF THE TIME, AND MOST OF THE TIME THE AIRBAG IS DISABLED. THIS SEEMS LIKE A SAFETY-RECALL ISSUE TO ME. I HAVE ALSO DONE MUCH RESEARCH THROUGH THE VEHICLE MAKE FORUMS SCATTERED THROUGH THE INTERNET AND FOUND THAT THIS ISSUE EXISTS ON MANY OTHER VEHICLES OF THE SAME GENERATION. THANK YOU. *TR

TURBO CHARGER OIL FEED LINE - VERY POOR DESIGN CRIMPED TUBE WITH AN O-RING SEAL FAILED IN VERY HOT ENVIRONMENT AND CAUSED LARGE OIL LEAK ONTO HOT CATALYTIC CONVERTER. STOPPED CAR BEFORE FIRE STARTED. DEALER WANTED $1,300 TO INSTALL A NEW $50 OIL LINE OF THE SAME POOR DESIGN. EVERY SINGLE 2007+ MINI COOPER S HAS A SIMILAR OIL LINE - THEY ARE ALL FAILING AT FAIRLY LOW MILEAGE - NO EXCEPTIONS. MINI SHOULD REDESIGN THIS PART AND ISSUE SAFETY RECALL AND RE-IMBURSE THOSE THAT ALREADY PAID TO REPAIR OIL LINE. *TR

WAS DRIVING ALONG THE ROAD AND CAME UP ON A TURN WHEN THE STEERING LOCKED UP. PUT ALL OF MY WEIGHT INTO THE STEERING WHEEL TO KEEP FROM JUMPING THE MEDIAN. SCARED THE LIFE OUT OF ME. IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER TO FIGURE OUT WHAT HAPPENED. TURNED THE CAR OFF, THEN BACK ON AND IT SEEMED FINE. THEN GETTING ON THE FREEWAY, I WAS ON THE CLOVER-LEAF AND IT LOCKED UP AGAIN SO I PUT ALL OF MY WEIGHT INTO IT AGAIN, THEN IT SUDDENLY RELEASED. WITH THE SUDDEN JERK/MOVEMENT (AND IT HAS DONE THIS A FEW TIMES) SOMEDAY I KNOW IT WILL CAUSE THE CAR TO FLIP. THE POWER STEERING SEEMS TO WORK IN PHASES: IT WILL BE FINE FOR A COUPLE DAYS, THEN ITS INTERMITTENT/GONE FOR A WEEK OR 2. THE PAST FEW DAYS, IT HAS SOUNDED LIKE THE ENGINE FAN WAS ENGAGED EVEN THOUGH I HAD NOT BEEN FOR A STRENUOUS DRIVE. I THINK IT WAS ACTUALLY THE PUMP NOT TURNING OFF WHEN THE CAR WAS TURNED OFF. THIS MORNING I GOT TO MY CAR TO FIND THE BATTERY COMPLETELY DRAINED... AN APPARENT SHORT IN THE POWER STEERING PUMP (AND/OR FAN) KILLED IT. *TR

MY CAR HAD BEEN MAKING A RATTLING SOUND OFF AND ON FOR A SHORT TIME (MOSTLY IN THE COLD MORNINGS) I DROVE FROM HOUSTON TO DALLAS. WHEN PARKED ON THE SIDE ROAD, MY CAR WOULD NOT START UP. I HAD NO SERVICE LIGHT OR ANY OTHER LIGHTS COME ON. TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND I WAS TOLD MY TIMING BELT WAS BROKEN. I HAVE NO MEANS TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR. WHILE SEARCHING THE INTERNET IT APPEARS THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM AND MINI COOPER/BMW ARE AWARE OF THIS AND HAVE DONE NOTHING ABOUT IT. *TR

THE CAR STARTED LEAKING SMALL AMOUNTS OF OIL IN THE GARAGE, APPROXIMATELY THE SIZE OF A DIME. WHEN THE CAR WAS PARKED YOU COULD SMELL A SLIGHT OIL BURNING ODOR. THE CAR SAT FOR 3 DAYS, WAS DRIVEN AND SMOKE BEGAN COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THERE WAS NO FIRE. THE RESULT IS THAT THE "TURBO OIL FEED LINE" AND "CRANKCASE TO VALVE COVER HOSE" WERE REPLACED BECAUSE BOTH WERE LEAKING OIL. AT 50700 MI, WE HAD TO REPLACE THE VALVE COVER AND CCV ASSEMBLY. THIS CAR WAS REPAIRED UNDER THE RECALL PE11036 FOR A COOLING FAN ISSUE. CONSIDERING THE LOW MILEAGE ON THIS VEHICLE, IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THERE HAVE BEEN TOO MANY ISSUES WITH IT RELATED TO THE TURBO CHARGER AND OIL SYSTEM. FROM READING OTHER ISSUES ONLINE IT APPEARS THAT THERE ARE DESIGN FLAWS WITH THE SHIELDING OF THESE COMPONENTS FROM HIGH HEAT SOURCES ON THE ENGINE. THESE REPAIRS ARE VERY EXPENSIVE AND ARE NOT RELATED TO POOR OR ABUSIVE DRIVING HABITS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO EXIT A PARKING LOT, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THERE WAS AN INVESTIGATION UNDER NHTSA ACTION NUMBER: EA11005 (STEERING) THAT COULD HAVE BEEN RELATED TO THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 67,000.