MINI Complaints

I WAS DRIVING DOWN A SMALL CITY STREET IN MY 2003 MINI COOPER S AND WENT TO MAKE A LEFT TURN - AS SOON AS I DID, THE STEERING BECAME VERY HEAVY...AND UN-RESPONSIVE. I WAS ABLE TO THROUGH MUSCLE STRENGTH FORCE THE CAR THROUGH THE TURN BUT HAD THERE BEEN ANYONE NEXT TO ME THIS SURELY WOULD HAVE CAUSED A COLLISION AS IT WAS A VERY DIFFICULT TURN. THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE POWER STEERING WAS SUDDEN AND WAS COMPLETELY GONE. THE CAR IS NOW PARKED. *TR

THE TRANSMISSION IN MY CAR IS GOING OUT AT ONLY 53 THOUSAND MILES... EVERY TIME I GOT TO TURN OFF MY CAR THE LIGHT POPS ON SAYING THEIR IS A ISSUE WITH MY TRANSMISSION..IT ALSO TAKES ME TURNING OFF MY CAR AND BACK ON FOR IT TO GET UN STUCK OUT OF PARK.. IM GETTING FED UP AND FEAR THAT SOMETHING WORSE WILL HAPPEN WITH MY CAR WHEN MY CHILD OR HUSBAND IS IN THE CAR WITH ME.. I'VE ONLY HAD THIS CAR A YEAR AND ALREADY PUT $1200 INTO A WATERPUMP AND THERMOSTAT WITH HOUSING ... AND THAT WAS HARDSHIP ON ME. *TR

IN 2009, THE POWER STEERING WOULD INTERMITTENTLY WORK, USUALLY RESTARTING RESOLVED THE PROBLEM. INCREASINGLY WORSENED. P PULLING OUT FROM THE BUSINESS TO A RESIDENTIAL STREET, VERY BUSY AFTERNOON TRAFFIC. I HURRIEDLY TURNED RIGHT ONTO THE STREET, THEN LEFT AT THE TRAFFIC SIGNAL. WHILE MAKING THE LEFT MY POWER STEERING DECIDED TO STOP COMING TOO CLOSE TO RUNNING STRAIGHT INTO A LIGHT STANDARD ON THE OPPOSITE CORNER. HITTING THE CURB VERY HARD AND STEERING WITH NO POWER, I CORRECTED MY DIRECTION TO AVOID HITTING OTHER VEHICLES, HIT THE CURB AGAIN, FOUND THE FIRST POSSIBLE PARKING LOT AND PULLED OFF AND THANK GOD I DIDN'T HIT ANYONE. MAY 2012 NO POW STEERING WED, OCTOBER 3, 2012 @ 117K MILEAGE, BELT BROKE, BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON, OVERHEATED. MINIUSA TAKES PRIDE IN BEING RESPONSIBLE AND CARING ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS. THEIR JOVIAL, FREETHINKING, CLEAVER BANTER IS SO FALSELY REPRESENTED SINCE I CAN'T EVEN GET SOME ONE AT MINI TO TALK TO ME. NOW, I'M WAITING ON FINDING THE RIGHT REPAIR SHOP THAT WON'T COST ME MY RETIREMENT. IN 2007, I LOCKED MY GLOVE COMPARTMENT SINCE I HAD JUST PICKED UP THE $2500 ENGAGEMENT RING MY SON HAD BEEN PAYING ON SO HE COULD PROPOSE TO HIS GIRLFRIEND. WHEN I GOT HOME THE GLOVE BOX WOULDN'T COME UNLOCKED, OTHER THAN FORCING IT AND RISK BREAKING SOMETHING I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED, THE CAR, HOPING THEY MIGHT HAVE A KNOWN WAYS, SECRET SOLUTION. UNFORTUNATELY, A $80 SERVICE FEE FROM JUST DRIVING ONTO THE LOT, PLUS $350 FOR A NEW GLOVE BOX! JUST BECAUSE I LOCKED IT FOR THE FIRST TIME FOR SAFETY . NOW UNDRIVABLE, I SHUDDER A THE THOUGHT OF REPAIR BILLS FOR EVERYTHING THAT'S FAILING NOW, I AM OBVIOUSLY NOT THE ONLY ONE. NOT SO FUNNY NOW MINI COOPER! *TR

I HAD JUST BOUGHT THE CAR AND FLEW TO NEW JERSEY TO GET IT. THE MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT THE POWER STEERING WAS OUT AND HE WAS NOT SURE WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. I DROVE IT BACK TO FLORIDA AND DID NOT HAVE POWER STEERING THE WHOLE WAY. IN APRIL 2010, THE POWER STEERING CAME BACK. I CONTINUED TO HAVE POWER STEERING AND THEN IN OCTOBER 2010, IT WENT OUT AGAIN FOR TWO DAYS. THEN IT CAME BACK. THEN IN 2011, IT WENT OUT AGAIN FOR TWO DAYS DURING THE YEAR. AND NOW IT HAS BEEN OUT SINCE APRIL OF THIS YEAR. I HAD BEEN ON DISABILITY FROM JANUARY TILL JULY, SO I WAS NOT DRIVING MY CAR THAT MUCH. I HAVE NOT WORRIED ABOUT FIXING IT. ALSO, WHEN I PICKED MY CAR UP IN NJ, THEY HAD WRITTEN ON MY RECEIPT THAT THEY WOULD PAY $500 TOWARDS THE REPAIR OF MY POWER STEERING. I HAVE NOT HAD A CHANCE TO ASK MY ATTORNEY IF THAT WOULD STILL BE VALID OR NOT. BUT IT SEEMS THAT A LOT OF THE MINI'S ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. I WAS WONDERING IF MINI WILL BE RECALLING THE POWER STEERING AND I CAN HAVE MY CAR FIXED? *TR

THE FIRST PROBLEM WAS WHEN THE POWER STEERING FAILED FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES. THE VEHICLE BECAME VERY DIFFICULTY TO CONTROL, BUT EVENTUALLY THE STEERING STARTED WORKING AGAIN. IN AUGUST THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED ONLY THIS TIME FOR AN HOUR. THIS MADE THE VEHICLE ALMOST USELESS. TODAY 10/2/2012 THE POWER STEERING FAILED COMPLETELY WHILE MY WIFE WAS ON THE INTERSTATE. IT WAS PHYSICALLY TIRING TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THIS TINY CAR. THIS VEHICLE IS DANGEROUS AND WE NO LONGER FEEL COMFORTABLE DRIVING IT. *TR

COOLING FAN STOPPED WORKING ALREADY INSTALLED 3 FANS FROM TIME OF PURCHASE OF VEHICLE THIS WILL BE MY FOURTH ONE ITS HAS ISSUE WITH LOW SPEED. IT BURNS ONLY LOW SPEED ON IT TRIED TO INSTALL AFTERMARKET FAN DID NOT LAST MORE THAN A MONTH HAD TO PURCHASE FROM A DEALER NOW ANOTHER ONE THIS CAN HAS NOTHING BUT A PROBLEM WITH THIS ISSUE. *TR

AS I WAS DRIVING ON LOCAL ROAD I NOTICED A CAR DOUBLE PARKED I TRIED TO PASS THE VEHICLE WHEN I NOTICED MY STEERING WHEEL WAS STIFF IT WAS VERY HARD TO TURN IT AT ALL I ALMOST SLAMMED INTO DOUBLE PARKED CAR THAT I COULD NOT PASS AND HAD NO CONTROL OF MY VEHICLE. ITS VERY UNCOMFORTABLE TO DRIVE A VEHICLE THAT WAY SO ITS PARKED FOR NOW IF I KNEW THAT IT WOULD BE THAT DANGEROUS TO DRIVE THIS VEHICLE I WOULD NEVER BOUGHT IT. *TR

THE TIMING TENSIONER ON MY MINI COOPER S BACKED OUT, RESULTING IN A MASSIVE OIL LOSS WHILE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THIS IS APPARENTLY A KNOWN ISSUE BY MINI, BUT NO KNOWN RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED AT THIS POINT. *TR

DURING MY COMMUTE TO WORK ON 9/27/12, MY CAR COMPLETELY DIED WHILE I WAS DRIVING IN THE MIDDLE LANE OF THE FREEWAY. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO A GARAGE, WHERE IT WAS FOUND TO BE LEAKING AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF OIL. DURING INSPECTION, IT WAS ASSESSED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN "JUMPED" AND CAUSED A CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. AT THE TIME OF THIS INCIDENT THE CAR HAD 54K MILES ON IT AND THERE WERE ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING SIGNS PRIOR TO THE FAILURE (I.E. LEAKING OIL, ENGINE RATTLE, ETC...). FURTHERMORE, SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR IN FEBRUARY 2012, I HAVE PERFORMED REGULAR MAINTENANCE ON THIS CAR (NEW BRAKES, TIRES, ALIGNMENT, REGULAR SYNTHETIC OIL CHANGES) TO ENSURE IT STAYS IN GOOD DRIVING CONDITION. APPARENTLY, THIS HAS BEEN A FREQUENTLY REPORTED ISSUE WITH MINI COOPER AND THE PROBLEM COULD HAVE EASILY RESULTED IN A FATAL CAR ACCIDENT WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY! THE ESTIMATED REPAIR COST (WITH LABOR) FOR THIS FAILURE IS APPROX 10K!!! MINI SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS FAULTY CRAFTSMANSHIP. A 3 YR CAR WITH 54K MILES SHOULD ABSOLUTELY NOT NEED TO HAVE A NEW ENGINE REPLACED!!! *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THERE WAS A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER STEERING WITHOUT ANY WARNING. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE DRIVING WITH EXTREME DIFFICULTY IN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL. THE STEERING MALFUNCTION RECURRED THREE TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT AUTO SHOP WHERE THE POWER STEERING PUMP, FAN AND OTHER RELATED COMPONENTS WERE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECT. THERE WAS A CONCURRENT INVESTIGATION UNDER NHTSA ACTION NUMBER: EA11005 (STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:PUMP). THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000.