MINI Complaints

LOST POWER STEERING WHEN DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY. FEELS LIKE THE STEERING LOCKS UP BUT CAN STILL STEER WHEN USING A LOT OF STRENGTH. SINCE FIRST INCIDENT, THIS HAS HAPPENED AGAIN SEVERAL TIMES. USUALLY AFTER DRIVING FOR ABOUT FIVE MINUTES. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 MINI COOPER S. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR BEGAN TO ILLUMINATE AS A LOUD RATTLING NOISE EMITTING FROM THE ENGINE AREA. THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED AND FAILED TO RESTART. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHO WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM OR DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF FAILURE. THE MALFUNCTION CONTINUED TO OCCUR. MOST RECENTLY THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT AUTO SHOP AND THEY STATED THE ENGINE TIMING TENSIONER AND THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE TECHNICIAN ADVISED THE VEHICLE BE TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR REPAIR. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 36,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

POWER ASSIST FOR STEERING FAILED COMPLETELY WHILE DRIVING NORMALLY. SUBSEQUENT BRIEF (< 1 MINUTE) FUNCTION AFTER RESTARTING ENGINE ALSO ENDS UP IN FAILURE. BEHAVIOR IS CONSISTENT WITH FAILURE THAT CAUSED CANADA TO ISSUE RECALL FOR SAME MODEL VEHICLE FOR SAME ISSUE (TRANSPORT CANADA RECALL # 2003055). *TR

MY MINI WAS PARKED FOR ABOUT 2 HOURS. WHEN I WENT TO LEAVE IN IT, I COULD NOT STEER IT. THE POWER STEERING WAS COMPLETELY UNRESPONSIVE. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE IT HOME (ABOUT 5 MILES) BUT IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER AND UNSAFE TO DRIVE. *TR

BOTH AIRBAG WARNIG LIGHTS COME ON WHEN SOMEONE SITS IN FRONT PASS SEAT. WHEN THE "PASSENGER AIRBAG STATUS LAMP" IS ON THAT MEANS NO ONE IS IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. IF SOMEONE IS SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT SEAT WHILE IT'S ON AND THERE IS AN ACCIDENT THE AIRBAG MIGHT NOT DEPLOY B/C THE CAR THINKS SOMEONE ISN'T IN THE SEAT. *JS

PASSENGER AIR BAG SENSOR IS DEFECTIVE. THE PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF LIGHT, ILLUMINATES 3-4 SECONDS AFTER ENGINE START, ALONG WITH THE RED AIR BAG FAILURE LIGHT, ON THE MAIN SPEEDOMETER. THIS OCCURS, WHETHER THERE IS A PASSENGER IN THE SEAT, OR NOT, DUE TO THIS SAFETY DEFECT. MINI COOPER DEALERS, DENY THIS IS A PROBLEM, HOWEVER, I HAVE FOUND OVER 40 OTHER COMPLAINTS REGISTERED ON THIS EXACT DEFECT !!! MAJOR REPAIR COST FROM THE DEALER, TO CHANGE THE WHOLE BOTTOM SEAT CUSHION ASSEMBLY, WHICH INCLUDES THE DEFECTIVE AIR BAG SENSOR, THAT SEPARATES FROM THE SEAT CUSHION, AFTER A SHORT TIME! *JS

WHILE DRIVING MY 2005 MINI COOPER ON TUESDAY, THE STEERING FELT ODD. WHEN I WENT TO DRIVE THE CAR THE FOLLOWING DAY THERE WAS NO POWER STEERING. I FELT I DIDN'T HAVE CONTROL. WHEN MAKING A TURN I HAD TO PHYSICALLY TURN THE STEERING WHEEL TO GET THE CAR TO STRAIGHTEN OUT. IT WAS FRIGHTENING. I TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC WHO INFORMED THAT THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN REPORTED TO HIM BY OTHER MINI OWNERS. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION I FOUND ALOT OF INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET FROM OTHER 2005 MINI COOPER OWNERS. I HAVE MADE AN APPOINTMENT TO HAVE THE SITUATION CHECKED OUT AT MY MINI DEALER IN FREEPORT,NY. ON MONDAY. WHEN INFORMING THEM ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND WHAT MY MECHANIC AND THE INTERNET HAVE STATED, I WAS TOLD THEY WERE NOT AWARE OF SUCH PROBLEMS AND THAT IT WOULD COST ME $130 JUST TO GET A DIAGNOSIS FROM THEM. I THEN CALLED MINI USA TO REPORT IT TO THEM AND I WAS TOLD THAT THEY ARE AWARE OF SUCH PROBLEMS AND THAT I SHOULD CALL THEM FROM THE MINI DEALER AFTER THE DIAGNOSIS IS PERFORMED AND THEY WILL LET ME KNOW IF THEY CAN HELP ME. *JS

THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG STARTED HAVING INTERMITTENT FAILURES STARTING ABOUT 55,000 MILES AND LITTLE OVER THREE YEARS, SEVEN MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE. FULL FAILURE OCCURRED AT 80,000. THE SEAT WAS NOT COMMONLY USED. THE CAR IS USED PRIMARILY TO COMMUTE TO AND FROM WORK BY ONE PERSON. *JS

AT RANDOM TIMES, THE POWER STEERING FAILS, MOSTLY AT START-UP, BUT SOMETIMES WHILE DRIVING THE CAR. I ALWAYS NEED TO TURN OFF THE IGNITION, AND RESTART THE CAR, WHICH SEEMS TO TEMPORARILY RE-ENGAGE THE POWER ASSIST STEERING.

AIR BAG SENSOR LIGHTS REMAIN ILLUMINATED WHEN IGNITION IS POWERED. SEAT CAN BE EITHER OCCUPIED OR UNOCCUPIED. INITIAL PROBLEM INTERMITTENT, WITHIN 1 MONTH PROBLEM CONSTANT, BOTH AIRBAG LIGHTS REMAIN ON. THERE ARE (2) AIRBAG LIGHTS IN THIS VEHICLE, ONE RED LAMP THAT IS IN THE DASH, THE SECOND A YELLOW LAMP LOCATED NEAR THE INSIDE CENTER REAR VIEW MIRROR. FEEDBACK APPEARS THAT THE ISSUE IS THE AIRBAG SENSOR LOCATED IN THE PASSENGER SEAT BOTTOM AFTER STUDYING SEVERAL SIMILAR COMPLAINTS COMMENTED ON A MINI OWNERS WEBSITE. THIS IS ALSO A KNOWN PROBLEM OCCURRING ON BMW VEHICLES THAT IS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. *JS