MINI Complaints

THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN APPROXIMATELY 1 MILE, THEN STOPPED AT A GAS STATION TO ADD AIR TO A LOW TIRE. WHILE THE CAR WAS IDLING, WHITE SMOKE CAME FROM THE ENGINE, FOLLOWED BY DARK SMOKE. WHEN THE HOOD WAS OPENED, WE SAW A SMALL FLAME COMING FROM INSIDE THE FRONT OF THE ENGINE. WE RAN TO GET A FIRE EXTINGUISHER FROM THE GAS STATION ATTENDANT; BY THE TIME WE RETURNED, FLAMES WERE VISIBLY SHOOTING UP OUT OF THE ENGINE. WE WERE ABLE TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE WITH A HAND-HELD FIRE EXTINGUISHER. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS NOT CALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE NEAREST MINI DEALER. THE SERVICE ATTENDANT DECLARED THAT HE HAD NO EXPERIENCE WITH ANY ENGINE FIRES IN HIS TENURE WITH MINI. AFTER AN INVESTIGATION (PICTURES TAKEN BY SERVICE AND EMAILED TO MINI CORPORATE), THE AUXILIARY WATER PUMP WAS FOUND TO BE THE SOURCE. IT WAS REPLACED, ALONG WITH A NUMBER OF CONNECTORS AND HOSES, AND THE ENGINE WAS CLEANED OF FIRE EXTINGUISHER POWDER. WHEN I ASKED SEVERAL TIMES ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, THE ONLY ANSWER I RECEIVED WAS THAT THIS STAFFER HAD NEVER HEARD OF A CAR FIRE LIKE THIS IN HIS TIME (3 YEARS) AT MINI.

AFTER STOPPING AT A RED LIGHT, WHEN I ACCELERATED TO MAKE A LEFT TURN, LOST POWER STEERING. DROVE TO WORK NEXT DAY WITH NO POWER STEERING, BUT ON THE WAY HOME, IT CAME BACK ON. HOWEVER, WHEN I TURN OFF THE ENGINE, THE ELECTRIC MOTOR KEPT ON RUNNING. HAD TO DISCONNECT BATTERY TO KEEP IT FROM DRAINING AND/OR CAUSE A FIRE. *TT

POWER ASSISTED STEERING WILL CEASE WORKING WHILE DRIVING, MAKING THE CAR VERY, VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER/CONTROL. THIS PROBLEM IS CURRENTLY INTERMITTENT, BUT WHEN IT DOES HAPPEN IT IS VERY SCARY. *TT

I BOUGHT A 2002 MINI COOPER S ALMOST A MONTH AGO AND LOST THE POWER TO STEER MY CAR IN A TURN AT ALMOST 50 MPH. IF TOYOTA WOULD HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM I'M SURE SOME ONE WOULD BE IN JAIL OR MAYBE YOU WOULD HERE IT ON THE NEWS. THIS IS MY THIRD MINI IN 6 YEARS AND I NEVER HEARD A PEEP ABOUT THIS SCAREY PROBLEM. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK ARE GOVERNMENT FOR MAKING THE ROADS SO SAFE. AT LEAST THEY ARE TAKING THE EFFORT TO STOP THOSE PESKY KIDS AND THERE TEXTING. THANKS AGAIN! *TT

DRIVING OFF A PARKING LOT ABOUT TO MAKE A LEFT ONTO TRAFFIC, CAR SUDDENLY LOST POWER STEERING, TRY TO CORRECT DIRECTION BUT WEIGHT TONS TO STEER INTO RIGHT DIRECTION AND RUNS STRAIGHT INTO TRAFFIC. *TR

SHORTLY AFTER THE TEMPERATURE LIGHT CAME ON, SMOKE STARTED COMING OUT OF THE EXHAUST. I PULLED OVER ALMOST IMMEDIATELY ON THE SIDE OF THE BUSY HIGHWAY I WAS ON. HOWEVER, IN JUST THAT SHORT TIME, SMOKE WAS ALREADY COMING OUT OF THE FRONT OF THE CAR AND OUT OF THE CAR VENTS. AT LEAST ONE BYSTANDER SAID HE SAW A FIRE BEFORE I SHUT OFF THE ENGINE. HE CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND PARAMEDICS FOR FEAR THAT I MIGHT BE INJURED. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS WAS NOT A MINI COOPER S. I AM REQUESTING THAT YOU EXPAND YOUR CURRENT INVESTIGATION OF MINI ENGINE FIRES TO INCLUDE THE STANDARD MODEL (MINI COOPER). *TR

MY WIFE NOTICED AN UNUSUAL ELECTRICAL HUMMING NOISE THAT RAPIDLY BECAME PROGRESSIVELY LOUDER COMING FROM SOMEWHERE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WHEN THE CAR WAS RUNNING. VERY QUICKLY IT BECAME HARDER AND HARDER TO STEER UNTIL IT FELT LIKE THERE WAS NO ASSISTED STEERING AT ALL. SHE HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO DRIVE IT SINCE. RECENTLY WENT TO A MINI DEALERSHIP TO HAVE IT CHECKED OUT WITH THE RESULT THAT THEY SAID THE PUMP DID INDEED FAIL. NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED AS OF YET, EVEN THOUGH THIS SEEMS TO BE A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM. *TR

STRANGE ENGINE KNOCKING/RUBBING NOISE COME FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. IT APPEARED TO BE THE TIMING CHAIN FAILURE. THE CAR WAS BOUGHT TO THE DEALER TWICE FIRST TIME THEY REPLACED THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER AND THIS TIME THEY REPLACE THE TIMING CHAIN. *TR

I WAS EXITING THE FREEWAY WHEN MY BATTERY INDICATOR LIGHT WENT ON; I LOST POWER STEERING AND SAW A LARGE AMOUNT OF SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THE MINI DEALERSHIP HAS DETERMINED THAT THE POWER STEERING MODULE FAILED, AND SUBSEQUENTLY BURNED THE WIRING HARNESS. THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL REPORTS OF FAULTY MANUFACTURING IN REGARD TO THIS PART FROM BBC IN UK, AS WELL AS ON MANY FORUMS, IN PARTICULAR NORTH AMERICAN MOTORING. *TR

POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED WITHOUT WARNING WHILE I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF A LEFT HAND TURN. THE CAR'S STEERING SUDDENLY BECAME SO HEAVY THAT I ALMOST DROVE INTO SOMEBODY'S YARD. SINCE THE ROAD WAS A 3 MILE STRAIGHT SHOT TO MY HOME, I DROVE IT THE REST OF THE WAY. THE PROBLEM SEEMED TO COME AND GO TO VARYING DEGREES OVER THAT DISTANCE. I WILL NOT BE DRIVING IT AGAIN UNTIL REPAIRED. *TR