MINI Complaints

THE VEHICLE'S POWER STEERING FAILED WITHOUT WARNING WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. THIS CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO BE VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER. THE CAR IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO DRIVE. *KB

ELECTRIC POWER STEERING PUMP WENT OUT WITHOUT ANY WARNING. I NOTICED IT WHEN I WAS GOING AROUND A BEND AND THE STEERING EFFORT HAD GREATLY INCREASED. IF I HAD TO MAKE A EMERGENCY MANEUVER, I PROBABLY WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO COMPLETE IT SUCCESSFULLY. *KB

PASSENGER AIR BAG LIGHT READS "OFF" AND CENTER CONSOLE ALERT IS LIT. GETTING VARIOUS DIAGNOSES FROM SHOPS, BUT NO ONE REALLY KNOWS HOW TO FIX THE PROBLEM. NO ONE WILL DEFINITIVELY SAY, "YES, YOUR PASSENGER AIRBAG IS OFF" OR "ON." THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH MINIS AND THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL. *TR

I WAS DRIVING AROUND AND I BEGAN LOOSING POWER TO MY CAR, SO I STOPPED AND THEN I COULDN'T GET IT STARTED AGAIN. I WAS IN THE PROCESS OF CALLING A TOW COMPANY WHEN I POPPED THE HOOD AND WHEN I LIFTED IT UP I COULD SMELL GASOLINE AND NOTICED A CLOUD OF FUMES SO I BACKED UP AND IT CAUGHT FIRE SO I CALLED 911 AND NOW MY CARS VIRTUALLY GONE. I COME ACROSS SOME MINI COOPER OWNERS CLUB FORUM AND ITS APPARENTLY HAPPENED TO OTHER PEOPLE AND ALSO ON YOUTUBE. OR IT SEEMS LIKE IT WAS THE SAME THING SINCE THEY CAUGHT FIRE IN THE ENGINE FIRST TOO. I CALLED MINI AND THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE ME TOW IT THERE SO THEY CAN DIAGNOSE IT TO DETERMINE WHAT HAPPENED. *TR

ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS AT VARIOUS SPEEDS AND AT RANDOM TIMES, THE POWER STEERING ON MY 2005 MINI COOPER S WILL STOP WORKING. AFTER RESEARCHING THE ISSUE, THIS APPEARS TO BE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM THAT PLAGUES ALMOST EVERY MINI SOLD SINCE 2002. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO REFERENCE NHTSA ACTION NUMBER :EA11005, AS IT APPLIES TO MY PARTICULAR ISSUE. *TR

DRIVING TO WORK AND TRIED TO MAKE A RIGHT HAND TURN. THE POWER STEERING FAILED MAKING THE WHEEL VERY HARD TO TURN. I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE AND SHUT THE CAR OFF, AND WHEN I RESTARTED IT, THE POWER STEERING WORKED AGAIN. IT DOES THIS INTERMEDIATELY A FEW TIMES A WEEK SINCE THEN... MINI SAYS ITS AN INTERNAL FAULT IN THE POWER STEERING PUMP. *TR

CAR DRIVEN TWO MILES TO MARKET AND RETURNED HOME TO HIGH RISE CONDO. PARKED IN GARAGE OF HIGH RISE. NO PROBLEMS NOTED DURING DRIVE, PARKING OR LOCKING. WITHIN 4-6 MINUTES, ANOTHER RESIDENT IN THE GARAGE REPORTED A CAR ON FIRE, HOOD/ENGINE AREA TO THE MANAGEMENT OFFICE. A 911 CALL SENT OUT, TOOK FIRE DEPARTMENT ~ 1 1/2 HOURS TO EXTINGUISH THE BLAZE. CAR HAS NO HISTORY OF ANY PROBLEMS. CAR IN FOR TIRE ROTATION, OIL CHANGE, GAS GAUGE FLOAT REPLACEMENT AND XM RADIO ANTENNA CHECK SIX WEEKS EARLIER. NEVER ANY PROBLEMS MECHANICALLY OR ELECTRICALLY. HAD MANUAL TRANSMISSION. NO INDICATION OF ANY PROBLEMS EVER NOTED. I WAS IN TOTAL DISBELIEF WHEN TOLD MY CAR HAD BURNED. SAW ALL THE FIRE EQUIPMENT FROM MY UNIT AND HAD NO IDEA IT WAS MY CAR, HAD JUST BEEN IN IT, AND PARKED IT AS I ALWAYS DO. MY INSURANCE COMPANY ADJUSTER AND MINI DEALERSHIP ALL SAID THERE WERE NO KNOW REPORTED FIRES STARTING SPONTANEOUSLY. FIRE AND POLICE DID NOT KNOW OF ANY MINI FIRES REPORTED. JUST PURCHASED ANOTHER, AM NOW CONCERNED. CAR WAS 23 MONTHS OLD AND HAD 26,000 MILES. MY CAR WAS A JOY TO DRIVE AND ALWAYS RELIABLE. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE MY EXPERIENCE. HOPE IT WILL HELP IN SOLVING, WHAT NOW APPEARS TO BE A PROBLEM. *TR

ABOUT 2 MONTHS AGO THE STEERING STARTED GETTING HARD TO STEER AS IF THE POWER STEERING WAS BROKEN. TOOK IT TO THE MECHANIC AND HE COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. IT WAS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. ON 9/26/11 THE STEERING BECAME HARD TO STEER ALL OF THE TIME AND MY WIFE ALMOST GOT INTO A COLLISION WHEN SHE FOUND IT VERY HARD TO STEER. TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC AND HE DISCOVERED THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP HAD FAILED. IN ADDITION, HE TOLD ME THAT THERE HAS BEEN NUMEROUS REPORTS OF POWER STEERING UNIT FAILURE WITH MY 2005 MINI COOPER. I CALLED MY LOCAL MINI COOPER DEALER AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO RECALL AT ALL IN REGARDS TO THE POWER STEERING UNIT. SINCE MY WIFE AND I HAVE TO DRIVE THE CAR, I HAD THE POWER STEERING PUMP REPAIRED AT A COST OF $1055.00. *TR

PASSENGER SEAT AIR BAG SENSOR MALFUNCTION. SENSOR DOESN'T WORK THEREFORE CAUSING THE PASSENGER AIR BAG TO BE DISENGAGED. THIS IS A NONE PROBLEM AND WELL DOCUMENTED WITH THIS YEAR, HOWEVER, MINI DOESN'T HAVE A RECALL. THE ONLY RECALL IS FOR AFTER THIS YEAR MODEL. *TR

HEARD OF POWERSTEERING ISSUE BUT STILL PURCHASED CAR. DRIVING TO WORK SMELLED BURNING AND LOST POWERSTEERING, IF THIS HAPPENS TO A WOMAN DRIVING AROUND A ROTARY AND KILLS SOMEONE WILL YOU WAIT FOR 50 PEOPLE TO GET KILLED BEFORE SOMETHING IS DONE. THIS IS COMPLETE INADEQUATE RESEARCH ON YOUR PART FORD RECALLS DUE TO ELECTRICALSHORT OF THE IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE AND CRUISE CONTROL CUT PRESSURE SWITCH HAD TO BURN DOWN HOUSES WHEN THEY HAD THE CRUISE CONTROL ISSUE WHICH NO RECALL TILL MONTHS AFTER THEY KNEW IT WAS A FAULT. BY THE WAY I AM A MECHANIC ASE CERTIFIED OWN A SHOP IN WAKEFIELD [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR