MINI Complaints

INTERMITTENT LOSS OF POWER STEERING, USUALLY WHEN MAKING A TURN - EXTREMELY DANGEROUS IN MIDDLE OF INTERSECTION - HAVE ALMOST HAD TWO ACCIDENTS WHEN STEERING WENT OUT. IT BECAME PROGRESSIVELY WORSE AND AS OF MAY, 2011 THE POWER STEERING WAS COMPLETELY "OUT" - HOWEVER AS OF AUGUST 22, 2011 IT RETURNED TO FULL WORKING ORDER - AND LASTED FOR APPROX. 9 DAYS AND THEN STARTED TO POP IN AND OUT INTERMITTENTLY AFTER STARTING AND TURNING OFF THE VEHICLE. AS OF APPROX. SEPT. 8, 2011 THE POWER STEERING IS COMPLETELY OUT. *TR

POWER STEERING UNIT ON MY 2003 MINI COOPER S STARTED TO OPERATE INTERMITTENTLY MAKING IT VERY DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN LANE CONTROL. WITHOUT POWER STEERING I WOULD GRIP HARD AND BARELY MAKE IT THROUGH A TURN, THEN THE POWER STEERING WOULD OPERATE CAUSING ME TO OVERSTEER INTO THE ADJACENT LANES OR ONCOMING TRAFFIC. I'VE BEEN DRIVING CARS, TRUCKS AND MOTORCYCLES FOR OVER 40 YRS AND HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED A DRIVING SITUATION AS DANGEROUS AS THIS. I WILL NO LONGER ALLOW MY DAUGHTERS TO DRIVE THIS CAR UNTIL I FEEL CONFIDENT THE PROBLEM IS RESOLVED. *TR

I ALMOST HAD A TIMING CHAIN/TENSIONER FAILURE. TOOK MY '07 MCS INTO THE MINI DEALER FOR ITS 4 YEAR SERVICE. THEY FOUND THAT THE 'TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER IS WEAK AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED' OR 'TENSIONER WORN AND CAUSING EXCESSIVE CHAIN SLACK AND CHAIN NOISE'. I BOUGHT MY MINI NEW, IT NOW HAS 35464 MILES AND THIS SHOULD FALL INTO THE CATEGORY AS 'UNUSUAL'. THIS SHOULD NOT BE A PART THAT WEARS OUT OR SUFFERS FAILURE WITH SO FEW MILES. AS I CHECKED OUT THIS FAILURE ON THE WEB I QUICKLY FOUND OUT THAT THIS IS NOT UNUSUAL BUT IS HAPPENING QUITE FREQUENTLY. I MISSED THIS BEING COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY BY 2 WEEKS. MY LOSE? MAYBE; MAYBE NOT, AT LEAST I DID NOT DESTROY THE ENGINE. ACCORDING TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT PAPERWORK THEY REPLACED THE CHAIN TENSIONER WITH AN UPDATED 551 TENSIONER, P/N: 11 31 7 607 551, @ $26.21 ($146 FOR INSTALLATION). IT APPEARS THAT MINI/BMW KNOWS ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND REDESIGNED THE PART TO PREVENT PROBLEMS IN THE FUTURE, HOPEFULLY. IF THIS IS TRUE WHY DON'T THEY RECALL THE CARS AND JUST TAKE CARE OF IT. HAD I HAD THE BAD LUCK OF DESTROYING THE ENGINE MY OPINION ON ALL THEIR PRODUCTS WOULD HAVE DRASTICALLY CHANGED. I ALSO OWN A '11 BMW 335XI. *TR

BOUGHT MY DREAM CAR, AN '05 MINI COOPER S MONDAY, LABOR DAY, AND IMMEDIATELY STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE STEERING RANDOMLY CUTTING IN AND OUT. NOT AWESOME! EACH TIME, TURNING THE CAR OFF AND THEN BACK ON HAS RESOLVED THE ISSUE, HOWEVER IT WOULD SEEM THAT IT SHOULDN'T BE HAPPENING, LIKE, AT ALL, LET ALONG HAVING TO 'CYCLE' THE ENGINE EACH TIME. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 MINI COOPER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE TRANSMISSION FAILED TO RESPOND. THE VEHICLE WAS MANEUVERED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE CONTACT SHIFTED THE GEAR SELECTOR INTO PARK HOWEVER, THE GEAR WOULD NOT REMAIN SECURE AND THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS ENGAGED TO PREVENT THE VEHICLE FROM ROLLING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR REPAIRS. IN ADDITION, THE OIL PUMP GASKET AND MAP THERMOSTAT WERE REPLACED PRIOR TO THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,504. UPDATED 10/12/11*LJ UPDATED 3/30/12 *CN

POWER STEERING TURNS ON AND OFF WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT DURING TURNS OR DRIVNG ON A STRAIGHT HIGHWAY. *TR

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE LAST THURSDAY AND UPON EXITING THE POWER STEERING WENT. I WAS TERRIFIED. I AM JUST LUCKY I HAVE A STRAIGHT EXIT FROM THE INTERSTATE; IF THERE HAD BEEN A CURVE I WOULD HAVE BEEN INTO THE WALL OR OFF THE ROAD. MY PERSONAL FEELING IS THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL FOR THE POWER STEERING PUMP AS FAILURE CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS. WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR, SOMEONE TO BE KILLED? I LIMPED MY MINI TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD IT WILL COST $1257.00 TO REPLACE THE POWER STEERING PUMP AND FAN. I AM NOW UNABLE TO DRIVE MY MINI AS IT IS UNSAFE. *TR

POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURE, DRAINED BATTERY DUE TO POWER STEERING FAN CONTINUING TO RUN AFTER VEHICLE IS TURNED OFF. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MINI COPPER S CONVERTIBLE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH THE VEHICLE DECELERATED AND THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE OVERHEATED AND STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACTS HOME. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 51,000.

THE HEATER CORE IS PLACED NEXT TO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IN THE FOOT WELL. THE CAR DESIGN HAS THE HEATER CORE ON ALL THE TIME. THE ONLY INSULATION BETWEEN THE HEATER CORE AND THE FOOT ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS A PLASTIC COVER WHICH BECOMES TOO HOT TO TOUCH. *TR