MINI Complaints

SUDDEN LOSS OF STEERING DUE TO THE FAILURE OF THE POWER STEERING PUMP WHEN EXITING HIGHWAY. FORTUNATELY, I HAD ENOUGH STRENGTH TO STAY WITHIN THE CURVE OF THE OFF RAMP WHILE BRAKING TO A STOP. MY WIFE WOULD NOT HAVE HAD THE STRENGTH TO KEEP THE AUTO FROM GOING OFF THE RAMP.

POWER STEERING FAILED WHILE GOING DOWN A MULTI-STORY PARKING LOT. VERY SCARY. CAR CORRECTED ITSELF. LATER THAT DAY IT HAPPENED AGAIN. CALLED MY MECHANIC (A MINI MECHANIC) AND WAS TOLD THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME WITH 2002-2005 MINI COOPERS. WILL NEED TO REPLACE PUMP AND FAN WHICH WILL COST ME $1200 INC. LABOR. THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT MINI USA IS VERY AWARE OF. THEY RELEASED A CAR WITH KNOWN PROBLEMS (INC. CVT TRANSMISSION ISSUES) HOW CAN THEY DO THIS? SO FAR O ONE HAS BEEN KILLED (THAT WE KNOW OF) BUT I KNOW IT WILL HAPPEN ONE DAY. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS ISSUE. *TR

WHILE LEAVING A SHOPPING CENTER MY POWER STEERING FAILED. I WAS ABOUT 15 MILES FROM HOME AND I VERY CAUTIOUSLY PROCEEDED HOME. WHAT CONCERNS ME IS THERE IS EXTENSIVE EVIDENCE THAT THIS IS A RECURRING PROBLEM WITH THE 2003-2006 MINI COOPER. SOME HAVE NARROWLY ESCAPED INJURY. *TR

POWER STEERING COOLING FAN FAILED. POWER STEERING PUMP GOT VERY HOT AND ALL THE FLUID BOILED AWAY. PUMP DID NOT FAIL BUT IS PROBABLY DAMAGED AND FAILURE CAN BE EXPECTED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH THE POWER STEERING WAS LOST AND THE WHEEL WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO TURN. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THEY INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 49,387. I STOPPED AT THE RED LIGHT IN THE RIGHT LANE. I THEN ACCELERATED TO MAKE THE RIGHT TURN AND THE CAR WOULD NOT TURN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET. THEN IT BARELY LET ME TURN IT TO DRIVE, AND PULL OVER. THE TOW TRUCK CAME AND TOOK IT TO MINI DEALER. IT COST 2240.00 TO FIX. THEY SAID IT WAS THE STEERING SYSTEM FAILURE. UPDATED 10/07/2011 *LN *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON I-65 AT 62 MPH. RIGHT AS I APPROACHED THE ON RAMP TO I-265, THE POWER STEERING FAILED. I ALMOST DID NOT GET THE WHEEL TURNED IN TIME TO MAKE THE CURVE. I HAD NO WARNING. *TR

2005 MINI COOPER WARNING LIGHTS INDICATED THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG TURNED OFF WHILE AN ADULT PASSENGER WAS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. ISSUE STARTED DURING A COLD NY WINTER AFTER 5 YRS OF FAULT FREE OPERATION. NORMALLY THE PASSENGER SEAT WILL SENSE THE WEIGHT OF A PASSENGER AND AUTOMATICALLY ADJUST THE FORCE OF A DEPLOYING AIRBAG. DEALER REPORTED FAULTY SEAT MAT SENSOR WITH A REPLACEMENT COST OF $1300 WHICH IS NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY. AFTER EXTENSIVE INTERNET SEARCH FOR SIMILAR PROBLEMS, THESE SENSOR MATS FAIL AT A REGULAR RATE, AND ARE NOT COVERED BY ANY RECALL. DUE TO THE HIGH COST AND REPEATED FAILURE THESE REPAIRS ARE NOT BEING PERFORMED. *TR

SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, THE POWER STEERING FAILED ON MY 2003 MINI COOPER AT THE BEGINNING OF A 40 MINUTE DRIVE HOME. THE NEXT DAY, ALL WAS FINE AND CONTINUED TO BE SO UNTIL THIS AFTERNOON. BRIEFLY THIS AFTERNOON, THE POWER STEERING FAILED AGAIN, BUT RETURNED WHEN THE CAR WAS SHUT OFF AND TURNED BACK ON. HOWEVER, ONCE THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF AGAIN, THE FAN IN THE POWER STEERING COLUMN CONTINUED TO RUN FOR AT LEAST 2 HOURS. THE CAR STARTED AND DROVE FINE, AND AGAIN UPON RETURNING HOME, THE FAN CONTINUED TO RUN. WHEN THE CAR WAS TURNED BACK ON, THE POWER STEERING AGAIN DID NOT WORK, AND NOW THE FAN IS NOT RUNNING. I HAVE READ MESSAGE BOARDS DETAILING ALMOST THE SAME PHENOMENON AND DESCRIBING UPWARDS OF $1000 TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. THE MINI WAS JUST IN FOR IT'S 100,000 MILE SERVICE THREE WEEKS AGO AT THE COST OF $1700 AND NO MENTION WAS MADE OF ANY ISSUE WITH THE POWER STEERING. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A BMW 2011 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 50 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE EXHIBITED A LOUD CLUNKING NOISE WITH THE ILLUMINATION OF ALL OF THE WARNING LIGHTS. THE VEHICLE BEGIN SMOKING AS HE PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO EXIT THE VEHICLE JUST AS IT IGNITED INTO FLAMES, FOLLOWED BY AN EXPLOSION. THE POLICE WERE CALLED AND A REPORT WAS FILED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES FROM THE EXPLOSION. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TOWED BY THE STATE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY ADVISED HIM THAT THEY WOULD GET BACK TO HIM AT A LATER DATE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 120.

THE POWER STEERING FAILS ON THE CAR. IT HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES. IT CAN HAPPEN WHEN YOU FIRST START THE CAR, OR IT CAN HAPPEN AFTERYOU HAVE BEEN DRIVING FOR SOME TIME. ALL OF THE SUDDEN YOU LOSE YOUR POWER STEERING AND IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER WITHOUT THE POWER STEERING. I AM A FEMALE AND I HAVE TO USE BOTH ARMS TO GET THE CAR TO TURN WITHOUT THE POWER STEERING. I AM AFRAID THAT THE POWER STEERING IS GOING TO GO OUT AT A BAD TIME AND I WON'T BE ABLE TO GET THE CAR TO TURN QUICK ENOUGH AND I COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT.