MINI Complaints

AFTER DRIVING FOR APPROX 2 HOURS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, POWER STEERING FAILED. NOTICED UPON EXITING HIGHWAY - NO ACCIDENT, BUT STEERING REQUIRED UNEXPECTEDLY SIGNIFICANT FORCE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MINI COOPER S. WHEN THE CONTACT STARTED THE IGNITION, THE POWER STEERING WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED WITH A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER STEERING. A STRONG ELECTRICAL BURNING ODOR EMITTED INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED SIX TIMES WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WAS NOTIFIED AND ADVISED THE CONTACT TO HAVE THE FAILURE DIAGNOSED TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE. THE WILL SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 106,000.

MINI COOPER, 2007, 81000 MILES. WITH MINIMAL ADVANCE WARNING (A RATTLE THAT BEGAN WHEN CAR WAS STARTED THAT MORNING) TIMING CHAIN BROKE, LEADING TO CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. CAR WAS STOPPED AND BLOCKING TRAFFIC ON BUSY TWO LANE BRIDGE DURING MORNING COMMUTE UNTIL IT WAS TOWED AWAY. NO PREVIOUS ISSUES, WARNINGS EMERGED FROM THIS VEHICLE. WAS MAINTAINED REGULARLY AND BECAUSE OF NOISE ON START, I WAS INTENDING TO TAKE IT IN IMMEDIATELY. IN FACT, I WAS ON THE WAY TO THE GARAGE WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED. *TR

POWER STEERING FAILED WHILE DRIVING CAR, CAUSING VEHICLE TO BECOME MUCH HARDER TO STEER, NEARLY CAUSING ACCIDENT. *TR

UNEXPECTED LOSS OF POWER STEERING ON 2004 MINI COOPER WITHOUT ANY WARNING. PURCHASED THE 2004 MINI COOPER BEING UNAWARE OF THE POWER STEERING FAILURES, AND WHILE I WAS DRIVING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC THE POWER STEERING FAILED AND I ALMOST COLLIDED WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE AND ALMOST GOT REAR-ENDED WHILE STRUGGLING TO GET THE CAR OFF THE ROAD IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. I HOPE THEY ISSUE A RECALL BECAUSE WHEN I STARTED RESEARCHING HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING PROBLEMS I FIND IT EXTREMELY DISTURBING THAT MINI HASN'T BEEN FORCED TO ISSUE ONE YET. THE POWER STEERING FAILURE HAPPENS DAILY SO TOOK VEHICLE TO MECHANIC AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE IN ALL OF THE CARS I HAVE PURCHASED THROUGH OUT MY ADULT LIFE. WHAT A SAFETY HAZARD! I AM SO THANKFUL MY GRANDCHILD WASN'T WITH ME THAT DAY. *TR

HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH MY MINI SINCE IT WAS NEW. IN NOV. OF 2010 THE CHAIN TENSIONER WAS FINALLY CHANGED AFTER MANY COMPLAINTS OF THE NOISE. ON MON.6-6-11 MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. CALLED THE DEALER & SET UP AN APPOINTMENT FOR THAT SAT 6-11. ON WED. 6-8 MY CAR DIED WITH NO WARNING. NO COMPUTER LIGHTS CAME ON. HAD TO TOW IT TO THE MINI DEALER ON SAT.6-11. THEY TOLD ME IT WAS THE VACUUM PUMP CAUSING MAJOR CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. MY ENGINE ONLY HAD A QUART OF OIL AND THAT WAS WHY IT WENT OUT. I HAD DOCUMENTATION OF MY OIL CHANGE. IT STILL HAD 3,000M TO GO BEFORE IT NEEDED TO BE CHANGED. WAS ALSO CHECKED 2 WKS BEFORE THIS INCIDENT AND IT WAS FINE. I AM NOW NEEDING A NEW ENGINE AT A COST OF 6,087. THE REGIONAL TEAM AT MINI CUSTOMER SERVICE DECIDED THERE WOULD BE NO ASSISTANCE BECAUSE I LET IT RUN OUT OF OIL, WHICH IS NOT TRUE. THEY SAID THERE WAS NO APPEAL PROCESS, THEIR DECISION WAS FINAL. MY CAR HAS 64K MILES ON IT. THE CHAIN TENSIONERS AND VACUUM PUMPS ARE KNOWN FAILURES BUT MINI REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM. EASIER TO BLAME THE CONSUMER. A VEHICLE THAT COSTS NEARLY 30K DOLLARS SHOULD NOT HAVE AN ENGINE FAILURE AT 64K MILES. THERE ARE COUNTLESS COMPLAINTS OUT THERE. ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS CHECK THE WEB. MINI SHOULD STEP UP AND DO THE RIGHT THING. THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED A MAJOR CRASH WITH FATALITIES IF I HAD BEEN TRAVELING ON THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY WHICH I DO EVERY DAY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 BMW MINI COOPER. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST ALL POWER STEERING WITHOUT WARNING. THE DEALER ADVISED THE CONTACT TO BRING THE VEHICLE IN FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,512.

2005 MINI COOPER S POWER STEERING FAILED WHILE TURNING OFF HIGHWAY ALMOST CAUSING ME TO CRASH INTO AN ADJACENT CAR BECAUSE I HAD TO MUSCLE THE CAR INTO A CORNER. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM WHICH HAPPENED ONE MORE TIME LATER IN THE WEEK WHILE I WAS TURNING INTO MY DRIVEWAY. A WOMAN MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO MUSCLE THE CAR CORRECTLY THUS CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUEL CAP WOULD NOT PROPERLY SEAL AND WAS CAUSING THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY THE DEALER AND THEY ADVISED HER THAT THE FUEL CAP, FUEL TANK NOZZLE, HOSE AND CONNECTOR WOULD NEED REPLACING. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 270,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. UPDATED 08/08/11*LJ UPDATED 3/02/2012 *LN

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 15 MPH IN THE RAIN THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE DEALER ADVISED THAT THE VEHICLE HYDRO-LOCKED AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO STALL. THE CONTACT DID NOT AGREE WITH THE DEALERS DIAGNOSIS AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. HE THEN SUGGESTED THAT THE DEALER FURTHER INSPECT THE VEHICLE WHEN IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THERE WAS A CRACK IN THE ENGINE BLOCK. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED, AS THE DEALER WOULD NOT REPAIR THE VEHICLE UNDER WARRANTY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 46,000.