MINI Complaints

WHILE DRIVING MY 2004 MINI COOPER S THE POWER ASSISTED STEERING SEEMS TO QUIT WORKING. THIS HAS HAPPENED IN THE PAST AND THEN THE POWER ASSIST BEGINS WORKING ON ITS OWN AND MAY WORK FOR QUITE A WHILE THEN UNEXPECTEDLY WILL STOP WORKING AGAIN. WHEN THIS HAPPENS THE STEERING BECOMES VERY DIFFICULT AND REQUIRES A GREAT DEAL OF EXTRA EFFORT TO TURN. MANY TIMES IT ONLY STOPS WORKING FOR ONE OR TWO TURNS THEN THE POWER ASSIST PUMP BEGINS WORKING AGAIN. IN THE FALL OF 2010 I HAD TO INSTALL A POWER STEERING PUMP "COOLING FAN" BECAUSE IT FAILED BUT THE PUMP CONTINUES TO INTERMITTENTLY STOP WORKING.

STARTED NOTICING THE STEERING WHEEL WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN, USUALLY RIGHT AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE, BUT TURNING THE CAR OFF AND RESTARTING WOULD RECTIFY THE PROBLEM. INITIALLY IT WOULD OCCUR EVERY 2 TO 3 MONTHES, BUT AS TIME WENT ON IT BECAME MORE FREQUENT. I DECIDED TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THE PROBLEM CHECKED OUT AFTER IT HAPPENED 3 TIMES IN ONE DAY - TWICE WHILE I WAS DRIVING CAUSING ME TO PULL TO THE SIDE OFTHE ROAD AND SHUT OFF AND RESTART THE CAR IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO EASILY TURN THE STEERING WHEEL. ONLY AFTER GETTING THE POWER STEERING PUMP REPLACED WAS I INFORMED OF THE THE FREQUENCY OF ISSUES LIKE THIS WITH OTHER CARS. THE DEALER DID FIX THE PROBLEM BY REPLACING THE POWER STEERING PUMP AT A COST OF APPROXIMATELY $900.

HAVE HAD THE CAR FOR 7 YEARS AND IT HAS NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE. I WAS TAKING A RIGHT TURN INTO MY WORK WHEN MY POWER STEERING FAILED WITH NO WARNING. THIS CAUSED ME APPLY THE BRAKES HARD AND TURN THE WHEEL WITH A GOOD AMOUNT OF FORCE TO MAKE THE TURN. IT WAS LUCKY THERE WASN'T ANYTHING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD OR I WOULD HAVE HIT THEM. IT HAPPENED AT THE END OF A 50 MILE DRIVE, NO ISSUES UNTIL THEN. I STOPPED THE CAR AND RESTARTED IT AN HOUR LATER AND I WORKED FINE. I DROVE IT BACK HOME THE NEXT MORNING 50 MILES WITH NO ISSUES. MY MAIN CONCERN IS HAVING HAD THE CAR FOR THIS AMOUNT OF TIME IT CAUGHT ME BY SURPRISE, AND MY WORRY NOW IS WHEN WILL IT HAPPEN AGAIN. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MINI COOPER S. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME VERY STIFF AND DIFFICULT TO TURN. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL WAS STUCK IN A PARTIALLY TURNED POSITION BUT THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO DRIVE STRAIGHT FORWARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACTS PLACE OF RESIDENCE AND WAS NEITHER DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED FOR THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 105,683.

WHILE DRIVING, THE POWER STEERING ASSIST WILL INTERMITTENTLY FAIL COMPLETELY, MAKING IT VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER THE VEHICLE, AND GREATLY INCREASING THE LIKELIHOOD OF AN ACCIDENT. THE FLUID LEVELS ARE CORRECT, AND POWER STEERING WILL RETURN AFTER SHUTTING THE VEHICLE OFF AND LETTING IT SIT FOR A WHILE.. I HAVE NOT YET TAKEN CORRECTIVE ACTION. *TR

MY 2003 MINI COOPER HAS HAD TOTAL TRANSMISSION FAILURE (CVT TRANSMISSION) AT ONLY 46,129 MILES. FAILURE WAS TOTAL AND SUDDEN AND VEHICLE IS UNDRIVEABLE WITHOUT NEW TRANSMISSION. THE DEALER QUOTED ME A COST OF $10,055.44 (PARTS $6,943.28, LABOR $2,700 + TAX). THIS COST IS MORE THAT THE VEHICLES' CURRENT VALUE. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT ONLY A NEW CVT TRANSMISSION CAN REPLACE THE FAULTY ONE, AND EVEN THEN THAT TRANSMISSION MAY AGAIN FAIL AS THEY ARE SUCH TERRIBLE TRANSMISSIONS. THE CAR WILL NOT TAKE ANY OTHER TRANSMISSION OPTION. THE DEALER BASICALLY LAUGHED AND SAID, "I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU HAVE AN EXTRA $10,000 LAYING AROUND," WHEN HE TOLD ME THE COST OF THE REPAIR. THE DEALER HAS OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE IN LOWERING THE COST, BUT BASICALLY SAID "TOUGH LUCK" AND TAKEN NO RESPONSIBILITY. THE CAR IS USELESS AND UNFIXABLE AT THIS COST. A RECALL SHOULD BE DONE AS CONSUMERS HAVE BEEN SOLD A FAILED TRANSMISSION, AND THE SAFETY OF THIS CAR'S TRANSMISSION IS TOTALLY FAULTY. *TR

2004 MINI COOPER 110K MILES LOST POWER STEERING WHEEL CONTROL, VERY DANGEROUS. *TR

ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON, 12 MARCH 2011, A LOUD, HIGH-PITCHED HUMMING OR WHINING, SERIOUS-SOUNDING NOISE DEVELOPED WHILE I WAS DRIVING, THE LOUDNESS (AND/OR THE PITCH) OF THE NOISE WOULD CHANGE WHEN I TURNED THE STEERING WHEEL. I CHECKED THE POWER STEERING FLUID LEVEL, WHICH WAS OK. THE NIGHT OF SUNDAY, 13 MARCH, I LEFT THE CAR AT ATLANTIC MOTORCAR SERVICES OF WISCASSET, MAINE 04578, WHICH SPECIALIZES IN MINI AND OTHER EUROPEAN VEHICLES. THE FOLLOWING MORNING I DESCRIBED THE PROBLEM AND ASKED THEM TO CHECK IT OUT. ATLANTIC FOUND "THE POWER STEERING PUMP (EPAS) IS DEFECTIVE". THEY REPLACED THE EPAS ASSEMBLY (PART # 32 41 6 778 425) AT A COST OF $1212.49; AND BLED, FLUSHED AND FILLED THE SYSTEM (PS SERVICE KITBG $99). THIS RESOLVED THE PROBLEM.

POWER STEERING HAS FAILED TWICE. ONCE WAS IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC AND THE OTHER WAS IN MID-DAY TRAFFIC. THE VEHICLE BECAME EXTREMELY HARD TO HANDLE. THE FIRST TIME, I ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. MY CAR ONLY HAS 53,000 MILES AND THIS SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING. *TR

2007 MINI COOPER S, TIMING CHAIN BROKE AT 64K MILES. THERE ARE COUNTLESS COMPLAINTS OF THIS PROBLEM ALL OVER THE WEB, WE NEED TO FORCE MINI TO ISSUE A RECALL. VEHICLE WAS PROPERLY MAINTAINED PRIOR TO FAILURE. THIS IS A CHAIN, NOT A BELT. MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SIMILAR COMPLAINTS CAN BE FOUND HERE: HTTP://WWW.MINICOOPERSPEED.COM/MINI-COOPER-COLD-START-KNOCKING-NOISE-ISSUE-2007/. *TR