MINI Complaints

DRIVING NORMALY POWER STEERING FAILED ON FREEWAY CURVE, HAD TO FIGHT TO GAIN CONTROL. *TR

I BOUGHT A 2002 MINI COOPER AND WHILE DRIVING THE POWER STERERING QUIT WORKING. I CONTACTED A MINI REPAIR SHOP AND FOUND THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP IS ELECTRIC AND IT'S RELAY OR OR ONE FOR IT'S COOLING FAN MIGHT HAVE FAILED. THEY TOLD ME THAT IT IS VERY COMMON AND WOULD COST OVER $1000. TO FIX IT. HAD I BEEN IN THE WRONG MODE OF DRIVING THIS FAILURE COULD HAVE KILLED ME. *TR

I HAVE A 2005 MINI COOPER S WITH MILEAGE OF ABOUT 72K. THE POWER STEERING FAILED ON AND OFF FOR A WEEK AND WAS COMPLETELY GONE ON MAR 5. UPDATED 07/26/11 *BF THE DEALER REPLACED THE POWER STEERING PUMP. UPDATED 08/19/11

THE VEHICLE WILL NOT START. THIS OCCURS RANDOMLY (MINE HAS HAD THIS HAPPEN TWICE IN THE LAST MONTH). VEHICLE WILL NOT START FOR SEVERAL DAYS THEN APPARENTLY ALL OF A SUDDEN WILL START AGAIN. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DEALER AFTER THE FIRST TIME BUT THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT RECREATE THE CONDITION, SO NOTHING WAS DONE. NO CODES WERE STORED IN THE COMPUTER. THIS SECOND TIME IT HAS NOT STARTED FOR THE LAST 4 DAYS. ENGINE WILL CRANK, I PULLED A SPARKPLUG AND PUT IT IN THE IGNITION COIL AND IT WOULD FIRE, BUT THE ENGINE WILL NOT START, LIKE IT ISN'T GETTING FUEL. THIS COULD BE A SAFETY ISSUE IF YOU NEED TO RELY ON YOUR CAR TO BE SOMEWHERE. IF IT WONT START I AM WORRIED THAT IT COULD ALSO DIE WHILE GOING DOWN THE ROAD, WHICH WOULD BE A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE, ALTHOUGH IT HAS NOT DONE THIS, ITS JUST A CONCERN. I DO NOT EXPECT A CAR THAT IS ONLY A LITTLE OVER 3 YEARS OLD TO NOT START. I HAVE CONTACTED MINI USA BUT THEY ARE HESITANT TO RECOMMEND ANYTHING OTHER THAN TO HAVE IT TOWED TO THE DEALER AGAIN. *TR

WHEN I GOT IN MY 2005 MINI COOPER CONVERTIBLE TO COME TO WORK TODAY, I FOUND THAT I DIDN'T HAVE POWER STEERING. I DROVE APPROXIMATELY 20 MILES TO A GAS STATION AND FILLED UP THE TANK. WHEN I STARTED THE CAR AGAIN, THE POWER STEERING WORKED PERFECTLY. AFTER I GOT TO WORK, I LOOKED ON THE INTERNET TO SEE IF ANYONE ELSE HAD EXPERIENCED THIS AND THERE WERE MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE WHO HAD DEALT WITH THIS AND ACCORDING TO A FEW NEWS SOURCES, THIS COULD BE CLOSE TO A RECALL SITUATION. THE FIX FOR THIS IS EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE ACCORDING TO THE SITES THAT I VISITED, BUT THE SAFETY OF THE SITUATION IS THE OVER RIDING FACTOR. IF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED WITH MY MOTHER OR WITH MY WIFE DRIVING, I'M NOT SURE IF THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CONTROL THE CAR. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL WAS DIFFICULT TO CONTROL AND THE STEERING PUMP STAYED ON WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF CAUSING THE BATTERY TO FAIL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 74,000.

POWER STEERING STOPPED WORKING. POWER STEERING REPLACEMENT, TRUNK REPAIR AND DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR REPAIR. UPDATED 07/26/11 *BF *TR

MY CAR KEEPS HAVING INTERMITTENT POWER STEERING FAILURE. THERE HAVE BEEN NO EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE FAILURE, IT HAS BEEN QUITE SPONTANEOUS, ALWAYS WHILE I AM DRIVING. *TR I HAVE HAD MORE THAN 10 INSTANCES, SOME EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AS I AM IN THE MIDDLE OF MAKING A TURN WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURS. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO CORRECT THE FAILURE AS OF YET; I AM PLANNING TO TAKE MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP ONCE I HAVE THE MONEY TO DO SO.

I HAD TWO SEPARATE INCIDENTS OF LOSING POWER STEERING IN MY 2005 MINI COOPER CONVERTIBLE. ABOUT A MONTH AGO, I WAS DRIVING AND MADE A RIGHT TURN. THE STEERING WHEEL FELT VERY HEAVY AND IT WAS EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE THE TURN - COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER STEERING. THE PROBLEM PERSISTED FOR ANY TURN ON THE WAY HOME. THE NEXT TIME I DROVE THE CAR, THE STEERING SEEMED FINE, AND CONTINUED TO SEEM FINE UNTIL YESTERDAY AFTERNOON (MARCH 8, 2011). ONCE AGAIN, I MADE A RIGHT TURN AND FOUND THAT I HAD NO POWER STEERING. I NEEDED TO STOP FOR GAS, SO AFTER SOME RATHER TRICKY MANEUVERS TO GET PARKED BY A GAS PUMP, AND SHUTTING THE CAR OFF, THE POWER STEERING SEEMED OK AGAIN. I HAVE SEEN WHERE THERE ARE MULTIPLE REPORTS OF SIMILAR PROBLEMS, SO I WANTED TO ADD MY INCIDENT TO YOUR DATABASE. *TR

MY 2005 MINI COOPER S HAD THE POWER STEERING FAIL WHILE I WAS DRIVING. THIS CAR ONLY HAS 56,000 MILES. I TOOK THE CAR INTO THE DEALER TO HAVE MAINTENANCE DONE ON IT LAST WEEK AND WAS TOLD THE POWER STEERING PUMP WAS "SEEPING" BUT WAS NOT OF IMMEDIATE CONCERN AND I COULD WAIT ON FIXING/REPLACING IT. TODAY THERE IS ALMOST NO FLUID IN THE RESERVOIR AND I AM UNABLE TO PURCHASE AT ANY LOCAL AUTO PART STORE AS NO ONE CARRIES (CHS 11S) APPARENTLY A TYPE OF MINERAL SPIRIT. IN RESEARCHING THE ISSUE, I FOUND THIS TO BE A VERY COMMON COMPLAINT AND DISCOVERED THAT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY SAFETY ADMINISTRATION IS INVESTIGATING THE ISSUE SO I WANTED TO ADD MY VOICE. I WAS TRAVELING AT A LOW RATE OF SPEED IN A SLIGHT CORNER AT THE TIME AND YET STILL HAD A VERY HARD TIME MAINTAINING CONTROL OF THE CAR. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS ISSUE, THIS COULD REALLY LEAD TO A TRAGEDY. *TR