MINI Complaints

I PURCHASED AT 2006 MINI COOPER AUTOMATIC IN JULY 2010. OCTOBER 2010 I HAD THE KIDS IN MY CAR, KEY IN MY HAND, CAR TURNED OFF AND IN PARK. THE CAR STARTED TO ROLL BACKWARDS, DRAGGING ME AND I HAD TO PULL THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO GET THE CAR TO STOP ROLLING AND NOT ROLL INTO ON-COMING TRAFFIC. I WAS WORRIED MY KIDS WOULD BE HIT. MINI USA CLAIMED NOTHING WAS WRONG. NOW I AM TOLD MY BACK BRAKES ARE WORN, I AM SCARED THEY DID NOT LOOK AT MY VEHICLE PROPERLY, DID NOT TAKE ME SERIOUSLY AND AM SCARED MY CAR WILL ROLL AGAIN. I ALWAYS PARK MY CAR AND PULL THE EMERGENCY BRAKE I NEVER LEAVE IT JUST IN PARK. I NEED SOMEONE TO MAKE SURE THESE CARS AND MY CAR IS TRULY SAFE. MINI USA AND THE DEALER THAT CERTIFIED MY CAR HAVE BOTH FAILED TO TAKE THIS DANGEROUS MANNER SERIOUSLY. I COULD OF BEEN SERIOUSLY HURT AND MY CHILDREN KILLED BY ON COMING TRAFFIC. *TR

1. HESITATION DURING ACCELERATION; THIS MAY BE DUE TO CARBON BUILD UP. CAR WILL LURCH AND STUMBLE WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE. THIS COULD BE A DANGEROUS PROBLEM WHEN CHANGING LANES OR GETTING UP TO SPEED WHEN MERGING. 2. TIMING CHAIN RATTLE DURING COLD START. CAR SOUNDS LIKE THE TIMING CHAIN IS HITTING METAL WHEN COLD. DEALER CLAIMS THIS IS NORMAL, BUT THE METAL ON METAL NOISE SOUNDS LIKE IT COULD CAUSE EXCESS PLAY TO DEVELOP AND POSSIBLY CAUSE ENGINE FAILURE. *TR

I OWN A 2007 MINI COOPER WITH FACTORY INSTALLED GPS. WHEN MY BRAKE SENSOR ACTIVATED MY GPS STOPPED WORKING. THE DEALER SAYS THE ENTIRE SYSTEM MUST BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $2,500. IS ANYONE AWARE OF ELECTRICAL DEFECTS IN THE MINI SYSTEM THAT WOULD CAUSE THIS PROBLEM? *TR

MINI COOPER 2006 - POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURE. FEB 2ND WE HAD A MAJOR WINTER STORM IN KANSAS CITY , I WAS DRIVING LESS THAN 10 MILES /HR WITH ABOUT 2 FEET SNOW MY CAR STOPPED AT THE CURB NEXT TO APT. SINCE THEN MY STEERING WHICH IS SOMEWHAT MILDLY STIFF FOR YEARS(MY FRIENDS HAD PREVIOUSLY WONDERED IF I EVEN HAD POWER STEERING ) WAS VERY STIFF , AND MADE A SCRATCHING NOISE. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT AT THE MINI DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD I HAD A MECHANICAL BREAKDOWN POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURE AT 56000MILES , AND MINE WAS THE SECOND CAR HE HAD TO CHANGE THE PUMP ON . IN AUG 2010 I WAS TOLD EVERYTHING WAS PERFECT AND IN THE PAST WHENEVER I MENTIONED THE STEERING WHEEL - THEY SAID ITS FINE , NO PROBLEMS DETECTED . THIS TIME THEY TOLD ME THE FLUID WAS LOW , PROBABLY LEAKING . IF THIS HAD HAPPENED ON THE HIGHWAY I DREAD TO THINK WHAT THE CONSEQUENCES MIGHT HAVE BEEN , GIVEN FROM WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE FROM THE CLASS ACTION SUIT THAT MINE IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT AS I WAS LED TO BELIEVE. MY INSURANCE COMPANY PERSON WHO INSPECTED THE CAR ALSO STATED THIS WAS UNRELATED TO THE WINTERSTORM , AND LIKELY MECHANICAL ERROR. *TR

2003 MINI COOPER S WITH POWER STEERING FAILURE. POWER STEERING GOES IN AND OUT. CAR RADIO TURNS ON WHEN CAR IS OFF AND NO KEY IS IN THE ENGINE, CAUSING BATTERY TO DRAIN. ONCE MY POWER STEERING WENT OUT WHEN I WAS LEAVING A PARKING AREA CAUSING ME TO HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. I HAVE NOT REPAIRED DAMAGES. I HAVE HOWEVER REPLACED THE ENGINE DUE TO FAULTY WIRING IN APROX 2009. A FUSE THAT RUNS EVERYTHING FOR COOLING BLEW AND GAVE ME NO WARNING THE ENGINE WAS OVERHEATING. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 65 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO MAKE A RATTLING SOUND AND STOPPED ACCELERATING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE TENSIONER GAVE WAY AND CAUSED THE TIMING CHAIN TO STRETCH. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 70,000. UPDATED 4/4/11 *CN

I OWN A 2005 MINI COOPER S CONVERTIBLE & NOTICED MY POWER STEERING STARTING TO MAKE NOISE ABOUT A WEEK AGO. NOW IT IS WORKING VERY INTERMITTENTLY. I HAVE NOTICED IN DOING SOME RESEARCH THAT MANY OTHERS HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AN THEY WANT TO REPLACE MY POWER STEERING PUMP WHICH IS GOING TO BE VERY COSTLY. I AM TO SAY THE LEAST A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED THAT A CAR WITH THE BMW NAME ON IT IS HAVING THIS MANY COMPLAINTS. *TR

POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILED TO OPERATE WITHOUT WARNING WHILE I WAS PARKING THE CAR, MINI COOPER S 2005 MODEL YEAR. THERE WAS NO SERVICE LIGHT OR ANY OTHER WARNING BEFORE THE FAILURE OCCURRED.

THE POWER STEERING PUMP IS DEFECTIVE. I HAD A LOCAL FIRESTONE CAR REPAIR SHOP DIAGNOSE AN UNUSUAL NOISE EMANATING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT THAT INTENSIFIED WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL WAS TURNED. THEY NOTED THE DEFECTIVE STEERING PUMP AND THAT IT WOULD COST AT LEAST $1,223.39 TO REPLACE. THEY SAID IF I DID NOT REPLACE IT, I COULD LOSE CONTROL OF THE CAR AT ANY POINT WHILE MAKING A TURN. I RESEARCHED THE PROBLEM ONLINE AND FOUND HUNDREDS OF OTHER PEOPLE HAVING THE SAME OR SIMILAR ISSUES WITH THE STEERING PUMP. THE ONES WHO LEFT THE ISSUE UNRESOLVED ENDED UP LOSING CONTROL OF THEIR VEHICLE MID-TURN WHEN EITHER THE PUMP RANDOMLY SHUT OFF, OR IF IT HAD ALREADY FAILED, RANDOMLY TURNED BACK ON MID-TURN. THESE SITUATIONS ARE DANGEROUS ENOUGH, BUT THERE WERE ALSO REPORTS OF THE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS CATCHING FIRE. IN LIGHT OF THIS, I COULD NOT RISK THE SAFETY OF MY FAMILY OR MYSELF, AND TOOK IT INTO A LOCAL MINI DEALERSHIP TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM. THEY CONFIRMED THAT THE PUMP WAS FAILING AND THAT IT WAS GOOD THAT I BROUGHT IT IN BEFORE IT FAILED. THE DIAGNOSIS AND REPLACEMENT COST WAS $1,417.49. THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THEY WERE AWARE OF THE DEFECT AND WERE AWAITING THE RESULTS OF THE NHTSA INVESTIGATION BEFORE COMMITTING TO REFUND THE COST OF THE DEFECTIVE PART(S). THANKFULLY, THANKS TO ALL THE REPORTS OF THIS PROBLEM ONLINE, I WAS ABLE TO FIX THIS PROBLEM BEFORE ANYONE WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED.

THE FIRST TIME I HAD A PROBLEM, I WAS DRIVING AND MAINTAINING SPEED WHEN SUDDENLY THE POWER-STEERING FAILED. I JERKED THE STEERING WHEEL AND TURNED IT WITH FORCE, AND THEN THE POWER-STEERING RETURNED. ANOTHER TIME, THE POWER-STEERING FAILED WHILE I WAS DRIVING AND REMAINED OFF UNTIL I TURNED OFF THE IGNITION AND THEN TURNED THE IGNITION BACK ON.