MINI Complaints

I PURCHASED A REBUILT LEFT HALF SHAFT FROM BESTSOURCE AUTO PARTS ON LINE FOR A 2006 MINI COOPER S. THE RE-BUILDER NAME ON THE BOX WAS FEQ. THE OUTER CV JOINT HOUSING EXPLODED INTO PCS AFTER ABOUT 3000 MILES. I WAS LUCKY IT HAPPENED DRIVING OFF FROM A STOP. IF IT HAPPENED ON THE HIGHWAY THE DAMAGE WOULD HAVE HUGE AND THE CAR MAY HAVE GONE OUT OF CONTROL. THIS FAILURE SHOULD HAVE NEVER HAPPENED. THE THICK STEEL HOUSING EXPLODED THEN RELEASING THE HALF SHAFT TO FLY IN A BIG ARC.SINCE I WAS DRIVING OFF FROM A A STOP IT WAS A LOUD BANG AND THEN CLANGING OF THE HALF SHAFT SMACKING THE WHEEL ETC. I WAS LUCKY BUT SOMEONE ELSE MAY NOT BE SO LUCKY. I WAS IN LAS VEGAS SO I TOOK THE CAR TO DESERT MINI AND THEY SAW IT FIRST HAND, I TOOK PHOTO'S I CAN SEND TO YOU. BESTSOURCE TELLS ME FEQ IS A QUALITY RATING "FIRST EQUIPMENT QUALITY" AND THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND THEM EITHER. FEQ HAS A SIMPLE ONE PAGE WEBSITE WITH NO CONTACT INFORMATION. I UNDERSTAND METALLURGY, THIS PART WAS FLAWED. YOU CAN TELL BY THE WAY THE BRAKE LOOKS.. DESERT MINI KEPT THE PART AND SENT IT BACK TO BMW LAST WEEK. WE CAN TRACK IT DOWN I AM SURE OF IT. I HAVE TRIED TO FIND THE VENDOR BUT NO LUCK. THIS IS WRONG. THEY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS AND THEY SHOULD COVER MY REPLACEMENT EXPENSE. THE EXPENSE IS NOT AS IMPORTANT TO ME AS SAFETY TO OTHERS RIGHT NOW. THE PHOTOS I HAVE WILL MAKE ANY OF YOUR SAFETY ENGINEERS CONCERNED. *TR

COMPLETE FAILURE OF STEERING COLUMN, IT LOCKS UP DURING DRIVING, CAN BARELY TURN THE WHEEL. THIS HAPPENS RANDOMLY DURING DRIVING, EVEN ON A STRAIGHT ROAD NOT MAKING ANY TURNS. HAVE TO FORCE CAR OVER ONTO SHOULDER AND RESTART THE CAR. NOTHING BAD HAS HAPPENED YET, BUT VERY DANGEROUS WHEN DRIVING WITH KIDS IN THE CAR. ALL FLUID LEVELS CHECK OUT, NO WARNING LIGHTS ABOUT STEERING FAILURE. *TR

NOTICED A WHIRRING NOISE FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THEN SUDDENLY THE STEERING BECAME DIFFICULT LIKELY DUE TO POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURE. LOOKED UP POSSIBLE ISSUES ON LINE AND NOTICED THAT OTHER FOLKS HAD VERY SIMILAR EXPERIENCES.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER TURNING THE VEHICLE OFF, SHE COULD HEAR A LOUD AND ABNORMAL KNOCKING. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY THE DEALER WHO ADVISED HER THAT THE NOISE WAS A NORMAL OCCURRENCE FOR THE VEHICLE YET THE DEALER REPAIRED THE FUEL FILTER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE NOISE WAS NORMAL FOR THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 10. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE PUTTING THE VEHICLE IN REVERSE OR DRIVE, IT WOULD SUDDENLY LUNGE BACKWARD OR FORWARD WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE OCCURRED NUMEROUS TIMES SINCE 2009. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY ORLANDO MINI IN WHO ADVISED HER THAT SHE NEEDED TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 13,000. UPDATED 03/24/11*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE FAULTY TRANSMISSION CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO LUNGE FORWARD AND BACKWARD. UPDATED 04/04/11

I PARKED MY 2009 MINI CLUBMAN S ON A MODERATE HILL. AFTER 10 TO 15 MINUTES, WITH THE PARKING BRAKE FULLY ENGAGED AND THE CAR IN FIRST GEAR (STANDARD TRANSMISSION), THE CAR ROLLED BACKWARD DOWN THE HILL, STRUCK A CAR PARKED BEHIND IT, THEN PROCEEDED TO ROLL INTO A BUSY 3-LANE HIGHWAY. IF I HAD NOT BEEN STANDING 100 YARDS AWAY WITH A GROUP OF RUNNING MATES (WAITING ON A LATE ARRIVER), THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC. AS IT WAS, WE HEARD THE INITIAL COLLISION, SAW THE VEHICLE ROLLING INTO TRAFFIC, AND WERE ABLE TO STOP TRAFFIC AND THEN PHYSICALLY STOP THE LOCKED CAR IN THE INTERSECTION BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO RETRIEVE THE KEY AND OPEN THE DOOR AND APPLY THE BRAKES. ON THE ADVICE OF MY INSURER, I HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO MY MINI DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC. MY DEALER WAS INCREDULOUS DESPITE MY FINDING OTHER REPORTS ONLINE OF VIRTUALLY IDENTICAL OCCURRENCES. *TR

MINI COOPER DOORS CANNOT BE OPENED USING EITHER THE INSIDE OR OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLES UNDER CERTAIN FREEZING CONDITIONS. THIS HAS OCCURRED MULTIPLE TIMES DURING FREEZING WEATHER, USUALLY WHEN SNOW OR ICE IS PRESENT. THE FAILURE OCCURS INTERMITTENTLY ON BOTH THE PASSENGER AND DRIVER SIDE DOORS. AT TIMES, IT OCCURS AFTER THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN PARKED FOR MANY HOURS WHEN TEMPERATURES ARE BELOW FREEZING. HOWEVER, IT CAN ALSO OCCUR AFTER THE DOOR HAS BEEN OPENED AND THE VEHICLE DRIVEN FOR 30 MINUTES OR MORE. WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURS, NEITHER THE INSIDE NOR OUTSIDE HANDLES WILL OPEN THE DOOR. THE ONLY RECOURSE IS TO EXIT (OR ENTER) THE VEHICLE USING THE OTHER DOOR (SO FAR THERE HAS NOT BEEN AN INSTANCE WHEN BOTH DOORS FROZE) AND WAIT FOR THE CONDITION TO RECTIFY ITSELF. *TR

2002 MINI COOPER S. POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURE WITH 55K MILES ON THE HIGHWAY. CAUSED LOSS OF POWERSTEERING MAKING THE CAR DIFFICULT TO CONTROL. UPON STOPPING THE POWER STEERING PUMP WOULDN'T GO OFF AND DRAINED THE CARS BATTERY. THIS IS A WELL PUBLICIZED PROBLEM ON THE WEB, YET MINI DENIES ANY FAULT. *TR

POWER STEERING BEGAN INTERMITTENTLY FAILING ON OUR 2005 MINI COOPER AT APPROX. 88,000 MILES. STEERING WOULD BECOME VERY STIFF MAKING MANEUVERING THE CAR QUITE DIFFICULT. USUALLY WOULD GO OUT AFTER TRAVELING SOME DISTANCE ON THE HIGHWAY. VERY NOTICEABLE ONCE STOPPED AT INTERSECTION AND TRYING TO TURN TO NEW DIRECTION. DOES NOT FEEL SAFE TO DRIVE. HAS OCCURRED ABOUT 10 TIMES NOW IN THE PAST 3 WEEKS. FAILED ON WAY TO MINI DEALER TODAY. MINI DEALER HAS INDICATED THE FAILURE OF THE MODULE IN THE POWERSTEERING PUMP. WILL REPLACE PUMP FOR $1,100.00 PLUS. HAVING THIS REPAIR DONE AS I WRITE. NO OFFER TO DISCOUNT EVEN THOUGH NHTSA IS INVESTIGATING THE FAILURE OF THIS PART. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT POWER STEERING FAILED INTERMITTENTLY. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT ANY WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE WAS STILL BEING INSPECTED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 130,000.