MINI Complaints

POWER STEERING APPEARS TO NOT BE WORKING. POWER IN THE VEHICLE IS INTERRUPTED AT LOW SPEEDS AFTER DRIVING THE VEHICLE FOR A BRIEF PERIOD OF TIME. SYMPTOMS OF THIS BEGAN OCCURRING OVER THREE MONTHS AGO WITH THE BATTERY OF THE CAR BEING DRAINED AFTER SITTING FOR A PERIOD OF 4 DAYS OR MORE. ALL RELAYS AND FUSES HAVE BEEN CHECKED. THE POWER STEERING PUMP COOLING FAN WAS FOUND TO HAVE BEEN INOPERATIVE AND WAS REMOVED, CLEANED AND REINSTALLED APPROXIMATELY 2 WEEKS AGO.

PURCHASED A USED 2004 MINI COOPER FROM A DEALERSHIP. 7 WEEKS AFTER PURCHASE THE STEERING BECAME INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT AT TIMES IN THE LAST 24 HOURS. TAKING IT ON MONDAY BUT THE "STEERING" ISN'T COVERED UNDER THEIR 9 MONTH, 9000 MILE WARRANTY. TAKING IT IN TO THE DEALERSHIP ON MONDAY FOR THEIR SERVICE DEPT TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT. HOPING IT'S COVERED BUT I DOUBT IT. *TR

I BOUGHT MY MINI COOPER TWO MONTHS AGO. IT IS A 2006 MODEL. I WAS DRIVING HOME ON THE NIGHT OF THURSDAY JANUARY 7TH WHEN I HEARD A LOUD CLUNK. I LIVE ON A CALICHE ROAD SO NATURALLY, I THOUGHT I HAD KICKED UP A ROCK OR CLUNK OF DIRT AND IT HIT THE BODY OF MY CAR. THE NEXT MORNING I HEADED OUT TO GO TO CLASS AND LESS THAN 5 MILES (I LIVE OUTSIDE OF TOWN 30 MILES, SO YES I DO A LOT OF DRIVING, BUT MY 2004 HYUNDAI SONATA HANDLED IT FOR OVER 2 YEARS AND WHEN I FIRST ACQUIRED IT HAD 145,000 MILES AND WHEN I FINISHED 198,000 AND WAS STILL RUNNING FINE) DOWN THE ROAD I BRAKED TO TURN ONTO A DIFFERENT ROAD AND AFTER COMPLETING THE TURN I PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL, THE ENGINE ROARED THE TACHOMETER SPRUNG UP, BUT THE CAR DIDN'T MOVE. THE MECHANIC I TOOK IT TO CONFIRMED THAT MY TRANSMISSION IS SHOT, NO DOUBT ABOUT, HOWEVER HE CANNOT TELL ME EXACTLY WHAT IS WRONG WITH IT WITHOUT TAKING OUT MY TRANSMISSION AND LOOKING AT THE INSIDE AS THAT IS WHERE THE SOURCE OF THE FAILURE ORIGINATES. IT IS AN INTERNAL DEFECT THAT CONSUMERS HAVE NO CONTROL OVER. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE ENTERING A RESIDENTIAL GARAGE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE POWER STEERING FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO REPLACED THE STEERING PUMP. THERE WERE NO RECALLS FOR THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED OFFERED NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 51,000. UPDATED 03/08/11 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO STEER AND IF IT FAILED IN A TURN, THE VEHICLE WOULD INEVITABLY STEER VERY WIDE FROM THE INTENDED COURSE. UPDATED 03/09/11. *JB

SUDDENLY LOST POWER STEERING WHILE DRIVING AND HAD SUBSTANTIAL DIFFICULTY TURNING TO GET OUT OF TRAFFIC. IT HAPPENED A FEW TIMES, THEN TOOK IT FOR REPAIRS. WAS TOLD THAT THE PUMP AND FAN WERE BAD AND THAT THIS WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH 2004 MINIS. *TR

THERE WAS A STRANGE NOISE (LIKE A FAN RUNNING) COMING FROM MY 2005 MINI COOPER WHEN THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF. IT CONTINUED TO MAKE THE NOISE UNTIL EVENTUALLY THE CAR BATTERY DIED. I DO NOT WANT TO DRIVE MY CAR IN FEAR OF LOSING THE POWER STEERING WHILE DRIVING. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO EVALUATE THE PROBLEM. I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS THE POWER STEERING PUMP AND THAT IT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I AM NOT SURE WHY A 6 YEAR OLD CAR WITH 36,600 MILES WOULD NEED THE POWER STEERING PUMP REPLACED OR WHY IT IS BROKEN IN THE FIRST PLACE. THE COST OF THE REPAIR WITH PARTS AND LABOR WAS ESTIMATED TO BE $1400. I HAD CONCERNS REGARDING THE REPAIR AND DECIDED TO RETURN HOME WITH MY CAR. I HAVE DONE SOME RESEARCH AND HAVE FOUND THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE THAT HAS HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE POWER STEERING PUMP FAILING ON MINI COOPERS. I HAVE REQUESTED ASSISTANCE FROM THE DEALERSHIP AND ULTIMATELY MINI USA FOR THE REPAIR AS I BELIEVE IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. *TR

2005 MINI COOPER 'S' CONVERTIBLE. THE POWER STEERING WILL OCCASIONALLY STOP WORKING WHILE DRIVING MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO STEER. IF YOU SHUT OFF THE ENGINE AND RESTART THE CAR IT RESETS AND WORKS AGAIN. IT NORMALLY HAPPENS WHEN SLOWING FOR A STOP OR MAKING A TURN, WHICH YOU DON'T NOTICE UNTIL YOU START MOVING AND FIND YOU ARE UNABLE TO TURN THE CAR. LUCKILY I HAVEN'T PULLED OUT INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THE DEALER SAID IT WAS PROBABLY THE PUMP AND THEY WOULD REPLACE IT FOR APPROXIMATELY $680. *TR

ENGINE RATTLE AT START UP, ENGINE WILL NOT MAINTAIN IDLE WHEN AMBIENT TEMPERATURE TOO COLD (AS HIGH AS 20 DEG F BUT MORE COMMON AS TEMPERATURE DROPS) AND CAN EVEN DIE. ENGINE HESITATION AND STUMBLE WHILE ACCELERATING AND WHILE MAINTAINING HIGHWAY SPEEDS, REGARDLESS OF ENGINE AND AMBIENT TEMPERATURE. LACK OF ENGINE POWER. CAR MAY SEEM TO BE RUNNING FINE BUT WHEN ACCELERATING THE ENGINE WILL STUMBLE AND HESITATE, MUCH LIKE A MISSING CYLINDER, THIS CAUSES THE CAR TO ACCELERATE SLOWER THAN EXPECTED REGARDLESS OF THROTTLE POSITION. THIS CAN CREATE AN UNSAFE CONDITION. SEEMS TO BE MOST PRONOUNCED AT PART THROTTLE BETWEEN 2000 AND 3000 RPM BUT IS STILL PRESENT AT HIGHER SPEEDS AND MORE THROTTLE OPENING. CAN ALSO MAKE THE CAR STUMBLE VERY BADLY WHEN STARTING FROM A STOP, CAUSING THE CAR TO MOVE FORWARD A FEW FEET VERY SLOWLY BEFORE ACCELERATING AT A SOMEWHAT NORMAL PACE. THIS EFFECT IS SIMILAR TO LETTING OUT THE CLUTCH TOO SOON BUT HAPPENS EVEN IF RPMS ARE BROUGHT UP TO 2000+RPM AND THE CLUTCH IS SLOWLY LET OUT. *TR

MY VEHICLE HAD BEEN PARKED FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS IN OUR GARAGE. WHEN I PULLED IT OUT ON THE 2ND I NOTICED A LARGE POOL OF OIL ON THE FLOOR. I IMMEDIATELY DROVE IT TO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER SYSTEM HAD FAILED AND THAT IF NOT IMMEDIATELY REMEDIED THIS WOULD CAUSE CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. OVER MY COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE DEALER, MINI OF STERLING IN STERLING, VA, I WAS TOLD THAT THIS WAS A FREQUENT OCCURRENCE, AT LEAST ONE A WEEK, AND IS A RECOGNIZED PROBLEM WITH A KNOWN WORK-AROUND. THEY INFORMED ME THAT THEY HAD SEEN CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE AND THAT WITH MY COMMUTE OF 45 MILES ON MAJOR HIGHWAYS THAT SUCH A FAILURE AT SPEED WOULD RESULT IN A MAJOR CRASH.

2006 MINI COOPER S: POWER STEERING FAILURE INTERMITTENT FAILURE OF POWER STEERING--AT FIRST. VERY FRIGHTENING EXPERIENCE. VERY DANGEROUS. NOW THERE IS NO POWER STEERING. I'VE NEVER HAD SUCH AN EXPERIENCE IN ANY AUTOMOBILE. I INVESTIGATED THIS EXPERIENCE ONLINE AND FIND A NUMBER OF SIMILAR EXPERIENCES. I'M VERY TROUBLED BY SUCH A FLAW IN THE ENGINEERING OF THIS VEHICLE. *TR