MINI Complaints

POWER STEERING FAILURE DURING DRIVING. BECAME SLUGGISH/VERY HARD TO TURN ON THE HIGHWAY AT SPEED. *TR

THE POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED ON MY MINI COOPER AT HIGH SPEED, CURVY ROAD AT NIGHT WITHOUT WARNING. I HAD TO REPLACE THE PUMP AND THE COOLING FAN TO THE TUNE OF $900. THIS HAPPENED JUST OUTSIDE OF WARRANTY AT 60K MILES. MECHANIC SAID THAT HE REPLACES ABOUT 10 A MONTH...ALL MINI'S PUMPS FAIL UNDER 80K MILES. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE INTERIOR DRIVER SIDE DOOR HANDLE WOULD BECOME INOPERABLE DUE TO THE BODEN CABLE GUIDE BECOMING DISLODGED FROM ITS RETENTION CLIP. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED WHO INFORMED HIM THAT THERE WAS A DESIGN UPDATE BUT THE DEALER COULD NOT SAY WHEN THE DESIGN UPDATE HAD TAKEN PLACE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED BUT PROVIDED NO ASSISTANCE. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED AGAIN AND STATED THAT ALL PROBLEMS AND QUESTIONS SHOULD BE DIRECTED BACK TO THE MANUFACTURER. NO ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED BY THE MANUFACTURER OR THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 85,000.

04 MINI COOPER S WITH UNDER 40,000 MILES. INTERMITTENT POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURE. CAR IS EXTREMELY HARD TO TURN WHEN THE POWER STEERING IS NOT WORKING. RESTARTING THE CAR SOMETIMES CAUSES THE POWER STEERING TO START WORKING BUT IT WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING AT 25 MILES PER HOUR ON JAN 02, 2011. THIS IS AN INDICATION OF A POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURE. *TR

MINI COOPER ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK SYSTEM CRITICAL MALFUNCTION - CAR WITH ONLY 57,000 MILES RECEIVES CRITICAL MESSAGE ON NAVIGATION SCREEN TELLIING DRIVER "TO DRIVE TO A SAFE LOCATION AND TURN OFF IGNITION AND BE AWARE THAT CAR IS UNLIKELY TO BE ABLE TO BE RESTARTED." DRIVER IS LEFT TO COPE WITH THIS CRITICAL SITUATION AND REPAIR EVEN THOUGH MINI COOPER HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THE EXISTENCE OF THIS CRITICAL PROBLEM BY DISCONTINUING THE INSTALLATION OF THE ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK ON ITS LATER MODELS AS THEY COULD NOT CORRECT PROBLEM. MINI REFUSES TO RECALL EARLIER MODELS AND WILL NOT REIMBURSE OWNER FOR COSTLY REPAIR ONCE CRITICAL MALFUNCTION OCCURS. WEB REPORTS HAVE ALERTED DRIVERS THAT STEERING WHEEL HAS LOCKED WHILE CAR IS BEING DRIVEN MAKING EARLILER MODELS UNSAFE TO DRIVE BUT MINI HAS DISPLAYED A COMPLETE LACK OF CONCERN FOR SAFETY OF ITS CUSTOMERS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MINI COOPER S. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH THE POWER STEERING FAILED. THE CONTACT WAS NOT DRIVING SO HE DID NOT KNOW THE FULL DETAILS OF THE FAILURE. THE PERSON DRIVING WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO THEIR RESIDENCE. THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED BY A DEALER. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 60,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BMW MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE STARTING THE VEHICLE THE STEERING WHEEL JAMMED AND SHE WAS UNABLE TO TURN IT OR CONTROL THE VEHICLE. SHE TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF AND BACK ON, SHE WAS ABLE TO TURN THE WHEEL AFTER IT RESET BUT IT WAS VERY HARD TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 35,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 39,000.

POWER STEERING WILL GO OUT WITHOUT NOTICE AT ALL SPEEDS. IT WILL RESET IF THE CAR IS TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED, HOWEVER THE INTERVAL TO THE NEXT POWER OUTAGE IS UNPREDICTABLE. IT OCCURRED THE FIRST TIME, AND THEN DIDN'T REOCCUR FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS. THEN WHEN THE PROBLEM RETURNED IT DID THIS FOR APPROXIMATELY TWO WEEKS, THEN DIDN'T HAPPEN AGAIN FOR ANOTHER MONTH. IT HAS NO BEEN A FAIRLY COMMON PROBLEM. HAVE ALSO HAD EXPERIENCES WHERE MAKING A TURN, THE POWER ASSIST WILL GO OUT, AND THEN RETURN, WHICH HAS ME PUTTING EXTRA EXERTION INTO MAKING THE TURN, ONLY TO HAVE IT COME BACK ON RESULTING IN OVERSTEER.

POWER STEERING FAN ABOUT TO FAIL, WAS ADVISED TO REPLACE TO PREVENT POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURE. INDEPENDENT MECHANIC MADE THE ASSESSMENT AND ADVISED THE REPAIR. THIS IS KNOWN ISSUE IN 2004-2006+ MINIS AND AM REPORTING TO MAKE SURE THERE ARE ENOUGH DATA POINTS AND CONSUMER REPORTS OF THE INCIDENCE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN PULLING OUT OF HIS DRIVEWAY AND ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A TURN, THE VEHICLE WAS DIFFICULT TO STEER. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A DEALER WHO INFORMED HIM THAT HE NEEDED TO REPLACE THE STEERING PUMP. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 72,400. UPDATED 09/07/11 *BF