MINI Complaints

2003 MINI COOPER S - POWER STEERING HAS REPEATEDLY FAILED AT HIGH AND LOW SPEED DRIVING. WIFE RAN ONTO SIDEWALK ONCE WHEN CONTROL WAS LOST. SMELLS LIKE SOMETHING IS BURNING WHEN DRIVING. STEERING FAILS. WHEN CAR COOLS CONTROL COMES BACK, BUT FAILS AGAIN AFTER LESS THAN A MILE. CALLED 3 DEALERSHIPS WHO ALL KNEW & HAD REPAIRED CARS WITH THE SAME ISSUES. ESTIMATED $1500-2000 OUT OF MY POCKET TO FIX WITH NO HELP FROM MANUFACTURER. I COMPLAINED THAT THE CAR HAD BARELY 40,000 MILES ON IT AND FAILURE SHOULD NOT BE OCCURRING ON GERMAN ENGINEERED CAR. ONE SERVICE TECH SAID "THE PROBLEMS ARE IN THE PUMPS AND THOSE AREN'T DESIGNED OR MANUFACTURED BY BMW, SO IT IS NOT BMWS' FAULT." BUT THEY ARE THE ONES WHO SOLD THESE CARS WITH THESES ISSUES FOR 4 YEARS. FLUSHED POWER STEERING FLUID MYSELF WHICH WAS BURNT AND BLACK. REPLACED WITH NEW RECOMMENDED FLUID. LASTED ABOUT 30 MILES BEFORE BURNING SMELL RETURNED AND STEERING PROBLEMS CONTINUED AS BEFORE. SAW ONLINE ARTICLE WHERE BMW CAUTIONED THAT 2002-2005 MINIS MAY HAVE STEERING ISSUES BUT NO RECALL WOULD BE ISSUED. THE ARTICLE ESTIMATED 225,000 CARS AT RISK AND A RECALL MIGHT DESTROY THE MINI LINE. SO BE IT. 2002 AND 2003 MODELS SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN INVESTIGATION OF 2004 AND 2005 MODEL YEARS. CONSIDERING SELLING THE CAR TO RECOUP INVESTMENT, BUT AFTER HEARING OF NUMEROUS STEERING FAILURES AND EVEN FIRES THAT TOTAL THE CARS AND EVEN BURN DOWN HOMES AND GARAGES WHERE THEY ARE PARKED MAKES ME FEEL LIKE I WOULD BE PUTTING SOMEONE ELSE UNWITTINGLY IN DANGER. THE CAR HAS CURRENTLY SAT IN STORAGE WITH THE BATTERY REMOVED FROM THE CAR WHILE I DEBATE WHETHER OR NOT TO REPLACE THE POWER STEERING PUMP IN HOPES OF FIXING THE PROBLEM OR GET RID OF THE CAR. I WOULD HAVE TO TELL THEY BUYER THE ISSUES, WHICH MEANS LESS MONEY, AND I STILL OWE $6500. I WOULD LOSE ALL EQUITY I HAVE IN A CAR I PAID $20,000 FOR JUST A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO. BMW SHOULD FIX THIS PROBLEM OR I AND OTHERS HAVE UNSAFE CARS WORTH A FRACTION OF COST. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MINI COOPER. WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING FAILED WHEN HE TRIED TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO KEEP THE VEHICLE UNDER CONTROL AND PULLED OVER. THE CONTACT TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED IT; THE STEERING SEEMED TO RESET ITSELF. THE FAILURE SEEMED TO OCCUR WHEN THE ENGINE WAS HOT. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 63,140.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 65 MPH AND ATTEMPTING A TURN WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME ABNORMALLY STIFF MAKING CAUSING LIMITED CONTROL OF THE STEERING WHEEL. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER AND SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF. AFTER RESTARTING, THE STEERING RESUMED NORMAL OPERATION. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING YET NO FAILURE CODES WERE GENERATED. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE MODULE WOULD POSSIBLY NEED REPLACING. THE STEERING MODULE WAS REPLACED YET WITHIN SIX MONTHS, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CONTACT CALLED BOTH THE MANUFACTURER AND DEALER REGARDING THE STEERING FAILURE AND WAS ADVISED BY BOTH PARTIES THAT THEY HAD NOT RECEIVED ANY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS REGARDING STEERING FAILURES WITHIN HIS YEAR, MAKE AND MODEL. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED THAT THE STEERING FAILURE COULD POTENTIALLY CAUSE A CRASH. THE CONTACT WAS NO LONGER DRIVING THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 91,000.

I HAVE A 2005 MINI COOPER CONVERTIBLE - R52. THE POWER STEERING DOES NOT WORK WELL. IT STARTED BEING PROBLEMATIC ABOUT A YEAR AGO RIGHT AFTER I PURCHASED THE CAR. WHILE DRIVING THE POWERSTEERING GOES VERY STIFF. IT IS DIFFICULT TO TURN AND SOMETIMES WHEN TURNING OFF A HIGHWAY WHILE THE POWER STEERING IS NOT WORKING, IT COMES BACK ON, AND I END UP OVERSTEERING OFF THE ROAD AND THEN BACK ON TO THE ROAD. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING WITH INCREASING FREQUENCY DURING THE TIME I HAVE OWNED THIS CAR. I WAS TOLD BY MINI THAT THIS IS NOT A COMMON PROBLEM, BUT MY RESEARCH SEEMS TO INDICATE THAT THERE ARE 10'S OF THOUSANDS OF MINI OWNERS FROM 2002 TO 2006 WHO HAVE THIS PROBLEM. OTTOS MINI IN WEST CHESTER PA QUOTED ME OVER $1000 DO REPAIR IT...AND THEY DO NOT SEEM TO SEE THE SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM. I AM CONSIDERING BUYING THE NEW PARTS (FAN, MOTOR AND CIRCUIT BOARD) AND INSTALLING MY SELF. I JUST CANNOT SPEND 1000-1500 BUCKS TO FIX THIS. THE PARTS ARE ABOUT $500 BUCKS AND THE INSTALL HOPEFULLY IS PRETTY EASY FROM WHAT I HAVE READ. I HOPE THAT YOUR TESTING DOES PROVE THIS PROBLEM NEEDS TO BE RESOLVED BY A RECALL. IT APPEARS THAT THEY MADE A DESIGN CHANGE THAT HAS ELIMINATED THE PROBLEM IN THE 2006 OR 7 MODEL YEAR. THAT ALONE IS ENOUGH FOR ME TO BELIEVE THAT, WHILE I LOVE MY MINI, I AM DRIVING A TIME BOMB, THAT WILL CAUSE AND ACCIDENT DUE TO POOR ENGINEERING. PLEASE HELP ME. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT NOTICED AN OIL LEAK ON THE GROUND UNDER THE VEHICLE WHILE PARKED IN A RESIDENTIAL DRIVEWAY. THE CONTACT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND FOUND THAT POWER STEERING FLUID WAS LEAKING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL REPAIR FACILITY WHERE THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE POWER STEERING PUMP, STEERING HOSE, PRESSURE HOSE, RETURN HOSE, AND THE SUCTION HOSE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 54,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 61,400.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MINI COOPER. HE CONTACT NOTICED AN UNKNOWN FLUID LEAK ON THE GROUND UNDER THE VEHICLE WHILE PARKED. THE CONTACT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND FOUND THAT POWER STEERING FLUID WAS LEAKING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL REPAIR FACILITY WHERE THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE POWER STEERING PUMP, STEERING HOSE, PRESSURE HOSE, RETURN HOSE, AND THE SUCTION HOSE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 54,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 61,400.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 55 MPH WHEN THE POWER STEERING FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME INCREASINGLY TIGHT WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE CONTACT REPLACED THE POWER STEERING PUMP HIMSELF. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 88,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 113,000.

MINI COOPER 2005: AT 60,000 PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG SENSOR MALFUNCTIONED. LIGHT STAYS ON NO MATTER IF SOMEONE IS IN THE SEAT OR NOT. MINI SERVICE SAYS IT WILL COST $1,000 PLUS TO REPAIR SENSOR, AND THAT THE BAG WILL NOT DEPLOY IF SENSOR IS MALFUNCTIONING. *TR

POWER STEERING FAILED WHILE DRIVING NORMALLY ON THE FREEWAY AND IT BECAME VERY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL THE CAR. POWER STEERING RETURNED AFTER LETTING THE CAR SIT IN A PARKING LOT, BUT FAILED AGAIN WHILE DRIVING HOME. WE HAVE NOT DRIVEN THE CAR SINCE. THE CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND WE HAVE TALKED TO MINI, BUT THEY HAVE NOT OFFERED TO HELP REPAIR THE CAR. WE WERE TOLD THAT IT WILL COST AROUND $1500 TO REPLACE THE MALFUNCTIONING PARTS. *TR

MY 2009 MINI COOPER CLUBMAN S WILL NOT ACCELERATE WHEN I STEP ON THE GAS PEDAL IF I AM COASTING. THERE IS AN INITIAL DELAY, THEN THE ENGINE SPEEDS UP BUT THE TRANSMISSION WILL NOT ENGAGE. SEVERAL TIMES I HAVE ALMOST BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT WHEN TRYING TO CHANGE LANES OR MAKING A LEFT TURN. THE DEALER SAYS THE CAR OPERATES AS DESIGNED... *TR