MINI Complaints

MY 2002 MINI COOPER'S POWER STEERING FAILED SILENTLY AS I DROVE HOME FROM WORK A WEEK AGO, THOUGH WAS FINE AFTER RESTARTING THE CAR. SINCE THEN, IT HAS STARTED FAILING CONSISTENTLY. THIS LEADS TO VERY DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS BECAUSE I HAVE NO IDEA HOW HARD I WILL HAVE TO TURN ON THE WHEEL FOR ANY GIVEN TURN AND THUS MAKES ME HIGHLY SUSCEPTIBLE FOR HITTING A PEDESTRIAN OR ANOTHER CAR.. INVESTIGATIONS IMPLY THAT I HAVE TO REPLACE THE POWER STEERING PUMP, WHICH COST $1000+. MY CAR HAS ROUGHLY 36,000 MILES ON IT. *TR

THE SRS LIGHT WAS ON AND WOULDN'T GO OUT. THE DEALER CHECKED IT AND SAID THAT THE PASSENGER SEAT MAT IS DEFECTIVE AND IT WAS A HARD FAULT WHICH PREVENTS THE AIR BAG FROM WORKING. THE LIGHT SOMETIMES GOES OUT BUT USUALLY STAYS ON. THEY WOULD NOT WARRANTY THIS AND WANTED $1330 TO REPAIR IT. THE PASSENGER SEAT HAS PROBABLY ONLY BEEN SAT IN 10% OF THE TIME. *TR

THE POWER STEERING IN OUR 2005 MINI COOPER HAS A RECENT HISTORY (WITHIN THE PAST YEAR) OF INTERMITTENTLY FAILING, MAKING THE CAR DIFFICULT, IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE, FOR OUR SMALL-SIZED DRIVERS (ABOUT 100 LBS.) TO MANEUVER. THIS HAS PROVED DANGEROUS ON THE ROAD, BUT INJURIES HAVE SO FAR BEEN AVOIDED, JUST WHEN WE WERE GOING TO GET IT FIXED, THE PROBLEM APPEARED TO SELF-CORRECT. THIS WEEK, HOWEVER, THE CAR HAS FAILED TO START OR TAKE A CHARGE TO A ONE-YEAR-OLD BATTERY. OUR RELIABLE AND TRUSTWORTHY MECHANIC CANNOT DIAGNOSE THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM, BUT WE ARE WONDERING IF THERE MAY BE A DRAIN ON THE BATTERY FROM THIS POWER STEERING PROBLEM. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME VERY STIFF AND DIFFICULT TO TURN. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN ONTO THE EMERGENCY LANE AND SHUT OFF. WITHIN A FEW MINUTES HE WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE DROVE NORMALLY FOR APPROXIMATELY 15 MINUTES BEFORE THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE FAILURE BEGAN TO RECUR INTERMITTENTLY, SO THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 61,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CLUTCH WOULD NOT ENGAGE OR SHIFT INTO FIRST, SECOND OR ANY OTHER GEAR. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE CLUTCH WAS REPLACED. THE FAILURE RECURRED WITHIN TWO WEEKS AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER WHO STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT OFFER ASSISTANCE SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 40,000. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 25,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT HEARD AN EXTREMELY LOUD KNOCKING SOUND WHENEVER HE STARTED THE VEHICLE. THE KNOCKING NOISE WAS NOT PRESENT WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE TIMING BELT AND OTHER COMPONENTS WERE REPLACED AT THE HIS EXPENSE. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER WHO OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE WHEN THE COMPLAINT WAS FILED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 40,000. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 35,000.

WHILE PICKING MY GRANDSON FROM SCHOOL ON OCT 18 2010 AT 2:30 PM I WAS BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE ONTO THE HIGHWAY , HALF STILL IN PARKING SPACE AND HALF ON THE HIGHWAY MY CAR STOPPED--- IT WOULD NOT GO FORWARD OR BACKWARD --- COULD NOT TURN THE STEERING WHEEL, IT WOULD NOT TURN--THE MOTOR RUNNING ALL THE TIME --I TURNED THE KEY OFF AND ON TWICE BEFORE THE CAR WOULD MOVE .ONLY REASON WE WERE NOT HIT BY TRAFFIC IS BECAUSE WE WERE IN A SCHOOL ZONE AND TRAFFIC WAS SLOW AT THAT TIME. I CALLED MY MINI DEALER IN BATON ROUGE AND ASKED IF THEY HAD OTHER PEOPLE WITH TROUBLE WITH THEIR MINI THEY SAID NO-- ASKED THEY TO CHECK IF MINI HAD ANYTHING GOING ON WITH MINI S THEY WOULD NOT CHECK THEY JUST SAYING THEY HAD NOT RECEIVED AND OFFICIAL NOTICE THEY SAID I COULD BRING IT IN AND IT WOULD COST ME ABOUT 800.00 TO HAVE IT FIXED. *TR

2004 MINI COOPER. INTERMITTENT POWER STEERING FAILURES. HAPPENS ON A HOT DAY OR IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC. *TR

POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURE THAT ENDED UP IN FIRE. POWER STEERING FAILED AND THE BATTERY ICON LIGHT WENT ON, AFTERWARDS IT BEGAN TO SMELL LIKE BURNT, I STOPPED THE CAR IMMEDIATELY AND OPEN THE BONNET, EVERYTHING WAS COVERED ON AN ASHES LAYER. THE PUMP WIRES AND CONNECTIONS WERE ALL MELTED ALONG THE PUMP. *TR

I OWN A 2004 MINI COOPER S AND WHEN DRIVING THE POWER STEERING FAILED. I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF AN OFF RAMP AND THE STEERING BECAME EXTREMELY HARD. I WAS UNABLE TO NAVIGATE THE TURN AND WENT OFF THE ROAD. LUCKILY I DID NOT HIT ANYTHING. WHEN THE CAR WAS TURNED OFF AND THEN BACK ON THE POWER STEERING CAME BACK ON. FROM TIME TO TIME NOW I LOOSE THE POWER STEERING. I FEEL THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AND DO NOT LET MY WIFE OR CHILD RIDE IN THE CAR. *TR