MINI Complaints

POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURE WITHOUT WARNING AND INTERMITTENT STEERING SYSTEM DEGRADATION PRIOR TO TOTAL FAILURE. MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE 2005 MINI WHEN STEERING STARTED FAILING. PULLED OVER AND WAS TOWED TO GARAGE FOR REPAIRS. POOR DESIGN AND NO ACCOMMODATION FOR SYSTEM FAILURE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE POWER STEERING SUDDENLY MALFUNCTIONED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT CALLED THE LOCAL DEALER BUT WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN INSPECTED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 49,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

I WAS DRIVING DOWN A SIDE STREETS WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN I COULDN'T STEER THE CAR AFTER STOPPING AT AN INTERSECTION. I LATER FOUND OUT THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP HAD SUDDENLY GONE BACK ON MY 2004 MINICOOPER. II WAS AT A 4-WAY INTERSECTION AT THE TIME AND WAS NEARLY CRUSHED BY TWO OTHER CARS. AFTER GETTING THE CAR HOME I WROTE TO MINI'S CORPORATE TO SEE IF IT WOULD BE COVERED SINCE THERE HAD BEEN A LOT OF ONLINE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE PUMP, BUT THEY WOULDN'T COVER IT. INSTEAD I WAS FORCED TO SHELL OUT OVER $700 FOR IT (EXACT PRICE I WILL HAVE TO LOOK UP). I JUST READ ABOUT AN INVESTIGATION THAT THE NHTSA WAS DOING AND WANTED TO MAKE SURE YOU HEARD BY STORY. I PURCHASED THE CAR NEW IN 2004 FROM MINI OF PEABODY, MA. AND WILL TRY TO GET MY MONEY BACK, BUT SO FAR I HAVEN'T HAD ANY LUCK. [XXX]2004 MINICOOPER (NON "S" MODEL) HERE IS THE EMAIL THAT I SENT TO MINICOOPER ------------------------- I AM WRITING TO SEE IF MINI WILL COVER THE COST OF THE POWER STEERING PUMP THAT DIED YESTERDAY WITHOUT ANY ADVANCE WARNING IN MY 2004 MINI. THE CAR WAS FINE ALL DAY AND THEN AS I WENT TO TAKE A TURN AT A BUSY INTERSECTION I COULDN'T TURN THE WHEEL AND ALMOST GOT CRUSHED BY OTHER CARS HEADING TOWARD ME. FROM THE RESEARCH I HAVE DONE THIS IS A KNOWN FAILURE AND ONE THAT MINI SEEMS TO AVOID ABSORBING THE COST TO FIX / REPLACE. FROM WHAT I READ A RECALL WAS DONE IN BRITAIN, BUT NOT HERE IN THE U.S. PLEASE LET ME KNOW HOW MINI WILL HELP ME IN THIS SITUATION. I SURELY DON'T HAVE THE MONEY FOR A NEW OR REFURBISHED POWER STEERING PUMP AND WITH THE HUGE RISK OF INJURY / AND OR DEATH THAT THIS PROBLEM COULD CAUSE I WOULD HOPE THAT MINI CARES LESS ABOUT PROFITS AND MORE ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS - AND COVERS THE COST TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. PLEASE RESPOND BACK AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY 2005 MINI COOPER TODAY WHEN THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT AND IT BECAME VERY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE AROUND SHARP TURNS AT SLOWER SPEEDS. I HAVE NOT YET CORRECTED THE FAILURE. *TR

POWER STEERING IN MY 2005 MINI COOPER WITH 28,000 MILES SOMETIMES FUNCTIONS AND OTHER TIMES DOES NOT-MOSTLY THOUGH IT DOES NOT FUNCTION. THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN ONGOING SINCE MARCH, 2010. ON RARE OCCASIONS, I WILL START THE CAR AND THE POWER STEERING WILL FUNCTION AS NORMAL. *TR

2006 BMW MINI COOPER, 2 DOOR. CAR SUDDENLY LOSES POWER, SHUDDERS AND ENGINE SHUTS DOWN. OCCURS RANDOMLY. HAS OCCURRED 6 TIMES SINCE CAR WAS PURCHASED, MOST RECENT OCCURRENCE SEPTEMBER 2010. EACH TIME CAR WAS TAKEN TO DEALER. EACH TIME DEALER SAID IT WAS FIXED. DEALER DOES NOT SHARE ENGINEERING INFORMATION; SO, I CANNOT DETERMINE EXACTLY WHAT WAS DONE. DEALER HAD TO GET MINI COOPER ENGINEERS FOR CONSULTATION ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. REPAIR ORDERS MENTION A PART CALLED THE VANOS ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. SUDDEN LOSE OF POWER APPEARS TO ME TO BE A SAFETY ISSUE. DEALER HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO REPAIR. MINI COOPER OF NORTH AMERICA HAS SAID THERE IS NO PROBLEM FOR THEM TO REMEDY. *TR

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE 2004 MINI COOPER S TO PICK UP OUR SON FROM SCHOOL. AFTER SHE RETRIEVED HIM, SHE WENT AROUND A CORNER AND THE POWER STEERING STOPPED WORKING CAUSING HER TO CRASH INTO A CURB. SHE DOES NOT HAVE ENOUGH STRENGTH TO TURN THE WHEEL AND THERE WAS NO WARNING OF A POSSIBLE FAILURE. I AM FEARFUL TO REPLACE THE PART AND CONTINUE TO MAKE PAYMENTS ON A VEHICLE I DO NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE PUTTING MY CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN IN DUE TO THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE NEW POWERING STEERING PUMP WILL FAIL IF REPLACED. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER. WHILE TRAVELING 40 MPH THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL SUDDENLY BECOME TIGHT AND WAS DIFFICULT TO TURN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED AND THERE WERE NO PRIOR WARNINGS. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 48000.

2004 MINI COOPER S - POWER STEERING PUMP AND FAN FAILURE. POWER STEERING QUITS WORKING CAUSING INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT STEERING. SOLUTION IS TO REPLACE PUMP AND FAN AND THE EXPENSE OF THE OWNER, ME. I BELIEVE THIS PUMP AND FAN SHOULD NOT HAVE FAILED AND ALSO THAT THERE SHOULD BE A NATIONWIDE RECALL SINCE THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF MINI COOPER DRIVERS WITH THIS SAME ISSUES. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH WHEN PRESSURE WAS APPLIED TO THE BRAKE PEDAL YET THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT STOP UNTIL IT CRASHED INTO A CURB. THE POLICE ARRIVED ON SCENE TO ASSIST, HOWEVER A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOT BY THE CONTACT'S INSURANCE COMPANY BUT WAS NOT EXAMINED FOR THE CAUSE OF FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 7,000.