MINI Complaints

SUDDEN TOTAL LOSS OF POWER STEERING ON A 2004 MINI COOPER S IN A PARKING AT LOW SPEED. CAR WAS EXTREMELY HARD TO DRIVE BACK TO DEALER DUE TO HIGH GRIP THE CAR HAS. DEALER REPLACED POWER STEERING PUMP FOR POWER ASSISTED GEAR. COULD HAVE BEEN DANGEROUS IN A CORNER. MILEAGE 20,257. *TR

1. POWER STEERING FAILED AND STEERING BECAME EXCESSIVELY HARD TO TURN THE WHEEL ESPECIALLY IN LOW SPEED TURNS SOMETIMES COULDN'T MAKE THE TURNS IN TIME. 2. SEVERAL TIMES. PARKED THE CAR 3. WAITING FOR CONSUMER AFFAIRS TO HELP WITH REPLACING DEFECTIVE PARTS. *TR

MINI COOPER S CONVERTIBLE 2006, LESS THAN 40K MILES. I WAS DRIVING FOR MAYBE 6 MILES AND WHILE I WAS MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN I FELT THE STEERING WHEEL WAS NOT FUNCTIONING CORRECTLY AND THE CAR WAS MOVING VERY ODDLY SO I PULL OVER IMMEDIATELY TO CHECK WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE CAR. NOTICING THE SMOKE FORM THE HOOD BEFORE I GOT OUT THE CAR AND THOUGHT MY CAR WAS OVER HEATED. I THOUGHT I WOULD JUST CALL THE ROADSIDE SERVICE TO HELP. BUT WHAT HAD TOOK PLACE NEXT WAS SOMETHING I CAN ONLY IMAGINE FROM A MOVIE SET ....SMOKE..HEAVY SMOKE...FLAME FIRE. FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME AND THEY WOULD NOT ABLE TO OPEN THE HOOD SO INSTEAD THEY CUT THE HOOD OPEN AND WAS ABLE TO PUT OFF THE FIRE. THE CAR WAS TOTAL. I JUST HAD THE SERVICE ONE MONTH AGO AT THE DEALER (REPLACE BATTERY, WHEEL ALIGNMENT, ROTATION TIRES AND 32 POINT INSPECTION)AND LIKE ALL THE PREVIOUS SERVICES WAS DONE AT THE DEALER. I DON'T KNOW WHAT EXACTLY HAD HAPPEN TO THE CAR, MY INSURANCE CO CLAIMED THAT THERE IS NO RECALL BY BMW/MINI ON THE CAR SO THEY DON'T SEE THE POINT TO SPEND MONEY AND TIME TO CHECK INTO WHAT HAD CAUSED THE FIRE...BUT I WANTED TO KNOW AS A CAR OWNER AND A NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE. I THINK I AM ENTITLE TO AND TO PREVENT THIS HAPPEN TO MORE MINI OWNER. PLEASE HELP! *TR

WHILE DRIVING A 2003 MINI COOPER VEHICLE STEERING MALFUNCTIONED WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY. AUTO BARELY MADE IT TO DEALERSHIP. DETERMINED TO BE A FAULTY POWER STEERING PUMP WITH ADJOINING PARTS. VEHICLE HAD 46,594 MILES AND MINI WOULD NOT COVER DEFECT EVEN THOUGH OTHER OWNERS COMPLAINED OF PROBLEM. REPAIR TO ME WAS $979.01 + 6% CONNECTICUT SALES TAX! *TR

THE POWER STEERING IN MY 2004 MINI COOPER BEGAN MALFUNCTIONING LAST YEAR. THIS MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO STEER AND CONTROL THE VEHICLE. IT MALFUNCTIONS EVERY TIME I DRIVE THE CAR, THE PUMP STOPS WORKING A FEW MINUTES OR IMMEDIATELY AFTER I START THE ENGINE. I HAVE NOT HAD AN ACCIDENT DUE TO THE MALFUNCTION, BUT ONE COULD BE POSSIBLE, IF I WERE TO HAVE TO MAKE A SHARP TURN AT A MOMENT'S NOTICE. SINCE THIS PART IS A DEALER ONLY PART, IT IS EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE AND I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO AFFORD IT SINCE I WAS LAID OFF LAST YEAR. HELP! *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS 2004 MINI COOPER. WHILE THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY BETWEEN 25 TO 30 MPH, THERE WAS A SLIGHT LOSS OF POWER STEERING WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE WAS A CONTINUOUS OCCURRENCE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 70,441 UPDATED 02/01/11*LJ THE POWER STEERING PUMP HAD TO BE REPLACED. 03.22.11

PER THE MINI COOPER POWER STEERING PUMP INVESTIGATION - ON MARCH 24, 2010 I PAID TO HAVE MY POWER STEERING PUMP REPLACED AFTER HAVING MY BATTERY DIE FOR A SECOND TIME. THE MINI DEALERSHIP FAILED THE FIRST TIME TO FIND THE PROBLEM BUT UPON THE SECOND BATTERY DYING THEY REPORTED THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP WAS REMAINING ON AND DRAWING POWER FROM THE BATTERY EVEN WHEN THE CAR WAS TURNED OFF. THIS ALSO EXPLAINED WHY I HAD BEEN NOTICING THE POWER STEERING STOPPED WORKING ON A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS. *TR

2004 MINI COOPER, COUPE HAS INTERMITTENT POWER STEERING, WHICH BEGAN SUDDENLY ON A CIRCULAR FREEWAY ON RAMP AT ABOUT 40MPH, DURING WHICH I NEARLY LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR. THE FAILURE SEEMS TO BE TRIGGERED BY U TURNS (ROUND-ABOUT, SPIRAL RAMPS, MANEUVERING OUT OF A SMALL PARKING SPACE.) I HAVE HAD THE POWER STEERING PUMP INVESTIGATED AS THE CAUSE AND IT IS WORKING NORMALLY. I BELIEVE IT IS A PROBLEM WITH EITHER THE COMPUTER OR STEERING ASSEMBLY. IT IS POSSIBLE TO DRIVE THE CAR WITH THE FAILED POWER STEERING, BUT QUITE DISCONCERTING WHEN IT FAILS IN THE MIDDLE OF A TURN. I AM STILL DRIVING THE CAR - BUT CAREFULLY. UPDATE - WHILE DRIVING THE CAR THIS MORNING, THE POWER STEERING SUDDENLY FAILED ON A CURVE AT 50 MPH. I MOMENTARILY LOST CONTROL, BUT REGAINED IT WITHOUT ACCIDENT. THE POWER STEERING BECAME FUNCTIONAL AGAIN WITHIN ABOUT 100 YARDS OF DRIVING. *TR

POWER STEERING WHEEL GOES ON AND OFF. WHEN I TURN THE WHEEL I CAN FEEL IT GO FROM HEAVY RESISTANCE TO REGULAR IN SECONDS, WHICH HAS BEEN MORE THAN ONCE IN A DAY. IF THERE IS A CAR COMING FROM THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION, IT COULD EASILY CRASHED INTO MY SIDE. DUE TO THIS SUDDENLY WHEEL MALFUNCTION, I HAD TO SLOW DOWN BECAUSE I WAS AT THE CORNER OF THE ROAD, TRYING TO TURN. THIS IS SO DANGEROUS, AND IT WILL ONLY TAKE SECONDS TO KILL PEOPLE IN THIS SITUATION. I DID RESEARCH ONLINE AND FOUND OUT THIS IS A PRETTY COMMON ISSUE FOR THE MINI COOPER. *TR

AFTER DRIVING 5 MILES AND STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT, WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN I BEGAN A LEFT TURN AND HAD NO POWER STEERING, I HAD TO PULL THE STEERING WHEEL WITH ALL MY STRENGTH TO KEEP FROM CAUSING A WRECK. I DROVE 5 MORE MILES TO WORK AND PARKED. 2 HOURS LATER I WENT OUTSIDE AND HEARD A MOTOR RUNNING IN MY CAR. THE RUNNING MOTOR HAD DRAINED MY BATTERY, I HAD TO JUMP START THE CAR TO GET HOME. THE MINI DEALER IN CHARLESTON SC SAID I HAD TO BRING THE CAR TO THEM TO REPLACE A RMFD POWER STEERING PART WHICH WAS A DEALER ONLY PART. I LIVE 100 MILES FROM THE DEALER, I HAD TO TAKE CAR TO MY LOCAL MECHANIC SO HE COULD UNHOOK THE MOTOR SO THE BATTERY WOULD NOT BE DRAINED WHILE I PARKED UNTIL I COULD GET A DAY OFF WORK TO DRIVE THE MINI TO CHARLESTON. PARTS NEEDED FOR THE FIX: INTAKE MANIFOLD; HOSE CLAMP; RMFD POWER STEERING; CORE RETURN. THE TOTAL REPAIR COSTS 969.00 AND A DAY OFF WORK. I HAVE A 2 YEAR GUARANTEE ON THIS FIX. *TR