MINI Complaints

INTERMITTENT COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER STEERING. NOW IS NO LONGER WORKING. HAS CAUSED VERY SERIOUS SITUATIONS AND POTENTIAL ACCIDENT. *TR

POWER STEERING PUMP ON MY 2003 MINI COOPER S FAILED, VERY HARD TO STEER ONCE FAILED, NOW I'M HAVING THE SAME FAILURE AGAIN AFTER REPLACING IT LAST YEAR. READ ON THREADS AND OWNERS EVERYWHERE ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS. *TR

MY 2008 MINI COOPER S, WHEN COLD, OFTEN STARTS UP WITH A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF RATTLING FROM THE ENGINE. SO MUCH SO THAT IT SOUNDS LIKE A DIESEL (BUT ITS NOT A DIESEL MOTOR). NUMEROUS ONLINE FORUMS HAVE DOCUMENTED THIS PROBLEM, INCLUDING SOME COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURES. IT IS A VERY EXPENSIVE PROBLEM TO FIX AND I WOULD LIKE MINI TO ISSUE A RECALL TO PERMANENTLY FIX THE PROBLEM AND TO HAVE AN UNLIMITED WARRANTY ON THIS SPECIFIC PROBLEM. THE DEALERSHIP HAS BEEN "UNABLE TO DUPLICATE" THIS SOUND AND THEREFORE REFUSES TO PROVIDE THE FIX FOR IT. *TR

I PURCHASE MY 2006 MINI COOPER S NEW ALMOST 4 YEARS AGO. I HAVE BEEN COMPLAINING ABOUT THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SINCE I PURCHASED IT. IF YOU ARE GOING DOWN A HILL IT DOWNSHIFTS EXTREMELY HARD CAUSING A WHIPLASH EFFECT. CARS HAVE ALMOST HIT ME FROM BEHIND MANY TIMES. ADDITIONALLY WHEN GOING UP A HILL SUCH AS A FREEWAY ON-RAMP, THE CAR WILL JUST REFUSE TO ACCELERATE. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS WHEN TRYING TO MERGE ONTO THE FREEWAY. I HAVE SPOKEN MANY TIMES TO MINI HEADQUARTERS AND THE CONSENSUS IS THAT IS HOW THE VEHICLE IS SUPPOSED TO OPERATE. THEY TOLD ME TO BUY A NEW ONE NOW BECAUSE THEY DON'T USE THAT TRANSMISSION ANY MORE. THEY ALSO TOLD ME TO MANUALLY SHIFT THE CAR IN THOSE SITUATIONS. I SAID IF I HAD WANTED TO SHIFT MANUALLY I WOULDN'T HAVE PAID FOR AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. I AM VERY FRUSTRATED WITH THEIR RESPONSE. I AM DISABLED AND ON A LIMITED INCOME. I CAN'T AFFORD TO BUY A NEW CAR AND MORE IMPORTANTLY I COULDN'T MORALLY SELL THIS ONE WITH THESE KIND OF PROBLEMS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE POWER STEERING FAILED WITHOUT WARNING; THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO TURN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALERSHIP WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE STEERING ASSEMBLY OVERHEATED WHICH CAUSED THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED AT THE TIME OF THE COMPLAINT. THE CONTACT PLANNED TO CALL THE MANUFACTURER. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 42,000. UPDATED 11/05/10. *LJ UPDATED 12/7/10 *CN

2004 MINI COOPER. CONSUMER STATES WHILE DRIVING POWER STEERING MALFUNCTIONED. *TGW

2005 MINI COOPER S; WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED 60 MPH GOING AROUND A BEND ON THE HIGHWAY COMPLETE FAILURE OF POWER STEERING CAR WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER AND ALMOST CRASHED INTO MEDIAN. *TR

TL* THE CONTACTS OWNS A 2003 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT STATED THE POWER STEERING FAILED INTERMITTENTLY. HE CONFIRMED THAT WHEN SHUTTING OFF THE ENGINE FOR A FEW MOMENTS THE POWER STEERING WOULD RESET ITSELF ONCE IT RESTARTED. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED TO REPORT THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 80,000. UPDATED 11/03/10. *LJ

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN I NOTICED MY STEERING FELT "TIGHT". IT WAS DIFFICULT TO NAVIGATE A CURVE. I TRIED TO PULL INTO A REST AREA WHEN I REALIZED I HAD ALMOST NO STEERING ABILITY. I WAS ABLE TO TURN THE CAR BY USING BOTH HANDS. I ALMOST CRASHED ON THE RAMP. IT WAS A VERY SCARY EXPERIENCE. THE PROBLEM IS STILL THERE. I SPOKE WITH THE DEALER. IT IS MY POWER STEERING PUMP. IT IS A VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR AND IT SEEMS THERE ARE LOTS OF COMPLAINTS. I AM VERY GLAD I DID NOT HAVE TO DO ANY EMERGENCY TURNS, I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO STEER THE CAR. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A DISASTER. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON I-95N WHEN THE STEERING BECAME ALL TIGHT LIKE I COULDN'T TURN THE WHEEL. NO INDICATIOR LIGHTS CAME ON. I REACHED MY DESTINATION, SHUT THE CAR OFF FOR SEVERAL MIN, GOT IN STARTED IT UP AND IT WAS FINE. GOT BACK ON I-95S AND 5 MIN LATER THE STEERING WHEEL FELT LIKE IT WAS LOCKED UP I COULDN'T TURN IT. AGAIN NO WARNINGS!!!!! ARE YOU PEOPLE GOING TO WAIT TILL SOME ONE IS KILLED TO MAKE BMW FIX THIS!!!!!! I HAVE READ IT'S BEEIN GOING ON SINCE 2002 POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURES