MINI Complaints

THE POWER STEERING ON MY 2003 MINI COOPER STOPS WORKING WHILE DRIVING WITHOUT WARNING. IT HAPPENS WHEN GOING STRAIGHT ,AS WELL AS MID-TURN. IT HAS HAPPENED THREE TIMES. I WAS TOLD I MUST REPLACE THE POWER STEERING PUMP. *TR

THE NEW MINIS FROM BMW, RANGING FROM 2002 - 2005, HAVE CHRONIC PROBLEMS WITH THE POWER STEERING FAILING WHILE DRIVING, MAKING THE CARS SUDDENLY IMPOSSIBLE TO STEER. THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED PROBLEM. I'VE SEARCHED THE WEB AND FOUND HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS VERY SAME THING. HERE'S A LINK TO A BBC STORY ABOUT IT. HTTP://WWW.BBC.CO.UK/BLOGS/WATCHDOG/2009/02/MINI_STEERING_SYSTEM_FAILURES.HTML. *TR

2009 MINI COOPER. DRIVING ON HWY.101 WITH FLOW OF TRAFFIC (65-70 MPH) WITH WINDOWS UP. THE ROAD IS CLEAR AND FLAT (I.E., NO CONSTRUCTION). THE BACK SUNROOF JUST EXPLODED, SENDING FRAGMENT SHARDS OF GLASS BLOWING INTO MY CAR. DROVE TO NEAREST GAS STATION AND COVERED THE GAPING HOLE IN THE SUNROOF. WHEN I GOT HOME, I NOTICED THAT ALL EDGES OF THE BROKEN GLASS POINT OUTWARD. I DID NOT HIT ANYTHING FOR THIS TO HAVE HAPPENED. THE EXPLOSION WAS INSTANTANEOUS AND FRIGHTENING. I DON'T KNOW IF ANY GLASS HIT OTHER CARS. *TR

SUDDEN FAILURE OF THE MANUAL 5 SPEED TRANSMISSION CAUSING CAR TO COME TO A SUDDEN STOP IN AN INTERSECTION, ENDANGERING THE DRIVER AND BLOCKING TRAFFIC. SOMETHING INTERNAL FAILS IN THE TRANSMISSION, CAR COMES TO T SUDDEN STOP, CANT BE PUSHED AS THE WHEELS LOCK UP AND MUST BE TOWED FROM THE ROAD. APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM ON MESSAGE BOARDS ON THE WEB. TRANSMISSION MUST BE REPLACED. *TR

DOOR LOCK MECHANISM FREEZES AND TRAPS DRIVE AND OCCUPANTS INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. ANYTIME THE TEMPERATURE IS BELOW FREEZING DOOR LOCKS FREEZE. UPON CONTACTING MINI THEIR RESPONSE WAS THAT THEY GET THIS COMPLAINT FREQUENTLY BUT THEY DO NOT HAVE A METHOD TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. *TR

2005 MINI COOPER CONVERTIBLE WITH APPROX 78,000 MILES. ABOUT A WEEK AGO THE POWER STEERING FAILED WITH NO WARNING DURING COMMUTE. TOOK CAR TO REGULAR LOCAL FOREIGN CAR MECHANICS. POWER STEERING WAS WORKING WHEN THEY EXAMINED SO COULD FIND NO PROBLEM. DAY CAR WAS RETURNED POWER STEERING FAILED AGAIN ON AFTERNOON COMMUTE. CONSISTENTLY HAS FAILED ONCE CAR WARMS UP. TOOK TO MINI YESTERDAY WITH POWER STEERING IN FULL FAILURE MODE. DEALER SAYS IT IS FAN WHICH COOLS POWER STEERING PUMP. WHILE DEALER MAINTAINS THEY HAVE RARELY SEEN THIS PROBLEM ONLINE SEARCH OF MINI RELATED SITES AS WELL AS ARTICLE PRINTED IN UK DAILY MAIL SHOWS THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS YEAR CAR. *TR

MY 2008 MINI CLUBMAN S WAS PARKED AT THE POST OFFICE, WHEN SOMEONE CAME IN TO TELL ME MY CAR WAS ON FIRE. I RAN OUTSIDE TO FIND SMOKE POURING FROM UNDER THE HOOD, AND CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. I RAN BACK INSIDE TO GET A FIRE EXTINGUISHER, AND CAME BACK OUT TO FIND FLAMES COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD, ALONG WITH THE SMOKE. I EMPTIED THE EXTINGUISHER, BUT THE FLAMES KEPT COMING. BY THE TIME THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED, ONLY FIVE MINUTES LATER, THE FLAMES WERE 12 FEET HIGH, AND THE CAR WAS TOTALED. I HAVE FOUND REPORTS OF AT LEAST 30 OTHER SIMILAR INCIDENTS OF MINIS SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUSTING, BUT THE MANUFACTURER HAS, AS FAR AS I KNOW, DONE NOTHING TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. *TR

SUDDEN AND UNEXPECTED FAILURE OF AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION ON 2003 MINI COOPER. *TR

2005 MINI COOPER POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURE, WHILE MAKING A TURN, WITHOUT NOTICE MY POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED MY VEHICLE HAS APROX. 80K MILES ON IT. MINI IS REMANUFACTUING THE PUMP WITH DESIGN IMPROVEMENTS THIS TELLS ME THEY KNOW SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THE ORIGINAL PUMP, THEY SHOULD BE MADE TO REPAIR THE ORIGINAL PUMPS FEE OF CHARGE NOT THE $800.00 THEY WANT JUST FOR THE PUMP. THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. *TR

POWER STEERING SUDDENLY CUT OUT DURING NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS IN DOWNTOWN SAN FRANCISCO, MAKING IT VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER. DRIVER WAS ABLE TO BRING THE CAR TO A STOP SAFELY, BUT THIS FAILURE COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT HAD IT OCCURRED ON A CURVING ROAD. THE POWER STEERING PUMP WAS DETERMINED TO HAVE FAILED, AND WAS REPLACED BY THE CONSUMER, FOR A REPAIR COST OF CLOSE TO $700. THE POWER STEERING PUMP IS NOT SUPPOSED TO FAIL THIS EARLY IN THE LIFETIME OF A VEHICLE.