MINI Complaints

DRIVING HOME THE POWER STEERING LOCKED UP. GOT THE CAR PARKED. NEXT MORNING THE CAR WAS DEAD. NOTHING WORKED. TOWED CAR TO REPAIR SHOP. MECHANIC CALLED AND SAID CAR MUST GO TO THE DEALER. HAD CAR TOWED TO DEALER. 1ST ESTIMATE FROM DEALER WAS 2350.00 FOR A NEW POWER STEERING PUMP, POWER STEERING HARNESS AND A NEW BATTERY. CAR REMAINED AT THE DEALER UNTIL TODAY 6/19/09. TOTAL FOR THE WORK PERFORMED WAS 1058.39 WHICH INCLUDED A 99.95 GREASE OIL AND FILTER. *TR

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

2005 MINI COOPER S-BEGAN HAVING ISSUES WITH THE CAR JERKING WHEN SHIFTING GEARS (NOT A MANUAL TRANSMISSION) IN EARLY 2009. I TOOK IT TO MY MECHANICS. THEY HAD IT FOR QUITE AWHILE, TRYING TO DETERMINE THE ROOT CAUSE. THEY ADVISED THAT THEY EVEN CONSULTED WITH THE DEALERSHIP, BUT SAID THEY FELT LIKE THE DEALERSHIP WASN'T VERY FORTHCOMING IN THEIR INFORMATION. MY MECHANIC ULTIMATELY DECIDED THAT HE THOUGHT IT WAS A SENSOR THAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. $500 TO REPLACE THIS SENSOR. THE ROUGH SHIFTING CONTINUED AND ON JUNE 2, 2009, WHILE I WAS OUT AT LUNCH, I LOST FIRST GEAR ALTOGETHER. THE CAR WOULD MOVE FORWARD, BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO PICK UP ANY REAL SPEED UNTIL THE RPM'S GOT HIGH ENOUGH. I PULLED OVER INTO A PARKING LOT, PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND TURNED THE CAR OFF. WHEN I STARTED IT AGAIN, I HAD THE USE OF FIRST GEAR AGAIN, BUT THIS TIME IT FELT AS THOUGH IT WOULDN'T SHIFT OUT OF THIRD. I DROVE IT VERY SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY BACK TO MY OFFICE. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP, TOLD THEM THAT I WAS GOING TO NEED TO HAVE IT TOWED IN, AND ASKED IF THEY HAD A TOWING SERVICE. SHE SAID NO, BUT RECOMMENDED A TOWING COMPANY. I HAD IT TOWED IT BUT DIDN'T HEAR ANYTHING BACK FROM ANYONE UNTIL MONDAY, JUNE 8, 2009. MY HUSBAND WAS TOLD IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION AND THAT IT WOULD BE $8,000 FOR THE TRANSMISSION AND $2000 FOR THE LABOR. HARD TO BELIEVE ANYONE COULD SAY THAT WITH A STRAIGHT FACE. AROUND JUNE 9, 2009, THE MINI SERVICE MANAGER SAID HE WAS GOING TO WORK WITH IT A LITTLE BIT AND SEE IF HE COULD GET ANY OF THOSE COSTS COVERED UNDER A SERVICE BULLETIN. TODAY IS JUNE 16, 2009. MY HUSBAND HAS CALLED, LEFT VOICEMAILS, AND EVEN GONE UP THE DEALERSHIP. WE HAVE HEARD NOTHING BACK FROM THE MINI SERVICE MANAGER. MY HUSBAND SPOKE TO THE BMW SERVICE MANAGER, WHO TOLD HIM THAT WE'D HAVE TO WAIT AND TALK TO THE MINI SERVICE MANAGER. *TR

PASSENGER AIRBAG LIGHT COMES ON INDICATING THAT THERE IS A FAULT WITH THE AIRBAG SYSTEM AND THE SYSTEM IS INACTIVE. *TR

2002 MINI COOPER POWER STEERING HYDRAULIC ASSIST FAILS WITHOUT WARNING MAKING CAR DIFFICULT TO STEER. FAILURE IS INTERMITTENT AND MAY OCCUR ON THE HIGHWAY OR ON SURFACE ROADS. IN EITHER CASE THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING. *TR

REGULAR DRIVING AT AROUND 6PM AT ABOUT 40MPH AROUND A BEND, COMPLETE POWER STEERING FAILURE, THE CAR BECAME VERY HEAVY TO STEER, WITH NO PRIOR WARNING, AND NO WARNING LIGHTS. ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT AS THE CAR FAILED TO STEER. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE, THE WARRANTY HAS BEEN OVER FOR 3 MONTHS AND MINI ARE SAYING A GOODWILL REPAIR MIGHT BE AVAILABLE, BUT WILL NOT DO A FREE DIAGNOSTIC, HELP US GET TO A DEALERSHIP OR PROMISE ANYTHING BEFOREHAND. A NEW POWER STEERING PUMP IS LIKELY NEEDED, AS PER THE EVIDENCE OF THE EUROPEAN RECALL, AND OTHER MINI DRIVER TESTIMONY. *TR

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE STREET AT ABOUT 40 MPH AND MY STEERING BECAME EXTREMELY HARD AND ALMOST REFUSED TO COMPLETELY WORK AS I WAS ROUNDING A BEND! I HAD TO SLAM ON MY BRAKES TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT AND SLOWLY INCH TO A SAFE PARKING SPOT. AFTER BEING SCARED OUT OF MY WITS, I CALMED DOWN AND PARKED MY CAR. I LET THE CAR SIT OVERNIGHT AND CHECKED POWER STEERING FLUID AND IT WAS FULL. I THEN LOOKED ONLINE AND FOUND MANY MINI OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. MINI SAYS THEY WILL NOT FIX IT. *TR

THE DRIVER SIDE SEATBELT BUCKLE DOES NOT RELEASE WHEN THE BUTTON IS PRESSED. THIS STARTED WHEN I FIRST BOUGHT THE VEHICLE IN FEBRUARY 2009. THIS HAPPENS EVERYTIME I TRY TO REMOVE THE SEATBELT. I HAVE TO JIGGLE THE BUCKLE TO GET IT TO RELEASE. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO FIX THIS PROBLEM YET; THE DEALER WILL NOT WARRANTY THE BUCKLE. *TR

TOOK 2003 MINI COOPER S TO PERFORMANCE DRIVING SCHOOL AND HAD POWER STEERING PUMP CATCH ON FIRE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MINI COOPER. WHILE THE DRIVER WAS PLACING ITEMS IN THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE, HIS CALF WAS BURNED BY THE EXTENDED TAIL PIPE. THE DRIVER HAS INCURRED MULTIPLE BURNS TO HIS CALF DUE TO THE EXTENDED TAIL PIPE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT ASSIST BECAUSE THERE WERE NO RECALLS FOR THIS FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WOULD NOT PROVIDE COMPENSATION BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A RECALL. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 6,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 9,000.