MINI Cooper Complaints

4,588 consumer complaints on file.

#10453334March 28, 2012
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 12V008000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) AND TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIRS. TWO DAYS AFTER THE RECALL REPAIR WAS PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD OF THE VEHICLE WHILE SITTING AT A TRAFFIC STOP. THE CONTACT TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF BUT THE VEHICLE PROCEEDED TO IGNITE INTO FLAMES. THE POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENT WERE CALLED TO ASSIST AND A REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND THE VEHICLE WAS PENDING INVESTIGATION. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 32,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10453364March 28, 2012
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MINI COOPER S. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED SMOKE EMITTING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THE CONTACT STOPPED THE VEHICLE AND FOUND A FIRE HAD ERUPTED IN THE ENGINE AREA AND UNDER THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC BUT WAS NOT INSPECTED FOR THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 113,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10453382March 28, 2012
STEERING
HYDRAULIC POWER STEERING ASSIST SYSTEM FAILED WHILE ON THE ROAD 3 TIMES CAUSING A CRASH HAZARD. THE POWER STEERING WOULD RETURN INTERMITTENTLY UNTIL IT COMPLETELY STOPPED WORKING. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10453395March 28, 2012
STEERING
ON DATE OF INCIDENT, WAS ATTEMPTING TO PARK WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP (BECAME VERY DIFFICULT TO MOVE). I MANAGED TO GET THE CAR INTO A SPOT AND CALLED FOR TOW ASSISTANCE. THE REPAIR SHOP DIAGNOSED AS A POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURE AND HAD TO REPLACE THAT AND OTHER AFFILIATED COMPONENTS (COOLING FAN, ETC.). APPROXIMATELY 4 DAYS BEFORE THE FAILURE, THE POWER STEERING FAN WAS UNCHARACTERISTICALLY WHINNY, BUT WENT AWAY AFTER A FEW MINUTES AND WAS NOT HEARD AGAIN BEFORE THE FAILURE. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10453224March 27, 2012
STEERING
BMW INSTALLED PLASTIC POWER STEERING PUMP THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED BECAUSE THE PART IS FAULTY AND LEAKS POWER STEERING FLUID. I HAD TO REPLACE PUMP WITH METAL POWER STEERING PUMP. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10453258March 27, 2012
STEERING
DRIVING CAR ON HIGHWAY ROUNDING CURVE, POWER STEERING FAILED COMPLETELY. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10453012March 26, 2012
STEERING
POWER STEERING PUMP FAIL. NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT OR ANY WARNING LIGHT. FOUND OUT THAT ITS NOT WORKING WHILE DRIVING!!! I COULDN'T TURN MY STEERING WHEEL IT BECAME VERY STIFF. ITS VERY DANGEROUS AND VERY EXPENSIVE TO REPLACE. ABOUT $900 FOR THE PART ONLY! *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10453031March 26, 2012
STEERING
OCCASIONAL POWER STEERING FAILURE. AT FIRST IT OCCURRED MOSTLY AT START UP FOR LESS THAN A MINUTE. AFTER CALLING THE DEALER FOR INFO, I ADDED FLUID, TURNED THE WHEEL TO LOCK IN BOTH DIRECTIONS AND THAT SEEMED TO HELP FOR A COUPLE WEEKS. THE ISSUE HAS SINCE RETURNED, ABOUT 1 OCCURRENCE PER WEEK. MOST RECENTLY I HAD NO POWER STEERING FOR THE ENTIRETY OF A ~30 MINUTE DRIVE. I'M CONCERNED THAT THE STEERING WILL FAIL MID-TURN, PARTICULARLY WHILE DRIVING DANGEROUS MOUNTAIN ROADS. DOES THE PUMP NEED TO BE REPLACED OR IS THIS AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE AS DESCRIBED IN EXISTING COMPLAINTS? *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10453089March 26, 2012
STEERING
WHILE DRIVING MY 2005 MINI, THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT WITHOUT WARNING. THIS HAS OCCURED NUMEROUS TIMES WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. ONCE THE VEHICLE COOLS OFF, THE POWER STEERING FUNCTIONS NORMALLY. *TR I HAVE CONTACTED THE MINI DEALERSHIP ABOUT THIS PROBLEM TO SEE IF THERE HAVE BEEN ANY RECALLS ISSUED, WHICH THERE HAVE NOT. IT'S OBVIOUS THAT THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM AND MANY OTHERS HAVE EXPERIENCED IT AS WELL. CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN TO ME WHY A "RECALL" HAS NOT BEEN ISSUED?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10453092March 26, 2012
STEERING
POWER STEERING FAILED WHILE IN TRAFFIC JAM. VEHICLE EXTREMELY HARD TO STEER. FOURTH INCIDENT OF THIS HAPPENING. THIS IS THE SECOND COMPLAINT FILED WITH NHTSA. OWNER WAS CONTACTED BY BMW IN AUGUST 2011 FOR COMPLAINT REVIEW, BUT OWNER HAS NOT HEARD BACK FROM THEM AND CANNOT GET THROUGH TO TELEPHONE NUMBER GIVEN BY BMW. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10452903March 25, 2012
STEERING
WHILE DRIVING DOWN STRAIGHT ROAD STEERING BEGAN TO INTERMITTENTLY "TIGHTEN UP" AND BECOME DIFFICULT TO MANAGE. ROAD AND WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE CLEAR AND DRY. NEXT MORNING POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILED COMPLETELY WHILE BACKING OUT OF DRIVEWAY, CAUSING VEHICLE TO ALMOST HIT A FENCE. VEHICLE HAD BEEN GARAGED ALL NIGHT AT AMBIENT TEMPERATURES. POWER STEERING UNEXPECTEDLY RETURNED TWO MILES LATER, CAUSING DRIVER TO OVER-CORRECT BECAUSE OF THE SUDDEN RETURN OF POWER STEERING ASSIST. THE INTERMITTENT NATURE OF THIS FAILURE IS THE MOST CONCERNING SAFETY ISSUE, AS THE DRIVER IS UNAWARE THAT EFFORT REQUIRED TO CHANGE LANES OR NAVIGATE A TURN MAY CHANGE DRASTICALLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY. OVER-CORRECTION IN TRAFFIC IS FRIGHTENING. VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN SUBJECTED TO UNUSUAL OR EXTREME DRIVING CONDITIONS. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10452927March 25, 2012
STEERING
MY POWER STEERING WENT OUT TODAY WHILE DRIVING. IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST SCARY EXPERIENCES I HAVE EVER HAD. I ADORE MY LITTLE CAR, BUT TODAY IT MADE ME SO SCARED I AM NOT SURE I AM OK DRIVING HER ANY MORE. WHILE DRIVING ON A LOCAL ROAD, I NOTICED THAN MY STEERING WHEEL WAS VERY STIFF. I STARTED TO TURN INTO THE LEFT-TURN LANE AND COULD BARELY DO IT, THEN TRIED TO TURN LEFT AND ALMOST HIT THE CARS AROUND ME BECAUSE I HAD TO USE ALL OF MY STRENGTH TO MAKE THE TURN. MY POWER STEERING WENT WITHOUT ANY WARNING, NONE. I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED SOMETHING LIKE THIS BEFORE, I HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS HAPPENING. I IMMEDIATELY LOOKED ONLINE WHEN I GOT HOME TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED AND HOW MUCH THIS REPAIR WILL COST AND WAS AMAZED AND VERY DISAPPOINTED TO SEE SO MANY SIMILAR ACCOUNTS BY OTHER 2004 COOPER OWNERS. I FEEL LUCKY AFTER READING OTHERS STORIES THAT IT HAPPENED TO ME ON A LOCAL ROAD CLOSE TO HOME. I ALSO JUST LOOKED IN MY FILE AND SEE THAT MY POWER STEERING COOLING FAN WAS REPLACED 9 MONTHS AGO WHEN MY CAR WAS AT THE DEALERSHIP FOR OTHER REPAIRS. MINI / BMW, HOW CAN YOU IGNORE THIS INCREDIBLE ISSUE AND DANGER? *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10452947March 25, 2012
STEERING
THE CAR HAS BEEN HAVING ISSUES WITH THE POWER STEERING ASSIST. THE POWER STEERING ASSIST GOES OUT INTERMITTENTLY MAKING IT DANGEROUS TO DRIVE IN THE TRANSITION FROM POWER STEERING ASSIST TO MANUAL STEERING. I HOPE THIS ASSISTS THE INVESTIGATION INTO THIS ISSUE. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10452842March 24, 2012
AIR BAGS
PASSENGER AIR BAG DISABLED LIGHTS (DASH AND ABOVE REAR VIEW MIRROR) ARE ON INDICATING NO PASSENGER IS PRESENT (THUS DISABLING THE PASSENGER AIR BAG SYSTEM) EVEN WHEN AN INDIVIDUAL IS OCCUPYING THE SEAT. I PURCHASED THE CAR NEW AND BOUGHT THE SUPPLEMENTAL BMW WARRANTY WHICH I WAS TOLD EXTENDED THE SUPPLIED WARRANTY FROM 4 YEARS/50,000 MILES TO 6 YEARS/100,000 MILES AND COVERED THE ENTIRE VEHICLE BUT WHEN THE PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED I WAS TOLD IT WAS NOT COVERED BY THE WARRANTY. AND THE PRIOR YEAR MODEL OF MINI (2006) DID HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM ADDRESSED AND THE WARRANTY EXTENDED TO 10 YEARS RELATING TO THE SAME SENSOR FAILING. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10452850March 24, 2012
AIR BAGS
I HAVE A MINI S 2006. APPROXIMATELY 2 WEEKS AGO THE DASH AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON. THEN WENT OFF. NOW THE LIGHT STAYS ON CONSTANTLY. I WAS TOLD THIS IS A 1300.00 JOB. MY CAR IS IN EXCELLENT SHAPE. THE CAR HAS A DEFECT SOMEWHERE, 75000 MILES? THE AIR BAG SENSOR SHOULD NOT BE FAULTY. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10452858March 24, 2012
STEERING
POWER STEERING INTERMITTENT. GENERALLY, IT WILL GO OUT AFTER DRIVING 20-30 MINUTES, HOWEVER, IT HAS FAILED TO TURN ON WHEN STARTING IN THE MORNING ON OCCASION. IN BOTH CASES, TURNING OFF THE ENGINE AND RESTARTING BRINGS THE POWER STEERING BACK ON. IT LOOKS LIKE THIS IS RELATED TO INVESTIGATION EA11005. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10452884March 24, 2012
STEERING
WHILE DRIVING THE POWER STEERING INEXPLICABLY WENT OUT WITHOUT WARNING MAKING STEERING AND CONTROLLING THE VEHICLE DIFFICULT. THE PROBLEM WAS POTENTIALLY QUITE DANGEROUS DUE TO ITS UNEXPECTED NATURE. IF I WAS NOT TRAVELING STRAIGHT AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE WHICH SHOWED ITSELF AS I BEGAN MY NEXT TURN AND HAD BEGUN A TURN WHEN THE SYSTEM FAILED IT WOULD HAVE BEEN ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO CONTROL THE CAR. SERIOUS AND DANGEROUS ISSUE. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10452767March 23, 2012
STEERING
WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE THE POWER STEERING INTERMITTENTLY GOES OUT. IT IS VERY UNPREDICTABLE, WHERE I WILL BE DRIVING FOR SEVERAL MILES WITH THE POWER STEERING INTACT, THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN IT GOES OUT MAKING THE VEHICLE DIFFICULT TO TURN AND CONTROL. LATER THE POWER STEERING RETURNS. I HAD THE VEHICLE EXAMINED BY THE MINI DEALER, THE INSURANCE COMPANY MECHANIC, AND MY PERSONAL MECHANIC. NONE OF THEM WERE ABLE TO NOTICE ANY DAMAGE TO THE POWER STEERING. THE FLUID LEVEL IS INTACT AS WELL AS THE PUMP. THE MINI DEALER STATED THAT THEY'VE "SEEN A LOT OF THIS" ISSUE, BUT THERE ARE NO RECALLS OR OPEN CAMPAIGNS. THE DEALER BELIEVES THE ISSUE IS DUE TO AN INTERNAL ELECTRONICS FAILURE AND WILL NOT AGREE TO FIX IT IN GOOD FAITH. IN CALLING MINI USA, THERE ARE NO OPEN CAMPAIGNS OR RECALLS FOR THE ISSUE EITHER, DESPITE OVER ~50,000 CARS OF THE SAME MODEL YEAR REPORTEDLY HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS AND FRUSTRATING SITUATION WITH THE POTENTIAL TO CAUSE ACCIDENTS DUE TO AN UNPREDICTABLE LOSS OF CONTROL WHILE DRIVING. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10452786March 23, 2012
AIR BAGS
PASSENGER SEAT AIRBAG SENSOR FAILED. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10452804March 23, 2012
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THE FAILURE AND DETERMINED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN WAS SEPARATED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE, BUT DENIED ANY ASSISTANCE WITH REPAIRS TO THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 34,481.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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