We found the following complaints for MINI COOPER S (2003)
Read complaints for MINI COOPER S (2003)
Airbag light went on which indicates the airbag is not functioning. Have taken the car to the dealership three times already to have this fixed. Will be taking it in for the fourth time tomorrow. The first time i took it in, they told me they fixed the problem. The second time they told me they had to replace the electrical harness in order to fix the problem. The third time they told me that they had to replace the electrical harness again to fix the problem. I'm curious what they will say this time. Many people have reported the same airbag light problem on the mini chat rooms. The scary thing is that the dealership told me that when the airbag light comes on, either one or both of my airbags will not deploy if i get into an accident.
After battery went dead, replaced with new battery and shortly after air bag light illuminated.had independent shop clear code in 2015 inspected harness found nothing out of ordinary.3 days later air bag light returned.now in february 2018 had mini of towson diagnose air bag light thinking the dealership can reset air bag light properly.dealership recommended upgrading wiring harness under seat for 525 dollars.i have been on multiple forums and this air bag light is a common problem for 02-03 minis, including 05-06, and 12-15 year minis.my concern is that mini knows this is a defective part from the manufacturer but refuses to stand by their product even when it could affect the safety of the purchaser of its vehicles.in the event nhtsa receives enough complaints to force mini to issue a recall for this issue, i would like to be included as another dissatisfied consumer.thank you for your time,garrett
Nothing really special happend other than the airbag light randomly came on. I didnt hit anything or hit a big bump. I adjusted my seat and i have read that mini cooper may have made the wires underneath the seat too short so when you recline or move the seat forward for passengers it could trigger.
Air bag lights come on while driving.
Consumer's vehicle was involved in a rear end collision. The vehicle that rear ended consumer's vehicle pushed it into the vehicle that was parked in front. None of the airbags deployed.the repair shop reported the seat being broken. Consumer noted the seat hit the back of the calves and bruised them. Hit the steering wheel, fractured nose and received a concussion. Vehicle totaled with front end damage and a cracked windshield. Consumer was wearing her seat belt and was sitting pretty far back. She managed to hit the steering wheel and sustained injuries. The vehicle she hit in the rear was also towed. That vehicle sustained damage tothe rear. Consumer's hood was pushed up and headlight was damaged. *ph
Consumer called complaining abot the air bags in the vehicle. Also stated that while driving the vehicle the side air bag in the drivers side deploy with no reason. Dealer and manufacture were contacted and stated that the air bag sensor activated.
The contact owns a 2003 mini cooper s. The contact stated that on three occasions, the mat occupancy sensor on the front passenger's seat was replaced due to the warning light being illuminated. The vehicle was taken to mini of birmingham located at 2001 tom williams way, birmingham, al 35210, 205-267-4505. The contact was informed that the mat sensor needed to be replaced at a cost of $1,200. The contact was also informed that the part may also be available at the local junkyard. The mat sensor was replaced however, the failure recurred. The contact was informed that the seat should be replaced which was still pending. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 79,000.
I purchased my '03 mini copper s with 49k from a honda in mechanicsburg, pa dealer in august. In december, i purchased tires and then went to a self-service carwash afterward. When i got home and before i put it in the garage, i took out the hose and washed off the wheels and under the car. During the process there was white smoke, which i thought was steam from the water hitting the manifold.i put the car in the garage and later when my wife came home she commented on the smoke and mist in the garage (it was quite cold that night.)the next day when i pulled the car out, the steering was very stiff and i only drove it out the driveway and on the road before i realized the power steering was completely out. I drove it about 15 miles to the dealer after checking fuses and determining that the problem was beyond my mechanical skills.the power steering pump, fan and harness were replaced along with the battery (shorted out). Insurance adjusters from hondacare (extended warranty), state farm insurance company (my comprehensive insurance) and the dealership determined that the power steering pump had caught fire.their conjecture was that i had put out the fire with the hose when i sprayed under the car. Honda care paid $1999 from extended warranty for the power steering pump, battery, power steering harness and fan.a total of $2700 additional from state farm comprehensive insurance (hondacare extended warranty would not cover harness, towing and diagnostic work from the mini dealer in maryland, etc because they were the result of damage caused by the power steering pump fire); state farm insurance was exceptional and covered the difference with comprehensive covered.the parts are not available at this time but i was told that there are reports including pictures from adjusters at hondacare and from state farm insurance.
The contact owns a 2003 bmw mini cooper s. While driving, the vehicle shut off. The contact noticed smoke coming from underneath the hood. When the battery was disconnected she noticed that the wires were melting.the vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was inspected.the dealer informed the contact that the relay and power steering pump both failed and would need to be replaced. The manufacturer was aware of the failure.the current and failure mileages were 41,000..updated 09/19/11the control harness and power supply harness connector melted on the power steering motor.the vehicle has since been repaired.
Complete failure of the internal controller area network, resulting in blown electronics, service engine soon light, abs light, dsc light and air bag light.cause was apparently a faulty radio.however, a replacement radio failed when installed in the vehicle, bringing more controller area network problems.
2003 mini cooper s with 67,000k miles, power steering pump failed and caused a short circuit resulting in a complete meltdown. The pump, hydraulic lines, cooling fan and wiring harness were all burned or melted. There was no symptom or indication of a failure. Car drove and acted "normal" prior to parking it for the day. When i got back in the car, 8 hours later, no power steering. If it had been in my garage when the short/meltdown occurred, it may havecaused fire. Miniusa basically said i was on my own due to expiration ofmy warranty.(60,000).
Driving highway speeds, steering got really heavy hard to turn, then the battery light came on, starting smelling something electrical burning, pulled over off the road shut car off, smoke coming from the hood, open it, smoke was coming from the back of engine. Smoke subsided in a few minutes, called tow truck, tow back to work, over the next couple of days found that the power steering pump locked up and fried it, it also draw a lot of amperage that it blow 100 amp main fuse under fuse block, burnt main power wire to power steering pump. Replaced pump, wiring and fuse.
Driver's side electric window would not open for 18 hours. This occurred after a heavy rain storm and did not clear until after a 20 minute drive the following day. Attempts to open the window the day and evening of the failure while parked and driving all failed.
The power steering pump doesn't shut off when the car does.the pump ran until the battery died.
The contact owns a 2003 mini cooper s. The contact stated that on three occasions, the mat occupancy sensor on the front passenger's seat was replaced due to the warning light being illuminated. The vehicle was taken to mini of birmingham located at 2001 tom williams way, birmingham, al 35210, 205-267-4505. The contact was informed that the mat sensor needed to be replaced at a cost of $1,200. The contact was also informed that the part may also be available at the local junkyard. The mat sensor was replaced however, the failure recurred. The contact was informed that the seat should be replaced which was still pending. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 79,000.
Power steering went out without warning, causing loss of control while vehicle was in motion; mini usa advised it was still driveable, but to be cautious due to lack of control/power steering; when parked, smoke began to plume from under hood where a fire was noticed in back of engine. Called mini usa back and they advised us to not drive vehicle, as it was a safety hazard. Contacted mini to set up recalled part (hydraulic power steering), but they were not willing to have car towed to dealer (120 miles from my residence).
2003 mini cooper s with power steering failure. Power steering goes in and out. Car radio turns on when car is off and no key is in the engine, causing battery to drain. Once my power steering went out when i was leaving a parking area causing me to hit the car in front of me. I have not repaired damages. I have however replaced the engine due to faulty wiring in aprox 2009.a fuse that runs everything for cooling blew and gave me no warning the engine was overheating.
Steering fluid continuously leaks - replace hydraulic hose twice - known defect - mini refused to fix for freeengine cooling - fan runs after shutoff continuously - known defect - mini refused to fix for freeelectrical - doors, windows, sunroof fire off on their own while car is moving and when is parked.will do this at highway speed or when sitting outside (rain or shine) - car unlocks itself and windows all open up -known defect - kind of distracting at highway speed -mini refused to fix for free. Dealers will not fix these issues unless you make them recall vehicles with multiple small problems ( not just one big problem) - this model has 73 tsbs that dealers charge you to fix even though the problems are known and dangerous issues. In my mind, many small problems can be more dangerous than a few big ones - steering, door locks, cooling - not good.this is an old car but these problems are old too - known tsbs should not be subject to warranty time frames, they are still dangerous after the warranty expires.when these cars are routinely serviced, these known/dangerous issues need to be corrected or the cars should be taken off the road.i used the date of the last incident, not the first one. Thank you.
After battery went dead, replaced with new battery and shortly after air bag light illuminated.had independent shop clear code in 2015 inspected harness found nothing out of ordinary.3 days later air bag light returned.now in february 2018 had mini of towson diagnose air bag light thinking the dealership can reset air bag light properly.dealership recommended upgrading wiring harness under seat for 525 dollars.i have been on multiple forums and this air bag light is a common problem for 02-03 minis, including 05-06, and 12-15 year minis.my concern is that mini knows this is a defective part from the manufacturer but refuses to stand by their product even when it could affect the safety of the purchaser of its vehicles.in the event nhtsa receives enough complaints to force mini to issue a recall for this issue, i would like to be included as another dissatisfied consumer.thank you for your time,garrett
The manual tailgate release cable was not fitted in this and other early production mini cooper s cars, though the owner's manual indicates that this safety feature is part of the design.the manual tailgate release cable allows access to the battery compartment, which is in the trunk of the vehicle, when there is an electrical malfunction such as a battery failure.without the manual release cable, the battery is inaccessible in the event of a failed battery or other electrical malfunction.the battery in my car failed and left me stranded on the side of the highway with no convenient access to remove the battery.further, the absence of this manual release cable means that the tailgate could not be used as an egress for vehicle occupants in the event of an emergency.
2003 mini cooper s with low 70 thousand miles cough fire on january 31 2011 around 4 am in the morning. It was seen to start on the passenger side under airbag and car was completely on fire the front end under the hood and under passenger dash was told failure was abs
Dynamic stabilty control, flat tire and abs lights come on while driving.dealer has replaced dynamic stabilty control module, part 34 51 6 765 289.also found left front wheel speed sensor crushed between subframe and car.replaced part 34 52 6 756 384.
Dynamic stabilty control, abs and flat tire warning lights illuminated intermitently when starting vehicle and do not go away unless vehicle is restarted.dynamic stability control module fault.
Water pump/super charger fail cause engine overheat.had to replace the water pump/super charge assembly.
8/13/2014- i was stopped at a stop sign in a mall parking lot and smoke started billowing out from under the right front side of the car and at the same time started coming through the vents into the cabin of the car.i tried to shut off the car, but it would not turn off.a bystander came running and opened the hood, smoke poured out, told me to call roadside assistance as he was opening hood and then told me to hang up and call 911 that my car was on fire.flames were coming out of the engine area but there was too much smoke.the engine fan was still running. Another passerby had an commercial extinguisher and emptied it on my vehicle.the fire dept. Was pulling up as they were trying to push it aside, the car re-ignited and it took the fire department approx. 15 to make douse the fire without it re-igniting.all of these people looked my vehicle over and could find no reason for it to ignite.i purchased the car used about 4 weeks ago and have put about 3000 miles on it without any issues.my insurance company had it towed to a mechanic down the road and they are to contact me tomorrow to see if they can see why this occurred. Luckily, my daughter and i were able to exit the car and be in an area close to the fire department and good samaritans...updated 10/06/14 updated 7/15/2015
On february 6, 2014 my mini cooper s was serviced at the dealership mini cooper of concord for a recall in the power steering pump. Shortly, after in march my car started to smoke from the engine and my car bursted into flames. The fire department came and turned down the fire, however my car is a complete loss. I called mini cooper of concord, however no one could provide help. I also emailed the head of the dealership and there was no response. I investigated online and noticed that many people had similar problems with the water pump leaking and catching fire in the engine. I called mini usa and filed a case,and they promised to respond within 3 days. However, they did not only until i called various times and finally was able to reach a representative. James informed me that there was no way to evaluate the mini cooper was as at fault and only tried to sell me a new car. I am very disappointed with mini cooper's customer service and lack of support. My car is now a complete loss.
I had noticed that the power going up hills had been slowing down for sometime but as we were driving in town and lost it's number three cylinder, took it to shop and with several days of work found out i would be better off scrapping it than fixing it.mechanic who deals with bmw said that he could put in a new engine but he sand that the issues that he has seen on this years cooper show it is just a money pit. He said, just scrap it and take your losses. The only thing is i bought it used and still owe over $3,000. On it. I have no car and can't afford to replace it and have two payments as i am disabled with a low income from injuries.i finally got my car of my dreams and it because my nightmare.missing my mini.
Steering fluid continuously leaks - replace hydraulic hose twice - known defect - mini refused to fix for freeengine cooling - fan runs after shutoff continuously - known defect - mini refused to fix for freeelectrical - doors, windows, sunroof fire off on their own while car is moving and when is parked.will do this at highway speed or when sitting outside (rain or shine) - car unlocks itself and windows all open up -known defect - kind of distracting at highway speed -mini refused to fix for free. Dealers will not fix these issues unless you make them recall vehicles with multiple small problems ( not just one big problem) - this model has 73 tsbs that dealers charge you to fix even though the problems are known and dangerous issues. In my mind, many small problems can be more dangerous than a few big ones - steering, door locks, cooling - not good.this is an old car but these problems are old too - known tsbs should not be subject to warranty time frames, they are still dangerous after the warranty expires.when these cars are routinely serviced, these known/dangerous issues need to be corrected or the cars should be taken off the road.i used the date of the last incident, not the first one. Thank you.
Below is a quote of another person,i am experiencing similar problems except for "total loss of power" which has not happened to me. Also, the studdering problem in first gear is greatly reduced when the "active skid control" is disabled. My mini cooper s was purchased in may 2003. "new mini cooper s automobile (purchased in june of 2003) experiences a noticeable and significant stumble when engaging first gear and accelerating from a stopped position. The stumble is significant enough to cause a stall condition and results in unreliable throttle response. The problem is worse at higher rpm engagements, in hotter weather, and with the ac engaged. The stumble feels like a momentary loss of power and then shortly thereafter, power is returned to the wheels. The problem occurs on virtually every engagement but is considerably worse on the first engagement after the car has sat for several hours with the engine off. The problem is less severe when turning the car left or right while engaging first gear. This issue renders the throttle response unreliable and can stall the automobile at unexpected times. No crashes have occurred at this time but the potential for a rear-end collision due to a stall or a side impact collision due to stalling when crossing an intersection is present. Additional issues related to engine management and throttle response occur in the same automobile have occurred but these additional problems have been intermittent and difficult to reproduce. In general, the additional problems seem to occur in on temperature days with ac engaged and include a full loss of power for an extended period of time while engaging first gear and a noticeable surging during acceleration as is the driver was pressing and releasing the gas. "
2003 mini cooper s with power steering failure. Power steering goes in and out. Car radio turns on when car is off and no key is in the engine, causing battery to drain. Once my power steering went out when i was leaving a parking area causing me to hit the car in front of me. I have not repaired damages. I have however replaced the engine due to faulty wiring in aprox 2009.a fuse that runs everything for cooling blew and gave me no warning the engine was overheating.
I purchased my '03 mini copper s with 49k from a honda in mechanicsburg, pa dealer in august. In december, i purchased tires and then went to a self-service carwash afterward. When i got home and before i put it in the garage, i took out the hose and washed off the wheels and under the car. During the process there was white smoke, which i thought was steam from the water hitting the manifold.i put the car in the garage and later when my wife came home she commented on the smoke and mist in the garage (it was quite cold that night.)the next day when i pulled the car out, the steering was very stiff and i only drove it out the driveway and on the road before i realized the power steering was completely out. I drove it about 15 miles to the dealer after checking fuses and determining that the problem was beyond my mechanical skills.the power steering pump, fan and harness were replaced along with the battery (shorted out). Insurance adjusters from hondacare (extended warranty), state farm insurance company (my comprehensive insurance) and the dealership determined that the power steering pump had caught fire.their conjecture was that i had put out the fire with the hose when i sprayed under the car. Honda care paid $1999 from extended warranty for the power steering pump, battery, power steering harness and fan.a total of $2700 additional from state farm comprehensive insurance (hondacare extended warranty would not cover harness, towing and diagnostic work from the mini dealer in maryland, etc because they were the result of damage caused by the power steering pump fire); state farm insurance was exceptional and covered the difference with comprehensive covered.the parts are not available at this time but i was told that there are reports including pictures from adjusters at hondacare and from state farm insurance.
While driving the car to the dealership for service i heard a loud noise and felt a shutter, then a loss of power and smoke to the rear of the car. I turned motor off and coasted to the side of the road to make sure everything was ok. Once stopped, i tried to restart the car. Saw more smoke and sparks from the tail pipe. I then sat and started to call a tow truck, when i noticed flames coming from the hood scoop. I popped the hood and upon opening it, noticed a fire at the front of the motor, directly in front of the supercharger. I was unable to put out the flame, so i call 911 and the fire department was on site to put out the fire in a few minutes, but by then the entire engine compartment was engulfed in flames. Allstate called it a total loss.
Turning from a left hand turn lane on to a side street as i have done at least 4 times a day for over 10 years, i lost all power and the ability to control the vehicle.in the middle of the turn the loss of power, the loss of steering, and the loss of brakes caused me to run into the curb.this accident resulted in the right front wheel and assembly being replaced.not long after getting my mini cooper s the hesitation of the accelerator when stating off in first gear began.i was told by the service rep at the mini dealership that there was no fix for this problem.i've had too many near accidents because of it. Going back as far as 2005 i have complained about my steering and the noise it makes.the whole steering unit has been replaced 2 times, yet in 2009 i experienced a total loss of power while traveling at speeds of 65 mph.the power loss was electrical even though my engine was still running.the final outcome was mini replaced the alternator and battery.i've complained time and again yet with no help unless it's coming out of my own pocket.since owning this mini cooper si've spent nearly 6000.00 in repairs.because of the interdependent nature of the asc/dsc on the vehicles braking, electronics, and even starting acceleration from a stop; has this feature been properly studied as the culprit for the many and varied problems this particular car has?in the uk there is a blog called watchdog that has 180 people who posted between february and april 2009 that all had the same problem with the power steering that i and hundreds of others have reported.how can such a serious problem go unresolved for so long.there is no doubt that this problem alone falls under the united states code for motor vehicle safety (title 49, chapter 301).
New mini cooper s automobile (purchased in june of 2003) experiences a noticeable and significant stumble when engaging first gear and accelerating from a stopped position.the stumble is significant enough to cause a stall condition and results in unreliable throttle response.the problem is worse at higher rpm engagements, in hotter weather, and with the ac engaged.the stumble feels like a momentary loss of power and then shortly thereafter, power is returned to the wheels.the problem occurs on virtually every engagement but is considerably worse on the first engagement after the car has sat for several hours with the engine off.the problem is less severe when turning the car left or right while engaging first gear.this issue renders the throttle response unreliable and can stall the automobile at unexpected times.no crashes have occurred at this time but the potential for a rear-end collision due to a stall or a side impact collision due to stalling when crossing an intersection is present.additional issues related to engine management and throttle response occur in the same automobile have occurred but these additional problems have been intermittent and difficult to reproduce.in general, the additional problems seem to occur in on temperature days with ac engaged and include a full loss of power for an extended period of time while engaging first gear and a noticeable surging during acceleration as is the driver was pressing and releasing the gas.
Vehicle will sometimes stall without warning.vehicle has the latest version of engine controller software that has corrections for stalling.dealer cannot determine the problem.
Mini cooper s has severe hesitation when starting from a standing start. The problem is unrelated to throttle or clutch pedal position. Car bogs for a few seconds (when making a left against traffic it feels like aneternity) when in first gear at approximately 1800 rpm then resumes accelerating. Service advisor at dealership told me it's a "characteristic" of the car. Representative at mini usa told me they are aware of the problem and are working on a fix. The is no fix at the present time and no estimate as to when there will be one. For the time being, mini owners have to pray each time they enter an intersection.*la
"2003 mini cooper s automobile experiences a noticeable and significant stumble when engaging first gear and accelerating from a stopped position. The stumble is significant enough to cause a stall condition and results in unreliable throttle response. The problem is worse at higher rpm engagements, in hotter weather, and with the ac engaged. The stumble feels like a momentary loss of power and then shortly thereafter, power is returned to the wheels. The problem occurs on virtually every engagement but is considerably worse on the first engagement after the car has sat for several hours with the engine off. The problem is less severe when turning the car left or right while engaging first gear. This issue renders the throttle response unreliable and can stall the automobile at unexpected times. No crashes have occurred at this time but the potential for a rear-end collision due to a stall or a side impact collision due to stalling when crossing an intersection is present. Additional issues related to engine management and throttle response occur in the same automobile have occurred but these additional problems have been intermittent and difficult to reproduce. In general, the additional problems seem to occur in on temperature days with ac engaged and include a full loss of power for an extended period of time while engaging first gear and a noticeable surging during acceleration as is the driver was pressing and releasing the gas." i am experiencing the exact same problem. I would only like to add that a car had to move into the median because my mini lost power while entering the freeway.
Vehicle hesitates (stimbles) upon acceleration resulting in a serious saftey concern. Also, the vehicle yo-yos upon deceleration.*la
For the past 2 years the air conditioning has been intermittent. The lights for the fan and temperature remain on but no air blows cold or hot. Sometimes it goes back on by itself after a few minutes of driving. Sometimes slapping the passenger side of the middle column (where the controls and radio are) makes it come back on. And sometimes it stays off for a day or two before spontaneously coming back to life. Its gotten to the point where i have a hardcover book with me at all times to do the slapping. I live in austin and the closest dealer is in san antonio, nearly 90 miles away. The two times i drove there with the problem, it worked for them. I even have documentation from the dealer the problem was an issue back when the car had 34,000 miles. We never know when the air conditioning will go out. Considering the temperature in austin has hit 100 nearly 50 times this summer, do you blame us for not wanting to drive the car. Please offer us suggestions to have mini usa pay for this. Its been an ongoing problem for 2 years. The 90 minute drive to san antonio is hot and there's no guarantee the ac will misbehave once we get there. Ground breaking on the austin mini dealership is on hold so we're at the mercy of the san antonio dealership.
I am the 2nd owner of this 03 mini cooper s since 5/09. I purchased with 12,500 miles. Currently, 32k miles. The xenon low beam headlight, drivers side, frequently does not ignite. The self leveling head light system does not operate properly. The aiming distance is very poor, light shines approx 20ft in front of the car. Other times, the light shines high, blinding on-comers. The 1st owner complained about this same problem to a mini dealership in 10/03 with 1,971 miles. Again, 5/08 with 9,000 miles with checks performed. This established problem continues to get worse. Ballasts and bulbs have been changed. The problem continues. This is a safety hazard, making if difficult to navigate at night. After doing our own research and seeing how many others are having this exact same problem, it is time for mini/bmw to immediately address this overdue safety hazard by implementing a recall, or a service bulletin to all affected consumers who have complained to correct this problem. I will continue to complain until something is done.
While driving vehicle 20 minutes with no problems the vehicle stalled, the check engine light came on, and within seconds there was fire through the firewall, into the car. I jumped out and the car is now ashes. Mini has informed me that the can't diagnose the problem, therefore hey do not feel that they are responsible
The contact owns a 2003 mini cooper s. The contact noticed fuel leaking underneath the vehicle. The contact checked under the hood and discovered that the fuel filter had a leak. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified.the vin was not provided. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
Mini cooper doors cannot be opened using either the inside or outside door handles under certain freezing conditions.this has occurred multiple times during freezing weather, usually when snow or ice is present. The failure occurs intermittently on both the passenger and driver side doors.at times, it occurs after the vehicle has been parked for many hours when temperatures are below freezing.however, it can also occur after the door has been opened and the vehicle driven for 30 minutes or more.when the failure occurs, neither the inside nor outside handles will open the door.the only recourse is to exit (or enter) the vehicle using the other door (so far there has not been an instance when both doors froze) and wait for the condition to rectify itself.
While consumer stopped at a traffic lightanother driver pointed out thatrear axle had snapped from vehicle. Consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealership.
I parked my 2003 mini cooper s at work, and shut the car off.when i got out of the car, i noticed the power steering pump was still running.i was going into the office get a wrench to disconnect the battery, and within 5 min, an email was sent out"2003 mini cooper heavily smoking in parking lot."as soon as i got out there, the fire/smoke has been put out by a coolant line that split open by the fire and put the flames out.when i looked under the car, i could see the power steering pump completely burnt.i filed a claim with my insurance company, and so far this is over $4,000 worth of damage. I am filing this complaint as i have done much research on the internet and have found this is not a rare incidence.in fact, it is very common, and bmw refuses to recall this faulty designed part.i am just so fortunate that this did not happen in my garage.this needs to be addressed and investigate by someone other than bmw, as they have stated publicly there is no problem.i will provide any evidence needed to help this investigation.there is a mini cooper community that shares their problems and frustrations here: http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/stock-problems-issues/73527-spontaneous-engine-bay-fires.htmlthe list is only growing, as this is a very common issue.i hope it doesn't take a death for bmw to recognize there is an issue.
Failure of 2003 mini cooper manual transmission. My car has been under regular maintenance. I first noticed the car losing power going uphill, then it became difficult to put the car in gear. Next morning i was unable to get into reverse, was extremely difficult to shift and some gears could not be engaged.at a stop light i began hearing a very loud grinding noise, like metal in a blender, the car would not engage in gear, i had to be pushed out of the intersection. The dealer offered nothing. My private mechanic found metal shreds throughout the transmission. Said a bearing had come loose and destroyed the interior of the transmission, all at 65k miles. He also said the engine could have failed while on the freeway at high speeds and this could have been life endangering. Also the power steering pump went at 30k miles.both very costly repairs and the transmission locking up a very serious life threat. The replacement costs for the transmission were $3k and that was from a private mechanic. Online research shows a plethora of consumer complaints and information that mini cooper knows about this. Neither the local dealer nor corporate office would offer any help in replacement costs.
Car loses power suddenly and lurches in first gear when moving off from a standing start.*la
One morning driving about 100 mph going up to ct i pay a toll take off the car hesitates in first gear then goes ok about a 2 miles from the toll i am doing about 100 mph and switch to the right lane and the car just stop giving me power so i go to change to 5th gearno luck so i let the car roll to the shoulder call mini roadside and they tow to nearest dealer to my house. The dealer has my car for a total of 8 days and tell me the l/front axle will not stay in the transmission.then the dealer say that its not covered@ first then tells me that will cover it a day later after the mini specialist take a look @ it and say we will cover it this time as a favor. Now it is ten days later and the same thing has happen again this time i have to pay for towing and i cant wait to have a talk with the dealer. I will keep u guys posted.
2003 mini cooper s. There is a "stumble" when starting off in first gear. The car seems to lose power and lurch momentarily. No combination of clutch and gas pedal motion seems to fix this. Issue has been heavily documented and discussed on mini enthusiast forums, so it is not a driver clutch-user error.
Engine power loss starting off in 1st gear.when stating from a complete stop in 1st gear the car will hesitate for aprox. 2-3 seconds before the rpms increase.there is no combination of clutch and throttle that will alleviate this situation.the combination of warm temperatures and running the a/c contribute heavily to the power loss.colder weather does improve this power loss.
After battery went dead, replaced with new battery and shortly after air bag light illuminated.had independent shop clear code in 2015 inspected harness found nothing out of ordinary.3 days later air bag light returned.now in february 2018 had mini of towson diagnose air bag light thinking the dealership can reset air bag light properly.dealership recommended upgrading wiring harness under seat for 525 dollars.i have been on multiple forums and this air bag light is a common problem for 02-03 minis, including 05-06, and 12-15 year minis.my concern is that mini knows this is a defective part from the manufacturer but refuses to stand by their product even when it could affect the safety of the purchaser of its vehicles.in the event nhtsa receives enough complaints to force mini to issue a recall for this issue, i would like to be included as another dissatisfied consumer.thank you for your time,garrett
The contact owns a 2003 mini cooper s. The contact stated that on three occasions, the mat occupancy sensor on the front passenger's seat was replaced due to the warning light being illuminated. The vehicle was taken to mini of birmingham located at 2001 tom williams way, birmingham, al 35210, 205-267-4505. The contact was informed that the mat sensor needed to be replaced at a cost of $1,200. The contact was also informed that the part may also be available at the local junkyard. The mat sensor was replaced however, the failure recurred. The contact was informed that the seat should be replaced which was still pending. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 79,000.
1)grinding noise was heard from right rear corner of the car while braking.2) upon inspection, it was found that the right rear brake pads had worn down completely although the left rear brake pads have approximately 1/2 pad remaining. I had the vehicle towed to the nearest dealer for warranty service.3) vehicle is currently at global imports mini in atlanta awaiting inspection by a special bmw engineer to determine the cause of this unusual wear of brake components. The brake calipers that operate the brake system are suspected to be defective/faulty.this same problem also occurred on this same vehicle on may 8, 2004. At that time, the vehicle was also sent to global imports in atlanta where the brake pads and rotors were replaced under warranty due to excessive wear for the mileage on the car. However, the brake calipers were not inspected or replaced by global imports at this time.because this has occurred twice on the same vehicle, i do not feel safe driving my vehicle with a suspect brake system.the service manager at global imports (eric peters) has stated that he believes this type of inconsistent uneven brake wear is considered "normal"photographs taken at the time of recent occurrence are available to show a comparison between the brake pad thickness on both the right and left side of the vehicle. Please contact me for these photographs.
The contact owns a 2003 mini cooper s.while the contact's wife was driving 60 mph, the wheel and tire detached from the vehicle.the vehicle was towed to the dealer and has not been diagnosed at this time.the contact was informed that the cost for the repair would range from $3,000 - $5,000.the affected components were the steering, brakes, suspension, and shocks.a police report was filed and the contact has pictures available.the vin was unknown.the current and failure mileages were 30,000.
My mini cooper s has less than 27,000 miles on it. It has been carefully driven and has sustained no crash damage. Had several warning lights come on the car and had failures with the abs, steering angle sensor, and front wheel sensor. In addition and most importantly,i was told that i had "mushrooming" and cracked front shock tower mounts on both sides of the car, and that alone would cost over $1,400 to repair. I was told that hitting potholes or other road hazards caused this. In addition, the dealer, roadshow mini in memphis, tn, stated that the shock towers and front bushings were considered wear items, and that they could be redamaged immediately if the car came in contact with another pothole. Additionally, i was told by mini usa that no engineers or national representatives could be contacted, and that the dealer would handle all questions and concerns. I asked if there were any upgrades and fixes offered by mini and was told that there were none. However, this problem seems to be fairly common, and there are several aftermarket companies that address this issue,. The service manager at the dealership stated that he sees this problem on 3-4 cars in the shop every month. It appears that this is a design flaw, that there can be strut collapse or suspension failure while driving, and that mini should have addressed this problem with these cars. For normal driving conditions to have resulted in deformed and cracked strut towers is unacceptable and represents a hazardous situation. I have never owned an automobile that had strut tower failure under normal driving conditions.
2003 mini cooper s with low 70 thousand miles cough fire on january 31 2011 around 4 am in the morning. It was seen to start on the passenger side under airbag and car was completely on fire the front end under the hood and under passenger dash was told failure was abs
Turning from a left hand turn lane on to a side street as i have done at least 4 times a day for over 10 years, i lost all power and the ability to control the vehicle.in the middle of the turn the loss of power, the loss of steering, and the loss of brakes caused me to run into the curb.this accident resulted in the right front wheel and assembly being replaced.not long after getting my mini cooper s the hesitation of the accelerator when stating off in first gear began.i was told by the service rep at the mini dealership that there was no fix for this problem.i've had too many near accidents because of it. Going back as far as 2005 i have complained about my steering and the noise it makes.the whole steering unit has been replaced 2 times, yet in 2009 i experienced a total loss of power while traveling at speeds of 65 mph.the power loss was electrical even though my engine was still running.the final outcome was mini replaced the alternator and battery.i've complained time and again yet with no help unless it's coming out of my own pocket.since owning this mini cooper si've spent nearly 6000.00 in repairs.because of the interdependent nature of the asc/dsc on the vehicles braking, electronics, and even starting acceleration from a stop; has this feature been properly studied as the culprit for the many and varied problems this particular car has?in the uk there is a blog called watchdog that has 180 people who posted between february and april 2009 that all had the same problem with the power steering that i and hundreds of others have reported.how can such a serious problem go unresolved for so long.there is no doubt that this problem alone falls under the united states code for motor vehicle safety (title 49, chapter 301).
Dynamic stabilty control, flat tire and abs lights come on while driving.dealer has replaced dynamic stabilty control module, part 34 51 6 765 289.also found left front wheel speed sensor crushed between subframe and car.replaced part 34 52 6 756 384.
Dynamic stabilty control, abs and flat tire warning lights illuminated intermitently when starting vehicle and do not go away unless vehicle is restarted.dynamic stability control module fault.
Complete failure of the internal controller area network, resulting in blown electronics, service engine soon light, abs light, dsc light and air bag light.cause was apparently a faulty radio.however, a replacement radio failed when installed in the vehicle, bringing more controller area network problems.
Power steering pump started to become louder around 83k miles. When i was driving around a turn, the steering wheel tightened up and it became almost impossible to turn the wheel. I almost wrecked because of this. After research, it is concluded that my power steering gave out. Nothing has been done yet to correct the failure.
The contact owns a 2003 mini cooper s. While driving at various speeds, the steering became very difficult to maneuver. After turning off and restarting the vehicle 30 minutes later, the power steering returned to normal, but then failed again. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the electro-hydraulic power steering failed and needed to be replaced. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v660000 (steering); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the dealer wanted to charge for the repair because of the mileage on the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 181,000. Vin tool confirms parts not available.
Power steering unit on my 2003 mini cooper s started to operate intermittently making it very difficult to maintain lane control.without power steering i would grip hard and barely make it through a turn, then the power steering would operate causing me to oversteer into the adjacent lanes or oncoming traffic.i've been driving cars, trucks and motorcycles for over 40 yrs and have never experienced a driving situation as dangerous as this.i will no longer allow my daughters to drive this car until i feel confident the problem isresolved.
Suddenly out of nowhere as soon as i started the car to back out of my driveway & go to work the steering was completely locked up, only having approximately an inch to inch and a half of mobility in either direction.i then turned the car off, let it sit off for about 5 mins then re-started it and the steering was still the same way.
I drove my 2003 mini cooper s to my local department of transportation to renew my driver's license. Nothing abnormal occurred on the trip to the dmv. When i got in and began to drive home, there was no power steering. Later that evening, i started the car when it was cool and the power steering was back until the car warmed up. The radiator fan and the power steering fan do not functionupon doing research on the internet, i have found that this problem occurs extremely often in 2002-2007 minis.i also found, posted on a mini forum by someone claiming to be an engineer, a diagnosis of the problem.carbon dust from the electric motor that operates the power steering pump gets into the control unit attached to it. Since the chip was not properly sealed with a lacquer, it causees a short circuit in the chip. This causes the pump to fail. Another possible cause is the failure of the cooling fan for the power steering pump.the fan can seize, stop cooling the pump, and eventually it will overheat. This also trips a fuse that stops the radiator fan. As a result, the engine can also overheat. I have determined that the fan has stopped working.since i have only had this car since the middle of winter and the has been the only warm day i have driven it, this was the first time i noticed it. I plan to avoid the $1000 charge to have it replaced at the dealer by repairing it myself but many people are not this fortunate.i believe this design flaw can and will cause serious accidents to occur.if my mother, sister, or girlfriend had been driving my car on the highway when it failed, they would not have been able to steer resulting in a serious crash.while perusing various mini forums, i have read stories of several serious crashes. I would like to see a recall on all 2002-2007 mini coopers so that this problem can not harm someone.
Power steering pump is beginning to fail. From reports i have read i am worried that the car will catch on fire and in turn catch my house on fire.
Powersteering unit fails and steering becomes unreponsive.
Steering fluid continuously leaks - replace hydraulic hose twice - known defect - mini refused to fix for freeengine cooling - fan runs after shutoff continuously - known defect - mini refused to fix for freeelectrical - doors, windows, sunroof fire off on their own while car is moving and when is parked.will do this at highway speed or when sitting outside (rain or shine) - car unlocks itself and windows all open up -known defect - kind of distracting at highway speed -mini refused to fix for free. Dealers will not fix these issues unless you make them recall vehicles with multiple small problems ( not just one big problem) - this model has 73 tsbs that dealers charge you to fix even though the problems are known and dangerous issues. In my mind, many small problems can be more dangerous than a few big ones - steering, door locks, cooling - not good.this is an old car but these problems are old too - known tsbs should not be subject to warranty time frames, they are still dangerous after the warranty expires.when these cars are routinely serviced, these known/dangerous issues need to be corrected or the cars should be taken off the road.i used the date of the last incident, not the first one. Thank you.
Power steering issue which mini usa reached an agreement with ntsb to avoid a recall by providing an "extended warranty."spoke with mini service department and informed them my steering pump was making noise and had gone out intermittently twice. They informed me that due to the fact this was not an official "recall" but rather an extended warranty, the steering unit would have to catastrophically fail before they were permitted to replace it. What kind of a safety board is the ntsb that would allow such an agreement to be reached wherein someone has to be put at risk to drive a vehicle to catastrophic failure of a steering unit, potentially resulting in accident, bodily injury or even death, before they would compel the automaker to repair the vehicle to make it safe?this is absolutely ridiculous!!! i am supposed to continue driving a vehicle with a known problem in the steering, putting myself, family and others on the road at risk awaiting "catastrophic failure" ....... Not knowing when, where or under what circumstances that is going to occur?mini usa & bmw you will never get another penny from me and i encourage everyone to actively boycott their products & dealerships!
Power steering failed after 27,000 miles. Intermittently works for 5 minutes in the morning and sometimes intermittently functions when driving which creates a dangerous situation. Had the mini dealer inspect it from mini corporates recommendation. Dealer indicated the electronics are malfunctioning and that they had plenty of replacement units in stock for circa $1,600.00. My claim was rejected because it is not uncommon for earlier mini cooper power steering units to fail.i have investigated and there are multiple companies now in the business of rebuilding/remanufacturing specifically mini cooper power steering units. Odd that a relatively low volume vehicle could generate so many business opportunities to fix a problem that apparently does not exist.
Driving home from work getting off the turnpike to take my exit right, my 2003 mini cooper kept going straight. Very frightening experience as i could not turn the wheel coming off highway speeds. There is no warning at all when this happens, you just cannot turn the wheel to negotiate your turn. I've driven cars without power steering, but when you have an electric power steering failure it is impossible to steer this car. Bmw must take responsibility for this well documented dangerous failure and do the right thing or someone is going to get seriously hurt and/or hurt someone else. Cost to fix the steering pump failure - $1200.00.
Was stopped in parking lot, fire started in engine bay. Power steering has been intermittent for awhile. Shop indicated that the fan failed and caused the pump/wiring to completely melt. This issue is widely known and found on mini cooper forums.
The contact owns a 2003 mini cooper s. The contact stated that accelerating from a stop and attempting a turn at approximately 5 mph, the power steering would seize and become difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was not inspected by a dealer nor repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure and current mileages were approximately 114,000.
The power steering suddenly went out on friday, june 27, 2008 causing difficulty in steering and nearly causing an accident. As i turned into my home driveway.upon towing the vehicle to crevier auto in santa ana, california on friday afternoon/evening, crevier was unable to locate the vehicle.on monday, june 30, after much consternation, crevier finally located the vehicle as they had it on their premises since the previous friday.tuesday, july 1, a service technician notified me that the power steering pump had gone out on the 2003 mini cooper s.the vehicle has less than 50,000 miles on it and has been driven gently throughout its lifetime.
The contact owns a 2003 mini cooper s. When the contact started the ignition, the power steering warning indicator illuminated with a sudden loss of power steering. A strong electrical burning odor emitted inside of the vehicle. The failure occurred six times when the vehicle was in motion. An authorized dealer was notified and advised the contact to have the failure diagnosed to determine the cause. The will schedule an appointment for diagnostic testing.the manufacturer was not aware of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 106,000.
Ironically, i first looked at this complaint site two days ago as i first learned about its existence from the april 2009 issue of consumer reports.i felt good that the two most frequently named complaints for my model and year had not occurred.so, today that good feeling ended, as one of the common occurrences happened to me - a coincidence? or the mini gods revenge?to continue:i noticed that after i shut off the car, something was still running for a long time afterwards.opening the hood, i realized that it was probably the power steering pump that was not turning off, and knew from reading this site, that it would lead to battery failure at a minimum, and a fire at worst case. So, i immediately drove to the dealer - herb chambers mini of boston - and left it for repair. The call i received this afternoon that it was in fact the power steering pump which would not turn off and that it would cost $1100 to replace was devastating.the mini has about 46,000 miles on it and this is the first real repair necessary following the warranty period.given that there already are 8 others with the same issue just on this complaint forum, i would expect that mini would do more about what is obviously a defective part.
The contact owned a 2003 mini cooper s. The contact stated that while making a left turn at approximately 25 mph, the power steering completely malfunctioned. The vehicle moved off the road and crashed into a telephone pole. The contact sustained minor injuries. There was no police report filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer had not been notified. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000. Updated 02/08/11*ljupdated 04/21/11
After leaving the highway and negotiating the off ramp, the power steering simply stopped working. The steering became extremely difficult so i pulled over, shut the car off and lifted hood to inspect. The was no visual indication of issues an fluid level is fine. After restarting the steering worked fine again. Several days later the same situation occurred in the middle of a corner, it was all i could to maintain control through the corner. I read where there was some "opinions" that if power steering cooling fan was bad it could cause this to happen so i replaced. Still happens intermittently. I will likely pull the steering unit to inspect but the biggest issue is it gives a false sense of security. When you restart the engine everything seems ok so you continue, sometimes for weeks. The problem is that the failure can occur in the middle of a turn and cause a serious accident. There is also no lighted indication of the failure on your dash, so you don,t expect it. This will end up killing someone if it hasn't already.
The contact owns a 2003 mini copper s. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 mph, the power steering assist failed without warning. The vehicle was maneuvered into a parking space where the contact shut off and restarted the engine.the vehicle was able to be driven to the contact's place of residence but had not been taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnosis of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 83,000.
The contact owns a 2003 mini cooper s. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v660000 (steering) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. Updated05/18/16*ljupdated 06/14/16.
The contact owns a 2003 mini cooper s. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v660000 (steering) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Vin tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2003 mini cooper s. The contact stated while driving 65 mph the power steering failed. The vehicle was driven onto the emergency lane because the steering wheel was very hard to maneuver. The dealer was contacted in regards to a recall and stated only a class action law suit was in progress. The contact was told to bring the vehicle into the dealer to be repaired at her own expense. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 58,000. Updated 08/31/*ljthe power steering pump was replaced. Updated 09/12/11
2003 mini cooper s, 90000 miles. Power steering wheel failure during normal driving. The steering wheel is extremely hard to turn manually, thus causing panic and real danger, because the car swerved out of a turn. Dealer says it is a common issue, and need to replace the fan or pump, repair price $1300. Mini needs to recall the car.
Driving home as usual, when i turned to back-in to the driveway and the power steering went out.very difficult to maneuver car into the driveway. Left car overnight and tried again next day. Fine the next day, but happened again the following day. 2003 mcs 31,700 miles. Looking into cause of failure.
I was exiting an expressway and while on the ramp coming off, the steering became very unresponsive and heavy.in doing some research on the internet it sounds like my power steering pump has failed.
Power steering lock on it.
I was going around a 90 degree corner at about 15 mph when the steering seemed to lock up. I quickly realized that the power steering had failed, and i wrestled the steering wheel to complete the turn. Since then, the power steering has not worked 90% of the time.
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.
My 2003 mini cooper s had a total failure of the power steering pump. The failure occurred while driving the car at aprox 60 mph on an expressway near buffalo, ny. The pump was replaced by me at a cost of aprox $800.00.
Power steering pump failed at 69,000 miles.pump and fan were replaced under warranty, but dealer required additional work to be performed to keep extended warranty in force.the work included replacement of all power steering hoses at a cost of over $600.00
2003 mini coopers- power steering failed during exit from nys thruway-ran off the ramp due to unexpected loss of steering power. No damage or injury- turned engine off- restarted- power steering back on.condition has occurred several times since.
As i was pulling away from a stop sign, i realized that i couldn't turn the steering wheel. I put the car in reverse and went back and forth trying to see if something was stuck. I did this a couple times, then realized my power steering was out. I checked the fluids and they were fine. Took the car to a mechanic and they ran diagnostic tests and determined the power steering pump was faulty.
Complete and instant power steering failure with no warning of any kind.required considerable arm strength to control vehicle.
Power steering pump is whining and according to dealer is going to fail at anytime.unfortunately this unit does not fail in the driveway it fails while driving the vehicle.hopefully i will be driving when this happens as my wife will not have the strength to get the car under control.there has been a recall in canada for this same problem and all of us mini drivers in the us are wondering why we don't have a recall here.
The only events leading to this problem were normal, everyday driving and routine, factory recommended service.the failure appears to have initiated at the cooling fan for the electric power steering pump.when the fan seizes, the pump overheats causing an electrical short in the pump electronics.this condition causes the pump to run nonstop even with the ignition turned off and the key out.this in turn runs the battery down and can possibly lead to a fire.the dealer replaced the power steering pump, the power steering pump cooling fan as well as the battery since it's usable life was diminished from the excessive draw.old part is not available and none of this was offered as a warranty item.
Occasionally the steering over my mini cooper s is becoming very hard. It seems like the power steering is failing. The car then can only be steered with a lot of difficulty. I can no longer risk to have my daughter or wife drive this car. I checked the steering fluid and it is at optimal levels. It usually happens at lower speed, but i have not driven it on the freeway since this issue started to appear.
Hi,i'm the third owner of a 2003 mini cooper s since february 2010, located in montreal, quebec, canada.in the begining of may 2011 my car started to have big issues with the power steering. The power steering pump is running discontinous, all the lights (front, back and dashboard) are dimming and after just afew miles of driving the steering wheel becomes stiff and hard to turn. I have this problem now everyday when i try to drive the car. I've checked the power steering pump fan and it spins free. No blow of the f5 fuse (as other people reported).it happend to me in the last year for 3 times, but only for a short time. The power steering pump went out, but few hours after i turned off the engine and didn't drive the car, the pump came back normally (excepting the continous whining noise of it).didn't take it to the dealer yet for a pump replacement.i know the power steering pump failure is a common problem on minis 2002-2006 and i want to claim this problem on my car too.hope this problem to become a recall soon for mini/bmw.[xxx]information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Failed powering steering assist pump.
Power steering pump on my 2003 mini cooper s stopped working suddenly on the freeway. There were no signs indicating an imminent problem; it just cut assistance to steering and failed completely. Even though it was difficult, i was able to drive it to a mechanic to get a replacement ps pump for $820. This seems to be a very common problem for the mini brand since more and more people are reporting power steering pump failures even at 40kmiles (in my case, the car had 95kmiles when the pump failed).the failure of the power steering pump does pose a safety issue, since the steering wheel becomes extremely heavy and difficult to turn.
Power steering seem a little hard but while cruising on the freeway it seemed like it almost went completely out. Hasn't happened like that since but its still a little harder to turn that what i think it should be.
2003 mini cooper s. Car over heated and power steering failed.pulled off to the side of the road. Fan on power steering pump failed, caused pump to fail and car to over heat.
Electric power steering pump went out without any warning. I noticed it when i was going around a bend and the steering effort had greatly increased. If i had to make a emergency maneuver, i probably would not have been able to complete it successfully.
The contact owns a 2003 mini cooper s. The contact stated that while driving 30 mph the steering wheel became very stiff andwithin a few minutes he smelled fumes inside the vehicle. He opened the hood of the vehicle and it was on fire. The fire department was notified; however, there was no mention of a fire report. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or local mechanic for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was contacted and did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included in any of the recalls. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 113,000.
While driving, the power steering assist will intermittently fail completely, making it very difficult to steer the vehicle, and greatly increasing the likelihood of an accident.the fluid levels are correct, and power steering will return after shutting the vehicle off and letting it sit for a while..i have not yet taken corrective action.
While driving at a speed of approximately 35-40, the power steering assist failed completely. The car became almost impossible to steer and created a very unsafe moment as i made a 90 degree turn. I was able to get the car home with great physical effort involved. The problem seems exactly as described in on-line descriptions from other mini owners. It is a verydangerous condition .... It is also very expensive to repair. I am surprised that a recall has not been required due to the obvious safety issue!
I was changing lanes to prepare to exit off the interstate while on my way to work. As i made the lane change noticed steering was tighter. After exiting the interstate, the vehicle was very hard to steer at the top of the exit ramp. The turn made was very wide nearly missing oncoming traffic. Suspect power steering pump has failed.
The contacts owns a 2003 mini cooper s. The contact statedthe 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
The contact owns a 2003 mini cooper s. While operating the vehicle at low speeds, the steering wheel required excessive force in order to turn. While inspecting the vehicle, the contact discovered that the power steering fluid leaked from the power steering fluid reservoir. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 136,000.
Sudden failure of power steering assist in traffici was barely able to control car.
Turning from a left hand turn lane on to a side street as i have done at least 4 times a day for over 10 years, i lost all power and the ability to control the vehicle.in the middle of the turn the loss of power, the loss of steering, and the loss of brakes caused me to run into the curb.this accident resulted in the right front wheel and assembly being replaced.not long after getting my mini cooper s the hesitation of the accelerator when stating off in first gear began.i was told by the service rep at the mini dealership that there was no fix for this problem.i've had too many near accidents because of it. Going back as far as 2005 i have complained about my steering and the noise it makes.the whole steering unit has been replaced 2 times, yet in 2009 i experienced a total loss of power while traveling at speeds of 65 mph.the power loss was electrical even though my engine was still running.the final outcome was mini replaced the alternator and battery.i've complained time and again yet with no help unless it's coming out of my own pocket.since owning this mini cooper si've spent nearly 6000.00 in repairs.because of the interdependent nature of the asc/dsc on the vehicles braking, electronics, and even starting acceleration from a stop; has this feature been properly studied as the culprit for the many and varied problems this particular car has?in the uk there is a blog called watchdog that has 180 people who posted between february and april 2009 that all had the same problem with the power steering that i and hundreds of others have reported.how can such a serious problem go unresolved for so long.there is no doubt that this problem alone falls under the united states code for motor vehicle safety (title 49, chapter 301).
Power steering failure.while driving the mini for about 20 minutes we made a turn on our road home and the power steering failed with no warning whatsoever! it was almost impossible to turn the wheel!we feel very fortunate because we live on a windy road that has many large redwood trees on the sides of the road with a creek down a ravine.we could have easily hit one of those trees head on. Or if we weren't able to turn the wheels we could have ended up at the bottom of a ravine in the creek!extremely dangerous!
Sudden loss of steering due to the failure of the power steering pump when exiting highway. Fortunately, i had enough strength to stay within the curve of the off ramp while braking to a stop. My wife would not have had the strength to keep the auto from going off the ramp.
Power assist steering failed to assist making it extremely difficult to turn a corner.
The contact owns a 2003 mini cooper s. While driving approximately 20 mph, the power steering failed without prior warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. The contact was awaiting a response from the technician to determine the cause of failure. The contact discovered that the power steering pump defect was a common problem while doing further research on the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 89,000. The vin was unavailable.
Power steering pump failed, steering became very difficult. Pump remained on after car was turned off and drained battery, now car will not run. Very dangerous issue!
My power steering pump had been losing fluid, randomly continuing to run after shutting the car off and finally gave out two or three times while driving. I received a letter in the mail and that stated the pump had an extended warranty on the item. When i contacted the dealer to have work performed, i was told to continue adding fluid since this was not a formal recall item. I advised them the pump had failed twice (at that time) and they still insisted i refill the fluid and i would be fine. This seems like a cheap way to avoid a recall and they're not actually fixing the issue. This needs to be reviewed again and bmw/mini needs to fix these issues before a catastrophic event happens that costs more than a stressful situation.
In september 2011, i was driving my 2003 mini cooper s at 55mph on a rural two lane highway when i experienced a momentary loss power steering of power steering. This resulted in the wheel becoming very difficult to turn. When power steering returned (without warning), my car swerved but i was able to keep it on the road. This happened several times over the next 20 miles before i lost power steering and it did not return.when i arrived home, i checked the power steering pump and it was non-operational. I replaced the pump and its dedicated cooling fan.in august 2012 (125000 miles), i again lost power steering at highway speeds. The second failure was identical to the first (suddenly came and went before cutting out and not returning).
Took 2003 mini cooper s to performance driving school and had power steering pump catch on fire.
2003 mini cooper s with power steering failure. Power steering goes in and out. Car radio turns on when car is off and no key is in the engine, causing battery to drain. Once my power steering went out when i was leaving a parking area causing me to hit the car in front of me. I have not repaired damages. I have however replaced the engine due to faulty wiring in aprox 2009.a fuse that runs everything for cooling blew and gave me no warning the engine was overheating.
I was driving down the street and was going to make a right to turn,slowed down to say hi to my roommate who was leaving and went out of gear when i wentback in my steering was extremely stiff and i could barely move the wheel.
Power steering went out without warning, causing loss of control while vehicle was in motion; mini usa advised it was still driveable, but to be cautious due to lack of control/power steering; when parked, smoke began to plume from under hood where a fire was noticed in back of engine. Called mini usa back and they advised us to not drive vehicle, as it was a safety hazard. Contacted mini to set up recalled part (hydraulic power steering), but they were not willing to have car towed to dealer (120 miles from my residence).
Power steering goes out without warning leaving car difficult to control.
Driving vehicle normally, power assist for the steering fails causing greatly increased effort to steer.this is addressed in pe10038 but the model years affected should include 2002 and 2003 as the electric power assist systems were the same.i have not yet attempted to replace any parts, only have confirmed fluid is full and both cooling fans operate.cycling the ignition key briefly to the off position will cause power assist to resume.
My mini cooper s has less than 27,000 miles on it. It has been carefully driven and has sustained no crash damage. Had several warning lights come on the car and had failures with the abs, steering angle sensor, and front wheel sensor. In addition and most importantly,i was told that i had "mushrooming" and cracked front shock tower mounts on both sides of the car, and that alone would cost over $1,400 to repair. I was told that hitting potholes or other road hazards caused this. In addition, the dealer, roadshow mini in memphis, tn, stated that the shock towers and front bushings were considered wear items, and that they could be redamaged immediately if the car came in contact with another pothole. Additionally, i was told by mini usa that no engineers or national representatives could be contacted, and that the dealer would handle all questions and concerns. I asked if there were any upgrades and fixes offered by mini and was told that there were none. However, this problem seems to be fairly common, and there are several aftermarket companies that address this issue,. The service manager at the dealership stated that he sees this problem on 3-4 cars in the shop every month. It appears that this is a design flaw, that there can be strut collapse or suspension failure while driving, and that mini should have addressed this problem with these cars. For normal driving conditions to have resulted in deformed and cracked strut towers is unacceptable and represents a hazardous situation. I have never owned an automobile that had strut tower failure under normal driving conditions.
Complete loss of power steering when warm car is started. Not a problem when car is cold. Requires approximately 1.5 hours for car to cool before car can be started and safely driven with power steering restored. Will be replacing with oem power steering pump. New pump is approx $600 and labor is approx $150 at independent mechanic. Dealer estimate is approx $1300. Other family members will not drive car due to fear that power steering will be lost while driving though this has not actually happened.
The contact owns a 2003 mini cooper s. While driving at approximately 25 mph the steering wheel became stiff and difficult to maneuver. The contact restarted the vehicle and regained power steering. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic. The mechanic stated the electric power steering pump would have to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 72,000.
On 5/26/10 lost power steering while driving on the long island expressway.141,000 miles on car. Power steering electronic pump replacement cost $ 1005.00.
Complete power steering failure.faulty/failed pump internal control circuitry.
The contact owns a 2003 mini cooper s. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v660000 (steering) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Vin tool confirms parts not available.
The power steering went out just after i purchased it.i see that there are multiple complaints about this problem for nearly every year model that this vehicle has been produced for the american market.i called a local dealership to see if there was a recall and i stated that message boards online were loaded with angry customers complaining about the same thing.they refused to admit that there's a problem and want to charge me $2500!please, nhtsa, do something about this!
The contact owns a 2003 mini cooper s. While driving approximately 10 mph, the power steering completely failed without warning causing difficulty in maneuvering the steering wheel. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and the engine was turned off. Upon restarting, the contact resumed cautiously with the steering malfunction. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who advised that the failure was related to the power steering pump. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The failure mileage was 50,000.
My friend and i got into my 03 mini cooper s this past weekend. We were driving along il rte 1 until i got up to a 2 way stop. I was making a left turn but i realized i lost all power to my power steering unit. I barely was able to make the turn in order to avoid getting broadsided by a dodge ram barreling at me at 60 mphs.
2003 mini cooper s just had a power steering system failure resulting in at least $600.00 in repair cost. Car only has 80,000 miles on it and when the system failed, steering went to manual effort, no assist, no warning. Fortunately i was driving and not my wife as she would have had difficulty completing the turn. I know the steering still operates, but if you aren't ready for the drastically increased effort required to complete a turn, you will loose control of the vehicle. Half-way through a turn in traffic conditions is no time to find out you don't have the strength to finish it. There was absolutely no warning of impending failure. To have amajor safety and control system of your vehicle fail this quickly (only 80,000 miles) leaves me wondering as to the safety of the other vital systems on the vehicle. Mini made changes on the power steering system on later vehicles to address this without having any recall or voluntary repair program for retrofit to the older vehicles. This is not fair and definitely not safe.
I've been following blogs about mini coopers going on fire since i owned one, and i never thought it would happen to me. Well, i had just gotten back home from school when i smell something like wiring burning in my car, so i killed the engine and opened the hood. Power steering still running and smoking, so i called my dad to help me. He disconnected the battery and stopped the eps pump from being consumed on fire. This should not be happening, the bmw-mini firm should take responsibility and not let their clients suffer the aftermath. This is surely a recall, no one has died yet, thanks god, but let's be serious folks. Since new pump at dealer is $650.00 called junk yards and part is not readily available and if available junk yards charge very close to a new one for a used one. I was not able to acquire one on my student status, so i don't have a vehicle to get to school; dad has to drop me off for now.
2003 mini cooper s - power steering has repeatedly failed at high and low speed driving.wife ran onto sidewalk once when control was lost.smells like something is burning when driving.steering fails.when car cools control comes back, but fails again after less than a mile.called 3 dealerships who all knew & had repaired cars with the same issues.estimated $1500-2000 out of my pocket to fix with no help from manufacturer.i complained that the car had barely 40,000 miles on it and failure should not be occurring on german engineered car.one service tech said "the problems are in the pumps and those aren't designed or manufactured by bmw, so it is not bmws' fault."but they are the ones who sold these cars with theses issues for 4 years. Flushed power steering fluid myself which was burnt and black. Replaced with new recommended fluid.lasted about 30 miles before burning smell returned and steering problems continued as before.saw online article where bmw cautioned that 2002-2005 minis may have steering issues but no recall would be issued.the article estimated 225,000 cars at risk and a recall might destroy the mini line.so be it.2002 and 2003 models should be included in investigation of 2004 and 2005 model years.considering selling the car to recoup investment, but after hearing of numerous steering failures and even fires that total the cars and even burn down homes and garages where they are parked makes me feel like i would be putting someone else unwittingly in danger.the car has currently sat in storage with the battery removed from the car while i debate whether or not to replace the power steering pump in hopes of fixing the problem or get rid of the car.i would have to tell they buyer the issues, which means less money, and i still owe $6500.i would lose all equity i have in a car i paid $20,000 for just a couple of years ago.bmw should fix this problem or i and others have unsafe cars worth a fraction of cost.
Driving highway speeds, steering got really heavy hard to turn, then the battery light came on, starting smelling something electrical burning, pulled over off the road shut car off, smoke coming from the hood, open it, smoke was coming from the back of engine. Smoke subsided in a few minutes, called tow truck, tow back to work, over the next couple of days found that the power steering pump locked up and fried it, it also draw a lot of amperage that it blow 100 amp main fuse under fuse block, burnt main power wire to power steering pump. Replaced pump, wiring and fuse.
I was approaching a corner on a back road and half way through the power steering failed which caused the car to go off the road rolling two and a half times landing on the roof.
Power steering went out while driving making it hazardous to maneuver turning left. I reported this december 14 2011 and the dealership couldn't find problem. Replaced the power steering fan in december. Replaced the entire power steering pump january 30, because power steering would go out intermittently. I feel this is a dangerous problem and the power steering shouldn't fail. There should be a recall of this problem.
The contact owns a 2003 mini cooper s. While driving 40 mph and attempting to make a turn, the power steering failed. As a result, the contact crashed into the rear of another vehicle. A police report was filed. The contact sustained contusions to the face and lost a tooth. The occupants of the other vehicle sustained unknown injuries. Medical attention was not required. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The vin was not available. The failure mileage was 213,000.
Back in may of 2013 the power steering pump starting being very loud and making noises. The steering wheel is also quite hard to turn since then. This could end up badly when completely fails when i'm mid-turn or something. This needs to be fixed asap.
Electric power steering pump stop functioning while driving.sudden lost of power steering.difficult to steer.this is the second pump that was replaced on the vehicle about two years ago.the first pump stop working about two years ago.
I drove my car to my sports team practice, parked and promptly had to relocate my car to an adjacent lot. The power steering did not work upon starting the car to move it and there was no evidence or warning of it's failure. Not even the check engine light went on.
8/13/2014- i was stopped at a stop sign in a mall parking lot and smoke started billowing out from under the right front side of the car and at the same time started coming through the vents into the cabin of the car.i tried to shut off the car, but it would not turn off.a bystander came running and opened the hood, smoke poured out, told me to call roadside assistance as he was opening hood and then told me to hang up and call 911 that my car was on fire.flames were coming out of the engine area but there was too much smoke.the engine fan was still running. Another passerby had an commercial extinguisher and emptied it on my vehicle.the fire dept. Was pulling up as they were trying to push it aside, the car re-ignited and it took the fire department approx. 15 to make douse the fire without it re-igniting.all of these people looked my vehicle over and could find no reason for it to ignite.i purchased the car used about 4 weeks ago and have put about 3000 miles on it without any issues.my insurance company had it towed to a mechanic down the road and they are to contact me tomorrow to see if they can see why this occurred. Luckily, my daughter and i were able to exit the car and be in an area close to the fire department and good samaritans...updated 10/06/14 updated 7/15/2015
Parked vehicle in home garage and the power steering pump continued to run even when key is removed. I was familiar with this issue as many other owners have experienced it and reported. Refer to nhtsa action number : ea11005.the pump will continue to run until battery depletes or fire occurs. There is no cooling provided by dedicated cooling fan when vehicle is off.i disconnected the battery to stop pump from overheating.
5/18/13 - after parking the car, the power steering pump continued to operate when the key was removed from the ignition.the key was inserted back into the ignition switch and turned to the "on" position.the power steering pump stopped running.5/28/13 - when returning to work after lunch the car started perfectly and no problems were apparent.i pulled up to a stop light and sat waiting on the light to turn green.when the light changed i started accelerating in 1st gear and noticed that the steering was very heavy.i immediately pulled over to make sure that the pump was not overheating.the pump has completely failed at this point and the car is able to drive, albeit dangerously.
My 2003 mini cooper s has 41,000 miles. On 2/2/09, the power steering failed and i had a tough time keeping the car in control. I went home, re-started the car and the power steering was functional. I took it in for repair on 2/5/09, the power steering pump and lines were replaced.
My 2003 mini cooper s spontaneously caught fire while parallel parking in los angeles, ca. The power steering pump failed, a fire shortly followed. The los angeles fire dept. Was phoned. Car needed to be towed.
Power steering pump failure. The failure happened on a snow covered curvy road, lost control and went into the ditch. No damage, was able to get the car slowed enough before crashing. Thankful no other cars were in the other lane. Was able to drive the car out under its own power. Will not drive the car now.
2003 mini cooper s power steering box failure only 70,000 miles.
Attempting to turn into school parking lot, power steering abruptly stopped working, steering wheel became extremely difficult to turn. The power steering has intermittently faltered several times in the last year but has now failed entirely.
The contact owns a 2003 mini cooper s. While the contact was driving approximately 30 mph, the power steering failed to operate. The vehicle was driven to the side of the road, and the engine was turned off. The vehicle began to function normally within thirty seconds before the failure recurred. The was able to continue driving. He vehicle was inspected and he observed that electric power steering pump had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 91,000. The vin was unavailable.
Complete power steering failure, on surface road in castro valley, ca. The sudden loss of power steering caused me to continue straight, while trying to regain control of car,i continued into on coming traffic, if another car was in opposite direction a significant accident would have occurred.prior to this failure this was no evidence of a repair needed.
Power steering failed on a 2003 mini cooper s with 51,586 miles.
Power steering failed, making it very difficult to steer.nearly impossible to turn wheel while stopped. My wife can barely drive the car. From researching this site and other sites, my situation seems to be the same as thousands of others, and i would like my name to be added to the current investigation.
Complete failure of power steering pump while driving resulting in almost complete loss of steering.power steering pump was replaced only to have the remanufactured unit fail 12 months later. Upon investigation it became apparent that this is a known problem for 2002-2006 mini coopers.have been informed that this pump design is poor and prone to failure.
Experienced a complete loss of power steering while driving at high-speed and preparing to exit the highway.as such, i nearly drove off the road attempting to turn the vehicle on the exist ramp -- veryhard emergency braking was necessary because it was virtually impossible to turn, and thus, control the car.i later discovered by mini of san diego (who conducted repairs) that the power steering pump had failed and had to be replaced costing approximately $1,100.they also informed me that chronic problems with mini power steering pumps were being investigated and that a recall might be issued to correct the problem.i researched further and believe that the 1st year being reviewed is the 2004.i believe that the 2003 should also be included as well in the event of a recall since i experienced the very same problem being investigated, and the danger resulting from the defect is considerable.
We know of twice that our car's power steering pump failed while in motion. After bmw was finally forced into a recall for the power steering pump failure and we received a notification, we took our car to century bmw in greenville, sc. The service department checked our work regarding replacement pump, fan, etc. And deemed it 100% satisfactory.we submitted the paperwork and invoice for the repair and waited (requested . After 16 weeks and no reimbursement or notification, we called and was informed by the service department manager that bmw wouldn't pay us anything because we didn't use oem parts. Why would we keep replacing the pump (this was the 3rd pump that we know of) with a defective one (by zf) that kept quitting? we replaced it with dorman (well-known manufacturer of quality parts) which had a life-time warranty (life-time!) and was much cheaper.the sd manager even said that since he'd seen so many repairs using that brand of power steering pump he had researched them and found nothing wrong with them.but bmw decided they wouldn't pay for this. There was nothing in the recall letter that said oem had to be used or they wouldn't reimburse for repairs. I believe bmw saw so many dorman pumps used they knew they could save a lot of money by refusing to pay. We filed a complaint with the sc dept. Of consumer affairs but bmw wouldn't answer them so they just dropped it, letting bmw get by with this. We were only requesting $721.04 which is less than half of what a repair shop would have charged.can you do anything about this?we filed the complaint with sc consumer affairs in december of 2017, took the car to bmw in may of 2017 so this has been going on for a while. Have other owners had this problem?has a lawsuit been started against bmw?
I purchased a used mini cooper s six months ago, in december 2011. I drove my vehicle as i normally due, just across town about 10 miles, and it was fine. I parked my car and went inside. When i came out, about 10-15 minutes later, and tried to back out of the driveway, the power steering was non-existent. I pulled back into the driveway and checked the fluid level and let the car cool down for a few more minutes. When i restarted the car, the power steering was back. Since then, the power steering is intermittent. If the car is hot, it usually does not work, but if the car is given a chance to cool down, then it seems to work, but the problem is occurring more and more frequently and i have found many complaints from other mini owners.
The contact owns a 2003 mini cooper s.while the contact's wife was driving 60 mph, the wheel and tire detached from the vehicle.the vehicle was towed to the dealer and has not been diagnosed at this time.the contact was informed that the cost for the repair would range from $3,000 - $5,000.the affected components were the steering, brakes, suspension, and shocks.a police report was filed and the contact has pictures available.the vin was unknown.the current and failure mileages were 30,000.
The steering on my '03 mini cooper started making whining/ groaning noises that were not the normal steering noises. The steering has limited power boost, sometimes near normal, other times almost no boost. The steering doesn't return to straight as it used to. After making a right or left turn, the car keeps trying to turn the last direction steered. With effort, i can hold the car straight, but it pulls noticeably the last direction turned. The electric steering motor groans, changing speed up and down, even when the car is not moving. All fluid levels are normal and there are no leaks or drips of any fluid. The power steering fan and radiator cooling fan are operating correctly. The steering effort is not consistent. Sometimes at expressway speeds, as well as slower surface street speeds, the steering stiffens up where it requires much effort to control, then minutes later, will go back to normal boost levels. This often happens when negotiating lane changes or expressway ramps with what should be a steady rate turn.an independent mechanic states the electro- hydraulic steering pump is causing these issues and that bmw is aware of this problem.
Failure of 2003 mini cooper manual transmission. My car has been under regular maintenance. I first noticed the car losing power going uphill, then it became difficult to put the car in gear. Next morning i was unable to get into reverse, was extremely difficult to shift and some gears could not be engaged.at a stop light i began hearing a very loud grinding noise, like metal in a blender, the car would not engage in gear, i had to be pushed out of the intersection. The dealer offered nothing. My private mechanic found metal shreds throughout the transmission. Said a bearing had come loose and destroyed the interior of the transmission, all at 65k miles. He also said the engine could have failed while on the freeway at high speeds and this could have been life endangering. Also the power steering pump went at 30k miles.both very costly repairs and the transmission locking up a very serious life threat. The replacement costs for the transmission were $3k and that was from a private mechanic. Online research shows a plethora of consumer complaints and information that mini cooper knows about this. Neither the local dealer nor corporate office would offer any help in replacement costs.
While driving to work at approximately 25 miles per hour and in the process of turning around a bend, my power steering gave out.as the curve was of decreasing radius, this failure was evident by a significant (>100%) increase in resistance to steering angle change and upon completion of the turn a complete lack of automatic return to a neutral steering path (the car wanted to "stay" in the turn).returning the car to neutral steering angle also required significant (>100%) additional application of force.upon pull-over and restart of the car, the power steering returned, but only for approximately one minute of driving.for the remainder of the drive the power steering fluctuated in and out making driving difficult.car will be taken to dealer for fault diagnosis this week as the issue has persisted and continued to worsen (longer droughts of power steering operation) over the past week.
I purchased a 2003 mini cooper s used in november 2007. It had 30,000 miles. Shortly after purchase the power steering pump went out. The dealership replaced it promptly, dec. 2007. I am now experiencing intermittent power steering failure again, at 79,000 miles, 49,000 miles on a new pump. It comes and goes while driving. Very dangerous while taking curves.
The power steering pump doesn't shut off when the car does.the pump ran until the battery died.
I was leaving my home when i notice, as soon as i start my car, that my steering is very stiff. I have to use my whole body to turn the wheel and maneuver the car. It has been going on for almost a week now off and on. Go online and research problem to find its going to cost me near $1000 to fix.
Driving home yesterday, my 2003 mini cooper s suddenly lost power steering as i was going around a curve. I had to muscle the car back into my lane to avoid hitting the car in the lane beside me. I was about half a mile from home and made it there without further incident -- but turning at slow speeds was dangerously difficult. I contacted the mini repair shop this morning and they said that this intermittent unexpected loss of steering control is unfortunately somewhat common with minis.
While driving, it felt as though my power steering had gone out.i continued to drive to my location.once in the parking lot, steering became near impossible, especially while going at very slow speeds.when i went to back out of my parking spot that evening, it was unable to be done, causing me to call a tow truck to tow my car.
Power steering abruptly failed in rush hour traffic. Was fortunately able to get vehicle to the shop for repair without further incident.power steering failures are unfortunately almost guaranteed in my year and make vehicle.the independent mechanic said that this is a very common complaint and mini usa has even redesigned the power steering pump due to the high failure rate, and also recommended replacing the fan due to high likelihood of shorting or fire.i participate in an enthusiast forum where these reports are common which is why i took it to the shop immediately, to avoid further in-driving failure or worse, a car fire.this issue has been investigated in the past and it is unconscionable that neither nhtsa nor mini usa has recalled these vehicles for what is an almost guaranteed failure with obvious and potentially grave safety risks. I am paying $1200 for the repair which is expensive but not out of line with what others are paying and worth my personal piece of mind since mini usa will not publicly admit there is a problem.vehicle is a 2003 mini cooper s with 87,000 miles.
I purchased my '03 mini copper s with 49k from a honda in mechanicsburg, pa dealer in august. In december, i purchased tires and then went to a self-service carwash afterward. When i got home and before i put it in the garage, i took out the hose and washed off the wheels and under the car. During the process there was white smoke, which i thought was steam from the water hitting the manifold.i put the car in the garage and later when my wife came home she commented on the smoke and mist in the garage (it was quite cold that night.)the next day when i pulled the car out, the steering was very stiff and i only drove it out the driveway and on the road before i realized the power steering was completely out. I drove it about 15 miles to the dealer after checking fuses and determining that the problem was beyond my mechanical skills.the power steering pump, fan and harness were replaced along with the battery (shorted out). Insurance adjusters from hondacare (extended warranty), state farm insurance company (my comprehensive insurance) and the dealership determined that the power steering pump had caught fire.their conjecture was that i had put out the fire with the hose when i sprayed under the car. Honda care paid $1999 from extended warranty for the power steering pump, battery, power steering harness and fan.a total of $2700 additional from state farm comprehensive insurance (hondacare extended warranty would not cover harness, towing and diagnostic work from the mini dealer in maryland, etc because they were the result of damage caused by the power steering pump fire); state farm insurance was exceptional and covered the difference with comprehensive covered.the parts are not available at this time but i was told that there are reports including pictures from adjusters at hondacare and from state farm insurance.
Power steering pump, noise, binding, and eventual failure.
Power steering pump failed, causing hard to control conditions in vehicle.
Power steering has become intermittent. When the car is started, sometimes the power steering is functioning and sometimes it is not.
I was starting my vehicle and it made a bad knocking noise then it was like crunching noise so i stopped turn it off and waited for a while went back to the car still making a strange noise but once i put it in the drive it stopped making noise drove down the road a bit and talking about apparently slips off of the car so it just pulls over inside all the all the wearing lights came on so pulled over apparently this happens quite often but the harmonic balancer separated and with spinning against itself and knocked the pieces off of it and through the serpentine belt so that needs to replace now that should not happen it's one piece is this one piece this needs to be recalled for these whatever cars had these harmonic balancers is dangerous and it could blow your car up thank you
The contact owns a 2003 mini cooper s. The vehicle was parked and shut off for approximately 30 minutes when the contact was advised that the vehicle was on fire. The contact stated that fire was coming from under the hood. The fire extinguished independently and the vehicle was towed to an independent repair facility. The contact was informed that the power steering remained on while the vehicle was shut off and caused the fire. The power steering pump, wiring harness and battery were all replaced. The failure did not recur. The failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage was 92,000.
2003 mini cooper s power steering pump failure.sudden loss of steering assist and nearly wrecked the car if my wife was driving i doubt she could have saved it.google search turns up hundreds of like posts.on another quick search, as of 2006, 50 pump failures resulted in the total loss of the car because of fire.and these are people that post.maybe 10% of the mini drivers post online. This is a disgrace!
The power steering pump fails causing a loss of power steering in my vehicle while driving.this sporadically occurs while driving causing a safety hazard as it becomes very difficult to steer the vehicle.
The power steering quit while driving on interstate (i85) on march 3, 2012. We had just purchased the car so we took it back to dealer and he had the pump and reservoir replaced (took 2 weeks). Power steering just went out again (09/26/12) with same symptoms (sporadic operation - mainly not working) while driving to work.
2003 mini cooper s with 67,000k miles, power steering pump failed and caused a short circuit resulting in a complete meltdown. The pump, hydraulic lines, cooling fan and wiring harness were all burned or melted. There was no symptom or indication of a failure. Car drove and acted "normal" prior to parking it for the day. When i got back in the car, 8 hours later, no power steering. If it had been in my garage when the short/meltdown occurred, it may havecaused fire. Miniusa basically said i was on my own due to expiration ofmy warranty.(60,000).
Power steering pump failed while driving
Steering pump failed and had to be replaced.
For the second time in the life of this car (first in 2011), the steering pump stopped working while i was driving.the first time i was lucky and at low speed hit a concrete piling in a parking garage. The second time i was actually in traffic in an intersection. I was lucky not to hit the college students in the cross walk, again because i was not going very fast, but it's a huge safety issue.and had i not known what was going on due to the first time the steering pump blew out, i would not have known to break and re-start the car to resolve the issue.honestly, the car cannot be steered when the pump stops functioning.and mini has known for years that this is an issue.i had to wait 8 weeks for the fan to come in and they didn't want to do any work until they had both parts.the pumps need to be re-designed.
Electric power steering pump went out without any warning. I noticed it when i was going around a bend and the steering effort had greatly increased. If i had to make a emergency maneuver, i probably would not have been able to complete it successfully.
Power steering failure and soon after electrical smelling smoke started to come out from under the hood. Upon inspection at the dealership some of the wires had melted and the power sterring motor was burnt out.
Parked vehicle in home garage and the power steering pump continued to run even when key is removed. I was familiar with this issue as many other owners have experienced it and reported. Refer to nhtsa action number : ea11005.the pump will continue to run until battery depletes or fire occurs. There is no cooling provided by dedicated cooling fan when vehicle is off.i disconnected the battery to stop pump from overheating.
Power steering went out while driving making it hazardous to maneuver turning left. I reported this december 14 2011 and the dealership couldn't find problem. Replaced the power steering fan in december. Replaced the entire power steering pump january 30, because power steering would go out intermittently. I feel this is a dangerous problem and the power steering shouldn't fail. There should be a recall of this problem.
We have a 2003 mini cooper s that spontaneously caught on fire today.i was driving about 40 mph when i smelled something and the power steering just quit working.i came to a stop, then smoke came out from the side of the car.i pulled into a parking lot and opened the hood - there was a fire under the exhaust by the power steering pump.i was able to get a bucket of water and put the fire out.i got on the internet and there are at least two sites (see:http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/mini.htmlhttp://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/showthread.php?s=015b1e186260b0639d13cf8a7d6522dd&t=73527&page=8where many people have had similar issues.what does it take for a recall?i have not seen any deaths, but several reports of fires.if i had been driving 70 on the interstate when the power steering quit and the car caught on fire, it could have been a disaster.please do something about this.i see where an investigation was opened in april (pe07022), but please move on this.i am very afraid the next person will not be so lucky.
Sudden and intermittent power steering failure maintaining control of vehicle became difficult scheduled for repair.
The contact owns a 2003 mini cooper s. The contact stated while driving 65 mph the power steering failed. The vehicle was driven onto the emergency lane because the steering wheel was very hard to maneuver. The dealer was contacted in regards to a recall and stated only a class action law suit was in progress. The contact was told to bring the vehicle into the dealer to be repaired at her own expense. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 58,000. Updated 08/31/*ljthe power steering pump was replaced. Updated 09/12/11
Was driving down a 2-lane curvy road at night, dry weather, 75 f at 30 mph when car began to whine whenever steering wheel was turned. As i decelerated to 10-15 mph to make a 90 degree right turn around a curve, the steering wheel became suddenly extremely difficult to turn.almost t-boned a car traveling in the opposite direction around same curve. Was able to get the car back in my lane, and get it home, but not without a lot of effort. Called bmw service, they acknowledged they've serviced a few minis with the same problem, and was most likely a power steering pump failure. Car will be towed today.
Parking the vehicle after a 35 mi commute to work with the ignition was turned off the electro hydraulic steering pump continued to run.the only way to turn the pump off and avoid overheating was to disconnect the battery.the failure was corrected by replacement of the electo hydrolic steering pump.old part is not available.
Parked vehicle outside grocery store. Returned after <5 minutes to find smoke pouring from the hood. Opened hood to determine cause and smelt electrical smoke, and saw flames coming from under the engine. Doused flames using a fire extinguisher from store, and disconnected battery. Initial dealer investigation indicates that the damage was to the power steering pump and wiring harness. Had i not stopped for groceries, i would have been unlikely to notice the smoke/fire early enough to prevent the loss of the vehicle.insurance and dealer root cause investigation is still pending, but after some research on the internet (mostly http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73527) i found at least 10 other instances of a fault in the power steering pump causing fires. Bmw is obviously aware of some of these problems, as they made changes to the power steering pump and power steering fan wiring harness in 04 models on. It seems to me that there is a systematic problem with the power steering pump on minis. No fuse blew, and to have an electrical component run to the point where is combusts, without any fuse or thermal fuse protection seems a gross design deficiency to me.
The power steering pump failed suddenly and unexpectedly (no warning) while driving, making the steering wheel significantly more difficult to turn and driving the vehicle significantly more dangerous.
The contact owns a 2003 mini cooper s purchased new. He stated while traveling at speeds of less than 65 mph, the vehicle began pulling to the right. Shortly after that the battery charging warning light illuminated and the contact immediatley smelled a burning odor. He pulled over and found there was a fire coming from under the hood. The fire department arrived shortly after however he had already extinguished the fire. The insurance company and mechanic determined the fire was a result of a faulty power steering pump cooling fan. The vehicle was repaired under his insurance company. The failure and current mileages were under 88,000.the vin was not available.
On february 6, 2014 my mini cooper s was serviced at the dealership mini cooper of concord for a recall in the power steering pump. Shortly, after in march my car started to smoke from the engine and my car bursted into flames. The fire department came and turned down the fire, however my car is a complete loss. I called mini cooper of concord, however no one could provide help. I also emailed the head of the dealership and there was no response. I investigated online and noticed that many people had similar problems with the water pump leaking and catching fire in the engine. I called mini usa and filed a case,and they promised to respond within 3 days. However, they did not only until i called various times and finally was able to reach a representative. James informed me that there was no way to evaluate the mini cooper was as at fault and only tried to sell me a new car. I am very disappointed with mini cooper's customer service and lack of support. My car is now a complete loss.
Rust is developing on the sheet metal on both the driver side and passenger side body frame covered by the rubber door seal.this rust is in an area that is unpainted (bare sheet metal).the rubber door seal traps moisture against the steel.
Seven months pregnant and locked inside of my 2003 mini cooper s because the cables inside the door froze.husband had to pull me out of the car via the driver's window because there was no other way out.able to initially get in and out of car but within a few minutes, the doors froze and i was stuck.talked to mini usa and dealership and both said never heard of it even though numerous blogs and complaints exist for mini cooper s made before 04/2004.very worried in case of emergency and me and my unborn child need to get out.also have had my two and four year old girls in the car with me.fortunately didn't happen when they were present.
Upon entering the vehicle doors froze. Once getting in the vehicle one cannot get out or once out cannot get in.contacted the dealer. However, the problem recurred.
Mini cooper doors cannot be opened using either the inside or outside door handles under certain freezing conditions.this has occurred multiple times during freezing weather, usually when snow or ice is present. The failure occurs intermittently on both the passenger and driver side doors.at times, it occurs after the vehicle has been parked for many hours when temperatures are below freezing.however, it can also occur after the door has been opened and the vehicle driven for 30 minutes or more.when the failure occurs, neither the inside nor outside handles will open the door.the only recourse is to exit (or enter) the vehicle using the other door (so far there has not been an instance when both doors froze) and wait for the condition to rectify itself.
My mini cooper s has less than 27,000 miles on it. It has been carefully driven and has sustained no crash damage. Had several warning lights come on the car and had failures with the abs, steering angle sensor, and front wheel sensor. In addition and most importantly,i was told that i had "mushrooming" and cracked front shock tower mounts on both sides of the car, and that alone would cost over $1,400 to repair. I was told that hitting potholes or other road hazards caused this. In addition, the dealer, roadshow mini in memphis, tn, stated that the shock towers and front bushings were considered wear items, and that they could be redamaged immediately if the car came in contact with another pothole. Additionally, i was told by mini usa that no engineers or national representatives could be contacted, and that the dealer would handle all questions and concerns. I asked if there were any upgrades and fixes offered by mini and was told that there were none. However, this problem seems to be fairly common, and there are several aftermarket companies that address this issue,. The service manager at the dealership stated that he sees this problem on 3-4 cars in the shop every month. It appears that this is a design flaw, that there can be strut collapse or suspension failure while driving, and that mini should have addressed this problem with these cars. For normal driving conditions to have resulted in deformed and cracked strut towers is unacceptable and represents a hazardous situation. I have never owned an automobile that had strut tower failure under normal driving conditions.
I was starting my vehicle and it made a bad knocking noise then it was like crunching noise so i stopped turn it off and waited for a while went back to the car still making a strange noise but once i put it in the drive it stopped making noise drove down the road a bit and talking about apparently slips off of the car so it just pulls over inside all the all the wearing lights came on so pulled over apparently this happens quite often but the harmonic balancer separated and with spinning against itself and knocked the pieces off of it and through the serpentine belt so that needs to replace now that should not happen it's one piece is this one piece this needs to be recalled for these whatever cars had these harmonic balancers is dangerous and it could blow your car up thank you
The contact owns a 2003 mini cooper s.while the contact's wife was driving 60 mph, the wheel and tire detached from the vehicle.the vehicle was towed to the dealer and has not been diagnosed at this time.the contact was informed that the cost for the repair would range from $3,000 - $5,000.the affected components were the steering, brakes, suspension, and shocks.a police report was filed and the contact has pictures available.the vin was unknown.the current and failure mileages were 30,000.
My mini cooper s has less than 27,000 miles on it. It has been carefully driven and has sustained no crash damage. Had several warning lights come on the car and had failures with the abs, steering angle sensor, and front wheel sensor. In addition and most importantly,i was told that i had "mushrooming" and cracked front shock tower mounts on both sides of the car, and that alone would cost over $1,400 to repair. I was told that hitting potholes or other road hazards caused this. In addition, the dealer, roadshow mini in memphis, tn, stated that the shock towers and front bushings were considered wear items, and that they could be redamaged immediately if the car came in contact with another pothole. Additionally, i was told by mini usa that no engineers or national representatives could be contacted, and that the dealer would handle all questions and concerns. I asked if there were any upgrades and fixes offered by mini and was told that there were none. However, this problem seems to be fairly common, and there are several aftermarket companies that address this issue,. The service manager at the dealership stated that he sees this problem on 3-4 cars in the shop every month. It appears that this is a design flaw, that there can be strut collapse or suspension failure while driving, and that mini should have addressed this problem with these cars. For normal driving conditions to have resulted in deformed and cracked strut towers is unacceptable and represents a hazardous situation. I have never owned an automobile that had strut tower failure under normal driving conditions.
After reading internet forums regarding the mini cooper cars. I learned of a recurring problem with the front strut towers deforming under regular driving conditions. Upon inspection of my own mini cooper by myself i found that my towers were distorted in a mushrooming of the top sheet metal . I found online the manufacturer of a machined aluminum plate that bolts on top of the tower adding additional strength to the top of the tower. My vehicle did not have cracks in the tower but other people are finding cracks as well as the distortion. I believe that if the tower where to crack completely that the front struts would be forced up and causing the car to loose the ability to control steering.
While pulling into the parking garage at work, the rear ofmymini cooper s made a noise.the control arm on the right, rear suspension broke.when looking under the rear, the control arm was in two pieces, broken in the middle.the vehicle is at the dealer and i will be requesting the part back.
On 1/26/06 i took my car into tuffy auto to have the tires rotated, at the time the mechanic told me that the right rear lower control arm had a crack in it.at that time i called mini and told them that my right rear lower control arm was damaged.i was told by the service manager at mini that my driving was the cause of this and that it wouldn't be covered under warranty.i then took pictures of the lower control arm while it was still attached to my car, these pictures show that there was a shearing effect on the rear-most part of the arm and there was no bending on the arm.i then had the car taken by flat-bed to my mini dealership where they are replacing the lower and upper control arm.my pictures refute what they are saying about this being a drivers fault and they are refusing to warranty the work.
Just driving along on a straight smooth road at 40 mph when the lower rear control arm broke clean in half nearly causing me to lose control of the car as the wheel rotated up into the fender well.scottsdale mini insists that this arm should only break if the car was crashed and therefore they will not honor the warranty.i am the original owner and have never hit any significant potholes or other road hazards.there are many similar cases of this failure reported on the internet but mini is apparently reluctant to classify it as a design flaw.
Consumer wants to know if there are any recalls for 2003 mini cooper s.consumer states that her son was killed while driving his mini cooper s back in july 2008. *njthe consumer was told her son lost control of the vehicle. The consumer discovered recall 03v086000 and wanted to know could the recall have been a contributing factory.
The contact owns a 2003 mini cooper s.while the contact's wife was driving 60 mph, the wheel and tire detached from the vehicle.the vehicle was towed to the dealer and has not been diagnosed at this time.the contact was informed that the cost for the repair would range from $3,000 - $5,000.the affected components were the steering, brakes, suspension, and shocks.a police report was filed and the contact has pictures available.the vin was unknown.the current and failure mileages were 30,000.
At 65mph rear driver's side tire tread started to separate causing a blowout out.this could have caused a vehicle crash. Size 22517r16, dot unknown. The dot of the tire is vd1l1xd with a date code of 368.consumer requests reimbursement.*jg
Pe00 020;consumer was traveling about 65mph onhighway and heard a noise. She was able to pull over onto theshoulder, andnoticed that right rear tire tread had began to separate. Tire was a firestone steeltex, r4s #lt 225/7516m/s.there was no accident. Dot#vd1l1xd298.
While traveling about 60mph on highway, consumer heard a noise from the right rear tire. He was able to pull over to the shoulders. Tire tread separated from the outiside wheel.firestone, p22575r16 steeltex.consumer stated that the separated tread was wrapped around tailpipe and damaged wheel well.
The manual tailgate release cable was not fitted in this and other early production mini cooper s cars, though the owner's manual indicates that this safety feature is part of the design.the manual tailgate release cable allows access to the battery compartment, which is in the trunk of the vehicle, when there is an electrical malfunction such as a battery failure.without the manual release cable, the battery is inaccessible in the event of a failed battery or other electrical malfunction.the battery in my car failed and left me stranded on the side of the highway with no convenient access to remove the battery.further, the absence of this manual release cable means that the tailgate could not be used as an egress for vehicle occupants in the event of an emergency.
The contact owns a 2003 mini cooper s.while driving 40 mph, the vehicle caught fire.the contact pulled over and doused the vehicle with a bucket of water.the dealer and the police were not notified.the vehicle is parked in his garage.the contact discovered from the nhtsa website that there are approximately eight others who have filed complaints regarding the same failure.the current and failure mileages were 58,000.
My april build 2003 mini cooper s experiences sudden momentary engine power losses, causing the car to violenty jerk during initial acceleration.furthermore, the car will randomly and without warning, lose all forward momentum just when i need it most, as in pulling out into oncoming traffic.no matter how much throttle is engaged, the car barely crawls foward for up to 3 seconds, then finally roars to life and takes off.it feels very much like trying to accelerate a car from a dead stop in 3rd gear, though the car is in 1st gear.this situation is dangerous and needs to have the highest priority within bmwna/miniusa. I, as well as many others, have repeatedly brought this to the attention of miniusa/bmwna and we are always told the same thing, that they are working on it.it has been over 6 months since these problems first began to surface.there has been no official communication from bmwna/miniusa regarding the issue.
Engine power loss starting off in 1st gear.when stating from a complete stop in 1st gear the car will hesitate for aprox. 2-3 seconds before the rpms increase.there is no combination of clutch and throttle that will alleviate this situation.the combination of warm temperatures and running the a/c contribute heavily to the power loss.colder weather does improve this power loss.
My 2003 mini cooper s, upon acceleration, experiences an excessive loss of power that has put me in the position of nearly being hit by oncoming traffic when pulling into traffic flow. I have had the vehicle in to the dealer in cincinnati 5 times, and though they claim the vehicle is repaired, and drives 'normally' it still nearly stalls when accelerating from a standstill.
Purchased new vehicle (delivery date below).vehicle has serious lurch and power loss in 1st gear, particulary w/ ac running. This poses significant safety risk as normal acceleration is not available.maufacturer has acknowledged probem stating it is in the computer software--claims no fix to date despite repeated complaints and requests for fix.
2003 mini cooper s. My wiper motor died in a heavy rainstorm, or so i thought. Driving without the wipers in hilo, hi where i live with 140" a year of rain can be deadly when wipers don't work. It is a well documented defect affecting all original 02-06 minis. See here for details. I repaired mine simply by grounding the wiper motor to anywhere else on the car. I had to drive 3 weeks without wipers before i could fix this. Dealers charge $600 to fix it and it is a design defect and the motor is not actually dead. It is a poor, and potentially deadly design. I guess i could have spent a couple thousand renting a car for that time, or just spent $600 right away and another $500 on the car to get it fixed. I took my chances, so will many others. There were plenty of times i couldn't see well and hoped for the best.here is the site with lots of info about it.http://www.mini2.com/forum/first-generation-faults-fixes/141234-wiper-motor-failure-2.htmlhttp://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/1st-gear/83170-my-windshield-wiper-motor-died-in-a-storm-at-night.html.
2003 mini cooper s. Both windows are stuck and do not work. Had both motors replaced under warranty. Windows have failed again and now the car's warranty has expired.
Driver side power window will lock up and not move, motor and regulator replaced again.
The driver's side (power) window of my 2003 mini cooper s (50k mi) failed to operate properly while in an up position.this is something that proves inconvenient, to say the least, particularly when entering/exiting parking garages and toll booth stations.my mechanic will replace the motor and regulator for $600.given the amount of grousing i've seen on this subject, i should think that bmw should stand by its product.
2003 mini cooper s purchased new; at approx 4500 miles 6-inch crack appeared overnight in lower right corner of windshield.vehicle was parked at the time and there was no visible damage anywhere on windshield.since then, crack has progressed nearly to center of windshield.took vehicle to dealer and was told that the crack was the result of a stone hitting the windshield.service manager "proved" this by tracing crack with a ballpoint pen until it encountered a microscopic, nearly invisible"pit" along the crack.dealer declined to replace under warranty.personal opinion, supported by experience of other mini owners:stress crack probably caused by incorrect installation or underdesigned windshield.in any case, mini has been inconsistent in solution, replacing some customers' windshields under warranty and refusing to replace others, like mine.
Large windshield crack suddenly appeared without evidence of any impact to the windshield.
I own a 2003 mini cooper s and like many other owners of minis, my windshield is cracked in two different places.i do believe mini should come up with a new design and do a recall.
2004 mini cooper s windshield cracked from 1/32 inch "pit"...only 3,100 miles on car.
Mini cooper s 2003 model purchased september 27, 2003 has developed a windshield crack near lower edge at center.many mini owners have experienced a similar crack, and mini/bmw refuses to acknowledge a problem here.at great majority of these cracks are occurring in one of three places.cracks are happening repeatedly to some owners (3 new windshields in one year for at least one owner.)we would like mini/bmw to address this problem and to reimburse owners for cracked windshields not caused by accidents.
Consumer called complainingabout the windshield. Also, stated that this will be the third windshield. Manufacturer was contacted, and stated that rocks were hitting the vehicle and that wasthe reason why there were cracks on the windshield.
Windshield bullseye produced by very insignificant stone from roadway. Was shocked to see damage result from such a minor impact. Appears to be a recurring problem with these cars.
Windshield in mini coopers are to soft.i am fixing to have my second windshield installed. Just had one replaced in august. A rock hit the windshield both times. The second time if i had been any closer to the vehicle in front of me the rock would have come through and killed me or my 2 year old daughter in the back seat. Had a mechanic look at it and he said the same thing. There was at least two car lengths between my car and the other car. Also the windshield has many rock pits in it and it is only 7 months old.
Visibility:windshield crack.
Windshield cracked without being struck by object.
The windshield on my 2003 mini copper s cracked right down the center when i sprayed it with a hose while washing it. This was not a high pressure hose, just a regular garden hose. I believe it was probably due to a temperature change. However, it was not a particularly hot day, being barely above 70 degrees. I have washed this car and all of my previous cars in weather hotter than that! additionally, a search of the web shows that others have been having problems with "stress" cracks with mini windshields.anyway, i don't know if this represents a significant safety hazard, but it is certainly disturbing and (in my experience) very unusual.
Windshield cracked in lower center. Dealer claimed the crack was caused by a small chip in the glass. I could not see any chip in the galss.dealer would not replace under warranty using guidlines set by the manufacture.
My 2003 mini cooper's windshield cracked shortly after i took delivery of the new car. It was never hit by a rock, and many other mini cooper owners have experienced stress fractures caused by weak windshield glass.bmw/mini-usa refused to replace the defective windshield under warranty
Cracked windshield lower left corner of one week old car. Crack appeared while vehicle was parked in a parking lot. Long beach mini dealer claims rock damage.
Windshield cracked
Numerous windsheild chips in less than 12,000 miles.i have never had a vehicle with a windshield that chips so easily.the smallest of debris will result in a significant chip.the windsheild has to be too weak.how can the windshield protect you when it is so weak.the first chip happened at about 800 miles another at about 8000 miles and the last at 11000 miles.the first one was "repaired" the next morning.but it is now spidering.
The front windsheild cracked, extremely small chips on windsheild. Crack appears when car is parked for a week. I had huge rocks landed on my windshield before and nothing more than an extremely small chip, unlike other cars that are driven daily. I believe the crack is a stress crack and not caused by a rock. Many complaints where filed at http://www.minicooperonline.com in regards with this matter.*la
The windshield on my 2004 mini cooper s just got a stress crack today. This has been a problem since the minis introduction and was supposedly fixed with reinforced a pillars on 04s. It has about 2500 miles on it. Many mini owners would like this problem to be resolved, permanently.
Cracked windhsield on mini cooper s.one of probably thousands suffered by min owners owing to the glass being too thin and the windshield too upright.this ia a design and safety issue.my windshield cracked monday april 14.a small stone may have hit it, but the crack did no begin until the next morning.random cracks due to stones and rocks are to be expected from time to time.but the occurrence of cracks on the miji cooper s is epidemic and widely known.the company denies this is a design or manufacturing issue, but the frequency of these cracks, admitted by the mini cooper dealer network, is widely known to br a problem with the car, and there is no policy to remedy it, other than having the windhsiled replaced at a cost exceeding $600.these circumstances have meant that hundred if not thousands of owners routinely are forced to drive their cars for long periods with cracked windshields--a clear safety issue.
A 1" long vertical fissure (crack) just appeared overnight on my 2003 mini cooper s while vehicle was in a single car garage (and i don't have kids or pets), and was visible on windshield the morning of feb 11, 2004. On the evening of feb 10, 2004, this crack was not there. The crack originated at the bottom of the windshield from below the area of the windshield that is exposed to road hazards like stones and rocks, and no such hazards have hit the windshield. The crack is growing each day like my vocabulary about this problem. It is now 8" long now after 1 week and has hung a left. I've read on numerous mini owners forums online that this is a common problem with 2003 minis and that 2004 minis have addressed the problem.
Windshield cracked at 3 months usage and 4,000 miles on the car.i know this to be an inherent problem with the cooper and cooper s as i have monitored the mini cooper message board for well over a year now and have seen many failures posted(many of themmultiple failures).don't know how to get the company to address this problem as it monitors the message board continuously but has yet to offer owners any options for the poor quality of the vehicle glass.
The windshield of my 2003 mini cooper s had three significant cracks and multiple chips within a year of ownership.
Bmw mini coopers have defective windshields that crack repeatedly without any type of impact. The glass cracks due to stress or temp. Changes. Not related to stone impacts. Check out the windshield cracking thread on the mini2.com web site. We are on our 2nd windshield in two weeks. Bmw is covering up the problem while quietly introducing stronger glass.
There were two chips and a crack in the windshield.
Windshield cracked three days after purchase.i don't remember any stone damage being done.when i washed my car (hot day), a crack developed in the mid-right bottom border of my windshield.i brought it in to the service department, and they told me it was stone damage.
Excessive pitting on windshield on a vehicle with less than 10,000 miles.
Windshield replacements due to premature pitting, chipping, and cracking.many other mini cooper owners have experienced this same problem.
Windshield, cracked , for no apparent reason.
The contact owns a 2003 mini cooper s.while the contact's wife was driving 60 mph, the wheel and tire detached from the vehicle.the vehicle was towed to the dealer and has not been diagnosed at this time.the contact was informed that the cost for the repair would range from $3,000 - $5,000.the affected components were the steering, brakes, suspension, and shocks.a police report was filed and the contact has pictures available.the vin was unknown.the current and failure mileages were 30,000.
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