Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,245,377 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA, including 140,173 crashes, 56,794 fires, and 8,580 deaths.
What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?
A consumer complaint is a free-form report filed by a vehicle owner directly to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) describing a safety concern about their vehicle. NHTSA collects these reports through its Vehicle Owner Defect Report (VOQ) system and publishes them publicly. Each complaint includes the affected component, the date and circumstances of the incident, whether the failure caused a crash or fire, and any reported injuries or deaths. The owner's full narrative description is included verbatim, NHTSA does not edit or moderate the descriptions.
The database below contains over 2,245,377 individual complaints. NHTSA's investigators monitor it for clusters of similar reports, when enough owners describe the same failure mode on the same vehicle, NHTSA may open a Preliminary Evaluation that can lead to a recall. Many of the largest recalls in U.S. history, including the Takata airbag recall and the Hyundai/Kia engine fire recalls, started as patterns visible in this complaint database years before they became formal recalls.
How to interpret what you read
A few principles for reading consumer complaints usefully:
- One complaint is anecdote; a hundred similar complaints is data. NHTSA does not investigate the truthfulness of any individual report, that's the job of the Office of Defects Investigation, which looks at the full pattern. When evaluating a vehicle, look for whether multiple owners describe the same chain of events.
- Crash, fire, injury, and death flags are owner-set. They are not verified by NHTSA. They are still useful as a filter, because owners who tick those boxes are typically reporting more serious incidents than those who don't.
- Component categories are NHTSA-assigned, not owner-assigned. NHTSA standardizes the component field so that complaints can be aggregated. The owner narrative often goes into more detail than the component category captures.
- Complaint volume scales with sales volume. A best-selling model will accumulate more raw complaints than a niche model even at the same defect rate. To compare across vehicles, look at complaints per 100,000 units sold, not raw counts.
If you've experienced a defect
File a complaint. NHTSA's investigators rely on this database to detect emerging defects, and useful complaints, specific, concrete, with dates and mileage and clear descriptions of what happened, feed directly into the agency's pattern detection. The form takes about 10 minutes and is at nhtsa.gov/recalls under "Report a Safety Problem." Your complaint becomes part of the same public record that this page is built from. Owners filing detailed VOQs are how recalls get triggered.
Read more from our blog
Showing 6,381 complaints for MINI
MINI
COOPER S CONVERTIBLE
(2005) - STEERING
May 17, 2011
Incident date: Mar 25, 2011
BOUGHT MINI COOPER USED FROM DEALER JUST PRIOR TO GOING TO FLORIDA FOR 2 WKS. WHEN ALMOST HOME FROM FLORIDA POWER STEERING WENT OUT. MY 3000 MILE USED CAR WARRANTY HAD JUST RAN OUT SO CHECKED ON RECALLS, FOUND NONE. BUT I DID FIND OUT THERE WAS AN INVESTIGATION IN PROGRESS. CONTINUED TO DRIVE VEHICLE OCCASIONALLY AND FOUND THE STEERING SOMETIMES WORKED AND AGAIN WOULD CUT OUT WITH NO WARNING, MAKI... Read more
Incident date: Apr 6, 2011
2006 MINI COOPER S. MAKES HORRIBLE ENGINE NOISE AND UPON INVESTIGATION MINI FOUND THAT THE AC COMPRESSOR IS OUT AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THE CAR HAS ONLY 44K MILES AND HAS BEEN MINI MAINTAINED. THE COST OF THE REPAIR IS CLOSE TO 4K WHICH IS ABSURD FOR A PART THAT SHOULD LAST.I FOUND A MECHANIC ( NOT MINI) THAT CAN DO THE WORK FOR 2,800 BUT EVEN THAT IS TOO MUCH FOR A DEFECTIVE PART. MINI SHOULD I... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2011
MY 2005 MINI COOPER VIN # [XXX] JUST LOST POWER STEERING WHILE DRIVING ON THE SIDE STREET, TRIED TO SHUT OFF THE ENGINE AND RESTART, IT WORKS BUT DECIDED TO JUST PARK IN THE GARAGE SINCE I WAS AFRAID TO GET INVOLVE IN A ACCIDENT. THEN SUDDENLY, A WEIRD SOUND COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, LEFT IT OVERNIGHT , NEXT THING MY CAR BATTERY DIED AND COULD NOT START THE CAR. JUMPED START IT LET MY HU... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2011
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 P... Read more
Incident date: Apr 22, 2011
MY 2005 MINI COOPER S HAS POWER STEERING WHEEL FAILURE. IT STARTED HAPPENING AFTER THE CAR HIT 50,000 MILES WHICH I THINK IT'S STILL TOO LOW FOR ANY CARS. I FIRST ENCOUNTERED THE PROBLEM A COUPLE WEEKS AGO WHEN I WAS TRYING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN ON A MAIN RD. THE STEERING WAS SO DIFFICULT TO TURN EVEN WITH BOTH HANDS THAT I HAD TO COME TO HALT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. THE CAR WOULD HAVE HIT TH... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2009
PASSENGER AIRBAG SYSTEM FAILURE--PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND WON'T GO OUT. ACCORDING TO WEB-FORUMS, PART FAILED IS A SEAT SENSOR. DEALER WANTS CLOSE TO $2K TO REPLACE IT, BUT IT FAILED A LONG LONG LONG TIME AGO. I WOULD THINK IT SHOULD LAST LONGER THAN 2 OR 3 YEARS. CAN FIND TONS OF THE SAME PROBLEMS AT HTTP://WWW.NORTHAMERICANMOTORING.COM/FORUMS/STOCK-PROBLEMS-ISSUES-9-2.HTML. ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2010
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN TRAVELING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, HE WOULD LOSE POWER STEERING INTERMITTENT WITHOUT WARNING. HE NOTICED THAT THE POWER STEERING COOLING FAN WOULD REMAIN ACTIVE WITHOUT POWER TO THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER OR MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED NOR WAS THE FAILURE DIAGNOSED OR THE VEHICLE REPAIRED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 65,096. THE APPROX... Read more
Incident date: Feb 26, 2011
2008 MINI COOPER S - ENGINE FAILURE DUE TO FAULTY VACUUM PUMP. WHILE DRIVING MY WELL MAINTAINED 2008 MINI COOPER S UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS, THE ENGINE ISSUED A LOUD, BRIEF METALLIC NOISE AND STOPPED RUNNING. THE ENGINE WAS STILL TURNING, BUT WAS NOT RUNNING. HAD THE CAR TOWED HOME. UPON INSPECTION OF THE VALVE TRAIN, BY REMOVAL OF VALVE COVER, THE EXHAUST CAM GEAR WAS SHEARED OFF AND S... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2011
I OWN A 2003 MINI COOPER. I AM EXPERIENCING UNEXPECTED POWER STEERING LOSS THAT IS CURRENTLY A TEMPORARY CONDITION. IT OFTEN OCCURS WHILE EXITING ONTO HWY 10/61 CLOVERLEAF IN WOODBURY, MINNNESOTA. ON A COUPLE OCCASIONS I HAVE NEARLY DRIVEN OFF OF THE ROADWAY DOWN AN EMBANKMENT. IT IS AN EXIT THAT IS TAKEN AT 45-50 MPH AND AN HILL DOWNWARD. WHEN IT OCCURS THE CAR VEERS HARD LEFT AS THE POWER S... Read more
Incident date: May 8, 2011
THE STEERING WHEEL ON MY MINI COOPER HAS BECOME HARD TO STEER ON AND OFF FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS. AT THE ONSET, I WAS GOING AT ABOUT 15 TO 20MPH AND TURNING RIGHT. THE STEERING GOT HARD TO TURN AND I WAS HAVING DIFFICULTY STAYING OUT OF ON COMING TRAFFIC. I PULLED OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, TURNED OFF THE CAR AND HOOD UNDER THE HOOD TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANYTHING TO EXPLAIN WHAT WAS GOING ON. ... Read more
Incident date: May 8, 2011
THE STEERING WHEEL ON MY MINI COOPER HAS BECOME HARD TO STEER ON AND OFF FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS. AT THE ONSET, I WAS GOING AT ABOUT 15 TO 20MPH AND TURNING RIGHT. THE STEERING GOT HARD TO TURN AND I WAS HAVING DIFFICULTY STAYING OUT OF ON COMING TRAFFIC. I PULLED OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, TURNED OFF THE CAR AND HOOD UNDER THE HOOD TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANYTHING TO EXPLAIN WHAT WAS GOING ON. ... Read more
Incident date: May 8, 2011
THE STEERING WHEEL ON MY MINI COOPER HAS BECOME HARD TO STEER ON AND OFF FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS. AT THE ONSET, I WAS GOING AT ABOUT 15 TO 20MPH AND TURNING RIGHT. THE STEERING GOT HARD TO TURN AND I WAS HAVING DIFFICULTY STAYING OUT OF ON COMING TRAFFIC. I PULLED OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, TURNED OFF THE CAR AND HOOD UNDER THE HOOD TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANYTHING TO EXPLAIN WHAT WAS GOING ON. ... Read more
MINI
COOPER CONVERTIBLE
(2006) - STEERING
May 13, 2011
Incident date: Apr 30, 2011
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MINI COOPER CONVERTIBLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE WOULD MAKE A LOUD NOISE AND THE POWER STEERING WOULD FAIL. IN ADDITION, THERE WAS A LEAK COMING FROM OVER THE POWER STEERING PUMP. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND REF... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2011
POWER STEERING PUMP AND FAN FAILED AT 55,000 MILES. WHILE IT HAPPENED IN MY CASE WHILE I WAS TRYING TO PARK, IT COULD EASILY HAPPEN AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND CREATED A SERIOUS HAZARD.
Incident date: Apr 20, 2010
POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURE. *TR
MINI
COOPER CLUBMAN
(2008) - STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
May 11, 2011
Incident date: Feb 17, 2011
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MINI COOPER CLUBMAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE BEGAN PULLING AND DRIFTING ABNORMALLY. SHE WAS ABLE TO REGAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND AFTER A MINUTE, THE VEHICLE RESUMED NORMAL OPERATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS PROBABLY DUE TO ROAD CROWN. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2011
THE PASSENGER AIRBAG LIGHT GOES ON AND OFF RANDOMLY. THE LIGHT WILL COME ON REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT A PASSENGER IS SEATED.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2008
POWER STEERING IS NOT RELIABLE; SOMETIMES WORKS, AND SOMETIME DOES NOT. CONSEQUENTLY IT CAUSES DANGEROUS SITUATIONS PARTICULARLY IN SLIPPERY CONDITIONS. INITIALLY THE PROBLEM WAS BARELY NOTICEABLE. WHEN CONSULTED, MINI SERVICE STATED THAT THIS IS NOT A FAULT BUT A CHARACTERISTIC OF THE MINI. WITH TIME THE STEERING GOT PROGRESSIVELY LESS PREDICTABLE. AND, THE PROBLEM WAS RECTIFIED ABOUT TWO YEARS A... Read more
Incident date: Apr 12, 2010
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THE POWER STEERING FAILED WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING. THE CONTACT STATED IT WOULD BE ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO TURN THE VEHICLE BECAUSE THE ELECTRONIC POWER ASSIST WOULD PREVENT THE WHEEL FROM BEING TURNED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 49,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 52,000.
Incident date: May 7, 2011
POWER STEERING HAS BEEN FAILING TO WORK INTERMITTENTLY OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. IT OCCURS MAINLY AFTER STARTING THE CAR AND DRIVING AWAY FROM A STOP. STOPPING AND RESTARTING CLEARS THE PROBLEM. IT DID HAPPEN ONCE AT FREEWAY SPEED ON A LEFT HAND OFF RAMP. IT MADE THE STEERING VERY HEAVY AND HARD TO TURN AND COULD HAVE LEAD TO LOSS OF CONTROL HAD THE PAVEMENT BEEN SLIPPERY. THE POWER STEE... Read more
Incident date: Apr 26, 2011
DROVE 70 MI FROM MILLTOWN, NJ TO VALHALLA, NY ON APRIL 26. POWER STEERING STOPPED FUNCTIONING UPON ARRIVAL. TURNING OFF AND RESTARTING ENGINE REMEDIED THE PROBLEM. ON RETURN TRIP, FAILURE OCCURRED JUST PAST ESSEX TOLLS ON GARDEN STATE - ABOUT HALF WAY TO RETURN DESTINATION. CHECKED AND TOPPED FLUID. THE STEERING FAILS REGULARLY ACCORDING TO THIS PATTERN. IT APPEARS THAT POWER STEERING PUMP C... Read more
Incident date: Mar 14, 2011
INTERMITTENT LOSS OF POWER STEERING OF A 2005 MINI COOPER. IT OCCURRED AT LEAST TWICE (3/14/2011 AND 4/8/2011). *TR
Incident date: May 8, 2011
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THE POWER STEERING FAILED, WITHOUT WARNING, WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND SHUT OFF. HE INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND WAS UNABLE TO DETECT A FAILURE. THE CONTACT RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND RESUMED OPERATION WITH THE STEERING FAILURE. THE CONTACT PLANNED TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEAL... Read more
Incident date: May 8, 2011
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THE POWER STEERING FAILED, WITHOUT WARNING, WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND SHUT OFF. HE INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND WAS UNABLE TO DETECT A FAILURE. THE CONTACT RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND RESUMED OPERATION WITH THE STEERING FAILURE. THE CONTACT PLANNED TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEAL... Read more
Incident date: May 3, 2011
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER STEERING OCCURRED WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITH DIFFICULTY IN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL. THE CONTACT RESTARTED THE ENGINE AND WAS ABLE TO RESUME NORMALLY. THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MEC... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2011
POWER SYSTEM ON MY 2002 MINI COOPER WENT OUT. THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON OCCURRENCE. AND VERY DANGEROUS AND COSTLY. BMW HAD BETTER DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS BECAUSE I ALMOST CREAMED A COP... *TR
Incident date: May 6, 2011
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. ... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2011
I HAVE 2008 MINI COOPER S, I HAVE BEEN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH IT EVEN THE FIRST YEAR I HAD BOUGHT THE CAR. IT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY AND THEY WERE ABLE TO FIX THE PROBLEMS. BUT LATELY, THREE YEARS LATER THERE WAS A LOUD RATTLING NOISE IN THE ENGINE. I HAVE BROUGHT IT TO A MECHANIC AND WAS TOLD TO BRING IT TO THE BMW DEALER BECAUSE OF THE TIMING CHAIN DEFECTS THAT MAY LEAD TO ENGINE DAMAGE. T... Read more
Incident date: May 8, 2011
COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER STEERING IMMEDIATELY AFTER STARTING VEHICLE. THIS IS MUCH HARDER TO STEER THAN A CAR WHICH NEVER HAD POWER STEERING TO BEGIN WITH. ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO TURN THE WHEEL. *TR
Incident date: May 7, 2011
WAS DRIVING MY SON HOME FROM A SOCCER TOURNAMENT, TRAVELING ABOUT 70 MPH, WHEN THE STEERING FAILED-I COULD ONLY TURN THE STEERING WHEEL ABOUT 1" IN EACH DIRECTION. TERRIFYING. THE PROBLEM PERSISTS, AND THE CAR IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE-I'LL PROBABLY NEED TO TOW IT TO THE MECHANIC. *TR
Incident date: May 6, 2011
THE CAR, A 2003 MINI COPPER, SUDDENLY SLOWED DOWN WHILE I APPLIED BRAKE IN A EVENING TRAFFIC THAT WAS SLOWING DOWN NEAR A LIGHT/SIGNAL. IT FELT LIKE A STALL AND A LOSS OF POWER. MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE, AND ON CONFUSION, I TRIED TO ADJUST THE PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE. AT THAT POINT, THE CAR'S POWER CAME BACK AND THE CAR ROLLED FORWARD AND HIT THE TRAILER HITCH OF THE TRUCK IN FRONT OF ME, CAUSING A... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2011
VIN: [XXX], DELIVERED SEPT. 2004. CURRENT MILEAGE 49,940 THIS CAR WAS ORDERED VIA MINI.COM. THE ONLY DRIVERS ARE A 63 YR FEMALE AND A 63 YR MALE. NO CHILDREN HAVE EVER DRIVEN THIS CAR, NOR HAS IT BEEN RACED, DRIVEN HARD, SIMPLY DRIVEN TO WORK AND BACK LAST WEEK I WAS DRIVING TO WORK, A 11 MILE TRIP MAX SPEED ON A 55 MPH HIGHWAY. THE FRONT END MADE A HUGE NOISE, THE CAR SHOOK, AND I STOPPED. I ... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2011
THE POWER STEERING FAILED 2 DAYS AGO ON MY 2006 MINI COOPER S WITH ONLY 36,600 MILES. IT'S A KNOWN ISSUE & YET BMW/MINI REFUSES TO ADDRESS IT. I WAS VERY FORTUNATE THAT IT HAPPENED IN A PARKING LOT & NOT ON MY DAILY HIGHWAY COMMUTE OR DURING MY RECENT VACATION. *TR
Incident date: Apr 24, 2011
2004 MINI COOPER S AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON FOR NO REASON. DEALER WANTS $1000 TO FIX. *TR
Incident date: May 2, 2011
THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS COME ON AT 67K MILES AND I HAVE BROUGHT THE VEHICLE IN TO GET CHECKED AT THE DEALER. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THAT THE TIMING CHAIN IS BEGINNING TO FAIL AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, ALONG WITH A WATER PUMP LEAK. THE TIMING CHAIN IS A KNOWN FAILURE AND STILL HAS NO RECALL. *TR
Incident date: Apr 19, 2010
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING WOULD FAIL INTERMITTENTLY WITHOUT WARNING. ONCE THE VEHICLE WAS SHUT OFF AND RESTARTED, THE POWER STEERING WOULD RESET ITSELF. THE CONTACT HAD A MECHANIC INSPECT THE VEHICLE AND THEY STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP AND RACK WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 85... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2011
FOR THE PAST WEEK, THE POWER STEERING ON MY CAR HAS FAILED TWICE. WHEN IT FAILS, I WILL SUDDENLY BE UNABLE TO STEER THE CAR. THIS HAS OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, E.G. WHILE MAKING AT TURN WHILE DRIVING ON LOCAL STREETS, ON AN ON-RAMP TO A FREEWAY, AND ALSO WHILE PARKING, MAYBE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO PULL INTO A PARKING SPACE WITHIN REASONABLE TIME. WHILE DRIVING LOCAL STREET, I HAVE HAD TO SLOW ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 22, 2011
POWER STEERING FAILED AS CAR WAS MOVING. NO APPARENT REASON FOR FAILURE. IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL CAR WITHOUT THE STEERING. I WAS NOT GOING TOO FAST BUT IF IT HAD HAPPENED AT A HIGHER RATE OF SPEED IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A DISASTER. STEERING REMAINED UNUSUABLE UNTIL CAR WAS TURNED OFF AND COOLED SLIGHTLY. WHEN I STARTED IT, IT WAS FINE. IT HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES SINCE THEN AFTER THE CAR HA... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2011
THE POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED INTERMITTENTLY WHILE PERFORMING TURNS OR ACTIONS WHICH COULD HAVE RESULTED IN OVER/UNDER STEERING. THE FAILURE COULD HAVE EASILY RESULTED IN AN ACCIDENT. *TR
MINI
COOPER S CONVERTIBLE
(2005) - STEERING
May 2, 2011
Incident date: Apr 30, 2011
POWER STEERING FAILURE. *TR
Incident date: Apr 10, 2011
WHILE DRIVING, THE POWER STEERING STOPS WORKING. THIS PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT AND HAPPENS EVERY FEW DAYS. SIMPLY CYCLING THE IGNITION GETS IT WORKING AGAIN BUT IS A BIG SAFETY CONCERN IN MY BOOK. *TR
MINI
COOPER CONVERTIBLE
(2005) - STEERING
May 2, 2011
Incident date: Apr 19, 2011
MY POWER STEERING FAILED AS I WAS MAKING A TURN IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD. THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT AND A LITTLE UNNERVING. I AM STRONG ENOUGH TO DRIVE THE CAR WITHOUT THE POWER ASSIST, BUT THIS IS NOT TRUE OF MY WIFE. IF THE PROBLEM WERE TO OCCUR WHEN SHE WAS DRIVING SHE MIGHT LOSE CONTROL.
Incident date: Apr 30, 2011
I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK AND THE CHARGE CIRCUIT LIGHT CAME ON AND I SMELLED A HEATED ELECTRICAL SMELL. THE POWER STEERING HAD CUT OUT, SHORTLY AFTER, THE ENGINE TEMPERATURE BEGAN TO RISE. I TURNED THE CAR OFF, THEN BACK ON AND DROVE HOME. AFTER SOME RESEARCH, IT SEEMS THAT THIS MODEL MINI COOPER HAVE POWER STEERING PUMPS THAT FAIL AROUND 70,000 MILES. I DROVE TO MY JOB ON SUNDAY, AND THE... Read more
MINI
COOPER S US
(2011) - INTERIOR LIGHTING
Apr 30, 2011
Incident date: Apr 24, 2011
OCCASIONALLY AND INTERMITTENTLY, THE DIGITAL AUDIO DISPLAY IN THE MIDDLE OF MY MINI'S LARGE SPEEDOMETER WINDOW GOES BLANK, WHILE ALLOWING YOU TO CHANGE CHANNELS AND CHOOSE FUNCTIONS (IPOD, TELEPHONE, RADIO, SATELLITE) WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO SEE WHAT YOU'RE CHOOSING. THE GAS MILEAGE DIGITAL DISPLAY ABOVE THE AUDIO SYSTEM IS READABLE AT ALL TIMES. OCCASIONALLY ALSO AN ORANGE LINE WILL GO THROUGH TH... Read more
MINI
COOPER S US
(2011) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
Apr 30, 2011
Incident date: Apr 24, 2011
OCCASIONALLY AND INTERMITTENTLY, THE DIGITAL AUDIO DISPLAY IN THE MIDDLE OF MY MINI'S LARGE SPEEDOMETER WINDOW GOES BLANK, WHILE ALLOWING YOU TO CHANGE CHANNELS AND CHOOSE FUNCTIONS (IPOD, TELEPHONE, RADIO, SATELLITE) WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO SEE WHAT YOU'RE CHOOSING. THE GAS MILEAGE DIGITAL DISPLAY ABOVE THE AUDIO SYSTEM IS READABLE AT ALL TIMES. OCCASIONALLY ALSO AN ORANGE LINE WILL GO THROUGH TH... Read more
Incident date: Apr 28, 2011
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BMW MINI COOPER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME HARD TO MOVE. THE CONTACT DID NOT INFORM THE DEALER OR MANUFACTURER OF THE FAILURE NOR WAS THE VEHICLE DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 71,331.
Incident date: Apr 16, 2011
WHEN BACKING OUT OF GARAGE NOTICED THAT STEERING FELT "HEAVY", THEN AS I PROCEEDED FORWARD, ALL POWER STEERING ASSIST CEASED. THIS HAS OCCURRED TWO OR THREE TIMES (WITH NO WARNING) IN THE PAST, AND ON THE HIGHWAY. THE POWER STEERING OUTAGE MAY LAST A FEW MINUTES, OR A FEW DAYS. THE OUTAGE REPORTED HERE LASTED 10 DAYS. THE CAR CAN BE STEERED, BUT ONLY WITH GREAT EFFORT.. VERY DANGEROUS.
Incident date: Jan 15, 2011
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MINI COPPER. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED WITH THE ENGINE ON THE CONTACT HEARD A LOUD WHINING NOISE. THE NOISE WAS COMING FROM THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED CONTINUOUSLY. THE LAST TIME THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED THE FAILURE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED WITH THE ENGINE SHUT OFF AND THE POWER STEERING PUMP CONTINUED TO RUN AND DRAINED THE BATTERY. THE CONTACT H... Read more
Incident date: Apr 27, 2009
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HEADLIGHTS AND CABIN LIGHTS WOULD REMAIN ILLUMINATED AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS SHUT OFF. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE WOULD OFTEN BECOME LOCKED INSIDE OR OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A DEALER AND THEY ADVISED HIM THAT THE CONTROL MODULE WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 27, 2009
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HEADLIGHTS AND CABIN LIGHTS WOULD REMAIN ILLUMINATED AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS SHUT OFF. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE WOULD OFTEN BECOME LOCKED INSIDE OR OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A DEALER AND THEY ADVISED HIM THAT THE CONTROL MODULE WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT ... Read more