This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The contact owns a 2003 MINICooper. While driving approximately 30 mph, there was a loss of power steering without warning. The vehicle was manuvered to the side of the road. The contact resumed driving; however, the steering wheel was extremely difficult to turn. The contact mentioned that there was a recall associated with NHTSA campaign number: 15V660000 (steering); however, the dealer failed to service the vehicle because the recall notification was not received. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 85,113.
The contact owns a 2003 MINICooper 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 MINICooper. While driving approximately 15 mph, the power steering seized. The battery and temperature gauge warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was not diagnosed nor repaired. 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 notified of the failure. The VIN was unknown. The approximate failure mileage was 168,000.
The contact owns a 2003 MINICooper. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V660000 (steering) ; however, the part for the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the power steering failed without warning at various speeds, especially when turning the steering wheel. The approximate failure mileage was 171,000. The manufacturer was not notified. The VIN was invalid. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2003 MINICooper 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.
- Watkinsville, GA, USA
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Lost power steering with burning smell and lots of smoke. As evidenced on the attached document, the engine wiring harness was burnt. The car could have lost all power. The repair bill was $4097.91. I was without a car for weeks with no loaner car offered. National MINICooper denied that this was an issue. There is now a pending recall. The new parts might also need to be replaced. I was driving on the highway when this occurred.
The contact owns a 2003 MINICooper. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V6600000 (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. While driving 5 mph when attempting to turn the vehicle, the steering wheel malfunctioned. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle, but the results were unknown. The vehicle was repaired and the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2003 MINICooper 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.
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.
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
Power steering failed and difficult to steer. Power steering would then cut in and out. Warranty repair by MINIdealer on September 16, 2015 replaced steering pump but power steering hose leak was not covered by warranty and charged $607.59 to do all necessary repairs for the power steering to work. The lack of consistency of having power assist steering or not could contribute to an accident since there is no way to predict the amount of effort to steer the car. The needed power steering repairs were not free but cost $607.59.
Our 2003 MINICooper has about 120K miles on it. It was completely fine until recently when the power steering pump started whining. Sometimes it completely stopped working and we had no power steering, thankfully this was while the car was parked and not while driving. Turning the wheel is a little harder than usual, and if you turn it too much, the car bogs down and the revs go way down. We've tried flushing and replacing the power steering fluid, but it didn't seem to help. We've even put in some expensive additives that promise to repair the problem and stop the noise, but it doesn't work. We don't feel safe knowing that our power steering may go out at any moment. And we certainly don't appreciate the looks we get when we drive past people.
Steering fluid continuously leaks - replace hydraulic hose twice - known defect - MINIrefused to fix for free engine cooling - fan runs after shutoff continuously - known defect - MINIrefused to fix for free electrical - 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 -MINIrefused 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.
While adjusting the tilt control on my MINICooper, I discovered that the entire steering column had become loose. Upon inspection, I discovered that two metal brackets used to support the steering column and attendant assembly had sheered off, apparently under normal use.
Night driving in Colorado mtns. Lights began to flicker and power steering failed. Found safe place to pull over and turned off lights and engine. Restarted and turned lights back on to resume driving within a few minuets lights flickered and power steering failed again. Had to continue for several miles until it was safe to pull over again. Attempted to turn off head lights and use fog lights on county dirt road, still lights flickered/dimmed and power steering failed. Currently vehicle is parked and we are attempting to research recall matters with this malfunction. Superior driving skill is required to operate this vehicle with nonfunctional power steering. Average operators will have great difficulty maintaining safe operation of the automobile. This issue will lead to loss of life if not addressed. Nearest dealer for MINIis 130 miles distant.
The contact owns a 2003 MINICooper. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 mph, the power steering failed without warning causing the contact to nearly loose control of the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that the power steering motor remained activated although the vehicle was shut off. As a result, the contact had to eject the battery out of the vehicle every time the vehicle was shut off because the vehicle overheated and could potentially cause a fire. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 101,000.
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
I was driving along the street to make a right turn and then all of the sudden, bam! my power steering went out and I could not steer. It was very scary and dangerous. Luckily I slowed down and made the corner slowly. When I arrived home, I turned the care off, checked the power steering fluid, and turned it back on. Now the power steering works again. This is the second time this has happened. Not sure why it intermittently goes out but it should be replaced.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Washington, MO, USA