2005 MINI Cooper Convertible Problems

The contact owns a 2005 Mini Cooper Convertible. The contact stated that she noticed a leak coming from the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a power of steering hose leak. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V660000 (Steering). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 94,000.

My son drives this car and the power steering went out twice on him while driving. I need to get the pump replaced via the recall, but the nearest location is 200 miles from me. It is not safe to drive this car that far and I would have to drop it off and make another trip to pick it up. Towing that far would cost a small fortune. I called every number and was transferred to several people to help with this issue. They say they can not and won't help me till I get the car to a dealership to fix it. One person from Mini told me I might be able to go to a certified mechanic but when I asked the next person they said it had to be a dealership. I spent two days on the phone with several people from Mini and no one was willing to offer a solution. I drive this car to get the recall fixed and something happens and the car wrecks, or worse someone is killed, who would it be on then? No happy about this at all.

POWER STEERING PUMP GOES OUT FROM TIME TO TIME, BROUGHT IT TO MINI DEALERSHIPS ONCE AND WAS WORKING FINE WHEN WE BROUGHT IT IN, AND WAS TOLD NOTHING WAS WRONG, AND WAS SENT ON OUR WAY. NOW HAD TO DISCONNECT BATTERY TO REPLACE A PART, AND WHEN RECONNECTING THE BATTERY, POWER STEERING PUMPS RUNS AND WONT SHUT OFF. VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY. PLEASE HEP, AND THANK YOU.

PARKED AT SHOPPING MALL AND NOT RUNNING FOR AT LEAST 30 MINUTES, COME OUT TO MINI COOPER ON FIRE. SMOKE COMING OUT OF ENGINE AREA, HIGH PITCH FAN WHIRLING, ELECTRICAL SMELL. POWER STEERING FAILED, SHORTED OUT, AND CAUGHT ON FIRE. VEHICLE WAS NOT EVEN ON AND PARKED WHEN THIS HAPPENED. APPEARS TO BE A MAJOR FAILURE MANY OTHERS OWNING A MINI COOPER HAVE EXPERIENCED. BMW/MINI COOPER OF USA DID NOTHING FOR US AND PUT IT ALL ON OUR AND MY INSURANCES SHOULDERS. AMAZED SO MANY CASES OF THIS SAME ISSUE HAVE HAPPENED YET THEY DO NOTHING AND SEEM TO EXPECT EVERYONE ELSE TO FOOT THE BILL. GOT THE RUN AROUND BY BMW AND UNLESS IT WAS FOR MY INSURANCE COMPANY, THE MINI WOULD HAVE BEEN SCRAPPED. *TR

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER CONVERTIBLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V505000 (AIR BAGS). THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIRS, BUT THE AIR BAG LIGHT REMAINED ILLUMINATED. THE DEALER INDICATED THAT THE VEHICLE NEEDED TO BE TAKEN BACK FOR FURTHER DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT WEIGHT SENSOR FOR AIRBAG ACTIVATION FAILED. DUE TO THIS, THE FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG WILL NOT DEPLOY IN AN ACCIDENT. THE ONLY FIX IS A $2000 REPLACEMENT OF THE ENTIRE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. *TR

THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT WEIGHT SENSOR FOR AIRBAG ACTIVATION FAILED. DUE TO THIS, THE FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG WILL NOT DEPLOY IN AN ACCIDENT. THE ONLY FIX IS A $2000 REPLACEMENT OF THE ENTIRE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. *TR

THE PASSENGER AIR BAG SENSOR ACTIVATES, SAYING THAT THERE IS A PASSENGER IN THE SEAT WHEN ONE IS NOT PRESENT. IT OFTEN REMINDS THIS "PASSENGER" TO BUCKLE THEIR SEAT BELT. OTHER TIMES IT IS SILENT BUT STILL INDICATES THAT THE PASSENGER AIRBAG IS TURNED OFF WHEN THERE TRULY IS A PASSENGER. *TR

The transmission will cycle first through third and when it tries to go into 4th it slips and will not operate higher gears it caused me to lose my forward drive momentum as I was switching lanes and the car I was getting in front of almost ran into me.

MY 2005 MINI COOPER CONVERTIBLE NEEDS THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED. MY CAR HAS ONLY 92,000 MILES AND IT IS UNFAIR THAT ALREADY IT HAS TO BE REPLACE AT A RIDICULOUS COST. THERE WAS A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT WITH BMW/MINI FOR THE TRANSMISSION THAT WENT WRONG. THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE BESIDES MYSELF WHO WHERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THIS AND WERE LEFT OUT. MINI COOPER SHOULD RECALL THE TRANSMISSIONS .THERE ARE MANY FORUMS OF MINI COOPER OWNERS WHO ARE OUTRAGED AND HAVE SIMILAR SITUATIONS. PLEASE CONSIDER AND MAKE THIS COMPANY RECALL THE TRANSMISSIONS. THANK YOU *TR

TRANSMISSION WENT OUT AT 60K MILES BECAUSE OF THE WAY IT'S MADE IT HAD TO BE COMPLETELY REPLACED. MANY MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS FAULTY TRANSMISSION. BMW HAS TO PAY FOR IT.

PARKED AT SHOPPING MALL AND NOT RUNNING FOR AT LEAST 30 MINUTES, COME OUT TO MINI COOPER ON FIRE. SMOKE COMING OUT OF ENGINE AREA, HIGH PITCH FAN WHIRLING, ELECTRICAL SMELL. POWER STEERING FAILED, SHORTED OUT, AND CAUGHT ON FIRE. VEHICLE WAS NOT EVEN ON AND PARKED WHEN THIS HAPPENED. APPEARS TO BE A MAJOR FAILURE MANY OTHERS OWNING A MINI COOPER HAVE EXPERIENCED. BMW/MINI COOPER OF USA DID NOTHING FOR US AND PUT IT ALL ON OUR AND MY INSURANCES SHOULDERS. AMAZED SO MANY CASES OF THIS SAME ISSUE HAVE HAPPENED YET THEY DO NOTHING AND SEEM TO EXPECT EVERYONE ELSE TO FOOT THE BILL. GOT THE RUN AROUND BY BMW AND UNLESS IT WAS FOR MY INSURANCE COMPANY, THE MINI WOULD HAVE BEEN SCRAPPED. *TR

LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES IN A 2005 MINI COOPER CONVERTIBLE. NO WARNING AND INTERMITTENT OCCURRENCE. SOMETIMES WOULD HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING AND SOME TIMES WOULD BE IMMEDIATELY AFTER TURNING CAR ON. TOOK CAR TO MECHANIC AND HE COULD NOT FIND CAUSE. NO COMPUTER DAMAGE, NO CODES PRESENT TO INDICATE THAT ANY THING UNUSUAL HAD OCCURRED. I TRADED THE CAR IN FOR A DIFFERENT MAKER AND MODEL. *TR

HI, I'M WRITING TO REPORT THAT MY 2005 MINI COOPER, WITH LESS THAN 43K MILES IS IN NEED OF A THIRD TRANSMISSION. I NEARLY DID NOT MAKE IT HOME ONE EVENING BECAUSE THE JERKING MOTION THE CAR WAS MAKING AND BECAUSE THE ENGINE JUST FELT LIKE IT WAS GOING TO SHUT OFF. I NEARLY STALLED ON THE HIGHWAY, WHILE IN TRAFFIC. THE FIRST TRANSMISSION, WHILE UNDER WARRANTY WAS REPLACED IN NOVEMBER 2007 AT 28K MILES. ON 12/16/08, I HAD AN ACCIDENT WHERE THE TRANSMISSION PAN AMONG OTHER THINGS HAD TO BE REPLACED. IT WAS THE ONLY KNOWN DAMAGE CAUSED TO THE TRANSMISSION. THE AUTO BODY AND PAINT SHOP THAT I CONTRACTED WITH DID NOT KNOW HOW TO FILL THE TRANSMISSION FLUID AND THEREFORE THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED THE LOCAL MINI COOPER DEALERSHIP. THEY PERFORMED THAT PIECE OF IT. NOW, THE DEALER IS TELLING ME I NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION AND THE CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY. THE DEALERSHIP ALSO STATES THEY DON'T KNOW IF THE TRANSMISSION DAMAGE WAS A RESIDUAL OF THE ACCIDENT OR NOT AND THEREFORE, WERE TRYING TO OPEN UP THE OLD INSURANCE CLAIM FROM JANUARY 2009. HOWEVER, MY INSURANCE COMPANY DOES NOT WANT TO PAY FOR THE NEW TRANSMISSION BECAUSE THEY STATE THE REPAIRS FROM THE ACCIDENT $7,888.70, PLUS THE COST OF A NEW TRANSMISSION, AROUND 8K WILL BE MORE THAN THE VALUE OF THE CAR. SO, WHO SHOULD PAY FOR THIS NEW TRANSMISSION, THE DEALER, THE AUTO BODY SHOP (WHOM DID NO WORK ON THE TRANSMISSION, SEEMINGLY) OR ME? HOW DO I KNOW, THIS IS NOT JUST ANOTHER BAD TRANSMISSION? THERE IS NO WAY TO TELL ON A MINI COOPER (NO WAY TO CHECK) TRANSMISSION FLUID AND NO INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON. *TR

NOTICED ON BRAND NEW TIRES THE TREAD ON LEFT TIRE WAS WORN TO THE CORE AND THE WAS SEPARATING FROM THE TIRE ON INSIDE, THE RIGHT TIRE HAD EVERY LITTLE TREAD LEFT. THERE HAS BEEN 216 COMPLAINTS . NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO CORRECT THE FAILURE OR REPAIR OR REPLACE THE PARTS. THE TIRES HAD ONLY 4000 MILES ON THEM WHEN IT WAS NOTICED. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER CONVERTIBLE. WHENEVER SHE PRESSED THE BUTTON TO OPEN THE SUNROOF OR CONVERTIBLE, THE DRIVERS SIDE OPENED BUT THE PASSENGER SIDE DID NOT. THE DEALER STATED THAT IT WAS A LAPSE IN THE CABLE AND SHE'D THE ENTIRE UNIT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT THE OWNERS EXPENSE. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT OFFER HER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE IS A DEFECT THAT SHOULD ALSO BE A RECALL. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 55,000.

NOTICED ON BRAND NEW TIRES THE TREAD ON LEFT TIRE WAS WORN TO THE CORE AND THE WAS SEPARATING FROM THE TIRE ON INSIDE, THE RIGHT TIRE HAD EVERY LITTLE TREAD LEFT. THERE HAS BEEN 216 COMPLAINTS . NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO CORRECT THE FAILURE OR REPAIR OR REPLACE THE PARTS. THE TIRES HAD ONLY 4000 MILES ON THEM WHEN IT WAS NOTICED. *TR

THE PASSENGER AIR BAG SENSOR ACTIVATES, SAYING THAT THERE IS A PASSENGER IN THE SEAT WHEN ONE IS NOT PRESENT. IT OFTEN REMINDS THIS "PASSENGER" TO BUCKLE THEIR SEAT BELT. OTHER TIMES IT IS SILENT BUT STILL INDICATES THAT THE PASSENGER AIRBAG IS TURNED OFF WHEN THERE TRULY IS A PASSENGER. *TR