2002 Mini Cooper S complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MINI COOPER F. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAGS WARNING LIGHTS ARE ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL SHOP WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG AND ATTENTION TO HARNESS. THEY ALSO, ADVISED HER TO CONTACT THE MANUFACTURER BECAUSE THEIR WAS A RECALL FOR THIS SPECIFIC FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY STATED THAT THE VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER WAS NOT INCLUDED ON THE RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 54,000. UPDATED 3/28/11 *CN UPDATED 12/20/11 *CN

POWER STEERING FAILED IN THE MIDDLE OF A CURVE IN THE ROAD, RESULTING IN A LOSS OF CONTROL AND NEARLY CAUSING THE CAR TO GO INTO A DITCH. #20 THE CAR IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO STEER WITHOUT THE POWER-ASSISTED STEERING. #20 MINI USA DENIES ANY KNOWLEDGE OF THIS PROBLEM, YET THERE ARE IN EXCESS OF 1,600 REPORTS ON ONE INTERNET FORUM ALONE. #20 THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAS OFFICIALLY ACKNOWLEDGED THIS ISSUE, AND IN EUROPE BMW/MINI HAS ACTED, BUT IN THE USA THE COMPANY DENIES ANY AWARENESS. #20 THIS FAILURE COULD HAVE COST ME AND MY WIFE OUR LIVES IF I WERE A LESS SKILLED DRIVER WHO MANAGED TO FORCE THE CAR BACK ONTO THE ROAD.

LOSS OF POWER STEERING 2002 MINI COOPER S. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH WHEN THERE WAS A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER STEERING WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITH DIFFICULTY. THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED. THE POWER STEERING BECAME FUNCTIONAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE FAILURE CONTINUED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE AND VIN WERE UNAVAILABLE.

INTERMEDIATE POWER STEERING FAILURE ON 2002 MINI COOPER S. AT FIRST POWER STEERING WOULD CUT IN AND OUT WHEN DRIVING UNTIL IT WENT DEAD COMPLETELY BUT SOMETIMES WILL RESUME FUNCTION WHEN YOU SHUT OFF CAR AND RESTART. STEERING IS VERY HARD WHEN THIS OCCURS. WEEKS PASSED WITH SAME SYMPTOMS THEN POWER STEERING PUMP WILL RUN CONSTANTLY EVEN WITH CAR SHUT OFF. TO STOP THE PUMP FROM DRAINING MY BATTERY I HAD TO DISCONNECT BATTERY OR REMOVE THE FUSE THAT IS CONNECTED TO THE POWERSTEERING PUMP. NOW THE CAR IS OPERABLE WITHOUT POWER STEERING BUT STEERING IS RATHER HARD. *TR

I READ LAST WEEK ABOUT POSSIBLE SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER STEERING ASSOCIATED WITH 04-05 MINI MODELS. I HAVE AN 02 MINI COOPER S AND HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM APPROX 6 TIMES IN THE LAST 4 YEARS. WITH NO WARNING, THE POWER STEERING WILL SUDDENLY DISAPPEAR. I CAN STEER THE CAR, BUT ONLY WITH SIGNIFICANT EFFORT. MY MECHANIC CANNOT FIND ANY PROBLEM. I HAVE NOT HAD ANY ACCIDENTS AS A RESULT OF THIS. I'M NOT CERTAIN, BUT IT APPEARS THIS MIGHT HAPPEN MORE FREQUENTLY WHEN THE ROAD IS WET. *TR

MY 2002 MINI COOPER S HAD AN INCIDENT APPROXIMATELY SIX MONTHS AGO WHEN I COMPLETELY LOST POWER STEERING WHILE GOING A LOW RATE OF SPEED. I WAS ABLE TO MUSCLE THE STEERING FOR A COUPLE OF MINUTES UNTIL THE POWER STEERING RETURNED. THIS OCCURRED ONCE MORE BUT VERY BRIEFLY IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE SOME TIME LATER. I DID NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS PROBLEM EITHER TIME BUT I SAW A STORY IN USA TODAY ON MINI STEERING PROBLEMS (29 SEPT) AND INSTANTLY RECALLED MY PROBLEM. I AM CERTAIN IT IS RELATED TO THE MINI STEERING ISSUE NOW BEING INVESTIGATED BY THE NHTSA. *TR

POWER STEERING FAILURE CAUSED HARD STEERING AND SUPREME SCARE. PRIOR INTERMITTENT ON/OFF OF POWER STEERING PUMP PREVIOUS WEEK. HAD TO REPLACE PUMP AND FAN MOTOR. OLD PUMP IS NOT AVAILABLE. *TR

1. DRIVING IN NORMAL CONDITIONS, CAR STARTS OVER HEATING. 2. CONSTANT POWER STEERING FAILURE. HAS HAPPENED 2 TIMES SINCE I HAVE OWNED THE VEHICLE. (3 YEAR SPAN) AND ALSO 2 TIMES FOR THE ORIGINAL OWNER. 3. THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS. OLD PARTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE. *TR

2002 MINI COOPER S POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED LEAVING CAR WITH VERY HEAVY STEERING. CAR TRAVELED INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC BUT NO DAMAGE OR INJURY OCCURRED. I HAVE OLD PS PUMP AVAILABLE. *TR

POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURE. COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER ASSIST. JUST HAPPENED IN THE MIDDLE OF A TURN DURING NORMAL DRIVING. *TR

2002 MINI COOPER S POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURE. PUMP HAD STOPPED WHILE DRIVING THE CAR PREVIOUSLY. NOW, PUMP CONTINUES TO RUN AFTER TURNING OFF THE ENGINE. *TR

THE POWER STEERING PUMP ON 2002 MINI COOPER S HAS REPEATEDLY SEIZED UP WHEN DRIVING OVER A COURSE OF A FEW MONTHS AND NOW IT WONT TURN OFF WHEN THE CAR IS OFF SO THE BATTERY DRAINS OUT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST POWER STEERING. THE CONTACT SPOKE WITH THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS RELATED TO THE STEERING COLUMN AND SHE WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR REPAIR COSTS. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED AT THE TIME OF THE COMPLAINT. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE WHEN THE COMPLAINT WAS FILED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 42,392.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MINI COOPER S. WHILE DRIVING AT 45 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL SUDDENLY BECAME VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE POWER STEERING NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 90,000. UPDATED 09/24/10. *LJ UPDATED 09/24/10

METAL TABS CONNECTING GLASS SUNROOF TO SUNROOF GUIDES BROKE. THE METAL SPLIT POSSIBLY DUE TO METAL FATIGUE INDUCED BY VIBRATION. POTENTIAL FOR A VEHICLE TO LOSE SUNROOF IF IT WAS TO LOSE THE OTHER MOUNT. *TR

AIRBAG LIGHT ON. CONTINUOUSLY ON. SEE NHTSA ACTION PE05053 SAME ISSUES AS PE05053, BUT DIFFERENT CABLES AND CONNECTORS IN THE SAME CIRCUIT ARE CAUSING THE SAME PROBLEM. BMW IS NOT COVERING THESE FAILURES UNDER WARRANTY AT THIS TIME. ENTIRE CIRCUIT NEEDS TO BE EVALUATED. *TR

THE NEW MINIS FROM BMW, RANGING FROM 2002 - 2005, HAVE CHRONIC PROBLEMS WITH THE POWER STEERING FAILING WHILE DRIVING, MAKING THE CARS SUDDENLY IMPOSSIBLE TO STEER. THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED PROBLEM. I'VE SEARCHED THE WEB AND FOUND HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS VERY SAME THING. HERE'S A LINK TO A BBC STORY ABOUT IT. HTTP://WWW.BBC.CO.UK/BLOGS/WATCHDOG/2009/02/MINI_STEERING_SYSTEM_FAILURES.HTML. *TR

REAR HATCH HAS NO INSIDE RELEASE, ALTHOUGH SHOWN IN OWNER'S MANUAL. *TR

2002 MINI COOPER C POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURE WITH ONLY 50K MILES. *TR

DRIVER SIDE AND HEAD AIRBAG DEPLOYED WHEN A "BUMP" (PAVEMENT AT DIFFERENT HEIGHTS DURING REPAVING) IN THE ROAD WAS HIT BY THE VEHICLE. *TR

I HAVE A 2002 MINI COOPER S. THE CAR?S ENGINE COOLING SYSTEM HAS ONGOING ISSUES, PARTICULARLY THE COOLANT EXPANSION TANK. I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE COOLANT EXPANSION TANK THREE TIMES WITHIN APPROXIMATELY 50,000 MILES. THIS MEANS MY CAR IS NOW ON ITS FOURTH COOLANT EXPANSION TANK. HERE IS A SHORT SUMMARY OF THE COOLANT EXPANSION TANKS THAT MY CAR HAS HAD: DATE TANK INSTALLEDDATE TANK FAILED/REPLACEDCAR MILEAGE WHEN REPLACED WHEN CAR WAS BUILTJUNE 19, 200414,130 JUNE 19, 2004OCTOBER 23, 200417,528 OCTOBER 23, 2004OCTOBER 24, 200750,143 OCTOBER 24, 2007NOT YETNOT YET THE RADIATOR ALSO FAILED AT 50,143 MILES, WHICH IS AN EVENT I AM ALSO NOT PLEASED WITH. ADDITIONALLY, IT NOW APPEARS--AS OF SEPTEMBER 2008--THAT I MAY HAVE ANOTHER COOLING SYSTEM ISSUE. I WILL BE CALLING MY MECHANIC SOON TO CHECK INTO IT. ALL OF THESE FAILURES OF THE COOLANT EXPANSION TANK TOOK UP SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNTS OF MY TIME IN TAKING MY CAR TO THE REPAIR SHOP AND THEN GOING TO RETRIEVE IT AFTER THE REPAIR. AND IN ONE CASE LEFT ME STRANDED ON THE SIDE OF A VERY BUSY CALIFORNIA FREEWAY AT RUSH HOUR. ADDITIONALLY, I FEAR THAT THE MULTIPLE FAILURES OF THE EXPANSION TANK HAVE STRESSED THE OTHER PARTS OF THE ENGINE'S COOLING SYSTEM (AS EVIDENCED BY THE RADIATOR FAILURE AND THE NEED TO REPLACE ANOTHER COOLANT PART). THE LOCAL MINI COOPER DEALER REPLACED THE FIRST TWO EXPANSION TANKS UNDER WARRANTY AND DECLINED TO REPLACE THE THIRD EXPANSION TANK. AFTER I COMPLAINED--AND AFTER SIX MONTHS OF FOLLOW-UP CALLS AND LETTERS--

MY MINI COOPER S 2002. MY POWER STEERING LOCKED UP MAKING IT ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO STEER. VERY DANGEROUS AND THE FAN KEPT RUNNING WHEN OFF WHICH DRAINED THE BATTERY. IT IS NOT DRIVABLE NOW. *TR

2002 MINI COOPER S MODEL. AIRBAG LIGHT STAYS ON. HAS BEEN REPAIRED MANY TIMES AND STILL STAYS ON, DEACTIVATING SAFETY FEATURES OF THE RESTRAINT SYSTEM. THIS APPEARS TO BE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE MINI. BMW NEEDS TO ISSUE A RECALL I FEEL FOR OUR SAFETY... *TR

WITH ONLY 24000 TOTAL MILES ON THE 2002 MINI COOPER-S ALL 4 BRAKES AND ROTORS WERE FAILING, WORN BEYOND LIMITS AND REQUIRED REPLACING. NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY DUE TO VEHICLE BEING OLDER THAN 3 YEARS AT THE TIME. *TR

WHEN ACCELERATING OUT OF A TOLL BOOTH, THE ENGINE LOST ALL POWER JUST AS I CHANGED LANES IN FRONT OF LARGE TRUCK. FORTUNATELY, THERE WAS A PULL-OUT ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ROAD. IF I HAD NOT BEEN ABLE TO QUICKLY PULL OVER, THE TRUCK WOULD HAVE LIKELY COLLIDED WITH MY CAR. TURNING OF THE ENGINE AND RESTARTING IT TEMPORARILY CLEARED THE PROBLEM. IT WOULD REOCCUR WHENEVER I USED FULL THROTTLE AND THE ENGINE HIT 5000 RPM. THE PROBLEM TURNED OUT TO BY A STICKY SUPER-CHARGER BYPASS VALVE. IT IS A WELL KNOWN PROBLEM, SO MUCH SO THAT THE DEALER ALWAYS HAVE THE PARTS IN STOCK. LOOSING ALL ENGINE POWER IS POTENTIALLY VERY DANGEROUS - BMW SHOULD FIX THIS. *TR

SIGNIFICANT AND REPEATED ELECTRICAL FAILURES CAUSED THE CAR TO RANDOMLY SWITCH INTO EML MODE, REDUCING ENGINE OUTPUT CRITICALLY. WHEN THIS HAPPENED ON A HIGHWAY THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH POWER TO REMOVE THE CAR FROM THE ROAD SAFELY. AFTER SEVERAL INEFFECTUAL REPAIRS, THE WIRING HARNESS WAS REPLACED. SHORTLY AFTER THE REPAIR, THE CAR WAS PARKED, EMERGENCY BRAKE SET, MANUAL TRANSMISSION SET IN FIRST GEAR. UNATTENDED, TURNED OFF WITH NO KEY IN THE IGNITION, THE CAR MOVED ITSELF SEVERAL FEET, HITTING ANOTHER CAR, BURNING OUT THE STARTER AND DRAINING THE BATTERY. THE CAR WAS MOVED TO A REPAIR SHOP WHERE THE STARTER WAS REPLACED. OVERNIGHT, WITH THE CAR PARKING INSIDE THE LOCKED SHOP, THE CAR MOVED ITSELF ACROSS THE SHOP. MECHANICS ARE NOW INVESTIGATING THE PROBLEM. *TR

TOOK MY CAR IN FOR WINDING SOUND COMING FROM MOTOR. DIAGNOSED AS THE ALTERNATOR...THEY REPLACED IT AND SOUND WAS STILL PRESENT ...MISDIAGNOSED AND WAS ACTUALLY THE SUPERCHARGER, BUT WHILE THEY WERE CHECKING IT OUT INITIALLY THE POWER STEERING PUMP STAYED ON...WHICH DIDN'T HAPPEN TO ME UNTIL THEY HAD IT. AFTER CHANGING THE ALTERNATOR POWER STEERING PUMP NO LONGER STAYED ON PER THE DEALER. HAD IT HOME 3 DAYS TO WAKE UP ONE MORNING HEARING THE PUMP ON AND I GO TO START MY CAR AND IN DRAINED MY BATTERY. HAD TO JUMP THE CAR AND THEN DISCONNECT THE CABLE TO KEEP FROM THE PS PUMP CONTINUOUSLY RUNNING. THE CAR IS AT THE DEALER GETTING A NEW PUMP $975 PLUS TAX, RESEARCHED MINI OWNER WEBSITE AND FOUND SEVERAL COMPLAINTS OF THE SAME ISSUE ALSO THAT SOME CARS ACTUALLY CAUGHT FIRE FROM A FAILURE OF THE PUMP. RESEARCHED MORE ON NORTH AMERICAN MOTORING . THERE WAS A LONG LIST OF PEOPLE WHO HAD THE EXACT EXPERIENCE. SURE WOULD BE AWFUL FOR THE PUMP TO GO OUT WHILE DRIVING ON EXPRESSWAY AND NOT ABLE TO STEER CORRECTLY. SURPRISED IT HASN'T CAUSED AN ACCIDENT/DEATH YET. *TR

THE EXHAUST PIPE ON THE 2002 MINI COOPER S I HAVE IS CENTRALLY LOCATED IN THE BACK OF THE BUMPER. THE CAR IS A HATCH BACK, AND I'VE RUINED A COUPLE PAIRS OF PANTS AND HAD MINOR BURNS FROM IT. I'M NOT TOO WORRIED ABOUT ME, BUT I HAVE SMALL KIDS AND I WORRY ABOUT THEM. *TR

SEVERAL, THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT HAS ILLUMINATED MORE THEN TEN DIFFERENT TIMES, EACH TIME IT WAS REPAIRED BY THE DEALER (WESTCHESTER BMW/WESTCHESTER MINI) THE LAST FIX WAS AFTER THE NORMAL WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED AND REQUIRED MUCH FUSS TO GET IT REPAIRED FOR FREE. THE POWER STEERING PUMP SUDDENLY STOPPED WORKING WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. THE RADIATOR FAN WAS REPLACED TWO TIMES BY ME (CAR OUT OF WARRANTY) EVEN THOUGH I COMPLAINED TO THE DEALER WHEN THE CAR WAS STILL QUITE NEW ABOUT THE FREQUENCY OF THE FAN MOTOR'S STARTING AND STOPPING WHICH WILL SEVERELY SHORTEN THE LIFE OF ANY ELECTRIC MOTOR. THE WINDSHIELD STRESS CRACKED WHILE UNDER WARRANTY AND WAS REPAIRED. THE WINDSHIELD WIPED MOTOR HAS JUST FAILED DURING AN INCREDIBLE RAINSTORM. *JB

OUR MINI BURNED TO THE GROUND. IT HAD ONLY BEEN DRIVEN 20 MILES AND WAS PARKED WHEN IT HAPPENED. AFTER A FORENSIC SPECIALIST WAS HIRED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE ABS UNIT WAS AT FAULT. IN LATER MODELS, THE FUSE WAS CHANGED FROM A 30 AMP TO A 20 AMP. NO RECALL WAS EVER ISSUED AND BMW/MINI NEVER ACKNOWLEDGED A PROBLEM WITH THE CAR. SINCE THIS HAPPENED, AT LEAST 10-15 OTHER MINIS HAVE BURNED. OUR MINI WAS A TOTAL LOSS. *JB

THE FRONT WINDSHIELD ON MY 2002 MINI COOPER S AUTO CRACKED SUDDENLY (WITH A POP) WHILE I WAS DRIVING ALONG THE FREEWAY, WITH NO APPARENT CAUSE--NO IMPACT SITE ON THE CRACK. THE CRACK ORIGINATES IN THE LOW/MIDDLE AREA OF THE WINDSHIELD, GOES UP ABOUT 2 INCHES, THEN SNEAKS TO THE PASSENGER SIDE ABOUT 5 INCHES. *JB

POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED. REPLACEMENT WAS REQUIRED AT 48,000 MILES. VIEWING THE MINI OWNERS WEBSITE REVEALED MANY SIMILAR SITUATIONS WHERE THE PUMP REQUIRED REPLACEMENT ON MANY 2002-2004 MODELS. THIS COULD LEAD TO SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUES. *NM