2006 Mini Cooper S

IN APRIL 2013 I WAS MERGING ONTO HIGHWAY I20 WITH MY CHILDREN IN THE BACK OF MY MINI COOPER S 2006. AS I WAS SPEEDING UP TO MERGE ONTO THE HIGHWAY THE CAR COMPLETELY CUT OFF. I VEERED OVER INTO A MEDIAN IN THE MIDDLE OF SIX LANES OF HIGH-SPEED TRAFFIC. THE CAR HAD COMPLETELY SHUT OFF, EVEN THE HAZARD LIGHTS. I WAS VERY LUCKY THAT THE MEDIAN WAS THERE AND THAT I HAD NOT YET ENTERED THE MAIN STREAM OF TRAFFIC. THE POLICE CAME, THEN A FRIEND. AFTER ABOUT A HALF HOUR IT RESTARTED WITHOUT POWER STEERING AND HE WAS ABLE TO SLOWLY DRIVE IT, AND HE FIXED A BELT THAT HE SAID HAD LOOKED LIKE IT HAD BLOWN OUT. ABOUT FOUR TIMES IN THE YEAR PRIOR TO THIS THE CAR HAD CUT OFF, BUT NOT WHILE I WAS DRIVING; IT SHUT DOWN AS I WAS PULLING OUT OF A PARKING SPOT BUT THEN IMMEDIATELY RESTARTED. NO ONE COULD EXPLAIN IT. AFTER THE APRIL INCIDENT I WENT TO THE MINI COOPER DEALER AND SPENT CLOSE TO $3000 TO ENSURE THAT THE CAR WAS SAFE FOR MY CHILDREN. HOWEVER, YESTERDAY, 11/5/13, I WAS BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPOT AND THE CAR COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP FOR ASSISTANCE AND THEY SAID THEY HAD NEVER HEARD OF THIS KIND OF PROBLEM AND COULDN'T HELP; FORTUNATELY THE CAR RESTARTED ABOUT TEN MINUTES LATER. HOWEVER, I AM EXTREMELY CONCERNED THAT THIS CAR IS UNSAFE AND I HAVE HEARD FROM AN ACQUAINTANCE WHO ALSO HAS A MINI COOPER S 2006 WHO SAID THIS HAS HAPPENED TO HER, THAT SOMETHING RANDOM HAPPENED WITH HER CAR AND IT COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN WHILE SHE WAS DRIVING. SHE TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS A RECALL, BUT I CALLED MINI CORPORATE TODAY, AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO RECALL AND REFERRED ME TO NHTSA. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN TURNING IN EITHER DIRECTION, THE POWER STEERING ASSIST WOULD SPORADICALLY FAIL AS THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS WHERE IT WAS STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP AND FAN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 51,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED. THE STEERING WHEEL THEN BECAME TIGHT AND BECAME DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO DEALER BUT DID NOT DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT THEN TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL MECHANIC. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE STEERING PUMP AND PUMP COOLING FAN WAS DEFECTIVE. THE MECHANIC REPLACED BOTH THE STEERING PUMP AND PUMP COOLING FAN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 52,000.

THE POWER STEERING WHEN OUT ON THE CAR. THIS MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO STEER. ALSO, BECAUSE OF THE FAILURE, THE STEERING/CAR WILL NOT STRAIGHTEN ITSELF OUT AFTER MAKING A TURN. ONE HAS TO MAKE AN EXTRA EFFORT TO STRAIGHTEN THE WHEEL OUT. I ALMOST HIT A PARKED CAR BECAUSE OF THAT PROBLEM. I SEE CANADA MADE MINI DO A RECALL ON THIS ISSUE. IS IT GOING TO TAKE AN INJURY OR WORSE BEFORE THE USA MAKES MINI RECALL THE CARS ? *TR

I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE ABOUT A MONTH AGO IN A PRIVATE SALE. A FEW WEEKS AGO, THE MINI DEVELOPED A STRONG POWER STEERING WHINE. THIS IS NOT THE ELECTRICAL BUZZING NOISE TYPICAL OF THESE MODELS BUT A NOISE HEARD ABOVE THE ENGINE AT ALL SPEEDS OR IN NEUTRAL REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU TURN THE WHEEL. SEVERAL DAYS AGO, THE STEERING BEGAN TO STIFFEN UP ESPECIALLY WHEN PARKING. YESTERDAY, IT FAILED ENTIRELY AND THIS WAS WHILE DRIVING! NOW, I'M A 6' 180 LB MALE AND WAS ABLE TO REACT AND WRESTLE IT SAFELY BUT I'M THANKFUL THAT MY 5' 100LB WIFE WAS NOT BEHIND THE WHEEL. MAKE NO MISTAKE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT THE MANUFACTURER REFUSES TO ADDRESS!! JUST RESEARCH THE PROBLEM AND YOU WILL SEE HUNDREDS (PROBABLY THOUSANDS) OF COMPLAINTS ACROSS THE GLOBE ABOUT THE SAME THING AND IT APPEARS TO BE PRIMARILY 2001-2007 MODELS. OTHER COUNTRIES HAVE MANDATED A RECALL BUT NOT THE SAFETY CONSCIOUS U.S. WHICH SURPRISES ME GREATLY. WHEN OTHER MAJOR MANUFACTURERS HAVE LISTED RECALLS FOR THINGS LIKE SEAT BELT ANCHORS "THAT COULD CRACK" OR AIR BAG SWITCHES "THAT COULD CORRODE" WHY THE HECK ISN'T A MINI COOPER RECALL DONE FOR POWER STEERING SYSTEMS "THAT ARE FAILING"? IF YOU VALUE YOUR FAMILY'S SAFETY, DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND STEER (NO PUN INTENDED) CLEAR OF THIS VEHICLE. I WILL BE DUMPING THIS T URD AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. MY FAMILY IS TOO IMPORTANT TO WASTE ON A FAD CAR. *TT

PURCHASED 2006 MINI COOPER S BRAND NEW AT A MINI DEALER IN BOSTON. THE VEHICLE HAS 108K HIGHWAY MILES. I HAD SERVICED THE VEHICLE AT THE DEALER UNTIL WARRANTY RAN OUT AND TRANSITIONED TO A NATIONAL CAR CARE CHAIN. I BEGAN TO NOTICE THE VEHICLE SLIPPING BETWEEN SECOND AND THIRD GEAR WHEN TRAVELING IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC. I BROUGHT THE CAR TO MY REGULAR MECHANIC AND THEY INDICATED THAT I SHOULD BRING IT TO A TRANSMISSION SHOP. DELIVERED THE CAR TO THE SHOP AND HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT MY CVT TRANSMISSION HAD FAILED AND WOULD NEED TO BE RE-MANUFACTURED. I WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT MY POWER STEERING PUMP IS LEAKING AND FAILING. THE POWER STEERING FAN HAD SEIZED AND WAS LIKELY THE CAUSE OF THE POWER STEERING FAILURE. THE MINI DEALERSHIP QUOTED ME OVER 10K FOR THE TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT ONLY DID NOT INQUIRE ABOUT POWER STEERING AND THERE WERE NO PROGRAMS FOR CUSTOMERS IN THIS SITUATION. THIS COST IS MORE THAN THE CAR IS WORTH. THE TRANSMISSION SHOP WILL DO THE REPAIRS FOR 6K. *TR