NHTSA Complaint #10263201 — 2003 MINI COOPER S

IRONICALLY, I FIRST LOOKED AT THIS COMPLAINT SITE TWO DAYS AGO AS I FIRST LEARNED ABOUT ITS EXISTENCE FROM THE APRIL 2009 ISSUE OF CONSUMER REPORTS. I FELT GOOD THAT THE TWO MOST FREQUENTLY NAMED COMPLAINTS FOR MY MODEL AND YEAR HAD NOT OCCURRED. SO, TODAY THAT GOOD FEELING ENDED, AS ONE OF THE COMMON OCCURRENCES HAPPENED TO ME - A COINCIDENCE? OR THE MINI GODS REVENGE? TO CONTINUE: I NOTICED THAT AFTER I SHUT OFF THE CAR, SOMETHING WAS STILL RUNNING FOR A LONG TIME AFTERWARDS. OPENING THE HOOD, I REALIZED THAT IT WAS PROBABLY THE POWER STEERING PUMP THAT WAS NOT TURNING OFF, AND KNEW FROM READING THIS SITE, THAT IT WOULD LEAD TO BATTERY FAILURE AT A MINIMUM, AND A FIRE AT WORST CASE. SO, I IMMEDIATELY DROVE TO THE DEALER - HERB CHAMBERS MINI OF BOSTON - AND LEFT IT FOR REPAIR. THE CALL I RECEIVED THIS AFTERNOON THAT IT WAS IN FACT THE POWER STEERING PUMP WHICH WOULD NOT TURN OFF AND THAT IT WOULD COST $1100 TO REPLACE WAS DEVASTATING. THE MINI HAS ABOUT 46,000 MILES ON IT AND THIS IS THE FIRST REAL REPAIR NECESSARY FOLLOWING THE WARRANTY PERIOD. GIVEN THAT THERE ALREADY ARE 8 OTHERS WITH THE SAME ISSUE JUST ON THIS COMPLAINT FORUM, I WOULD EXPECT THAT MINI WOULD DO MORE ABOUT WHAT IS OBVIOUSLY A DEFECTIVE PART. *TR