NHTSA Complaint #10339788 — 2003 MINI COOPER

MY 20 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER HAS A 2003 MINI COOPER WITH APPROXIMATELY 47,000 MILES. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN MAINTAINED VERY WELL, INCLUDING OIL CHANGES, A 100 POINT INSPECTION AT 25,000 MILES, COOLANT FLUSH, BRAKE SYSTEM FLUSH, ETC. SHE WAS DRIVING IT HOME FROM WORK ON A COUNTY ROAD. AS SHE ROUNDED A CURVE THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT. THE FAILURE HAD NEVER OCCURRED BEFORE THIS TIME. SHE COULD BARELY TURN THE WHEEL, ACCORDING TO HER DESCRIPTION AND NARROWLY MISSED HITTING AN ONCOMING CAR. SHE DROVE IT TO THE NEAREST PARKING LOT AND CALLED ME AT WORK. I LEFT WORK AND EXCHANGED CARS WITH HER. THE PROBLEM WAS INTERMITTENT FOR ABOUT A WEEK AND THEN THE POWER STEERING WENT COMPLETELY OUT. I CALLED THE MINI DEALER, WHICH IS ABOUT 50 MILES AWAY AND THEY CLAIMED THE PROBLEM WAS NOT VERY COMMON BUT TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE UNTIL THE PROBLEM PERSISTED. THEY SUGGESTED THIS BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO BE ABLE TO TRACK ACTIVE FAULT CODES. NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED AS A RESULT OF THE FAILURE BUT IT WAS A CLOSE CALL. I SEARCHED THE INTERNET, ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT BMW WAS WELL AWARE OF THE ISSUE. I ALSO FOUND EXTENSIVE DOCUMENTATION FROM OTHER MINI OWNERS WHO SHARED SIMILAR EXPERIENCES. SOMEONE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BE INJURED OF KILLED BEFORE BMW IS FORCED TO STEP UP AND DO THE RIGHT THING BY ADDRESSING THIS SIGNIFICANT, KNOWN, SAFETY ISSUE. OH AND BY THE WAY, I JUST PICKED MY DAUGHTER'S MINI UP FROM DREYER AND REINBOLD BMW IN INDIANAPOLIS. THE BILL WAS $1200. IRONIC THAT BMW CAN AFFORD TO INVEST MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN INDY CAR SPONSORSHIP BUT THEY ARE NOT WILLING TO STEP UP AND TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR A SAFETY ISSUE. *TR