2004 MINI Cooper
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
Vehicles › MINI › Cooper › 2004
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
These records cover every 2004 MINI Cooper. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
4 recalls name the 2004 MINI Cooper. Newest first.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2002-2005 MINI Cooper and Cooper S vehicles and 2005 Cooper and Cooper S Convertible vehicles. The affected vehicles may experience temporary or permanent loss of the electro-hydraulic steering assistance.
If the vehicle experiences a loss of power steering assist, extra steering effort will be required at lower speeds, potentially increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
MINI will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the electro-hydraulic power steering system, replacing the components and wiring, as necessary, free of charge. Interim notices were mailed to owners on December 10, 2015. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525.
Dope, inc. IS recalling 42,540 combination corner and bumper lamp assemblies of various part numbers sold for use as aftermarket equipment for various passenger vehicles. these headlamps fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." these lamps do not contain…
Decreased lighting visibility may result in a vehicle crash.
Dope, inc. Will notify owners and offer a full refund for the noncompliant combination lamps. the safety recall began on july 28, 2009. owners may contact dope, inc. At 1-626-272-1798.
K2 motor IS recalling 1,921 aftermarket headlamps of various models sold for use on the above listed vehicles. these headlamps are missing the amber side reflex reflector which fails to conform with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment."
Without the amber side reflex reflectors, the lighting visibility may be affected, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash.
K2 motor will notify owners and offer a full refund. the recall began on decemeber 17, 2008. owners may contact K2 motor at 1-909-839-2992.
On certain passenger vehicles, the flat tire monitoring system has not been correctly programmed. in the event of a flat tire, an audible signal will not sound to alert the driver to a flat tire.
Due to the lack of an audible signal, the driver may not be aware of a flat tire, which could increase the risk of a crash.
Dealers will reprogram the vehicle's software in order to actuate the flat tire monitoring system's audible signal. the recall began october 13, 2004. owners should contact MINI customer relations at 1-866-275-6464.
The contact owns a 2004 Mini Cooper. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V660000(STEERING); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had experienced the failure, causing the driver to lose control of the steering and drive off the road. The exact cause of the failure was not determined, and the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 160.000. Parts distribution disconnect.
Mini felt like it was getting pushed by the wind . Realized wasn't wind Mini loss of completely all functions of steering wheel. On super busy highway. Devine intervention Was in far left car went left to right lanes then hit median gaurd rail spun around Finally got it to stop. Never Hitting and hurting anyone around me. Nobody hit me. Car is totalled ! Still at tow place. I saw my life flash as cars were zooming by me. Someone should be held responsible for my car and almost my life. Called out of work can't move upper body that well.
My wife was driving our 2004 MINI cooper home traveling uphill on a steep paved mountain roadway traveling a maximum of 15 mph when for some unknown reason the vehicle left the roadway; struck a tree with its left front and burst into an exploding fire killing my wife who was not able to escape the burning vehicle. The nc state police are investigating the cause of the fire and death. They do not know yet whether the vehicle caught fire prior to striking the tree but, feel the fire could not have been caused by the vehicle striking the tree at a low impact and speed. Nc mv accident report#[xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(B)(6). *Tt
Mainly while cold and at low speed's the wheel suddenly becomes very hard to turn and I was told by a mechanic but it's a faulty hydraulic power steering problem
Very hard to turn steering wheel at times especially when moving slowly; coming to a turn at a light, backing out of a parking spot, etc.
2004 MINI cooper purchased new aprox 62 miles on it and the cvt transmission IS gone & there was a class action lawsuit for the replacement of this, I was never notified and want this fixed at no cost to me. At aprox. 50 to 60 mph the car engines goes way beyond the proper rpm.
TL* the contact owns a 2004 MINI cooper. The contact stated that the steering wheel was difficult to turn in either direction. The electric power steering warning indicator was not illuminated. An unknown dealer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was not under warranty, and was excluded from nhtsa campaign number: 15v660000 (steering) and nhtsa action numbers: ea11005 (steering) and pe10038 (steering). The manufacturer was notified and did not assist. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was not available.
Power steering has been an issue over a year or two. no total failures but it does not qualify as power steering. the cooling fan does not work. steering IS not good....for powered steering that IS. slow speed steering IS horrendous and non existent.
I own a 2004 MINI cooper. I was driving and lost all power steering almost causing a accident. There IS a open recall on this issue. I contacted MINI and they informed me that my vehicle was not included with the recall. I explained that my car was experiencing all the issues addressed in the recall, but they still would not help me out.
MINI cooper power steering pump failure. vehicle was recently driven and was parked on the street. we started the vehicle and backed up to pull out of the parking spot. there was no power steering. we had to attempt to back up again to get off of the street and in to the parking spot. a burning smell and smoke started from under the hood. the power steering pump and cooling fan had failed. there are documented issues with this failure. when I contacted the dealership, I was told the extended warranty for this issue expired in april. this happened june 12TH.
TL* the contact owns a 2004 MINI cooper. The contact stated that the vehicle's battery was located in front of the firewall above the gear box. The battery acid leaked onto two shifter cable linkages, which caused them to melt unexpectedly. The vehicle would not shift gears. The contact also stated that the same failure occurred one other time. The vehicle was repaired six months ago because of the same failure. The manufacturer was notified. The vehicle was not repaired again. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.
TL* the contact owns a 2004 MINI cooper. The contact received a recall notification for nhtsa campaign number: 15v660000 (steering) and stated that the part needed was unavailable to perform the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
TL* the contact owns a 2004 MINI cooper. The contact stated that the vehicle lost power steering and the power steering warning indicator illuminated. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v660000 (steering); however, the dealer refused to perform the repair due to the updated part previously being installed on the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
TL* the contact owns a 2004 MINI cooper. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v660000 (steering). The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be remedied; however, the contact believed that they did not inspect the vehicle. The contact was notified by a technician that it should have taken four hours to complete the inspection and perform any necessary repairs. The contact did not believe the repair was adequately performed. The manufacturer was notified. The contact had not experienced a failure. updated 09/27/16*lj consumer stated the dealership said car was fine, consumer wants to know it if it was recalled why the parts were not replaced updated 6/12/18*jb
Driving down honda parkway I heard pop sound. TPMS light started flashing and smoke started coming out from under hood. I pulled off of road into a gas station. At that time I didn't have any power brakes.the car was fully engulfed in flames in about 10 mins. The fire dept put out fire.
TL* the contact owns a 2004 MINI cooper. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v660000 (steering); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The vin was unknown. The contact had not experienced a failure.
TL* the contact owns a 2004 MINI cooper. The contact stated that while driving at 25 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact had to apply force to the steering wheel in order to steer the vehicle. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vin was included in nhtsa campaign number: 15v660000 (steering) however, the part needed to repair the vehicle was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 58,000. Vin tool confirms parts unavailable.
TL* the contact owns a 2004 MINI cooper. While driving at an unknown speed, the steering wheel seized without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the power steering electric pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v660000 (steering); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 65,000. Vin tool confirms parts not available.
TL* the contact owns a 2004 MINI cooper. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v660000 (steering) however, the part to do the recall repair was not available. . The contact stated that while driving at 55 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact was able to pull the vehicle over and shut it down. The vehicle was restarted and functioned as normal. The dealer was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 145,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
I was driving around 40 miles per hour and the car abruptly slowed down then sped up without any warning, if another car was behind me, it would have caused some serious damage. Now my car wouldn't shift shift out of first gear. I was told by my mechanic that the cvt transmission IS gone. After reaching out to MINI USA, they told me they haven't had any problem with this transmission and it's pass the warranty date. If the folks at MINI USA had been honest with me I could have made the deadline for a settlement pertaining to the same problem they claimed they had no idea about. This product need to be recalled! After doing extensive research the cvt transmission have had problems all along and the company have been settling claims for quite some time. Why are they allowed to run hard working folks into death because they know most of us can't and wouldn't pursue this matter. It will cost me 6500.00 for the part and another $2200 for labor, the car IS now valued at $5500.00. It there something wrong with this?
Vehicle intermittently becomes extremely difficult to steer.
The engine starting cutting out and rabbiting and finally died and coasted into parking lot and could not get it started. Took to baron BMW and they said the engine was toasted because of low oil pressure from a habitual problem with their oil filter housing that they never recalled because they didn't think it was a safety issue when the car cuts out and rabbits on acceleration onto the highway and everytime you take off from a start. *tr
The power steering on my 2004 MINI cooper, base, sporadically quits working, especially in cold weather. I was told by MINI dealership that it IS a known defect but they will not replace it until it fails completely. very sub-par customer service, as they know it IS a problem. unhappy. *tr
On my 2004 MINI cooper, base, with cvt, it the rpms jump to ~3800 between 50-65 mph. when I accelerate to above 65, the rpms return to the normal range. upon slowing down, the rpms then jump again between 50-65. *tr
I was changing lanes in a heavy traffic situation and my power steering quit causing the car to continue in the "changing" direction. this nearly caused me to hit a car in another lane because I could not move into the intended lane. *tr
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) originally opened the investigation of loss of power steering assist in model year (MY) 2004 and 2005 Mini Cooper as Preliminary Evaluation PE10-038.The investigation was upgraded to Engineering Analysis EA11-005 in May, 2011.During EA11-005 the scope was expanded to include MY 2002 and 2003 vehicles that use the same steering system.The subject vehicles now include MY 2002, the first year BMW sold MINI in the U.S., through mid-MY 2005 covering approximately 109,000 vehicles.The subject vehicles use an electrically driven pump to provide hydraulic pressure to a conventional rack-and-pinion steering gear.A pump, the electric motor, and an electronic control unit (ECU) are housed in a single component BMW calls a Power Pack.The investigation focused on contaminant-induced failure of the ECU resulting in a loss of assist without warning.When assist is lost mechanical steering is retained however increased steering effort is required to keep the vehicle on an intended path.Some consumers reported that restarting the vehicle (cycling the ignition switch) would often reinstate the steering assist.Additionally, and by design, assist can also reinstate during the drive cycle in limited circumstances.The unexpected loss of assist, and/or possibly the reinstatement of assist while driving, may contribute to a loss of vehicle control in certain driving situations.During MY 2005 production BMW introduced a revised Power Pack design (the ECU incorporated a conformal coating of the circuit board) which resulted in a significant reduction in failures.ODI identified 20 reports describing crashes consistent with a loss of power assist event possibly caused by a failure of the Power Pack.Two reports alleged an injury however both were minor in nature and did not require emergency treatment (a subsequent doctor's visit occurred in one case).Ten of these reports described low speed crashes with minimal, or in most cases no property or vehicle damage (e.g., striking a movable barrier in a parking lot).Additionally 27 other reports alleged or indicated that a crash occurred due to a Power Pack failure however in reviewing these reports, ODI either 1) was unable to confirm that a crash actually occurred (8 reports), or 2) determined that the crash circumstances (e.g., adverse road/weather conditions) or cause (e.g., the crash was caused by steering linkage failure) were not attributable to a Power Pack failure (19 reports).Throughout the investigation BMW maintained that loss of assist in the subject vehicles did not constitute a safety related defect, noting that the subject vehicles are smaller, light weight vehicles that can be reasonably controlled when assist is lost.In May 2013 BMW launched a 13 year/150,000 mile extended warranty coverage utilizing the redesigned Power Pack as a replacement part.ODI continued its investigation.In July 2014 BMW provided ODI a status of the ongoing extended warranty program, and in May 2015 ODI requested an update of complaint data.Following a review of the provided data, ODI informed BMW of its assessment that loss of steering assist failures were not adequately resolved by an extended warranty program.On October 12, 2015 BMW notified NHTSA that it would conduct a safety recall (15V-660) on approximately 86,000 subject vehicles not previously remedied with the new design Power Pack through regular or extended warranty programs.The recall covers MY 2002-2005 MINI Cooper, MY 2002-2005 MINI Cooper S, and MY 2005 MINI Cooper/Cooper S convertibles manufactured through Feb 9, 2005.Vehicles produced after this date are not included si
ODI has received 339 complaints alleging an unexpected loss of power steering assist while driving the vehicle.When the power steering assist stops working, drivers experienced difficulty in steering and/or controlling the vehicle.According to BMW drivers may experience either a temporary or permanent loss of power steering assist.BMW further advised that a temporary loss of power steering assist may be due to a malfunctioning cooling fan or an under-voltage condition in the power steering system.A permanent loss of power steering assist may be due to an error in the internal electronics, and may also result in the continuous running of the power steering pump.The VOQ complaints allege 5 minor crashes and 3 fires.The crashes are described as hit the curb.The fires are described as melted wires. There were no property damage claims.ODI has received similar complaints for other model year Mini.Additional information is required to evaluate the frequency, consequence, and scope of this issue.Accordingly the investigation has been upgraded to an Engineering Analysis (see EA11-005).
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.