KnownCarProblems2003 Mini Cooper Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 320 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Mini Cooper, most often about the steering (50% of complaints, typically around 81,000 miles). It is the 2nd most complained-about Cooper model year since 2000 and has 2 recalls.
Most common 2003 Mini Cooper problems
Steering
159 complaints · 50%Half of these problems showed up before 81,000 miles. Parts named most often: hydraulic power assist, hydraulic power assist system, electric power assist system, column.
Tl contact owns a 2003 Mini Cooper. While driving approximately 20 MPH he attempted to make a left turn and the steering wheel became very stiff. The vehicle was driven onto the emergency lane and turned off. Upon restarting the vehicle, the steering wheel remained very stiff. The vehicle was parked and shut off. An…
Intermittent power steering (ps) failure. Approximately 20 minutes into a drive, power steering would fail (at any speed), making car extremely difficult and unsafe to drive. Took all my strength to turn the wheel; a frail person could kill someone. Turning the ignition off and on again would reset power steering…
Transmission
89 complaints · 28%Half of these problems showed up before 70,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, manual transmission, clutch assembly, driveline.
2003 Mini Cooper transmission failure at 70,000 miles, 4 years. Mini USA and bmw of north america, llc have a long history of this failure and refuse to take accountability for their defective parts, claiming it's a characteristic of the car. Smells of deceptive trade practices to me. Not to mention a monopoly-- there…
Tl contact owns a 2003 Mini Cooper. The contact had the transmission replaced three times. In addition, the brackets that support the muffler have rotted. Underneath the hood, the brackets that support the horn have also rotted. The contact will take the vehicle to the dealer again for another repair. The failure and…
Engine
29 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 50,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, cooling system.
While driving on the freeway, on a slight incline is when I noticed the RPM was high and the speed reducing. (along with some crackling, rough noises from the front end of the car) I let off the gas pedal (lowered the rpms), tried to accelerate but the car wouldn't regain speed the car eventually reduced driving speed…
My 2003 Mini Cooper has almost caught on fire several times, replaced transmission, electrical harness, power steering pump, A/C hoses and A/C service, wheel bearings, injection plugs etc....... I still cannot find the real problem why is causing a short, it has almost caught on fire several times, this car has been…
Electrical
26 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 74,000 miles. Parts named most often: wiring.
While I was driving Mini 2003 (odo: 74k) on I-90 highway at 70mph, suddenly the power steering wheel stopped working on june 28, 2012. I barely made to exit from the highway, and got home. Next day, the car was sent to the bmw-Mini dealership, and assessed the failure of power steering pump. They know this happens…
While driving 10 MPH a fire started in the dashboard. Consumer managed to pull over, and put out the fire out. Then had the vehicle towed. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.
Visibility and wipers
25 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 35,000 miles. Parts named most often: windshield, power window devices and controls, sun/moon roof assembly.
My 2003 Mini Cooper has a cracked windshield that resulted from structural problems. It is l-shaped and it started at the bottom middle of the windshield.
2003 Mini Cooper windshield failure. Spontaneous crack although dealer insists it was a pin hole sized hole that caused it. Refused to cover under warranty. 2nd time it's happened and was covered first time under warranty. Apparently happens very regularly to Mini and at $1078. Complete...this just isn't right.
Air bags
10 complaints · 3%Half of these problems showed up before 62,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal.
Air bag check light is on. No air bag was deployed, no crash was involved. This is on going problem with the Mini Cooper which should have a recall. Cost is over 1000.00 dollars to repair. If not repaired air bag may not deploy in a crash.
The dashboard airbag warning lamp is always illuminated. The dealer wants thousands to fix this problem even though other model years have been recalled. We don't know if the airbag will operate correctly in an emergency.
Equipment
7 complaints · 2%Parts named most often: electrical.
2003 Mini Cooper windshield failure. Spontaneous crack although dealer insists it was a pin hole sized hole that caused it. Refused to cover under warranty. 2nd time it's happened and was covered first time under warranty. Apparently happens very regularly to Mini and at $1078. Complete...this just isn't right.
My car was brought into the dealership for an oil change and rear brake repair on tuesday (june 26, 2007). Wednesday evening (june 27, 2007) the car was driven 15 minutes, parked for almost an hour, then driven a mere 30 seconds to change to a different parking spot. Walked away for a minute and noticed smoke coming…
Suspension
6 complaints · 2%Half of these problems showed up before 58,500 miles. Parts named most often: front, rear.
My 2003 Mini Cooper has almost caught on fire several times, replaced transmission, electrical harness, power steering pump, A/C hoses and A/C service, wheel bearings, injection plugs etc....... I still cannot find the real problem why is causing a short, it has almost caught on fire several times, this car has been…
My car's right rear control arm had broken in half. This arm prevents the tire from swinging sideways. Lucky for me, I was going slowly at the time. The control arm consists of two 1/4" pieces of metal with holes in them at evenly spaced points. Both of the metal arms were broken in line with the holes that were part…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2003 Mini Cooper recalls
Steering: electric power assist system
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Suspension: shock absorber
Risk: If left unattended over a period of time, and depending on driving conditions, the remaining portion of the screw may break. If it broke, the chassis would lean directly on the tire diminishing the driver's ability to control the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the lower screw connection of the rear struts. Owner notification began april 7, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact bmw at 1-800-831-1117.
Full defect summary
On certain vehicles, the lower screw connection of the rear struts to the chassis may fail. The head (top) of the screw securing this connection may break. The remaining portion of the screw will still hold the strut in place.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Loss of power steering assist
Summary
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 c
Engine compartment fire
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) analyzed consumer complaints to bmw of north america, llc (bmw)and to odi that alleged failures of the electrohydraulic power steering (ehps) used in model year 2002 through 2003 mini cooper vehicles.the analysis determined that 43 of the 52 (83%) reports were related to allegations of power steering loss and 9 (17%) were related to allegations of engine compartment fires. Although some of the reports alleging fires note small flames were visible in the engine compartment, analysis of the damage caused by these failures indicates that even the most severe incidents were limited to localized thermal damage to the ehps electrical connections and wiring
Engine compartment fire
Summary
In response to an information request (ir) letter sent by the office of defects investigation (odi), bmw stated that the cause of the alleged defect is an insufficient seal of the ground cable of the power steering pump at its attachment to the chassis.water ingress can occur and the water can travel along the power steering pump power cable and come in contact with the power steering pump power cable connector.the connector can then corrode and a high thermal load condition can occur.according to bmw, this ultimately could result in a localized smoldering condition that does not propagate. To correct the water ingress issue, bmw implemented changes to the wire routing, the power steeringpum
Air bag warning lamp illumination
Summary
In march 2006, bmw reissued a service bulletin first issued in september 2003, to mini dealers regarding the repair procedure for improper wire crimps in approximately 31,500 model year 2002 and 2003 mini cooper vehicles produced up to january 2003.the new service bulletin states that the warranty coverage for the issue (I.e., air bag warning lamp illumination with fault code for high resistance in side air bag/seat belt pretensioner circuit) is extended to 10 years or 150,000 miles, whichever occurs first.bmw plans to send letters to owners during march 2006.the subject wire crimps are located under the front seats and are part of the main wiring harness that interface with the under-seat w
Air bag warning lamp illumination
Summary
Odi has granted the petition and has opened a preliminary evaluation (pe05-053) on illumination of air bag warning lamp on model year 2002 and 2003 mini cooper vehicles.
Questions about the 2003 Mini Cooper
- What are the most common problems with the 2003 Mini Cooper?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: steering (159 complaints, typically around 81,000 miles); transmission (89 complaints, typically around 70,000 miles); engine (29 complaints, typically around 50,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2003 Mini Cooper have?
- 2 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from October 15, 2015 (steering). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2003 a bad year for the Mini Cooper?
- It is the 2nd most complained-about Cooper model year since 2000, with 320 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.