KnownCarProblems2004 Mini Cooper Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 282 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Mini Cooper, most often about the steering (84% of complaints, typically around 74,500 miles). It is the 3rd most complained-about Cooper model year since 2000 and has 2 recalls.
Most common 2004 Mini Cooper problems
Steering
238 complaints · 84%Half of these problems showed up before 74,500 miles. Parts named most often: hydraulic power assist, electric power assist system, hydraulic power assist system.
Tl contact owns a 2004 Mini Cooper. While traveling 15 MPH and making a turn in either direction the contact noticed that the steering wheel would intermittently be extremely difficult to turn. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where the contact was informed that the power steering pump needed to be replaced.…
Mini Cooper (2004 with ~74k miles) with intermittent power steering problems. Steering wheel would randomly become very stiff when turning and then free up unexpectedly. When this would occur, the car would understeer (not turning as far as intended) and I would find myself reacting by turning harder, usually…
Transmission
26 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 62,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, manual transmission, clutch assembly.
Have a 2004 Mini Cooper with 65,000 miles total and only 6200 miles in last 20 months and car serviced regularly. Automatic transmission has now started to not shift properly and Mini service reprogrammed transmission but problems have recurred and again Mini wants to reprogram transmission. If this does not work…
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.
Electrical
15 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 65,000 miles.
I had driven 2004 Mini for about 30 minute, then parked it in driveway. Within 15 minutes I looked over to see smoke coming from the engine. I opened the compartment and got help. We pushed it into a nearby field and called the fire dept. If it had stayed in the drive, it would have also ignited 2 cars, the house and…
Driving off-ramp at 35 MPH power steering stopped functioning and steering became really hard, lights went off, AC stopped working, and lots of engine lights came up, almost crashed when turning a corner and engine started failing.....got home and shut off car, when tried to turn on again, it failed to start.......
Engine
10 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 61,500 miles. Parts named most often: cooling system, exhaust system, engine.
1) automatic transmission busted. Car stalled dangerously on the highway. 2) power steering pump busted. Steering locked dangerously on the road and could not be moved.
The contact owns a 2004 Mini Cooper. The contact stated that while traveling 35 MPH, the power steering completely failed and the steering wheel seized. The vehicle had to be towed to the dealer for assistance. The dealer replaced the entire power steering system because the electronic power assist pump could not be…
Visibility and wipers
7 complaints · 3%Half of these problems showed up before 28,000 miles. Parts named most often: windshield, power window devices and controls.
Passenger side electric window ceased operation in the 'up' position. Due to the vehicle design, the top of the window glass can now potentially contact the door frame when closing, presenting a breakage hazard. After several months, the window began to operate, then failed again several weeks later - currently…
My 2004 Mini Cooper s has incurred two cracked windshields over the past two years, requiring the entire windshield to be replaced. Each crack occurred while driving after a small pebble nicked the windshield. After driving for nearly twenty years I find this rate of occurrence to be unacceptable. Although the angle…
Suspension
4 complaints · 1%Parts named most often: front, rear.
Tl contact owns a 2004 Mini Cooper. While driving 50 MPH, the contact noticed a bump on the rear driver's side of the vehicle. She examined the vehicle and noticed that the rear driver's side tire was detaching from the vehicle. In addition, the lower control arm snapped. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they…
Tl contact owns a 2004 Mini Cooper. The driver was driving at an unknown speed when the steering wheel became very stiff and difficult to turn. The vehicle was parked and shut off. Upon restart the steering wheel remained difficult to turn. The failure and current mileages were 60,000. The power steering pump failed…
Wheels and tires
4 complaints · 1%Parts named most often: pressure monitoring and regulating systems.
I was driving my 2004 Mini Cooper on the highway from la to san diego. All of a sudden the power steering in my car evaporated and I almost hit the side of rail. The car would run but I could hardly steer it. I took it into a auto service center and they told me that it was the power steering pump. Several Mini…
Car is very noisy on cold starts when turning the steering wheel. Steering would judder when being turned. Wheel will feel heavy and stuck at times. Power steering reservoir was empty with no signs of leaks. Power steering fluid flooded into steering rack due to failed seal. Steering rack needed replacement.
Body and structure
3 complaints · 1%Parts named most often: body.
Driver side door of my 2004 Mini Cooper can only be opened from the outside (I.e. I need to lower the window in order to open the door) Mini dealership would not guarantee a fix will last more than few weeks.
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.
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2004 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.
Wheels and tires: pressure monitoring and regulating systems
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
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
Loss of power steering assist
Summary
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 min
Questions about the 2004 Mini Cooper
- What are the most common problems with the 2004 Mini Cooper?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: steering (238 complaints, typically around 74,500 miles); transmission (26 complaints, typically around 62,000 miles); electrical (15 complaints, typically around 65,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2004 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 2004 a bad year for the Mini Cooper?
- It is the 3rd most complained-about Cooper model year since 2000, with 282 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.