Recalls
| Campaign | Manufacturer | Manufacturing date | Type | # of units affected | Date Owner notified Mfg | Recall Initiated by | Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products | Report Recieved Date | Record Creation Date | Regulation Part Number | FMVSS Number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION - REAR - SHOCK ABSORBER | ||||||||||||||||
| 03V086000 | BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE | from 09/25/2002 to 11/14/2002 | V (Vehicle) | 5110 | 04/04/2003 | MFR | BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC | 03/10/2003 | 03/18/2003 | |||||||
| 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. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | 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 | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | 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. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Customers can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration | |||||||||||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | |||
| 07/24/2008 | 30000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 mini cooper s. while the contact's wife was driving 60 mph, the wheel and tire detached from the vehicle. the vehicle was towed to the dealer and has not been diagnosed at this time. the contact was informed that the cost for the repair would range from $3,000 - $5,000. the affected components were the steering, brakes, suspension, and shocks. a police report was filed and the contact has pictures available. the vin was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 30,000. | |||
| SUSPENSION - AUTOMATIC STABILITY CONTROL (ASC) | |||
| 12/20/2004 | 2 | ||
| Dynamic stabilty control, abs and flat tire warning lights illuminated intermitently when starting vehicle and do not go away unless vehicle is restarted. dynamic stability control module fault. *ak | |||
| 10/18/2003 | 2 | ||
| Dynamic stabilty control, flat tire and abs lights come on while driving. dealer has replaced dynamic stabilty control module, part 34 51 6 765 289. also found left front wheel speed sensor crushed between subframe and car. replaced part 34 52 6 756 384. *ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | |||
| 09/13/2006 | 70000 | 1 | 11/11/2002 |
| After reading internet forums regarding the mini cooper cars. i learned of a recurring problem with the front strut towers deforming under regular driving conditions. upon inspection of my own mini cooper by myself i found that my towers were distorted in a mushrooming of the top sheet metal . i found online the manufacturer of a machined aluminum plate that bolts on top of the tower adding additional strength to the top of the tower. my vehicle did not have cracks in the tower but other people are finding cracks as well as the distortion. i believe that if the tower where to crack completely that the front struts would be forced up and causing the car to loose the ability to control steering. *nm | |||
| SUSPENSION - REAR | |||
| 02/08/2006 | 23000 | 1 | 02/08/2006 |
| Just driving along on a straight smooth road at 40 mph when the lower rear control arm broke clean in half nearly causing me to lose control of the car as the wheel rotated up into the fender well. scottsdale mini insists that this arm should only break if the car was crashed and therefore they will not honor the warranty. i am the original owner and have never hit any significant potholes or other road hazards. there are many similar cases of this failure reported on the internet but mini is apparently reluctant to classify it as a design flaw. *jb | |||
| 01/26/2006 | 37282 | 1 | 05/27/2003 |
| On 1/26/06 i took my car into tuffy auto to have the tires rotated, at the time the mechanic told me that the right rear lower control arm had a crack in it. at that time i called mini and told them that my right rear lower control arm was damaged. i was told by the service manager at mini that my driving was the cause of this and that it wouldn't be covered under warranty. i then took pictures of the lower control arm while it was still attached to my car, these pictures show that there was a shearing effect on the rear-most part of the arm and there was no bending on the arm. i then had the car taken by flat-bed to my mini dealership where they are replacing the lower and upper control arm. my pictures refute what they are saying about this being a drivers fault and they are refusing to warranty the work.*jb | |||
| 07/27/2005 | 42000 | 1 | 03/17/2003 |
| While pulling into the parking garage at work, the rear of my mini cooper s made a noise. the control arm on the right, rear suspension broke. when looking under the rear, the control arm was in two pieces, broken in the middle. the vehicle is at the dealer and i will be requesting the part back. *jb | |||
| SUSPENSION - REAR - SHOCK ABSORBER | |||
| 07/19/2008 | 1 | ||
| Consumer wants to know if there are any recalls for 2003 mini cooper s. consumer states that her son was killed while driving his mini cooper s back in july 2008. *nj the consumer was told her son lost control of the vehicle. the consumer discovered recall 03v086000 and wanted to know could the recall have been a contributing factory. *jb | |||