MINI Cooper S abs comes on

Filed Sep 23, 2026 · Brakes · MS

I am reporting a severe safety hazard regarding unprompted, sudden, and uneven vehicle braking that occurs exclusively when the windshield wipers are turned on. While driving in wet conditions with the windshield wipers active, the vehicle intermittently and violently applies the brakes on its own without any input on the brake pedal. This creates a sudden deceleration and causes the vehicle to pull erratically, posing an immediate risk of a rear-end collision or a loss of vehicle control.Research into the vehicle's engineering reveals that this is a severe malfunction of the Automated Brake Drying / Dry Braking feature embedded in the ABS/DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) module logic. While the system is supposed to lightly skim the rotors to clear water film when the wipers are on, a software loop or internal hydraulic pump glitch is causing the system to overcompensate and aggressively lock the brakes instead. The hazard resolves immediately if the wipers are turned completely off, proving a direct electronic link between the wiper switch and the dangerous braking event. BMW/MINI has recalled 2023–2025 models for similar integrated braking malfunctions, but this identical safety defect is actively impacting older models like my 2017 MINI Cooper without a recall solution.

Filed Sep 18, 2024 · Brakes, Driver assistance · MS

While driving in the rain, the ABS engages, slowing the front right tire dramatically causing the car to skid and lurch to the right. After some internet research, it appears that this is not an isolated incident. Mini Cooper owners also discovered that when driving in dry conditions and the windshield wiper is turned on, the front right tire slows, causing the car to skid and lurch to the right. European Automotive verified that this was the case on my vehicle. This started without any warning and was terrifying. I told both the local mechanic and the dealer that I would not drive the car until it was repaired. There were no warning lights. The local mechanic and the dealer were unable to find any fault codes. The dealer is 3 hours away. Before we knew what the problem was, I towed the car to the dealership and they were unable to replicate the problem. All test drives were done in dry conditions. They replaced the cruise control sensor and the steering wheel and then delivered the car to me saying it was repaired. While driving the car back from out of town, it began to rain, when the windshield wipers came on, the front tire slowed dramatically, lurching the car to the right. This is a terrifying experience, especially in the rain. It seems this is not an isolated incident and may have already caused serious accidents. The car is less than 50,000 miles old and has been used for work only. I have not driven the car out of fear of an accident and have parked it in my driveway waiting for some type of resolution with the dealer.

Filed Jan 21, 2016 · Steering · 80,000 miles · CA · fire

The car's electric power steering module failed (apparently shorted out), and upon attempting to evaluate the issue the unit will spark and even catch fire. It has melted several of the wiring components in my car, and has adversely affected at least my ABS system and my tire pressure sensor. Mini cooper of escondido inspected the damage and deemed that I needed to replace the eps unit and the steering rack, but they are not willing to cover the costs of replacement.

Filed Mar 23, 2011 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 70,111 miles · CA · fire

2003 mini cooper s with low 70 thousand miles cough fire on january 31 2011 around 4 am in the morning. It was seen to start on the passenger side under airbag and car was completely on fire the front end under the hood and under passenger dash was told failure was ABS

Filed Jul 21, 2010 · Body, Brakes · 26,799 miles · AR

My mini cooper s has less than 27,000 miles on it. It has been carefully driven and has sustained no crash damage. Had several warning lights come on the car and had failures with the ABS, steering angle sensor, and front wheel sensor. In addition and most importantly, I was told that I had "mushrooming" and cracked front shock tower mounts on both sides of the car, and that alone would cost over $1,400 to repair. I was told that hitting potholes or other road hazards caused this. In addition, the dealer, roadshow mini in memphis, tn, stated that the shock towers and front bushings were considered wear items, and that they could be redamaged immediately if the car came in contact with another pothole. Additionally, I was told by mini USA that no engineers or national representatives could be contacted, and that the dealer would handle all questions and concerns. I asked if there were any upgrades and fixes offered by mini and was told that there were none. However, this problem seems to be fairly common, and there are several aftermarket companies that address this issue,. The service manager at the dealership stated that he sees this problem on 3-4 cars in the shop every month. It appears that this is a design flaw, that there can be strut collapse or suspension failure while driving, and that mini should have addressed this problem with these cars. For normal driving conditions to have resulted in deformed and cracked strut towers is unacceptable and represents a hazardous situation. I have never owned an automobile that had strut tower failure under normal driving conditions.

Filed Feb 4, 2008 · Brakes, Electrical · AE

I was parked one after noon looking under the hood and I heard a crackling sound coming form the ABS pump. There was a small puff of smoke and then the sound stopped. At this point I went about my business and returned to my 2004 mini cooper s and the ABS/traction control light were out. A few days later I took the vehicle to the bmw dealer and after a few tests they determined it was just bad fuses. A week has past and I have had no other problems.

Filed Jul 26, 2007 · Brakes, Electrical · 9,500 miles · TN

I have a 2006 mini cooper john cooper wroks gp. The dsc (directional stability control), low tire warning light, and ABS (anti lock braking) warning lights came on as I traveled on the interstate. No incident occurred to cause a failure. The ABS and dsc systems do not work, or work inappropriately. Discussing this with other mini cooper owners with the so called works brakes, I find out it is a frequent problem.

Filed Mar 6, 2007 · Brakes, Electrical · 61,000 miles · CA · fire

Our mini burned to the ground. It had only been driven 20 miles and was parked when it happened. After a forensic specialist was hired by the insurance company, it was determined that the ABS unit was at fault. In later models, the fuse was changed from a 30 amp to a 20 amp. No recall was ever issued and bmw/mini never acknowledged a problem with the car. Since this happened, at least 10-15 other minis have burned. Our mini was a total loss.

Filed Jan 8, 2005 · Brakes, Electrical · NC

Complete failure of the internal controller area network, resulting in blown electronics, service engine soon light, ABS light, dsc light and air bag light. Cause was apparently a faulty radio. However, a replacement radio failed when installed in the vehicle, bringing more controller area network problems.

Filed Dec 20, 2004 · Brakes, Driver assistance · NC

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.