Driving home from dealership after purchasing vehicle and the windshield cracked. I thought I was just unlucky and a rock hit the windshield. Now I think there was not a rock involved. Defective windshield.
MINI Cooper S windshield crack problems
33 of the 1,783 owner complaints about the MINI Cooper S describe windshield cracks, most of them for the 2003 model year.
- owner complaints
- 33
- worst model year
- 2003
- typical mileage
- 8,000
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.
By model year
Often reported together
What owners say
Several weeks ago I found a crack in windshield of 2007 mini cooper s on passenger side below wiper. I had the windshield replaced and car was returned to me on sept. 10th. On sept. 16 I found another crack in the new glass in approximately same spot! After looking on internet I found that stress cracking of the windshield is a common problem with this car. Anyway, the dealer claims it is an impact crack and only a coincidence that it occurred in same spot! After arguing they agreed to replace the windshield at their cost--as a courtesy. I was not aware of anything hitting the windshield and even if a small pebble hit--the windshield should not crack so easily.
Several, the air bag warning light has illuminated more then ten different times, each time it was repaired by the dealer (westchester bmw/westchester mini) the last fix was after the normal warranty had expired and required much fuss to get it repaired for free. The power steering pump suddenly stopped working while driving on the highway. The radiator fan was replaced two times by me (car out of warranty) even though I complained to the dealer when the car was still quite new about the frequency of the fan motor's starting and stopping which will severely shorten the life of any electric motor. The windshield stress cracked while under warranty and was repaired. The windshield wiped motor has just failed during an incredible rainstorm.
Visibility:windshield crack.
Cracked windshield with no identifiable impact marks. Located just behind and to the left (if sitting in the driver's seat) of the rear view mirror. It wasn't there when I drove to work in the morning but was there when I went to my car at 5pm.
Dear officer, I would like to compliant about a defective 2006 mini cooper windshield problem. I have a brand new 2006 mini cooper for about 4 months, but there was a couple of line cracks on the windshield already. The problem is not even caused by a rock chip and I think it is a "stress" crack that many many mini cooper buyers has experienced. I took that to the dealer and asked them if it is under warranty and they denied it was caused by stress cracks and refused to fix it. This is totally unacceptable and I think it should be under investigation. Please take a look at the problem and hopefully it will get bmw/mini cooper attention to fix the problem or at least take responsibility.
Dt*: the contact stated the windshield has been replaced three times within 1 year of purchase . On may 24, 2006, while driving a small object struck the windshield causing a crack which caused the fourth windshield replacement. The contact expressed that something must be wrong with the vehicle to make the windshield crack so easily. The dealership and manufacturer were alerted and determined the cracks were due to the impact of the object.
My 2004 mini cooper s, delivered in june of '04, having @ 20,000 miles on the odometer, is now on its third windshield all due to stress cracks. The cracks seem to be related to thermal instability. I.e. Cold outside/hot inside etc. I personally know of one 2003 mini owner in ma who has now had 6 windshields replaced since purchase. The mini community has determined that aftermarket us made glass by ppg does not have the propensity for such failures. I am reluctant to continue going to my dealer as this problem appears to be related to the foreign manufactured oem glass. On the other hand I should not have to replace the windshield with a non oem product, out of pocket to resolve the issue. For much more information, you can refer to the mini cooper owners internet web forum "northamericanmotoring .com" the defect is wide spread from the mini's introduction in '02 continuing through to '05 production models. To find this information, go to "beneath the bonnet" and use the search function in the upper right corner for "cracked glass". Your assistance would be greatly appreciated. Feel free to call me if I can be of help. Sincerely, mark williams cfp
Windshield crack appeared over night.
My 2004 mini cooper s had been parked, untouched, in my driveway for 2 days. I got in it last night and first thing I noticed was a verticla crack in the windshield extending from the top chrome molding 14" down, parallel to and 5" from the driver's side edge of the windshield. The local dealer said that mini had a problem with windshield breakage in the past "but not now". At his suggestion, I ran the tip of a ball-point pen along the crack and found a "chip" at the top of the crack. This "chip" is smaller than the tip of the ball-point pen. I've had many new and used cars and this is the first case where such an insignificant "chip" has propagated to a total failure requiring replacement without even being visible first.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the MINI Cooper S windshield crack
Which MINI Cooper S years have windshield cracks problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2003 (21 complaints), 2004 (6 complaints) and 2006 (4 complaints).
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