2003 MINI Cooper: windshield cracks

11 of the 320 complaints about the 2003 MINI Cooper describe windshield cracks.

owner complaints: 11
of this car's complaints: 3%
typical mileage: 25,000
recalls: 0

Is there a fix? 1 service bulletin covers this area of the car. See below

Windshield cracks by model year

2009
1
2006
1
2005
2
2004
1
2003
11
2002
16

What owners say

Filed Jul 4, 2016 · Electrical, Engine · CA

Windshield cracked from the bottom where it meets the hood of the car. Driver's side window does not go down. I only hear a clicking sound. Water pump, oil pan and valve cover gaskets failed prematurely. I can't shift the car into first gear without multiple attempts.

Filed Apr 15, 2013 · Visibility · 109,000 miles · MD

Got in car one morning and noticed windshield had cracked in center from top of windshield and from bottom of windshield, and I'm hoping the crack doesn't meet in the middle!

Filed Aug 19, 2009 · Visibility · 35,000 miles · CA

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.

Filed Jun 30, 2006 · Visibility · 35,720 miles · CA

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.

Filed Jan 10, 2005 · Visibility · CA

The windshield cracked in several places and needed to be replaced. Vehicle was taken to dealer for check up, and consumer was informed that the windshield had certain spots that could not tolerate road conditions. This could be dangerous if the windshield breaks while the vehicle was being driven.

Filed Aug 26, 2004 · Visibility · 9,000 miles · NJ

While driving my 2003 mini cooper, I noticed a crack in the bottom middle of the windshield. The crack began under the trim, moved up, turned a few inches up, and then spread toward the passenger side. Two weeks later, I brought the car in for it's first scheduled oil service, where I asked the service advisor, peter wark of mini of the main line in bala cynwyd, pa, about the windshield. He proceeded to take the point of a small screwdriver and run it along the crack. About a quarter of an inch above the trim, and in a place where it would be almost impossible for a rock to hit, the screwdriver caught a small nick in the glass, about the size of a grain of sand. He informed me that that nick was caused by a rock, which caused the crack, which would not be covered under the warranty. He then told me about how the process they use of glueing the glass on causes the entire bottom few inches of glass to become very weak, and that anything hitting the glass in that area, even a tiny rock, would crack the glass. I found this to be unacceptable, so I called the mini customer service line at 1-866-ask-mini. I spoke to a "marty" who merely repeated over and over that he was "sorry they made that determination, but a rock chip is not covered under warranty." after receiving no help from the company, I had the dealer replace the glass. I feel that the repair should be covered because the way they manufacture and attach the glass causes weakness, and that could be considered a manufacturer's defect, which is the primary reason for supplying a customer with a warranty. I have video and photos of the crack and nick, as well as receipts for the repair. The crack was first noticed and spread august 12, 2004 and my service appointment was august 24, 2004.

Filed Aug 23, 2004 · Visibility · 25,000 miles · CA

Spontaneous crack forming in mini cooper windshield. Overnight, a crack appeared in my windshiled staring at the bottem center of the windshield, moving directly upward about 5 inches then angling 90 degrees towards the driver's side ofr several inches. This is the 2nd time in 6 months that the same fracture has appearer overnight. First windshield was replaced.

Filed Apr 25, 2004 · Visibility · NY

Windshield cracked on my mini cooper from debris on the highway. This is a common problem with mini coopers. Dozens and dozens of mini owners have complained about this on the message boards on www.roadfly.org. The windshields on these cars are prone to cracking. I've only had my car for 1.5 years and only have 5000 miles on it. This is the first time I've had something hit my windshield. If so many owners are having the same problems, it should be enough to warrant some sort of investigation into these windshields and why they are so prone to cracking.

Filed Jan 22, 2004 · Visibility · VA

Cracked windshield that quickly grew to span across the entire windshield.

Filed Jan 18, 2004 · Visibility · 8,150 miles · NV

Windshield: cracking because of frame stress, maybe induced by pin six rock strike.

Filed Oct 2, 2003 · Visibility · 1,200 miles · CA

The windshield on my 2003 mini suffered a 5 inch crack after being hit by a small pebble. The whole windshield had to be replaced because it wasn't repairable due 1-1/2 inches of it being subsurface. On my other cars, a 1993 lexus ls400 and a 1993 isuzu rodeo 4wd, neither car has ever suffered a cracked windshield due to a pebble hit. What's worse is the 2003 mini windshield cracked just 11 days after owning the car. The replacement was not covered by my aaa insurance.