Shocked to find an 8-inch hairline crack to the upper right portion of my windshield (right above my eyes on driver's side). The windshield glass spontaneously cracked on the exterior, with zero evidence of impact, harsh weather or temperature changes. It's been 60 degrees for weeks now and my mini had been safely parked, outside of my home. I researched this issue and found multiple complaints from mini customers with the same problem. I will be taking legal action against mini for their disregard for my own and public safety. Shame on the federal safety agency for settling with mini on charges of sub-par glass installed in mini cooper hatchback models until 2008, a few months before my '09 mini was produced.
MINI Cooper windshield crack problems
32 of the 2,237 owner complaints about the MINI Cooper describe windshield cracks, most of them for the 2002 model year.
- owner complaints
- 32
- worst model year
- 2002
- typical mileage
- 18,000
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
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.
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!
There is a" line" crack in the windshield starting in the middle of the window and beginning @ 4 inches from the top of the window and extending left toward the driver side of the windshield.. No head, or ice hail or body hit the window, to cause the break..
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.
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 of the windshield may be at a steeper grade than most vehicles, mini has failed to recognize solutions such as a stronger thicker windshield. A resolution is needed to prevent fellow mini owners from purchasing replacement windshields on an annual basis.
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.
Windshield spontaneously cracked. Crack started at top center extended down about 4 inches, then horizontall for about 4 inches and is now moving down again.
Cracked windshield 2005 mini cooper s.
8" crack in front windshield. Crack is located on lower right hand (passenger) side of vehicle that starts below the windshield seal. The goes up 3" then curves left and travels for 5". Crack appeared after the car was parked in a secure garage for 3 days, and has grown about 1" a week.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the MINI Cooper windshield crack
Which MINI Cooper years have windshield cracks problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2002 (16 complaints), 2003 (11 complaints) and 2005 (2 complaints).
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