2002 MINI Cooper Visibility & Wipers Problems

BOTH PASSENGER AND DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW MOTOR FAILURE (WITH WINDOW IN UP POSITION). PROBLEM WAS INTERMEDIATE OVER THE PAST THREE OR FOUR YEARS WITH FAILURE TWO OR THREE TIMES A YEAR. CURRENTLY DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW HAS NOT WORKED FOR WEEKS. *TR

THE FRONT WINDSHIELD ON MY 2002 MINI COOPER S AUTO CRACKED SUDDENLY (WITH A POP) WHILE I WAS DRIVING ALONG THE FREEWAY, WITH NO APPARENT CAUSE--NO IMPACT SITE ON THE CRACK. THE CRACK ORIGINATES IN THE LOW/MIDDLE AREA OF THE WINDSHIELD, GOES UP ABOUT 2 INCHES, THEN SNEAKS TO THE PASSENGER SIDE ABOUT 5 INCHES. *JB

WINDSHIELD WIPERS FAILED WHILE DRIVING IN RAIN. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED PROBLEM AS WIPER MOTOR FAILURE. I NOTICED THAT THE WIPER MOTOR WAS EXPOSED DIRECTLY TO THE WEATHER AND MOISTURE BECAUSE IT IS LOCATED DIRECTLY UNDERNEATH THE COWL INTAKE AND I FELT THAT WAS THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. IT'S EXPOSED TO RAIN, SNOW, AND WINTER ROAD SALT SPRAY - EVEN WHEN THE VEHICLE IS NOT BEING DRIVEN. I OBTAINED THE REPLACEMENT PART AND NOTICED THAT IT HAD A PLASTIC SHIELD INSTALLED TO PROTECT THE MOTOR INDICATING THE MANUFACTURER DOES KNOW ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND HAS IMPLEMENTED CORRECTIVE ACTION. WHEN I CONTACTED BMW, THEY CLAIMED TO BE UNAWARE OF THE PROBLEM. BMW INSISTS ON CHARGING FOR THE REPAIR ($465.00) AND HAS NOT YET RECOGNIZED THE FACT THAT THERE IS A SAFETY DEFECT WITH THE VEHICLE. THERE IS ALSO A HIGH LIKELIHOOD THAT THERE ARE OTHER VEHICLES THAT COULD EXPERIENCE THE SAME FAILURE RESULTING IN LOSS OF LIFE. *NM

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.

MINI COOPER 2002 SUFFERED A STRESS CRACK OF THE WINDSHIELD THAT HAD TO BE REPLACED. NO ROCKS OR CHIPS CAUSED THE CRACK. IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER THE VEHICLE'S 36,000 MILE BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY.*AK

WINDSHIELD ON MY 2002 MINI COOPER S HAS CRACKS IN 2 PLACES WHICH STARTED FROM THE EDGES OF THE WINDSHIELD. BOTH CRACKS APPEARED WHEN THE CAR WAS SITTING IN THE DRIVEWAY. THE DEALER SAYS THEY ARE "ROCK CHIPS" THOUGH THERE'S NO VISIBLE IMPACT. *AK

1. INTERIOR DOOR LATCH MECHANISM INOPERABLE IN FREEZING CONDITIONS - WILL NOT RELEASE (UNABLE TO EXIT CAR) - WAS ABLE TO ENTER CAR - CLOSED DOOR - COULD NOT EXIT. BAD SITUATION AS POWER WINDOWS WERE ALSO FROZEN SHUT. 2. WINDSHIELD CRACKS (2ND WINDSHIELD - SEE OTHER THREADS ON THIS KNOWN FAILURE) - OCCURRED WHILE BACKING OUT OF DRIVE ON PUBLIC STREET - STARTED AT BASE OF WINDSHIELD DRIVERS SIDE-UP 6"-THEN SHARPLY RIGHT-ACROSS WINDSHIELD TO PASSENGER A PILLAR. *JB

MY WINDSHIELD SUSTAINED AN 8 INCH LONG CRACK ON THE LOWER CORNER DRIVER SIDE JUST ABOVE THE VIN NUMBER. THIS HAPPENED ONE COLD MORNING WHILE WARMING UP THE ENGINE AT THE DRIVEWAY. BMW DENIED WARRANTY COVERAGE BECAUSE OF A STONE PIT A SIZE OF A PEN DOT ALONG THE CRACKED AREA. I FOUND OUT THAT THERE ARE MANY OTHERS THAT HAVE WINDSHIELD CRACKED ON THE SAME GENERAL LOCATION (ABOVE THE BIN NUMBER) AS A RESULT OF STRESS FROM THE FRAME. ATTACHED IS A SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION REGARDING CRACKED WINDSHIELDS ON MINI. HTTP://WWW.NORTHAMERICANMOTORING.COM/MODULES.PHP?. *CB

I HAVE A JULY 2002 BUILD, MINI COOPER S .TO DATE I HAVE HAD 6 WINDSHIELDS INSTALLED.MOST HAVE SUFFERED STRESS RELATED FAILURE,BUT 2 STARTED AS MINIMAL ROCK STRIKES ,WHICH LATER RESULTED IN LONG (10- 14 INCH) CRACKS.GLASS IS SUB-STANDARD,TOO THIN ,AND TOO SOFT.I DEFINATELY FEAR FOR MY SAFETY AS LONG AS THIS GLASS ISN'T REDESIGNED.*AK

WINDSHIELD CRACKED FROM THE LOWER DRIVER'S SIDE AFTER TURNING THE HEATER ON WHILE VEHICLE WAS WARMING UP PARKED ON THE DRIVEWAY. DEALER REFUSED TO REPLACE IT UNDER WARRANTY. *LA

WINDSHIELDS ARE FAILING ALL OVER THE COUNTRY ON MINI COOPER AUTOMOBILES. I AM CURRENTLY ON MY 3RD WINDSHIELD IN AS MANY MONTHS - STRESS CRACKS APPEARED FROM THE ROOF PILLARS IN BOTH CASES. WE NEED A RESOLUTION TO THIS - EITHER BETTER GLASS OR STRUCTURAL IMPROVEMENTS.*AK

CRACKED WINSHIELD IN TWO DIFFERENT PLACES. OCCURRED ABOUT 10 MINUTES APART WHILE DRIVING IN SLOW TRAFFIC AT ABOUT 100 DEGREES. *AK

I AM WRITING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THIN/WEAK WINDSHIELDS IN MY MINI COOPER S. I AM ON MY THIRD WINDSHIELD IN LESS THAN A YEAR. THE GLASS IS INCREDIBLY THIN AND CRACKS WITH THE SLIGHTEST IMPACT. I CONSIDER THIS UNSAFE. IN ADDITION I KNOW OF MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. *NLM

THE WINDSHIELD OF MY 2002 MINI COOPER S CRACKED WHILE SITTING IN A PARKING LOT. IT WAS FINE IN THE MORNING BUT THERE WAS AN 8" CRACK WHEN I HOPPED IN FOR THE DRIVE HOME. I'M GUESSING THE HEAT (90 DEGREES F, WINDOWS UP, SUN REFLECTOR ON DASH) CAUSED A CONTAMINANT WITHIN THE WINDOW TO CAUSE STRESS, WHICH IN TURN BECAME A CRACK. JUDGING FROM THE MINI COOPER MESSAGE BOARDS ON THE INTERNET, THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF WINDSHIELDS CRACKING FOR NO APPARENT REASON, AND MINI USA HAS ISSUED A BULLETIN TO IT'S DEALERS TO WARN THEM OF DEFECTIVE FACTORY WINDSHIELD INSTALLATIONS. [TIS MESSAGE NUMBER: SI M51 02 03 SUBJECT: WINDSHIELD STRESS CRACK SURVEY SITUATION: THE PRODUCTION PROCESS FOR INSTALLATION OF THE WINDSHIELD WAS IMPROVED IN APRIL 2002, AND THESE IMPROVEMENTS RESULTED IN A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN THE NUMBER OF STRESS CRACKED WINDSHIELDS.] *JB

WINSHIELD CRACK FROM BIRD SAP!*AK

BROKEN WINDSHIELD 2002 MINI COOPER S. *NLM

WE OWN A MINI COOPER S. LIKE HUNDREDS OF OTHERS WHO HAVE NOT YET FILED A COMPLAINT, WE HAD A CRACKED WINDSHIELD FOR NO APPARANT REASON. THE WINDSHIELD SEEMS TO BE VERY THIN AND SOFT. AND VERY SUCCEPTABLE TO CRACKS AND ROCK CHIPS, PITTING FOR LACK OF ANOTHER WORD.

WINDSHIELD CRACK. THERE ARE NUMEROUS OTHER OWNERS REPORTING SIMILAR CRACKS IN THEIR WINDSHIELDS. MINI HAS STATED THEY HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE GLASS CRACKING DUE TO IMPROPER INSTALLATION IN PREVIOUS BUILDS AND CURRENTLY HAVE A SURVEY FOR THE DEALERS TO PERFORM AN INSPECTION ON ANY WINDSHIELD REPLACEMENTS CONDUCTED UNDER WARRANTY. THIS SURVEY IS EXPLAINED IN THIS BULLETIN SI M 51 02 03. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THEY ONLY INSPECT THOSE WINDSHIELDS THAT DO NOT HAVE EVIDENCE OF STONE DAMAGE. ON THE ATTACHED WEB SITES YOU WILL SEE AN OVER ABUNDANCE OF CRACKED WINDSHIELD POSTS THAT THE DEALERS ARE CALLING STONE DAMAGE RELATED. THEREBY INSURING THAT THESE WINDSHIELDS ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THEIR DATA AND ALSO THAT THEY ARE NOT REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. I HAVE NO CHIPS BUT A LARGE NUMBER OF MARKS FROM DEBRIS HITTING THE WINDSHIELD. I CALL THEM STRIKE MARKS. THE EASIEST WAY TO DESCRIBE THE DAMAGE IS THAT IT IS SIMILAR TO A GLASS ETCHING PROCEDURE. THE LOCATION WHERE THE DEBRIS HAS STRUCK THE WINDSHIELD IS SLIGHTLY DISCOLORED, YET NO GLASS IS MISSING. IN MY OPINION THIS IS THE RESULT OF TWO ITEMS: THE WINDSHIELD IS VERY STEEP AND THE GLASS IN THE WINDSHIELD IS SUBSTANDARD; TOO SOFT AND TOO THIN. MINI USES THEIR WINDSHIELD AS A STRUCTURAL MEMBER IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE VEHICLE AND THEREFORE IT IS UNDER CONSTANT STRESS. I DO NOT THINK THESE STRIKE MARKS ARE SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE A STRESS CRACK PER SE, BUT IF THAT WERE SO (AS MINI ARGUES), THEN MY RESPONSE IS: THE WINDSHIELD IS NOT JUST TOO SOFT, IT IS TOO WEAK. GIVEN THE NUMBER OF STRIKE MARKS ON A WINDSHIELD IT IS HIGHLY LIKELY THAT A CRACK THAT MIGHT APPEAR FOR REASONS UNRELATED TO CHIPPING WILL EITHER CROSS A STRIKE MARK, OR WILL RUN ACROSS THE NEAREST STRIKE MARK. THESE STRIKE MARKS ARE A WEAKENED AREA AND WILL ATTRACT A CRACK. *JB THE FOLLOWING URLS ARE PROVIDED FOR YOUR ATTENTION: HTTP://MINICOOPERONLINE.COM HTTP://WWW.MINI2.COM/FORUM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?S=&THREADID=21475 HTTPS://OL.MINIUSA.COM/OEMAINLOGIN.ASP

STRESS FRACTURE OF WINDSHIELD ABSENT SPECIFIC IMPACT FROM OUTSIDE SOURCE. NUMEROUS POSTS ON INTERNET FORUMS, INCLUDING THE MANUFACTURER SPONSORED MINI OWNER'S SITE REVEAL AN INCREASING NUMBER OF WINDSHIELDS DEVELOPING APPARENT STRESS FRACTURES. MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AND THAT OF OTHERS IS THAT THE WINDSHIELD OF THE MINI HAS A PROPENSITY TO CRACK UNDER NORMAL OPERATING CONDITIONS. DEALERS OFTEN DENY WARRANTY CLAIMS, POINTING TO THE SMALLEST OF IMPERFECTIONS AS "IMPACT SITES" AND PASSING REPLACEMENT COSTS ON TO OWNER'S COMPREHENSIVE INSURANCE. THIS, DESPITE NO HISTORY OF SPECIFIC IMPACTS WITH ANY OBJECTS WHILE DRIVING. AGAIN IN MY PARTICULAR CASE, THE FRACTURE APPEARED OVERNIGHT WHILE THE CAR WAS GARAGED. *NLM

WINDSHIELD CREAKING, CRACKLING. REPLACED TWICE BY DEALER DUE TO WIND LEAKAGE. WINDSHIELD IS TOO THIN AND PITS WAY TOO EASILY. WIFE IS AFRAID OF SAFETY BECAUSE OF THE NOTORIOUSLY HIGH INCIDENCE OF SPONTANEOUS CRACKING WINDSHIELDS. MINI USA CONTINUES TO DENY ANY PROBLEMS, BUT INFORMAL SURVEYS OF DEALERS INDICATE THOUSANDS OF REPLACEMENTS ALREADY, AND THE CAR HAS ONLY BEEN ON SALE FOR 16 MONTHS. GLASS IS TOO THIN AND BRITTLE. GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO INTERCEDE AND FORCE MINI USA TO REPLACE WITH THICKER, SAFE WINDSHIELDS.*AK