Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power windows, windshield, wipers, mirrors, sunroof).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2003 Mini Cooper owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
No air or blower or heat to defog windshield. Water in driver-side foot well. Power steering intermittent fault. Engine continues running and panel gauge lights remain on with ignition off and key removed.
Both passenger and drivers side windows are stuttering when I try to roll them up or down. This is when I am even able to get them to work. Found that when the weather is hot, they won't work at all!! Meaning I am having to wait for it to cool down to roll the windows down if I am lucky and have on one occasion got stuck in my vehicle because the car door handle also would open the door from the inside and I couldn't open the window to open the door, which was very dangerous since I had a child with me. This has been occurring more and more frequently and just got my door repaired and still having issues with the windows making it impossible to do anything that requires a drive through, or at my previous apt you had to enter a code to get into the gated community and I had to get out of my car to do this, and I live in colorado, and it gets very cold. …
I will be installing what will be the third manual 5-speed transmission in my Mini. Same problem, seems to be the final drive bearing is failing likely due to lack of lubrication. I have records of all service and check it regularly and it has never been low. The bearing is apparently not getting a proper supply of fluid. Problem number two, my power steering pump failed on me once. It exploded while I was driving. The hoses basically got too hot and blew up. I fortunately was able to limp it to a shop without any fire. On another occasion the power steering fan continued to run even when the ignition was shut off, needed to replace the entire pump this time which cost me $500 installed with a remanufactured pump. Third, I have had to put three windshields in the car. None of these repairs were warranted! …
Night driving in colorado mtns. Lights began to flicker and power steering failed. Found safe place to pull over and turned off lights and engine. Restarted and turned lights back on to resume driving within a few minuets lights flickered and power steering failed again. Had to continue for several miles until it was safe to pull over again. Attempted to turn off head lights and use fog lights on county dirt road, still lights flickered/dimmed and power steering failed. Currently vehicle is parked and we are attempting to research recall matters with this malfunction. Superior driving skill is required to operate this vehicle with nonfunctional power steering. Average operators will have great difficulty maintaining safe operation of the automobile. This issue will lead to loss of life if not addressed. Nearest dealer for Mini is 130 miles distant.
Tl contact owns a 2003 Mini Cooper. When the contact would turn off the vehicle, she could still hear the motor fan running. She took the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that the power steering hose and fan needed to be replaced. The vehicle has not been repaired because the warranty expired, and the contact would be responsible for the repair costs. Also, all of the windows on her vehicle would spontaneously open. She took the vehicle to the dealer and a technician deactivated the convenience power system for the power windows. After the repair, the failures continued. The contact called the manufacturer, but they did not provide any assistance. The failure mileage was 60,000 and current mileage was 73,000.
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.
Tl contact owns a 2003 Mini Cooper. Upon taking the vehicle in for an oil change, it was discovered that the driver side struts needed to be replaced. Approximately four months later, the passenger side strut needed to be replaced. The front and rear brakes were also replaced and the vehicle had an oil pan leak. The driver's and passenger side window motors failed and needed to be replaced. The current mileage was 12,900 and failure mileage was 10,000.
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.
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.
This car is less than a year old. So far the air bag indicator light malfunctioned, the radio was replaced, the passenger window motor was replaced, the navigation system display is about to be replaced, and two red marks on the takometer no longer light up.
Window & Wiper complaints in other Cooper years
Frequently asked questions
How common are window & wiper problems on the 2003 Mini Cooper?
NHTSA has 25 complaints about the windows, wipers & sunroof of the 2003 Mini Cooper, 8% of the model year's 320 complaints. The component named most often is windshield (15 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Mini Cooper window & wiper problems?
No. NHTSA lists no windows, wipers & sunroof recall for the 2003 Mini Cooper, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2003 Mini Cooper window & wiper problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 35,000 miles, and 41% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.