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Just a few days ago I purchased a 2026 JCW Convertible and am having a vibration/oscillation that is reproducible on demand. After searching around the web, I am seeing others specifically with JCW trim 2025+ Minis having the same issue, but there is not one place where everyone is talking about it. Seeing as this seems to be the largest Mini forum online, I will start a thread for it here and if anyone else runs into this issue hopefully they can add their experience to the thread.
The problem
While driving the car above 25mph in a straight line, small micro corrections in steering cause a front-end shake/oscillation that feels like driving over rumble strips. It stops as soon as you meaningfully turn the wheel in either direction. It causes everything to start shaking (steering wheel, pedals, seats, mirrors, etc).
What I have found so far
From my research, it seems not everyone is able to reproduce it in the same manner as mine, but the symptom is the same. People on the FB groups and Reddit mention safety features like lane keep, collision avoidance, etc. This is not that. I have been in touch with a few others with the same issue and the solution for them was having the steering rack replaced.
Possible Solution
So far, the only solution is replacing the steering rack under warranty. Below are a few links to others with the issue, as well as two service receipts from people who had the issue fixed with a steering rack replacement.
From here, I plan to get video of this issue from the interior of the car and possibly have a camera watching the front wheel from outside that I can play in slow motion to see if there's any visible oscillation.
Some updates. Today I drove the car about 70 miles, a mix of backroads and 80+ mph freeway. As we already knew, my oscillations can be triggered by turning the wheel a few degrees to either side and letting it go back to straight while driving in a straight line. Not even enough to make the car react, kinda in the dead zone of the wheel. But today I realized that hitting small sharp road imperfections at higher speeds triggers it.
Some of the times it started oscillating it was bad enough that the car sounded like it was riding on some serious rumble strips, and all the mirrors were very blurry. Turning the wheel either way didn't make it stop so I had to slow down below 10mph for it to stop.
The day I brought the car home I emailed my local Mini dealer and I got an email today from the service guy. He said this:
Good afternoon! This is Robert over at Mini, and I was emailing to see when you wanted to come in to take care of the vibration issue on your Mini. I've seen this before and it should be covered under warranty, and I would recommend reserving a loaner since Mini takes awhile to get back to us on warranty stuff. You can email me here with any questions or when you would like to come in!
So I called him and he immediately told me that this is becoming a known problem with the 2025+ JCW Minis, and that they have already repaired a handful of them including one of their own loaner cars. He stated that so far every time it has been the steering rack. He went on to tell me that he had the aformentioned loaner for a few days and the vibrations are "something else" when they occur. He then said that the part is currently a special order part but they are expecting the part to be made much more easily available as time goes on since the issue is becoming so prevelant.
Finally, he told me that since they already know what the issue is they shouldn't have my car for more than a week and they already have a loaner lined up for me to take upon dropoff.
Of course, I will see if all of this holds true when I actually bring the car in, but so far I am shocked with the response I have gotten to this problem. All of my past dealership experiences have been hell so if they stay true to their word this might be the first positive dealer experience I have ever had.
I have a 2023 JCW Mini Convertible and my experiences with Mini have been excellent. I am sure they will get this resolved 100%. The convertible is such a fun car.
I have a 2023 JCW Mini Convertible and my experiences with Mini have been excellent. I am sure they will get this resolved 100%. The convertible is such a fun car.
That's good to hear, I sure hope it doesn't end up like all my other dealers experiences. My favorite was when I had a 2019 GTI under warranty in for an AC leak. They confirmed it was leaking but because they couldn't find the source of the leak they charged me $200 for their time. I argued if they admit it's leaking and defective and their techs just aren't competent enough to find where it's coming from, I shouldn't have to pay anything.
Brought my car in to mini today and talked with the service manager. He told me that even without looking at it hes pretty sure it's the steering rack as they have seen it on multiple other '25 and '26 cars recently, including one of their own loaner cars. He said that they already have a steering rack on the way for their loaner but my car is priority so they will most likely install it in like when it arrives this week.
In the meantime I have a 4 door cooper S with the JCW appearance pack, but it most certainly doesn't drive like the JCW 😂 although I must admit the smoother ride is kinda nice. I wonder if I can put cooper S springs on the JCW...
Glad to hear it's getting sorted out. As for softening up the suspension, here is a nice easy trick. Lower the air pressure in your tires. They are probably filled to the max and are hard as hockey pucks. Take a look at the recommended pressure inside the door jam and remove five pound or air out of each tire. Lowering the pressure will increase the tire's contact patch allowing it to absorb the bumps better. I also recommend you get an air-pump like this and keep it in your trunk. I do not recommend you change out your suspension....keep it original.
Glad to hear it's getting sorted out. As for softening up the suspension, here is a nice easy trick. Lower the air pressure in your tires. They are probably filled to the max and are hard as hockey pucks. Take a look at the recommended pressure inside the door jam and remove five pound or air out of each tire. Lowering the pressure will increase the tire's contact patch allowing it to absorb the bumps better. I also recommend you get an air-pump like this and keep it in your trunk. I do not recommend you change out your suspension....keep it original. air pump
I appreciate the advice! The tires are all currently at 31psi which is on the low end compared to what mini recommends. On my GTI that had a rough ride I was able to use a tire with a taller sidewall to improve the ride. Any idea how tall of a tire fits in the wheel wells without rubbing?
Received word from mini today. They were able to replicate the issue and are waiting for the warranty department to greenlight the fix. As mentioned, they reiterated that they have had multiple cars come in with this issue including their loaner so getting it approved shouldn't be an issue. The rack for the loaner arrived early so its possible they will install that one and have the car back to me by Friday, otherwise worst case is mid next week. I was also getting lots of squeaks and rattles from the window seals so they cleaned and applied some compound to the seals to help with that. If not I will stick to my plan of using Sonax gummipfleger.
Service advisor contacted me about an hour ago saying that Mini has approved the rack replacement and the car should be done Friday, but potentially Monday depending on how things go. So about a 1 week turnaround time, much better than I was expecting seeing as other people online had their car in for 2-4 weeks while Mini sat around doing nothing.
Update: Let the frustration begin. We have been waiting for the part to arrive (supposedly) and the service advisor just contacted me saying that the original ETA was last Friday, then Monday, and now fedex just says its delayed and there is no ETA. I don't know if I actually believe what hes telling me, but regardless I asked if I can come get the car and just bring it back whenever the part arrives as its been sitting out on their lot for over a week now.
Forgot to update this thread (I have one on the minif66 website too)
Jan 16th:
Unfortunately since my last post we have all just been waiting for the part to arrive. FedEx said it was originally expected last Friday, then it was pushed to Monday. Then there was no ETA and FedEx said it was delayed. Yesterday I got in contact with the parts and service directors to figure out whats going on. Basically I was told that its out of their hands since FedEx is the hold up and it was actually expected Wednesday (2 days ago), however they plan to compensate me in some way for all of the headache which is a nice surprise.
Jan 17th:
Small update: after speaking with mini, I mentioned that at this rate I would rather just bring the car home and come back down the road when the part gets in (or when they are available). Mini told me they can't really release the car to me due to safety concerns from the internal failure of the steering rack. I posed the question, if this is so much of a liability that they would rather have my car sit on their lot for 2+ weeks, why is it not a safety recall? They didn't have much of a response to that. Seems Mini possibly knows this issue is not only becoming more common but is also a concern to safety (maybe down the line it impedes steering function, etc?). Or maybe this dealer's service manager is just extra cautious.
Jan 19th:
Called mini today because I have had enough of the games. So overall it seems like the parts manager is dropping the ball here and causing problems. He is the one responsible for parts acquisition and telling the service department when things are due to arrive. I called him this morning asking him where the part is, he put me on hold for 12 minutes which it usually takes a brief check on the computer. When he comes back he tells me that a replacement was express ordered Friday and it should arrive tomorrow. I thank him and then contact the service manager.
The service manager told me a different story. He said it looks like a replacement was ordered this morning and should be overnight delivered tomorrow. I found this interesting, as it means when I called this morning and the parts manager put me on hold for 12 minutes this is when he was ordering the part. If I look back on all the times I received conflicting information, it was things the parts manager has said that were not true (original ship date, expected delivery dates, etc). He was the one telling me tracking information for the original package when I have received confirmation from the Service manager that the ground shipments do not have any tracking information at all.
As a result, I am fairly certain that this entire thing has been an issue from the beginning due to the parts manager repeatedly dropping the ball and then lying about information he does not have. As you can tell, I am a bit pissed at this point and am drafting a letter to the GM to loop him in on this, at the very least to maybe prevent others from running into the same issue.
I once again suggested I just go get my car, and he outright said they cant release the car to me due to safety concerns of the steering rack locking up. I said if its such a big safety concern, why is this not a safety recall or at least a service bulletin. The service manager used a lot of words to basically say that the recall would be issued by the NHTSA, so maybe there will be one eventually. I thought about how even without an NHTSA recall, Toyota will notify its owners of potential issues and to be careful for the time being (the new Camry Hybrid is an example regarding a loose screw in the hybrid powertrain).
Overall, not so happy with Mini anymore, so I hope this will be the last time I have to deal with them.
I am now going to get in contact with the GM and Mini/BMW of USA, and most likely going to go get my car back today.
Okay so here is the update. As mentioned, yesterday I was told the new part was express overnight shipped and will be here this morning. I was not at all surprised when it wasn't delivered. I called the parts manager and asked him what's going on. He put me on hold for 10 minutes, then came back saying he has Mini USA on the other line to get the tracking number and ETA from them. I was told yesterday they had the tracking already hence why they said with certainty it would arrive this morning. He asked if he could call me back in a little bit with a definitive answer and I said sure, not at all expecting that call back (surprise surprise, he never called back and didn't answer the phone when I called later).
In the meantime, I tried to contact the service manager so I could get my car. His voicemail says he is out of office today and tomorrow, of course. I then try to contact the GM because I am done with all this and he needs to get involved here. No answer, no callback after 7 hours. I contacted Mini of USA and gave them the entire rundown along with a detailed writeup of exactly what's happened. They said the dealers are independently owned so they can't do a whole lot but they will look into it and try to get me a concrete answer as to what is going on.
After all this, I message Robert the service advisor and tell him I would like the car made ready for pickup because I am done. He says the service manager is out today and will be back tomorrow (contrary to what the manager's own voicemail says). The service manager has to be there because supposedly my car is a huge liability to drive and he has to decide if he will even let me pick the car up or not. I'm sure in all the things I signed when dropping it off, one of them allows them to deny me pickup under these circumstances.
I really just want to go use my second key and take my car back regardless of what they say, but that's a fast way to ruin your relationship with the local dealer (not that I ever want to go back there anyway).
Posted Jan 20, 2026:
This is the email I sent to Mini of USA and it contains the full timeline of events up until this point.I recently purchased a 2026 Mini Convertible JCW Iconic and immediately ran into an issue with the car. Long story short, it's becoming a known issue that the steering rack causes vibrations throughout the car in some 2025+ models, and mine suffered from this. I brought my car into Mini of San Diego to get it repaired and have had lots of issues getting things sorted out. Going into this I was extremely hesitant to go to the dealer because every experience I have had in the past with a dealer has been a headache. Often, a job I am told will be done in a few days ends up taking a month. At first it sounded like this was going to be different, but I was very wrong.
Timeline of events:
Thursday Dec 30th, 2025: Purchased the car
Saturday Jan 3rd, 2026: Scheduled the service with Mini of San Diego. Robert (service advisor) told me they have experience with this issue and it's becoming a known problem. It's most likely the steering rack and they have a replacement coming in for their loaner with the same issue, but they can put the replacement on mine so I can get my car back quickly. It was expected to be done by January 9th (that Friday).
Monday Jan 5th, 2026: Dropped off the car, did the paperwork. Robert tells me we are still likely good to use the part that was destined for the loaner.
Wednesday Jan 7th, 2026: Robert tells me the steering rack for the loaner is now due Friday (9th) or Monday (12th) and can have the car done the same day if not the next day.
Wednesday Jan 7th, 2026 - later in the day: Robert says the replacement was approved by Mini and they ordered a steering rack that is 2 days out. I asked what happened to the one for the loaner, he says they already are installing it in the loaner. Only 5 hours passed between our previous correspondence and this one so I don't understand why they couldn't have just held the part for a bit to put it in my car.
Thursday Jan 8th, 2026: Robert tells me parts let him know the part is going to arrive tomorrow (Friday, Jan 9th). He said the car will be ready to pick up Friday afternoon or Monday (Jan 12th) at the latest. I'm disappointed but I understand and am glad I will be getting the car back.
Friday Jan 9th, 2026: I hear nothing, so I message them later in the day and he tells me the rack didn't get there so it will be delivered Saturday (the 10th) or Monday (the 12th). Robert tells me he will let me know when it's delivered Monday and when the car is done.
Monday Jan 12th, 2026: I hear nothing so I message them asking when I should expect to pick the car up, he says the rack didn't arrive yet.
Tuesday Jan 13th, 2026: Robert messages me in the morning and says the FedEx shipment is now delayed and they don't have any ETA or shipping information. I say at this point I would really just like to get my car back and I can bring it in whenever the part arrives. He tells me if I take the car out it "resets" the service clock so they would have to do the whole intake process all over again. I'm starting to get frustrated at this point because I can see how I am going to end up in a corner, so I ask if I leave the car there will it at least be done by the end of the week? Robert tells me he would surely hope it's done by the end of the week (at this point it's getting ridiculous), and if they don't have an ETA today or tomorrow (14th) I will pick up the car, otherwise the car should be done by the end of the week for me. He then says once Fedex gives them an update he will let me know and we can see what options we have.
Wednesday Jan 14th, 2026: I message Robert asking what the plan is since I heard nothing, and he says they don't have any update. He says the rack is in California but it's not moving and no one knows why. He then tells me the service manager doesn't want me to pick up the car because the internal failure of the steering rack is a safety concern (they don't want it to lock up or something). He then tells me they are in contact with someone higher up at Mini and are hoping to hear back from them (from what I gather, they never did).
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Do I need to point out how if it's this big of a concern and it's becoming a known issue, why isn't there a TSB, a message/letter to owners, or a safety recall?
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Thursday Jan 15th, 2026: This is when I start getting confused. I was originally told the part was ordered on Tuesday the 6th and was expected to arrive that Thursday or Friday (8th or 9th). Then we were told there was no tracking info and Fedex had delayed it. I contacted the parts manager directly and he told me the part was ordered on Thursday the 8th and was expected to be delivered yesterday (Tuesday Jan 14th) but it did not arrive. At this point the car has been sitting on the lot for 2 weeks with nothing happening and I am getting very frustrated with the situation, especially since it seems we are now getting conflicting information depending on who I ask (Parts manager, service manager). Robert just relays what he is told, he's not in the wrong here. This is why I started talking to the managers directly.
Monday Jan 19th, 2026: I spoke to Jesus the parts manager, asking for updates. He put me on hold for 15 minutes (usually only a 15 second check on the computer) and then told me a replacement was re-ordered Friday (16th) and should arrive on Tuesday the 20th. I then contacted William the service manager not mentioning anything about this, and he told me it looks like the part was ordered this morning, and it has one day emergency shipping and he is "99% sure the part will be here tomorrow the 20th". He then said the car should be done Thursday, which I find strange because originally, I was told the car will be ready to pick up the same or next day from when the rack arrives (so theoretically the 20th or 21st).
Tuesday Jan 20th, 2026: I loop Robert in on all this correspondence with the managers, he says he will look into it. He then tells me he sees a new one was ordered and they should be able to get updates easier because this time there IS a tracking number. I contact the Parts manager Jesus, he puts me on hold and then says he has a mini rep on the other line to get an ETA and a tracking number (which I was told they already had, the ETA being this morning) and he will have to call me back. He says he sees both the original and the second are on order and have not arrived. I voice my concern about how this sounds just like the situation with the first rack, where I am going to be waiting day by day as they say it might get here the next day.
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As you can see, now I am pretty much looking at picking up the car next week because the part still is not in, and even if the part arrived today, William says the best case would be picking it up Thursday. So, my car that I owned for a few days will have been sitting in a parking lot with nothing being done for almost a month. I am very patient and have given ample time for things to be corrected, but I am at the end of my patience. Every time I suggest picking up the car, I am told the part will be here tomorrow and the car will be done. I am then left with the choice of sitting waiting yet another day like an idiot, or taking the car and potentially resetting the service process.
I plan on going into the dealer and getting my car back. This is absolutely unacceptable and there needs to be accountability. Situations like this are why people dread going to dealerships for service.
Posted Jan 21, 2026: Update: the Service advisor Robert spoke to his boss Will this morning about how I would like to pick the car up today. What a coincidence, now they have an actual tracking number that they shared with me so I could track the part myself. It's expected tomorrow morning. He said that up until this point, every ETA I was given was their best guess and none of them were based off any tracking information. Obviously that's very irritating as that means I've just been lied to this entire time when people tell me the tracking says it will be here on a certain day, which I figured was the case but hearing it said so matter of fact is something else.
Yesterday, Jan 22nd the part was delivered and the tech got to work on it almost immediately. By the end of the day the steering rack was replaced, and all that was left was an alignment and test drive. Car was done this morning, Jan 23rd, around 10am. I went and picked it up around noon.
The steering problem is fixed. Car drives great and there are no more vibrations or looseness coming through the steering and shaking the car apart. I also had complained about a lot of rattling and creaking coming from the passenger side door. They checked it out and found that the door was not set properly, so they adjusted it to fit correctly. Car is substantially quieter.
I am glad this is all done and the car is fixed, but having it sit on the lot for 3 weeks while no one knows what's going on was a huge frustration and kinda killed all my excitement about my new car. I'm sure that's just temporary though. When I dropped the car off it looked like it left a showroom (because it had) but when I picked it up it looked like its been sitting on an active construction site for 2 months. Absolutely covered in dirt and dust. None of the new cars on their lot looked dirty so not sure what that's about. I wouldn't want them washing it anyway, I always detail my own cars. But for someone who is less into this stuff, I could see how this would be a gripe.
When speaking to Mini USA, they were telling me about how they listen to suggestions and surveys and mentioned that they are actually bringing back the manual transmission to the latest generation because how many people wrote to them about it.
Thank you everyone for following along, hopefully one day this thread helps someone else out. I will include all my service documents below.
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