2009 MINI COOPER Complaints

AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT FLASHING ON INTERMITTENTLY DURING OPERATION OF VEHICAL AND PASSENGER AIR BAG OVERHEAD STATUS LIGHT COMING ON SAYING AIR BAG IS DEACTIVATED WHILE AN ADULT PASSENGER IS SITTING IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. THIS HAPPENS BOTH WHEN VEHICLE IS MOVING AND STOPPED. PROBLEM IS ONGOING.

AIRBAG OCCUPANCY LIGHT STAYS ON WHEN PASSENGER IS NO LONGER IN CAR, SOMETIMES OCCUPANCY LIGHT GOES ON AND TURNS BACK OFF WHILE PASSENGER IS SITTING IN CAR AND DRIVING AT SPEED. MINI/BMW CLAIMS THAT THE 2009 HARDTOPS ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THEIR RECENT RECALL FOR EARLIER MODELS, BUT THE PROBLEM OBVIOUS STILL EXISTS. REALLY DANGEROUS TO HAVE PASSENGERS IN THE CAR!

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MINI COOPER. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY AND BECAME WORSE OVER TIME. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE AIR BAG MODULE FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 58,000.

I WAS DRIVING ON A CITY HIGHWAY WHEN THE SMOKE STARTED POURING FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND THE CAR STALLED WITHOUT ANY WARNING, OR SIGNAL LIGHTS APPEARING ON THE CONTROL. I WAS ABLE TO PULL THE CAR OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD BEFORE THE ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING. I STOOD BACK, WATER FOR THE SMOKE TO CLEAR, AND TRIED TO RESTART BUT THE ENGINE WAS DEAD. I CALLED MY TOWING SERVICE AND HAD IT DELIVERED TO MY SERVICE GARAGE, MINI OF MAIN LINE, 130 MONTGOMERY AVENUE, BALA CYNWYD, PA. NO WARNING LIGHT EVER APPEARED, AND I WAS COMPLETELY UNAWARE OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING TO THE CAR. THE GARAGE REPAIR ESTIMATE STATES THAT THE "WATER PUMP AND THERMOSTAT" FAILED. MY MINI COOPER MODEL IS NOT LISTED UNDER RECALL #12V008000, BUT THE CONSEQUENCE OF WHAT HAPPENED TO MY CAR IS EXACTLY THE SAME AS THAT DESCRIBED IN THE RECALL NOTICE: THE ELECTRIC AUXILIARY WATER PUMP FAILED CAUSING THE ELECTRONIC CIRCUIT BOARD TO MALFUNCTION AND OVERHEAT.

AT 89,044 MILES MY 2009 MINI COOPER, PURCHASED FROM VISTA MINI SUFFERED A CATASTROPHIC COOLANT LOSS DUE TO A CRACKED THERMOSTAT HOUSING, AND AS A DIRECT RESULT THE VEHICLE SEVERELY OVERHEATED IRREPARABLY DAMAGING THE ENGINE. I WAS DRIVING ALONG THE TURNPIKE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WHEN THE WARNING INDICATOR LIGHT FOR THE ENGINE TEMPERATURE CAME ON, AND BEFORE I COULD SAFELY PULL THE VEHICLE OVER THE VEHICLE RAPIDLY SLOWED TO A VERITABLE CRAWL (ALLOWING ME JUST ENOUGH TIME TO GET IT OFF THE ROAD). THE VEHICLE WAS ULTIMATELY TOWED TO A MINI DEALER FOR INSPECTION, BUT THEY DETERMINED THAT IT WOULD NEED TO HAVE THE ENTIRE ENGINE REPLACED. WHICH WOULD BE A RATHER COSTLY REPAIR, REQUIRING AN OUTLAY OF FUNDS FAR GREATER THAN THE VEHICLE'S VALUE. THEREBY SUBSTANTIALLY DECREASING THE LIKELIHOOD OF COMPLETING THE REQUIRED REPAIRS. I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE BELIEVING IT TO BE A QUALITY PRODUCT, AND ONE CAPABLE OF BEING DRIVEN FOR MANY YEARS TO COME. HOWEVER, THE EXPERIENCE I SUFFERED SEVERELY SHOOK MY CONFIDENCE IN THE PRODUCT, SO I BEGAN TO DO MY OWN RESEARCH ON THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. IT TURNS OUT THAT NOT ONLY MINI ENGINES, BUT ALSO THOSE MANUFACTURED BY BMW, SHARE A SIMILAR DEFECT, IN THAT THEY BOTH ARE PRONE TO THE THERMOSTAT HOUSINGS CRACKING AND CAUSING RAPID COOLANT LOSS. COUPLE THAT WITH THE WELL DOCUMENTED CRITICISM OF THE LOCATION OF THE COOLANT SENSOR IN THE ENGINE, AND YOU HAVE CREATED THE PERFECT NUCLEUS FOR GENERATING A CATACLYSMIC MELTDOWN OF THE ENGINE THAT LIES SECRETLY HIBERNATING WITHIN THE PRODUCT LINE. THEREFORE, I DO NOT FEEL THAT IT IS FAIR FOR ME TO HAVE TO BEAR THE BURDENSOME COST OF REPAIR FOR A PROBLEM THAT IS ENDEMIC TO THE PRODUCT LINE AS A WHOLE.

THE CAR ENGINE STOPPED DEAD IN THE MIDDLE OF A STATE HIGHWAY WHILE GOING AT CRUISING SPEED OF 35MPH ON THE RIGHT MOST LATE, AND WITH ENGINE DEAD POWER STEERING BECAME UNRESPONSIVE AND BECAME IMPOSSIBLE TO STEER THE CAR TO THE SIDE. THE CAR WAS LITERALLY DEAD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY, WE HAD KIDS ON BOARD AND FOR A SMALL CAR, WE WERE REALLY THAT LUCKY PASSING CARS WERE ABLE TO SPOT US AND AVOID HITTING US. WHEN WE TOOK TOWED IT TO THE SHOP, THE ISSUE WAS THAT THE TIMING CHAIN HAD SNAPPED AND ALSO CRACKED THE ENGINE TOP COVER ON THE LEFT SIDE. ON SEARCHING THE INTERNET IT LOOKS LIKE THIS IS THE "TIMING CHAIN, TENSIONER ISSUES" THAT BMW/MINI IS ALREADY AWARE OF HOWEVER THEY HAVE NOT YET DONE A RECALL. THERE WAS ALMOST NO WAY OF TELLING THERE WAS THIS PROBLEM BREWING WITH THE VEHICLE. ALTHOUGH NOW IN RETROSPECT THERE WERE A FEW TELL-TALE SIGNS, WHEN IT WAS COLD, WE HAD HEARD A RATTLE SOUND, WHICH WENT AWAY IMMEDIATELY. ALSO THE SAME DAY THE CAR ENGINE STOPPED WHEN STANDING AT A SIGNAL, BUT STARTED UP AGAIN. NOW WE REALIZE THAT THESE SIGNS WERE RELATED TO THE PROBLEM THAT OTHER USERS HAD COMPLAINED TOO BEFORE THE TIMING CHAIN BROKE.

I HAVE A MINI COOPER S 2009, WITH ONLY 50,000 MILES IN IT ,AND ALREADY ITS FAILING THE GUIDE AND SUPPORT RAIL THE HOLDS THE TIMING CHAIN, THOSE SUPPORTS ARE MADE OF PLASTIC WHICH I BELIEVE IT SHOULD BE SOME KIND OF METAL INSTEAD,WHEN THE SUPPORT GUIDES BREAKS THE CHAIN COMES OUT OF PLACE CRASHING THE ENGINE, WELL THE IS ECSACTLY WHAT HAPPEN TO ME , WHEN I WAS DRIVING IN THE FREEWAY, I HAD TO STOP AND GET MY CAR TOWED, BUT LUCKY ME I WASN'T IN THE MIDDLE OF FREWAY WHICH IT COULD CAUSE A BIG ACCIDENT, MAYBE DEATH. MOST OF CAR MAKERS LIKE HONDA HAS A MILES LIMIT FOR TIMING BELT REPLACEMENT, MINI COOPER S DONT, ITS BASE ON HOW MUCH YOU DRIVE IT ,THATS WHAT DEALER SAID. BOTTON LINE MINI USA SHOULD REPLACE THOSE PLASTIC PARTS FOR SOMETHING MORE DURABLE SPECIALLY IF ITS GOING TO MAKE YOUR CAR STOP ALL OF OF SUDDEN.

IN ONLY 8 MONTHS OF OWNING MY MINI: RATTLING AT A COLD START AND DURING SLOW DRIVING, THEN BEGAN MAKING A HESITATING, JERK TYPE MOVEMENT WHEN I ACCELERATED, THEN BEGAN MAKING A LOUDER NOISE. NO INDICATOR LIGHTS EVER CAME ON AND THERE WAS NEVER ANY INDICATION OF ANY TYPE OF LEAK (NO LIGHTS, NO FLUID ON THE GROUND, ALL FLUID CHECKS INDICATED PROPER LEVELS). NO MAINTENANCE WAS DUE. 41,817 MILES ON IT WHEN I PURCHASED IT, I PUT UNDER 4,000 MILES ON IT SINCE, ONLY DRIVE 20 MINUTES DAILY TO WORK AND BACK. TIMING BELT TENSIONER FAILURE AND GUIDES, PARTS FELL INTO OIL PAN AND OIL LEAKING. COST ME OUT OF POCKET $3,000 IN REPAIRS SINCE THE EXTENDED WARRANTY I BOUGHT FROM 'WARRANTY SOLUTIONS' REFUSED TO PAY, CLAIMING IT WAS NEGLIGENCE ON MY PART. 'WARRANTY SOLUTIONS' IS A SCAM TOO, BUT THAT IS A WHOLE OTHER COMPLAINT BY ITSELF. THE TURBO HEAT SHEILD WAS ALSO MISSING ON MY CAR. MINI DEALERSHIP IS HORRIBLE, SO BACKED UP, WAITED A WEEK JUST TO FIND OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS AND THEN WOULD HAVE HAD TO WAIT ANOTHER WEEK FOR REPAIRS. HAD REPAIRS DONE IN 2 DAYS AT AN INDEPENDENT SHOP. A CALL TO MINI FINDS THEY DO NOT ACKNOWLEDGE ANY DEFECTIVE TIMING BELT SYSTEM EVEN THOUGH THIS HAS HAPPENED TO NUMEROUS OTHER MINI OWNERS. MINI IS WELL AWARE OF THIS DEFECT, YET THEY ARE NOT ISSUING A RECALL. THERE IS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST THEM FOR THIS. WE ALL NEED TO BE REIMBURSED.

I TOOK MY CAR INTO THE AUTO SHOP FOR ROUTINE OIL CHANGE AND TO CHECK THE AIR BAG LIGHT SINCE IT CAME ON AT 56,000 MILES. I FIGURED IT WAS AN ERROR AND JUST NEEDED TO BE RESET, AFTER A DIAGNOSTIC WAS DONE I WAS TOLD I WOULD NEED TO PAY $1,100 FOR A AIR BAG MAT SENSOR FRONT SEAT PART THAT'S CURRENTLY ON BACK ORDER IN GERMANY AND I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO BUY ONE TILL APRIL 2016. THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS. ONE, IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD AND SOMEBODY CAN DIE. TWO I CANNOT SEE MY SPEEDOMOTER WHEN I AM DRIVING SO I NO LONGER KNOW HOW FAST I AM GOING. I AM VERY UPSET WHE NI EXPRESSED THIS CONCERN TO MINI COOPER CORPORATE CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY DIDN'T SEEM TO CARE AND TOLD ME THE 2009 IS NOT PART OF THE 2008 AIR BAG RECALLS. ARE YOU SERIOUS? THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. I NEVER EXPECTED THIS FROM BMW/MINI. THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL ON THIS BEFORE THERE IS SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH!

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MINI COOPER. WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG LIGHT REMAINED ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES WHEN A PASSENGER OCCUPIED THE SEAT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 29,000.