2012 MINI COOPER Complaints

UPON ENTERING AN EXIT ONLY LINE ON THE HIGHWAY AT THE END OF A 400 MILE JOURNEY, TRAFFIC BACKED UP AND CAME TO A STOP IN THE EXIT ONLY LANE. WHEN TRAFFIC STARTED MOVING AGAIN, MY CAR WHICH HAS A MANUAL TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT FROM NEUTRAL INTO 1ST GEAR (OR ANY GEAR). I WAS STOPPED AND UNABLE TO MOVE WITH TRAFFIC MOVING 50-60 MPH BEHIND ME AND NEXT TO ME. CARS SLAMMED ON BRAKES TO AVOID HITTING ME AND ONE ALMOST HIT ME AFTER SLAMMING ON ITS BREAKS AND TURNING SIDEWAYS. IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST TERRIFYING EXPERIENCES I HAVE EVER ENCOUNTERED. A STATE POLICE OFFICE PULLED UP BEHIND ME AFTER ABOUT 5-10 MINUTES AND WAS ABLE TO PUSH ME TO THE BREAKDOWN LANE. THERE WAS A TERRIBLE BURNING SMELL AND CONSIDERABLE SMOKE FROM UNDER THE CAR WHICH INDICATED A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE CLUTCH. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO AN AUTO REPAIR SHOP WHERE I LATER LEARNED THE CLUTCH MATERIAL HAD DISINTEGRATED ENTIRELY AND THE FLYWHEEL WAS CRAZED AND BURNED FROM THE EXTREME HEAT. BOTH THE CLUTCH AND FLYWHEEL HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE COST TO REPAIR THE CAR WAS OVER $4000. THE CAR HAD 78,067 MILES ON IT AND PRIOR TO THE CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE CLUTCH THERE WERE ONLY 2 INDICATIONS OF A POTENTIAL CLUTCH PROBLEM WHEN THE TACHOMETER FLUTTERED WHEN SHIFTING INTO HEAR AT ABOUT 300 MILES PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT AND THEN ABOUT 25 MILES PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT, INDICATING TO ME THAT THE CLUTCH WAS STARTING TO SLIP. OTHER THAN THAT, THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS OR OTHER INDICATIONS OF A PROBLEM. THE CAR IS ROUTINELY SERVICED BY THE DEALER AND WHENEVER THERE IS ANY INDICATION OF A PROBLEM. I DO NOT DRIVE CARS HARD. THIS CAR IS STILL ON ITS FIRST SET OF BRAKES AND ONLY ITS SECOND SET OF TIRES. I HAVE DRIVEN MANUAL SHIFT CARS FOR MANY YEARS AND KNOW THE SYMPTOMS OF A FAILING CLUTCH. I CONSIDER THE NEAR CATASTROPHE THAT I EXPERIENCED THE RESULT OF A MAJOR DEFECT IN EITHER THE CLUTCH OR THE WARNING MECHANISM.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2012 MINI COOPER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO THE PRECEDING VEHICLE AFTER IT STOPPED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS MERGED INTO A PARKING LOT, WHERE THE CONTACT NOTICED SOME MINOR DAMAGE TO THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE AND SMOKE APPEARED UNDER THE HOOD AS A FIRE STARTED. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 66,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. CAUSE: HEATING FAULT CODE IN DIAGNOSIS(THERMOSTAT ACTIVATION). THERMOSTAT, HOUSING , AND ADAPTER REPLACED. REMOVED AND REPLACED COOLANT, CHECKED COOLING SYSTEM FOR LEAKS. 06/17/2015 CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS COME ON AGAIN, AND AFTER TAKING TO DEALERSHIP IT APPEARS TO BE THE THERMOSTAT AGAIN.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THERE WAS A HISSING NOISE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHO STATED THAT IT WAS DUE TO SALT AND SHOULD GO AWAY OVER TIME. HOWEVER, THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ANOTHER DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN BUT THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 18,954.

ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON SO I WENT IN FOR A DIAGNOSTIC. I LIVE 2.5 HOURS FROM A MINI SERVICE CENTER. THE DIAGNOSTIC AT AUTOZONE JUST LISTED A BUNCH OF MISFIRES AND NOTHING ELSE. THAT EXPLAINED THE HARSH SOUNDING START AND SPUTTERING. AS DAYS HAVE GONE BY, CAR WILL LOSE POWER IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC, STRUGGLE UP HILLS, FAIL TO MAINTAIN SPEED LIMIT, AND STRUGGLE TO START IN THE MORNING. ALL THESE EVENTS HAVE OCCURRED LESS THAN A MONTH AFTER BEING SERVICED AT SEATTLE MINI. I'M SURE I'M UNDER WARRANTY, BUT I'M NOT HAPPY ABOUT HAVING TO DRIVE 2.5 HOURS IF I CAN MAKE IT THERE, FOR SOMETHING THEY SEEM TO HAVE BEEN HAVING COMPLAINTS ABOUT. *TR

IN WEATHER BELOW ZERO F WHEN THE CAR IS LEFT OUTSIDE FOR OVER 8 HOURS THE ENGINE SOMETIMES STARTS IN "LIMP" MODE AND DOES NOT ALLOW FULL POWER UNTIL FULLY WARMED UP. THIS CAN TAKE OVER 10 MILES OF DRIVING, IDLING ALONE DOES NOT WARM UP THE ENGINE VERY QUICKLY IN BELOW ZERO WEATHER AND LIMP MODE. THE DANGER IS THAT LIMP MODE IS VERY LIMITED TO ENGINE POWER AND ONE BECOMES A HAZARD TO OTHERS WHEN SHARING THE ROAD. IN THE CLIMATE I LIVE IN THIS OCCURS A FEW TIMES A WINTER. THE DEALERSHIP HAS NOT COME UP WITH A SOLUTION. MY 2007 MODEL WAS RETRO FITTED WITH A REVISED INTAKE AND THAT RESOLVED THE ISSUE, BUT NO SUCH FIX HAS BEEN OFFERED. *TR

STARTED CAR, RED SERVICE ICON ON DASH ALTERNATING WITH DRIVER DOOR OPEN ICON. THIS WAS A LOSS OF INTERIOR LIGHTS, SIGNAL LIGHTS, BRAKE LIGHTS, HAZARD LIGHTS, WINDOW UP/DOWN CONTROLS, AND DOOR LOCK FUNCTIONS. CAR OTHERWISE OPERATED NORMALLY. THIS MALFUNCTION REQUIRES DEALER ONLY REPAIR. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE HAVING MAINTENANCE PERFORMED, THE CONTACT WAS NOTIFIED THAT THREE OF THE FOUR TIRE RIMS WERE CRACKED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE THE THREE TIRE RIMS WERE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 44,342. DATED 01/23/15*LJ UPDATED 9/7/2017*CN

OUR 2012 MINI COOPER COUNTRYMAN WAS PARKED IN PARKING GARAGE. WITHIN MINUTES OF SHUTTING IT OFF THE ENGINE CAUGHT ON FIRE WHICH SPREAD QUICKLY. THE CAR WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED. OTHER CARS NEXT TO IT WERE AFFECTED AND THE FLOOR OF THE PARKING GARAGE WAS CLOSED DUE TO DAMAGES. THIS IS VERY SERIOUS AND DANGEROUS. *TR

RIGHT AND LEFT SEATBELT A JAMMED. WILL NOT RELEASE. THIS WAS REPAIRED AND THIS HAPPENED AGAIN ON MAY 14, 2014. *TR