2008 MINI COOPER Complaints

I HAVE CONTACTED MINI USA OVER THE PAST 3 YEARS ON OUR PASSENGER SEAT BELT WARNING COMING ON AND NOT GOING OFF. I HAVE RESEARCHED AND FOUND THAT MULTIPLE MINI OWNERS FROM 2006 ON UP AND BMW OWNERS HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. IN 2006 MINI DID A RECALL AND ALSO DID A RECALL ON THE BMW MODELS BUT ARE NOW PLAYING GAMES AND HAVE OFFERED TO DROP THE 1600 FEE TO 800 DOLLARS. I'M UPSET TO THINK THAT THEY FEEL MY SAFETY IS NOT THEIR CONCERN. *TR

LEADING UP TO INCIDENT CAR WASN'T SHIFTING SMOOTHLY AND WOULD BECOME STUCK I THIRD GEAR WITH YELLOW GEAR LIGHT WITH EXCLAMATION ILLUMINATED. IF YOU STOP AND TURN ENGINE OFF THEN START AGAIN THE LIGHT TURNS OFF AND CAR DRIVES NORMAL. YESTERDAY THE CAR SLAMMED INTO PARK WHILE DRIVING 25MPH. GEAR SELECTOR WAS IN DRIVE THE WHOLE TIME. YELLOW GEAR LIGHT CAME ON WITH EXCLAMATION MARK AND TRIP COMPUTER SAID CRUISE CONTROL MALFUNCTION. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ALSO CAME ON. CAR WOULD NOT START. HAD TO BE TOWED. *TR

AIR BAG MALFUNCTION LIGHT WENT ON AND STAYED ON. IT DID GO OFF WHEN A PASSENGER SAT IN THE SEAT. SENSOR SWITCH HAD TO BE REPLACED, A COSTLY JOB. SEAT WAS REPLACED. THE ONLY WAY I RECOGNIZED THE ERROR WAS WHEN THERE WAS NO PASSENGER. I FEEL THAT IF I ALWAYS DROVE WITH A PASSENGER I WOULD NOT HAVE KNOWN OF THE MALFUNCTION. THIS PROBLEM IS NOT UNKNOWN TO THE MANUFACTURER AS IT HAS BEEN DISCUSSED ON WEBSITES AND WHEN MENTIONED TO NON MINI REPAIR SHOPS, THEY WERE AWARE OF IT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MINI COOPER S. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, SMOKE APPEARED FROM THE VEHICLE AND THE SERVICE ENGINE, COOLANT, AND OIL WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE STALLED AND WAS ABLE TO BE RESTARTED AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT COOLANT WAS ADDED ON TWO OCCASIONS, BUT THE COOLANT INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ONE WEEK LATER. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE THERMOSTAT, WATER PUMP, AND ENGINE WERE MELTED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 12V008000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 57,000.

FAILURE OF FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANT DETECTION MAT. THE SAME BMW SEAT OCCUPANCY DETECTION MAT (OC3) THAT WAS REFERRED TO IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 08V-384 HAS BEEN FAILING IN MINI COOPERS ON A WIDE SCALE. THIS CAUSES THE AIRBAG TO BE DEACTIVATED WHICH IS A SAFETY HAZARD WHEN OCCUPANTS OCCUPY THE SEAT AND ARE INVOLVED IN A CRASH WHERE THE AIRBAG'S ACTIVATION COULD PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN SURVIVABILITY. I BELIEVE THE INVESTIGATION SHOULD INCLUDE OTHER BMW CORPORATE MAKES AND MODELS, SUCH AS MINI, WHICH INVOLVE THE SAME SEAT SENSOR. *TR

THE PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY LIGHT LIT UP IN 2 PLACES ON DASH INFORMATION-THERE WAS NO OCCUPANT IN THE SEAT. RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE @ MINI COOPER WEB SITES INDICATES THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND HAS PERSISTED FOR AT LEAST 10 YEARS. IT IS AN EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE REPAIR (USUALLY BETWEEN $1600 & $2600) AS THE OCCUPANCY SENSOR (FOR AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT) IS SEWN INTO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEAT & THE REPAIR CALLS FOR THE BOTTOM COVER OF THE SEAT TO BE REPLACES WITH A NEW SENSOR PRE-SEWN IN. THE SITES OFFER "EMULATOR" KITS WHICH TRICKS THE SENSOR-BUT WILL PROHIBIT AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT IN MANY CASES. THE KITS SELL FOR APPROXIMATELY $79.00. THIS IS A REAL SAFETY DANGER. *TR

THE DEALER INFORMED ME MY OIL FEED LINES TO THE TURBO WERE LEAKING AND WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED SOON. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH FOUND THE COUPLINGS THAT ATTACHES THESE LINES TO THE TURBO ARE DEFECTIVE. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS ISSUE. THE DEALER SAYS THERE IS NOT A RECALL AND WILL COST APPROX: $1500.00. THE DEALER INSTALLED A TURBO SHIELD TO HELP WITH THE HEAT THAT IS CAUSING THE LINE TO PREMATURELY FAIL. WITH SO MANY EFFECTIVE SHOULDN'T MINI BE FIXING THIS ISSUE. *TR

WE STARTED OUR 2008 MINI CLUBMAN S IN A PARKING LOT AND IT IMMEDIATELY INDICATED A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT (CEL) FOR 'LIMP' MODE. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION, THE UPPER GUIDE RAIL FOR THE TIMING CHAIN HAD SHATTERED. THE ODBII CODES WERE P0300, RANDOM MIS-FIRE, P0301 MIS-FIRE CYLINDER 1, P0303 MIS-FIRE CYLINDER 3 AND P1492, DOWNSTREAM THROTTLE AIR LEAK. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON FREEWAY AND CAR JUST STALLED. I MADE IT TO SIDE OF FREEWAY. IT WAS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION BEING ON FREEWAY IN SMALL CAR THAT STALLED. LUCKILY, I WAS DRIVING IN THE FAR RIGHT LANE SO I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT TO THE SHOULDER. REPAIR SHOP ADVISED THAT TIMING CHAIN BROKE. THERE WAS ADDITIONAL SERIOUS COLLATERAL ENGINE DAMAGE DUE TO TIMING CHAIN BREAKING. CAR IS PERFECTLY MAINTAINED AND REGULARLY SERVICED. *TR

AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT WENT OFF EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT. NO ONE WAS SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, AND I (THE DRIVER), HAD MY BELT ON. I TRIED BUCKLING THE PASSENGER BELT, BUT THE LIGHT REMAINED ON. I THINK THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE I DO NOT KNOW IF THE AIRBAG IS DEFECTIVE, OR WHETHER THERE IS A SENSOR PROBLEM, AND THE SEAT BELT AND AIRBAGS FOR THE PASSENGER ARE OPERABLE. THERE APPEAR TO BE A LOT OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT FALSE AIRBAG LIGHTS, ILLUMINATING. *TR