2009 MINI COOPER Complaints

AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT COMES ON WHILE DRIVING. BMW NORTH AMERICA HAD ISSUED A RECALL FOR THE 2005 - 2008 MODELS, BUT NOT AFFECTED 2009 (2008 PRODUCTION DATE) MODELS. PERSISTENT OIL LEAKS FROM AND AROUND OIL FILTER HOUSING AND TURBO OIL LINES. OIL LEAKS DIRECTLY ON EXHAUST MANIFOLD DOWN PIPE, POTENTIALLY STARTING A FIRE, HASN'T YET, BUT THERE HAS BEEN PLENTY OF SMOKE AND IN ONE INSTANCE, A SMALL FLARE-UP WHEN OIL DRIPPED ON THE PIPE AS THE CAR WAS IDLING IN THE GARAGE AFTER A SHORT TRIP. *TR

AIR BAG NOT ACTIVE / NO PASSENGER LIGHT STAYS ON EVEN WHEN A PASSENGER IS IN THE SEAT. IT WILL RANDOMLY TURN ON AND OFF. SAME COMPLAINT AS THE 2008 RECALL. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MINI COOPER. WHILE STARTING THE VEHICLE, THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE PASSENGER SEAT MAT SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 58,000. UPDATED 6/3/15*CN UPDATED 06/30/15*JB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MINI COOPER. WHILE STARTING THE VEHICLE, THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE SENSOR IN THE SEAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MINI COOPER S. WHILE DRIVING AT 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 113,000.....UPDATED 07/22/15 *BF UPDATED 10/06/2017*CN

I WAS DRIVING ON THE ROAD, AND SUDDENLY I SAW THE CAR START TO STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD,AND I SAW THE SMOKE COMING OUT OF ENGINE .THE DIAGNOSTIC WAS THE ENGINE TOTALLY IS COLLAPSING,AND NEED NEW ENGINE. *TR

TIMING CHAIN, WENT ,,THE DEALER SAID IT WAS THE SELF ADJUSTING TIMING CHAIN, IF IT SELF ADJUSTS THERE MUST BE A MANUFACTURE DEFECT,,LOOKED ON LINE AND FROM 2007-2009 500,000 CAR HAD THE SAME PROBLEM THE COST TO FIX IS $2200 DEALER SAID NOT WORTH FIXING AND SENT ME TO LOOK AT A NEW CAR. *TR

A FEW WEEKS AFTER I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE, I NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A NOISE WHEN STARTING THE ENGINE COLD. THIS "RATTLING" NOISE WOULD CONTINUE UNTIL THE ENGINE HEATED UP & GO AWAY. I TOOK THE CAR IN THEY CHANGED THE OIL & TOLD ME THAT THE COOLANT WAS LOW. HE ASKED IF THE CAR WAS OVERHEATING WHICH IT WAS NOT. HE TOLD ME TO KEEP A CLOSE EYE TO SEE IF THE CAR OVERHEATS. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT TO TAKE THE CAR TO A LOCAL MECHANIC JUST TO BE SAFE. A FEW DAYS LATER, DRIVING 65MPH ON THE FREEWAY I NOTICED SMOKE COMING OUT OF MY EXHAUST & THE HOOD, CLOSER TO THE WINDSHIELD NOT THE FRONT BY THE RADIATOR. SMOKE STARTED COMING FROM THE VENTS AND SMELLED "RUBBERY". THE THERMOSTAT SYMBOL APPEARED & THEN THE OIL LIGHT. I TOOK IT TO CARMAX WHO SAID "SRY, NO EXTENDED WARRANTY, NO HELP". I TOOK IT TO THE LOCAL MECHANIC. HE TOLD ME INITIALLY THAT THE THERMOSTAT WAS BLOWN AND THERE WAS A MATERIAL FAILURE OF THE HOUSING (IT WAS CRACKED), HE REPLACED ALL THE PIPES FROM THE COOLANT: $482. THE MECHANIC CALLED & SAID THAT HE COULD NOT "BURP" THE VEHICLE & THAT IT MADE A WEIRD SOUND SO THEY HAVE TO "BLEED IT OVERNIGHT". THIS DID NOT SOLVE THE ISSUE SO THEY HAD TO TAKE THE ENGINE APART & FIND THE PROBLEM. THE HEAD CASKET WAS BLOWN & QUOTED ME A REPAIR BILL OF $5000+ .THE OWNER OF THE SHOP CALLED BMW AND ASKED IF THEY COULD DO A "GOOD FAITH" REPLACEMENT WHICH THEY SAID THEY WOULD DO IF THE CAR HAD LESS THAN 80,000 MILES ON IT... MINE HAD 85,000 MILES ON IT... FROM WHAT I AM READING ON THE COMPLAINT BOARD, THIS IS A VERY COMMON ISSUE!! AS A RN IF THERE IS A FAILURE IN ANY PRODUCT WE IMPLANT IN PATIENTS, THERE IS AN IMMEDIATE RECALL, SO WHY, WHEN BMW CLEARLY KNOWS THIS IS AN ISSUE DO THEY WAIT FOR HARD-WORKING PEOPLE LIKE ME TO BE PUT IN THIS HORRIBLE SITUATION!!! I HOPE THAT BMW STEPS UP AN HONOR IT'S "GOOD FAITH" BEYOND 80,000 MILES AND REPLACE THE CAR. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MINI COOPER. WHILE MAKING A RIGHT TURN AT APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS, THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE RESTARTED AND RESUMED NORMAL OPERATION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

I HAVE BEEN GETTING THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT (IN RED) COMING ON WHILE DRIVING THE CAR STARTED IN FEBRUARY, 2015. I'VE TOLD THAT MINI/BMW IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE, BUT IS NOT MAKING ANY MOVEMENT ON ESTABLISHING A SAFETY RECALL ON AFFECTED CARS. WARNING LIGHT COMES ON REGARDLESS OF HOW MANY PASSENGERS ARE IN THE VEHICLE. SOMETIMES THE LIGHT COMES ON AND STAYS ON, OTHER TIMES IT CYCLES THROUGH ON-OFF, WITH THE AUDIBLE WARNING, SEVERAL TIMES A MINUTE. *TR