2006 MINI COOPER Complaints

WHILE DRIVING TO WORK ON HWY 270 GOING SOUTH BETWEEN MANCHESTER RD AND DOUGHERTY FERRY RD IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC SOMETIME BETWEEN 4:30 AND 5:30 PM MY 06 MINI COOPER CONVERTIBLE WAS REVVING UP AS I PRESS THE ACCELERATOR BUT YET BARELY MOVING. RIGHT BEFORE THE DOUGHERTY FERRY EXIT IT "KICKED" INTO GEAR AND BEGAN DRIVING AT ABOUT 40-50MPH. I THOUGHT I MAY HAVE ACCIDENTALLY HIT THE GEAR SHIFTER AND PUT IT INTO SPORT DRIVE BUT WHEN I LOOKED THE GEAR WAS STILL IN DRIVE. SO AS I WAS TRAVELING TO WORK IN ARNOLD, MO THE TRANSMISSION WOULD REV UP AND THEN "KICK" INTO GEAR. WHEN I GOT TO WORK I EXPLAINED TO A CO-WORKER (INITIAL "J.R.") WHAT HAPPEN WHILE I WAS DRIVING AND WE WENT OUT ON OUR BREAK TO TAKE A LOOK AND SEE IF I NEEDED TRANSMISSION FLUID. WE WERE UNABLE TO FIND THE TRANSMISSION DIPSTICK SO ON MY LAPTOP I TRIED LOOKING IT UP TO SEE WHERE IT WAS LOCATED. WE LEARNED THAT'S THERE'S A PLUG UNDERNEATH BUT THE TRANSMISSION IS "SEALED FOR LIFE" MEANING IT SHOULDN'T REALLY HAVE ANY LEAKS. SO I CALLED HOME TO LET MY WIFE TO LET HER KNOW THAT I WAS GOING TO TRY AND MAKE IT HOME IN THE MORNING WHEN I GOT OFF AT 6AM. AFTER DRIVING UP TO HWY 270 AND MANCHESTER GOING NORTH AT ABOUT 630AM TRAVELING AT ABOUT 40 MPH ON 4/4/13 THE CAR BEGIN REVVING UP AGAIN WHENEVER I PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR. SO RATHER THAN GO HOME I HEADED STRAIGHT FOR THE MINI OF ST. LOUIS DEALERSHIP. I GOT TO THE DEALERSHIP BEFORE THEY OPENED AND DIDN'T HAVE AN APPOINTMENT SO THEY STATED THEY WOULD TRY AND SQUEEZE ME IN. SO I WENT TO DRIVE THE CAR UP TO THE ENTRANCE TO THE SERVICE BAY AND THE CAR WAS "BUCKING AND JERKING" AND BARELY MOVING. UPON TALKING TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT MINI I WAS INFORMED THAT I NEEDED A TRANSMISSION AND IT WAS $8K BUT IF I WANTED TO THEY COULD GET ME INTO ANOTHER MINI RIGHT AWAY. ON APRIL 9TH MY WIFE PURCHASED A NEW 2013 FORD FIESTA IN PLACE OF THE MINI. *TR

FROM MY RESEARCH, THE 2006 MINI HAS A FAULTY PASSENGER OCCUPANCY SENSOR IN THE PASSENGER SEAT BOTTOM REQUIRING A REPLACEMENT AT A COST OF OVER $1000. SINCE 2006 WAS THE FIRST YEAR FOR THIS REQUIREMENT, I BELIEVE THEY DID NOT PROPERLY TEST THE DEVICE BEFORE RELEASING THEM INTO PRODUCTION AS I HAVE RESEARCHED AND READ ON MANY FAILURES OF THIS DEVICE. I CANNOT DETERMINE CONCLUSIVELY IF THE AIRBAG WILL OR WILL NOT DEPLOY IN THIS SITUATION AND MINI WILL BE LIABLE IN A SITUATION IF IT DOES NOT DEPLOY THE AIRBAG PROPERLY WITH A PASSENGER SEATED. THIS IS A SITUATION THAT NEEDS TO BE REMEDIED THROUGH A RECALL. MINI EXTENDED THEIR AIRBAG SYSTEM WARRANTY ON THE 2002 - 2005 MODELS TO 10 YEARS OR 150,000 MILES AND SHOULD DO THE SAME FOR THE 2006+ MODELS. *TR

AIR BAG LIGHT WENT ON FOR NO REASON, IT IS DUE TO A FAULTY SENSOR THAT MINI IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT REFUSES TO CORRECT. I DON'T HAVE 1700 DOLLARS TO REPLACE PASSENGER SEAT - SO ALL PASSENGERS WILL BE AT RISK WHEN I DRIVE, AS THE AIR BAG WON'T DEPLOY OR WILL DEPLOY AT FULL FORCE. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT 70MPH IN FAR LEFT LANE AND THE CAR JUST SHUT OFF. THE BRAKE AND STEERING WHEEL GOT STIFF AND WOULD NOT WORK RIGHT. THE AREA OF THE FREEWAY WAS CROWDED DUE TO CONSTRUCTION AND IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO GET TO THE SIDE. THE CAR BEHIND ME WAS ENTIRELY TO CLOSE AND IM SURPRISED I WAS NOT HIT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED. THE STEERING WHEEL THEN BECAME TIGHT AND BECAME DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO DEALER BUT DID NOT DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT THEN TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL MECHANIC. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE STEERING PUMP AND PUMP COOLING FAN WAS DEFECTIVE. THE MECHANIC REPLACED BOTH THE STEERING PUMP AND PUMP COOLING FAN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 52,000.

MY CAR IS A 07/2006 MINI COOPER WITH ONLY 22,900 MILES AS OF 06/2013. WHEN SOMEONE IS SEATED IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, THE PASSENGER AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT AND THE PASSENGER AIRBAG DISABLED LIGHT ARE INTERMITTENTLY ILLUMINATED. THE MINI DEALERSHIP SAID THAT THE FAULT CODES INDICATE AN ISSUE WITH THE PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR--WHICH SHOULD BE REPLACED. THE COST CITED FOR THAT OPERATION WAS $900. THE DEALERSHIP SPECULATED THAT, DESPITE THE INDICATOR LIGHTS, THE PASSENGER AIRBAG SHOULD STILL DEPLOY IF THE PASSENGER WAS WEARING HIS SEAT BELT. HOWEVER, WHEN BMW, MANUFACTURER OF MINI, ANNOUNCED A RECALL IN NORTH AMERICA OF FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG SEAT SENSOR MATS INVOLVING APPROXIMATELY 200,000 MODEL YEAR 2004-06 BMWS, AFFECTED OWNERS WERE WARNED THAT THEY SHOULD CONTACT THEIR DEALER "IF THE AIR BAG WARNING LAMP AND THE PASSENGER AIR BAG 'ON-OFF' LAMP ARE ILLUMINATED SIMULTANEOUSLY." IN THAT SITUATION, BMW RECOMMENDED THAT CUSTOMERS NOT USE THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT AND HAVE THE VEHICLE SERVICED IMMEDIATELY, WARNING THAT "A POSSIBLE DEFECT MAY KEEP THE FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG FROM OPENING IN A CRASH." THUS, IT SEEMS EVIDENT THAT FAULTY SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSORS SHOULD BE REGARDED AS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE. YET, DESPITE THE FACT THAT THERE ARE NUMEROUS, WELL DOCUMENTED PROBLEMS WITH THE SENSORS IN THE MINI, BMW HAS NEITHER EXTENDED THE WARRANTY TO FINANCIALLY COMPENSATE OWNERS FOR AN OBVIOUS MANUFACTURER DEFECT, NOR ISSUED A RECALL. THE NHTSA SHOULD COMPEL BMW TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF MINI PASSENGERS. *TR

FROM MY RESEARCH, THE 2006 MINI HAS A FAULTY PASSENGER OCCUPANCY SENSOR IN THE PASSENGER SEAT BOTTOM REQUIRING A REPLACEMENT AT A COST OF OVER $1000. SINCE 2006 WAS THE FIRST YEAR FOR THIS REQUIREMENT, I BELIEVE THEY DID NOT PROPERLY TEST THE DEVICE BEFORE RELEASING THEM INTO PRODUCTION AS I HAVE RESEARCHED AND READ ON MANY FAILURES OF THIS DEVICE. I CANNOT DETERMINE CONCLUSIVELY IF THE AIRBAG WILL OR WILL NOT DEPLOY IN THIS SITUATION AND MINI WILL BE LIABLE IN A SITUATION IF IT DOES NOT DEPLOY THE AIRBAG PROPERLY WITH A PASSENGER SEATED. THIS IS A SITUATION THAT NEEDS TO BE REMEDIED THROUGH A RECALL. MINI EXTENDED THEIR AIRBAG SYSTEM WARRANTY ON THE 2002 - 2005 MODELS TO 10 YEARS OR 150,000 MILES AND SHOULD DO THE SAME FOR THE 2006+ MODELS. *TR

DRIVING ON ROAD WENT TO TURN ,AND STEERING LOSS ALMOST CAUSED ACCIDENT.L *TR ## VIN FAILED ##

AIR BAG LIGHT ABOVE REAR VIEW MIRROR ILLUMINATES WHEN A PASSENGER IS SEATED. I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS AND FOUND MANY OTHERS HAVING THE SAME ISSUE, BUT HAVE NOT DISCOVERED A RECALL OR ANY INFORMATION TO MAKE THE NECESSARY REPAIRS. SEEMS IT SHOULD BE FIXED AS THEY DID WITH THE 2002 MODEL, COVERING THE REPAIR TO 10 YEARS OR 150,000 MILES. *TR

I HAVE AN '06 MINI COOPER AND NEVER HAD ANY ENGINE/TRANSMISSION ISSUES PRIOR TO TODAY. ALL SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE WAS DONE BY THE MINI DEALER. TODAY LEAVING TO GO TO WORK, I STARTED THE CAR, PUT MY SEAT BELT ON, CHECKED THE MIRRORS, ROLLED DOWN THE WINDOWS, PUT THE CAR GEAR IN "D" AND STARTED MOVING FORWARD OUT A PARKING LOT, AND AFTER A FEW SECONDS WHILE DRIVING, THE CAR LOST ALL ACCELERATION AND CAME TO A STOP. THEN THE CAR WON'T REVERSE NOR MOVE FORWARD WHILE IN ANY GEAR. TOWED TO THE DEALER AND LATER WAS TOLD IT'S THE CVT TRANSMISSION AND IT WILL COST THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO REPLACE THE CVT TRANSMISSION. *TR