2007 MINI COOPER Complaints

PROBLEM 1: CLUTCH/TRANSMISSION FAILED AT 50,000 JUST AFTER WARRANTY. UNABLE TO SHIFT ON HIGHWAY, HAD TO STAY IN LOW GEAR. TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED. IT FAILED A SECOND TIME, WAS REPLACED AT ABOUT 80,000. I BELIEVE IT IS FAILING AGAIN AS THE CLUTCH IS SLIPPING IN 1ST AND 2ND GEARS; MINI COOPER SAYS THEY NOTE NO PROBLEM. PROBLEM 2: TIMING CHAIN. PARKED, MY CAR WOULD NOT START EASILY; STARTED ON 3RD TRY. MY CAR STALLED, STOPPED ON THE HIGHWAY AS I WAS SLOWING DOWN DUE TO TRAFFIC. RESTARTED AND CONTINUED. NO ENGINE LIGHT. DRIVING TO MINI SERVICE, CAR STALLED COMING IN; HAD TO COAST IN. FOUND TO BE TIMING CHAIN, VALVETRONIC ECCENTRIC SHAFT, PERHAPS PARTS FALLING INTO OIL PAN. $2800 IN REPAIRS. WHEN I ASKED ABOUT LAW SUITS OR RECALLS OVER THE LAST 3 YEARS BECAUSE I'VE HAD MAJOR PERFORMANCE ISSUES, MINI COOPER STATED NO KNOWN SUITS EVEN THOUGH THERE WERE. I FIND THAT THERE HAVE BEEN SUITS, AND I "MISSED THE WINDOW" FOR THE TIMING CHAIN.

PASSENGER SEAT MAT SENSOR ON 2007 MINI COOPER FAULTED. THERE WAS A RECALL ON BMW AND MINI COOPERS EXCEPT FOR THIS BASE MODEL. DEALER SAID IT WOULD BE $1800. TO FIX I WOULD THINK THE PARTS FOR THIS CAR ARE THE SAME. SHOULD BE RECALLED.

PASSENGER SEAT MAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR/PAD HAS GONE BAD AGAIN AFTER THE RECALL.*DT SAFETY RECALL REPORT XXX-XXX 'PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).' *JB

I HAVE BEEN DRIVING MINI S 2007 FOR MORE THAN A YEAR WITH NO SERIOUS ISSUES OTHER THAN ONE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ISSUE, WHICH WAS RESOLVED SIMPLY BY A MECHANIC CHECK AT BMW SERVICE CENTER. ON SUNDAY EVENING MAY 26, 2019, AS I WAS PLANNING TO GO OUT, I OBSERVED THE STEERING ALERT SIGN ON. I TRIED RESTARTING AND SHUTTING OFF ENGINE MULTIPLE TIMES THINKING IT MAY BE AN ELECTRONIC ABERRATION WHICH MAY BE KICKED AWAY BY BRUTE FORCE OF RESTARTING THE IGNITION. AFTER 30-45 MINUTES OF THIS FRUITLESS EXERCISE, I TURNED MY ATTENTION ONLINE WHERE I FOUND NUMEROUS AUTO BLOGS OF STARTING THE CAR WITH JUMPERS BATTERY TO REPLACING POWER STEERING FLUID. SINCE MINI SERVICE WAS CLOSED, I HAD TO SEEK HELP FROM MY INSURANCE COMPANY. THEY SENT A PERSON AFTER TWO HOURS TO USE JUMPERS, BUT THAT DID NOT HELP EITHER. WE WERE ABLE TO CHECK THE POWER STEERING FLUID , AND THAT WAS ALSO FULL TO THE MARK. ON FURTHER RESEARCH ONLINE, I DISCOVERED TO MY UTTER DISAPPOINTMENT THAT MINI COOPERS HAVE BEEN PLAGUED WITH POWER STEERING ISSUES DUE TO INHERENT FLAW OF PLACEMENT AND DESIGN OF POWER STEERING PUMP. IT IS VERY WELL DOCUMENTED ACROSS REPUTED CAR JOURNALS/MAGAZINES THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURE WILL DEFINITELY HAPPEN IN MINI COOPERS, AND THE ONLY VARIABLE IS THE TIME. I WAS THOROUGHLY CRESTFALLEN GIVEN I HAD PLACED SO MUCH TRUST IN THE BRAND AND THE QUALITY OF MINI COOPER. THE PURPOSE OF THIS COMPLAINT IS TWO PRONGED- ONE IS OBVIOUSLY TO HIGHLIGHT THE PROBLEM ONCE AGAIN AND MAKING SURE MINI ENGINEERS SOLVE THIS PROBLEM IN THEIR ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESSES. SECOND- IS TO REQUEST TO HAVE THE POWER STEERING ISSUE FIXED IN MY CAR BY MINI. GIVEN THAT THE ISSUE HAS BASIS IN THE INHERENT FLAW OF THE DESIGN, I BELIEVE MINI COOPER WILL WAIVE OFF THE COST OF SERVICES AND PARTS TO GET THIS ISSUE FIXED. THIS IS NOT USUAL WEAR AND TEAR WHOSE COSTS SHOULD BE BORNE BY THE CUSTOMER.

THE TURBOCHARGER HAD TO BE REPLACED, NEW TURBO GOT HOT AND MELTED THE VALVE COVER. THEN THE TURBOCHARGER CAUGHT FIRE WHILE IN MOTION IN A RURAL NEIGHBORHOOD. ALL WITHIN 6 MONTHS.

TO THE RIGHT OF MY GAS PEDAL IN MY CAR GETS SUPER HOT! IT REACHES OVER 207 FAHRENHEIT DEGREES. IT GETS WORSE WHEN I USE MY AC. WHEN I WEAR MY FLIP FLOPS IT BURNS MY TOES.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO BE DRIVEN AND WAS TOWED TO BRAMAN MINI OF PALM BEACH (2815 OKEECHOBEE BLVD, WEST PALM BEACH, FL 33409, (561) 257-4774). THE DEALER INDICATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER SERVICE CAMPAIGN WAS ONLY TO ADDRESS REPLACING THE TIMING CHAIN AND THAT THE REPLACEMENT OF THE ENGINE ASSEMBLY WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE MANUFACTURER'S GUIDELINES OF THE SERVICE CAMPAIGN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT WAS WAITING FOR A RESPONSE FROM THE MANUFACTURER TO DETERMINE IF THEY COULD APPROVE THE DEALER REPLACING THE TIMING CHAIN AND THE ENGINE ASSEMBLY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

MY VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY @ BRAMAN BMW WPB (5612423210) FOR A TIMING CHAIN PROBLEM WHICH WAS UNDER RECALL. THE SERVICE ADVISOR CALLED ME AND NOTIFIED ME THAT THE TIMING CHAIN BROKE INSIDE THE ENGINE & COMPLETELY DESTROYED THE MOTOR. TE TIMING CHAIN JOB ALONE ESTIMATE IS $3800, BUT THEYVE NOTIFIED ME THAT THE ENGINE IS UNREPAIRABLE & MUST BE REPLACED! THEY ALSO FAILED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS HAPPEN WHILST DRIVING ON AN INTERSTATE, ALMOST CAUSING A HUGE ACCIDENT!! PLEASE HELP!! MINI APPARENTLY CARES MORE ABOUT MONEY THAN LIVES!!

TAKATA RECALL, I HAVE A 2007 MINI COOPER THAT ONLY HAS 84000 MILES AND HAVE HAD TO HAVE THE TIME CHAIN REPLACE 4 TIMES. THE REPAIR GARAGE IS TELLING ME THAT MINI KEEPS UPDATING THE KITS FOR EVERY REPAIR. THE TIME CHAIN WAS REPLACED IN 2009, 2012,2016,2018. ONCE THING THEY DID TELL ME THAT I DON'T KEEP ENOUGH OIL IN THE CAR, BUT IF THE OIL LIGHT DOESN'T COME ON HOW AM I TO KNOW THIS. I DON'T HAVE $2000.00 TO $2500.00 EVERY COUPLE OF YEARS TO KEEP GETTING THE CAR REPAIRED. SO I'M THINKING ABOUT GETTING READ OF THE CAR. HAS ANYONE ELSE HAD THIS PROBLEM.

THE SEATS' HEATING ELEMENTS HAD BEEN REPLACED DUE TO A RECALL APPROXIMATELY 2 YEARS AGO. THIS MONTH I BROUGHT THE CAR TO ND FROM TX AND WE USED THE HEATED SEATS HERE. THE SEATS' WERE VERY HOT. TODAY I NOTICED THREE BURN HOLES IN THE BACK OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT WHERE IT CONTACTS THE DRIVER'S BACK.