2013 MINI COOPER Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 MINI COOPER S. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE DECELERATED AND THE SERVICE ENGINE INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TURBO NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT CALLED CLASSIC MINI COOPER AT 440-585-9910 (LOCATED AT 2573 SOM CENTER RD, WILLOUGHBY HILLS, OH 44094) WHERE THE TECHNICIAN RECOMMENDED A DIAGNOSTIC TEST. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND REFERRED THE CONTACT BACK TO THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 93,320.

EVEN AFTER AN OIL CHANGE,IN ABOUT TWO OR THREE WEEKS, I HAVE TO ADD OIL TO MY CAR, USUALLY ABOUT 2 QUARTS. THE CHECK OIL SYMBOL ILLUMINATES OFTEN, MY OIL LEVEL IS ALMOST ALWAYS SHOWING EXTREMELY LOW ON THE DIP STICK. I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT MY CAR DOES NOT HAVE ANY LEAKS AND THAT MINI COOPERS JUST BURN A LOT OF OIL AND THIS IS NORMAL. HOWEVER, I FEEL THAT HAVING TO ADD OIL TO MY CAR EVERY TWO OR 3 WEEKS IS NOT NORMAL.

I HAVE A 2013 MINI COOPER ONLY 59K MILES ON IT AND THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I TRIED USING THE OBD MACHINE TO TURN IT OFF BUT IT WON'T TURN OFF. I HAVE P052B AND P013C CODES.CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AND OFF RANDOMLY.

I GET AN ERROR THAT THE SEAT BELT IS DEACTIVATED AND THE THE AIRBAG IS OFF. RAN DIAGNOSTIC AND GOT CODE 93BF. THIS CAR HAS NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT AND THIS HAPPENED ALL OF A SUDDEN ONE MORNING AFTER TURNING ENGINE ON WHEN GOING TO WORK.

2013 MINI COOPER BOTH RIGHT AND LEFT TAIL LIGHT ASSEMBLIES HAVE REQUIRED REPLACEMENT AT THE DEALER DUE TO MELTED PLASTIC ADJACENT TO LIGHT BULB CONTACTS. QUOTING THE DEALER SERVICE RECORD "FOUND LEFT TAG LIGHT BULB OUT AND RIGHT LOWER BRAKE LIGHT MELTED. REPLACED TAG LIGHT BULB AND RIGHT TAIL LIGHT ASSY." THAT SERVICE WAS PERFORMED AT A MINI DEALER IN 2018. THE SAME PROBLEM AND SAME REPAIR WAS PERFORMED AT A DIFFERENT MINI DEALER IN 2017. SIMILAR PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN REPORTED ON THIS WEBSITE (NHTSA VEHICHLE COMPLAINTS), AND THE PROBLEM WAS FAMILIAR TO THE SERVICE PERSONNEL AT BOTH DEALERSHIPS. MINI HAS A STANDARD PRACTICE OF ISSUING "WARRANTY EXTENSIONS" FOR KNOWN "DEFECTS IN MATERIALS OR WORKMANSHIP" WHICH COVER THE EXPENSE (BOTH PARTS AND LABOR) FOR REPLACEMENT AND REPAIR AS NECESSARY, BUT DOES NOT RISE TO THE LEVEL OF A FULL RECALL. MINI ALSO KEEPS DETAILED, NON-PUBLIC, RECORDS TRACKING THE FREQUENCY OF COMMON VEHICLE REPAIRS. I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT THIS ISSUE RECEIVE THE NEXT LEVEL OF INVESTIGATION TO DETERMINE IF EITHER A WARRANTY EXTENSION OR A FULL RECALL IS INDICATED. THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ THIS NOTE.

I TOOK MY CAR IN FOR SERVICING FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND BECAUSE THE PASSENGER AIRBAG WARNING WAS DISPLAYED. TECHNICIAN SAID THE PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY HAS A SENSOR FAULT. NO GUARANTEE THE AIRBAG WOULD INFLATE IN AN ACCIDENT. $1123 PLUS TAX TO REPLACE. IS THERE A RECALL NOTICE ON THIS? IF SO I HAVE NOT SEEN IT. CAN NOT AFFORD TO REPLACE THAT, IT IS A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN. CAN YOU HELP ME WITH THIS IN SOME WAY? SEEMS MANDATORY TO ME THAT MINI COOPER WOULD COVER THIS. MY CAR HAS LESS THAN 35K ON IT MILEAGE. I AM VERY CONCERNED FOR MY PASSENGERS IN FRONT SEAT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 MINI COOPER COUNTRYMAN. AFTER PARKING AND TURNING THE VEHICLE OFF, THE FRONT DRIVER AND PASSENGER DOORS WOULD NOT UNLOCK AND THE DOORS COULD NOT BE OPENED. AFTER MAKING SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO UNLOCK THE DOORS, THE CONTACT HAD TO CLIMB TO THE REAR SEATS TO EXIT THROUGH THE REAR DOOR. THE CONTACT REPLACED A FUSE THAT ENABLED THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE DOOR TO UNLOCK, BUT THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE DOOR REMAINED LOCKED. THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE LOCAL DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 117,000.

THE 2013 COOPER S WE STARTED HAVING ISSUES ABOUT A YEAR AGO, WHERE THE CAR HESITATED TO ACCELERATE, AS IT IS USUALLY DESCRIBED IN THE SERVICE HISTORY. WHAT HAPPENS IN REAL DRIVING SITUATIONS IS THAT WHEN YOU CRUISE AT AROUND 2,000 RPM AND THEN DECIDE TO ACCELERATE THE CAR LOSES THE POWER, COMPLETELY! SO BASICALLY, WHEN YOU'RE ON THE FREEWAY OR ON A TWO-WAY ROAD AND DECIDE TO OVERTAKE ANOTHER VEHICLE, THE MINI WILL NOT ONLY NOT ACCELERATE, BUT JUST COMPLETELY LOSE POWER FOR A SECOND OR TWO. IT IS AN OBVIOUS SAFETY CONCERN. AT THE BEGINNING IT WASN'T TOO FREQUENT, BUT RECENTLY IT STARTED DOING IT ALL THE TIME, DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE MINI SERVICE REPLACED FUEL INJECTORS, PERFORMED SOME CLEANING AND ALSO SUGGESTED TO ME TO USE A FUEL ADDITIVE WITH EACH FUEL UP. NONE OF THOSE THINGS HELPED, THE ISSUES PROGRESSIVELY STARTED TO GET WORSE. IT ALL STARTED WHEN THE ODOMETER WAS SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 75 AND 80 THOUSAND MILES. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT AROUND 97,000 MILES THEREFORE SLOWLY REACHING ITS WARRANTY END (100,000 AND/OR 6 YEARS). DURING MY RECENT SERVICE APPOINTMENT AT MINI OF RENO I INSISTED ON REPAIRING THE PROBLEM. I WAS TOLD THAT AT THIS STAGE MINI OF RENO, NOR MINI USA KNOW HOW TO FIX THIS PROBLEM AND ONLY THING THEY CAN TRY IS ATTEMPT ON CLEANING THE CARBON BUILD-UP, WHICH THEY QUOTED ME $1386,86, MAKING IT CLEAR AT THE SAME TIME, THAT THIS IS JUST AN ATTEMPT AND THEY CANNOT GUARANTEE THAT IT WILL FIX THE PROBLEM. CONTACTING MINI USA YIELDED NO RESULTS, THEY DIDN'T OFFER TO FIX OR REPLACE THE VEHICLE.

64,000 MILES - WINTER 2017 MY 2013 MINI COOPER PACEMAN SALL4 WAS TAKING ON WATER IN THE BOOT- DIDNT KNOW IF IT WAS FROM MELTING SNOW ETC. IN CAR. DRIED OUT. WATER CAME BACK AND FLOODED BACK SEAT FLOOR. BROUGHT TO MINI- THEY TOLD ME I HAD A TAILLIGHT SEAL LEAK WHICH CAUSED WATER TO GET DOWN INTO THE CAR WHICH FRIED A COMPUTER SYSTEM THAT CONTROLLED MY AWD AND OTHER THINGS. AWD IS NOT OPTIONAL WHERE I LIVE. MY WARRANTY HAD JUST ENDED. THE QUOTE FOR THE WORK WAS THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. I CONTACTED MINI CORPORATE THEY OFFERED TO COVER 15% OF THE BILL. I DENIED THAT AND CLAIMED IT ON MY INSURANCE WHICH NOW SHOWS NEGATIVELY AGAINST MY CAR. I DIDNT EVEN KNOW A TAILLIGHT SEAL COULD LEAK? THEN TO HAVE A COMPUTER GET FRIED AS A RESULT OF IT. THIS IS A MINI DEFECT, I SHOULD NOT HAVE HAD TO PAY FOR IT. NOT TO MENTION MY CAR WAS IN THE SHOP FOR SEVERAL WEEKS OF REPAIR. THEY HAD TO COMPLETELY TAKE THE CAR APART TO DRY EVERYTHING OUT, ORDER PARTS AND REPLACE IT ALL.

I BOUGHT MY MINI BRAND NEW IN 2013. I TOOK IT TO BE SERVICED REGULARLY AT CREVIER MINI AND I TOOK IT EVERY TIME I HAD A SERVICE LIGHT COME ON, WHICH WAS MULTIPLE TIMES IN THE FIRST COUPLE YEARS. THE WARRANTY LASTED UNTIL JUNE 2017. IN NOVEMBER 2017, I NOTICED A MUSTY SMELL COMING FROM THE AIR VENTS, AND NOTICED LIQUID WAS LEAKING FROM MY CAR. I TOWED MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND MINI TECHS FOUND THAT MY THERMOSTAT HOUSING FAILED AND LEAKED, AND THE HEAD GASKET WAS NOT PROPERLY SEALED WHICH CAUSED MY CAR TO LEAK COOLANT. MINI USA HELPED WITH THE COST OF MY REPAIR TO MY CAR WHICH ONLY HAD 37,000 MILES ON IT BECAUSE OF ITS LOW MILEAGE, FOR WHICH I WAS VERY GRATEFUL. NOW, IN AUGUST 2018, I NOTICED THAT THE RADIATOR FAN WHICH IS DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO THE THERMOSTAT WAS NOT TURNING (THE FAN WAS STILL FUNCTIONING WHEN CONNECTED TO POWER). I TOOK IT TO GET SERVICED AND MINI TECHS FOUND THAT MY ENGINE HAD OVERHEATED TO THE POINT OF BEING CRITICALLY DAMAGED. THERE WAS COOLANT FOUND IN THE SPARK PLUGS WHICH MEANS MOST LIKELY THAT THE HEAD GASKET LEAKED. WHEN I ASKED IF THIS COULD HAVE BEEN RELATED TO THE PRIOR REPAIR, I WAS TOLD IT IS DIFFICULT TO PINPOINT THE EXACT REASON THIS HAPPENED. HOWEVER, THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN AN INDICATOR LIGHT TO PREVENT THIS TYPE OF CRITICAL PROBLEM BEFORE IT IS IRREVERSIBLE AND CAN'T BE FIXED, BUT THERE WAS NOT. THE ENTIRE ENGINE HAS TO BE REPLACED FOR A SERVICE CHARGE OF AROUND $7500. THIS IS WORTH MORE THAN THE CAR ITSELF. WHAT I LEARNED IS THAT EVEN IF YOU DO EVERYTHING RIGHT, BY THE BOOK, AND PER RECOMMENDATION FROM MINI, YOUR CAR CAN STILL FAIL AND DIE WITHIN 5 YEARS- RIGHT AFTER THE COMPANY WARRANTY WEARS OFF. THIS HAS SHAKEN MY FAITH WITH THE MINI COMPANY. FOR NO REASON SHOULD A CAR HAVE FAILED AFTER BEING DRIVEN FOR AROUND 40,000 MILES WHILE RECEIVING SERVICE FROM THE DEALERSHIP ITSELF.