2011 MINI COOPER Complaints

The contact owns a 2011 Mini Cooper. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer stated that the air bag mat sensor on the passenger’s side needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted or notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 148,000.

Left brake light continues to blow out with a loud pop through the speakers. Instrument at parts store shows ABS warning but not on dash. Bulb has been replaced approximately 5 times and continues to blow out after a day or two. No one can seem to find the problem.

The passenger seat occupancy detection module and program failed. The red airbag and seatbelt lights went on. According to the dealership, the default setting is that the airbag will not go off if the module is broken. A Google search suggests that this is a common problem; so much so that there is an electronic gadget you can buy and videos on YouTube on how to install it to do a "workaround" to get the light to go off without fixing the module.

Car shows signs of passenger seat occupancy sensor recall. Mini acknowledges the recall has not been performed. Mini expanded recall to 10 years from date of service but because previous owner didn't get recall done I cannot. This is a known issue with these cars and should not have an expiration date! Dealer I purchased car from used says that because recall isn't listed here then they aren't liable to fix it...

At about 6:40AM on September 23, 2022, the 2011 Mini Clubman car caught on fire. The car was parked in the driveway, locked with everything off, key removed and unoccupied. It was last driven the evening of September 22nd. About 6:40AM the interior behind the steering wheel and dashboard erupted into flames. The car filled with smoke and flames. The fire burned for about 5 -10 minutes and self extinguished. Just prior to the fire the headlights were reported to be on. After the fire, the windshield wipers were operating with no way to turn them off. At a reasonable time after the flames were no longer visible (10-15min), the driver's door was opened by the emergency key to vent the smoke. Upon inspection, the area around the left footwell near the driver's door was heavily charred with insulation burned off all wiring and co-located electrical devices. The hood release latch was melted. The air vent to the left of the steering wheel was missing and all the ductwork to that vent was missing. There was a large deformation and hole in the dashboard above and slightly to the right of the steering wheel and the windshield was cracked about 2-3 inches above the dashboard. It appears that electrical components and wiring inside the dashboard were also engulphed in flames but no detailed inspection of the damage occurred. Significant smoke damage occurred to the entire interior. The local fire department was called and they were able to open the hood and disconnect the battery which stopped the windshield wipers. The car was a stock car with no modifications. Reasonably maintained by professionals. The odometer reading before the fire was approximately 103,000 miles. No problems were noted prior to the incident. Insurance has considered the car a total loss and unrepairable. In general it is assumed by the writer that Mini's or any other car should not experience electrical fires when unoccupied, all devices are off, no key is present. Kindly investigate.

I had several repairs recently that I found that were part of a recall after the fact. This includes the Electric Auxilillary Water Pump and Timing Chair replacement and repair of damaged parts. They refused to reimburse me for the water pump repair that should have been covered. Secondly, when the timing chain fails as it did in my case can cause $2000- $5000+ in damages. My shop is stating this would be a very expensive repair. There is information that the timing chain warranty was extended because of a class action lawsuit and is now covered up to 100,000 miles. I am well within that range. My goal is to get compensation for the recall work and coverage for the timing chain.

During driving failure of the shift cable linkage was disconnected When investigated, the joint between the cable and the transmission shifter was disconnected due to a failure of the bushing on the cable side This caused a situation where the car was stuck in a single gear and not possible to be shifted into neutral or another gear

The contact owns a 2011 Mini Cooper S Countryman. The contact stated while parked there was white smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the battery and CS module needed to be replaced. The contact stated that an unknown warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 79,000.

The lighting and small system computer or FRM module. This module controls any features including safety features on the car. Also known as the footwell module. After having AAA install a new battery within days the widows would not go down my turn signals, hazard lights, dash lights, courtesy lights, tail lights, horn, high beam headlights and possibly airbags don’t work. Mini will fix the problem if the car is ten years old or less, but any car that is older doesn’t qualify. Mini goes by Manufacturing date of the car. My but It was not sold into service until 2011. They refuse to fix it and the repair cost was $1828.24. I have had other problems as well. Mini needs to acknowledge this problem issue a recall and refund those of us that have been victimized by not making this a recall issue. Mini must be confronted by NHTSA put on notice, considering these are major safety issues that could result in injury or death. Part number= FP 61-35-6-827-072

The lighting and small system computer or FRM module. This module controls any features including safety features on the car. My turn signals, hazard lights, dash lights, courtesy lights, tail lights, windows, horn, high beam headlights and possibly airbags don’t work. Mini will fix the problem if the car is ten years old or less, but any car that is older doesn’t qualify. My car is a 2011 but I bought it new in 2012. They refuse to fix it and the repair cost is around $2000. I have had so many other problems with my car that have cost me several thousands of dollars and I feel like Mini should fix this problem considering these are safety features that could result in injury or death.