2012 MINI COOPER Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2012 MINI COOPER S COUNTRYMAN. AFTER DRIVING FOR APPROXIMATELY FOUR HOURS, THE CONTACT PARKED THE VEHICLE AND BLACK SMOKE APPEARED UNDER THE HOOD. THE CONTACT EXITED THE VEHICLE AND CALLED 911. THE POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS ARRIVED AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. A POLICE REPORT AND A FIRE REPORT WERE FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND TOWED TO AN IMPOUND FACILITY. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 84,000. *LN*JB*PM*JB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MINI COOPER S CLUBMAN. WHILE THE CONTACT'S DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING AND CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP, THE VEHICLE BEGAN MAKING HISSING AND POPPING SOUNDS. AFTERWARDS, THE ENGINE FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S HOME AND THEN TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THAT THERE WAS A BLOWN HEAD GASKET, A FRACTURED AIR FLOW SENSOR, AND SEVERAL OTHER FAILURES. CENTURY MINI (2930 LAURENS RD, GREENVILLE, SC 29607, (800) 430-0508) WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND PROVIDED A REPAIR COST ESTIMATE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BY ANOTHER INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 62,000. *DT THE FREEZE CAP BLEW FOR SOME MYSTERIOUS REASON.*JB

THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY DETECTOR SENSOR FAULTS WHICH WERE COVERED IN RECALLS ON EARLIER MODELS ARE STILL A PROBLEM, YET NO LONGER COVERED FOR REPAIR. THIS SENSOR CONTROLS AIRBAG INFLATION DURING ACCIDENTS

CLUTCH SLIPPING, TAKING A LOT OF RPMS TO GET MOVING, LOT OF CHATTER ACCELERATING AROUND CORNERS (LIKE MAKING A TURN FROM OUT OF A DEAD STOP). STALLED OUT AT BUSY INTERSECTIONS, AND AT TRAFFIC SIGNALS ON HILLS, NEARLY CAUSING A FEW ACCIDENTS. BACKING UP INTO DRIVEWAY, JUST TRYING TO GET OVER THE CURB SLOPE WAS ENOUGH TO CAUSE A BURNING SMELL FROM THE CLUTCH. RESEARCH SHOWS THAT THE CLUTCH IN THIS MAKE/MODEL YEAR SUBJECT TO PREMATURE AND EXCESSIVE WEAR (ONLY 7 YRS AND 40K MILES ON THIS VEHICLE - BY CONTRAST, I ALSO DRIVE A VW 10 YEARS OLDER WITH TWICE THE MILEAGE, CLUTCH STILL WORKING PERFECTLY). REPAIR TECH REPORT STATES CLUTCH WORN DOWN TO THE RIVETS, FLYWHEEL HEAVILY SCORED - VEHICLE HAS NO HISTORY OF RACING OR EVEN HEAVY USE, IS ONLY A DAILY DRIVER ON A SHORT (3 MI.) COMMUTE.

WHILE MOVING IN TRAFFIC AND ACCELERATING, THE FUEL PUMP CUT OUT AND THE ENGINE DIED, FORCING THE DRIVER TO MANEUVER IN TRAFFIC (COASTING) EVENTUALLY COMING TO STOP IN A LEFT HAND TURN LANE WHICH WAS THEN BLOCKED WITH THE DEAD VEHICLE. THOUGH THE VEHICLE WAS UNDAMAGED, THE POSSIBILITY OF A COLLISION EXISTED. RESEARCH INDICATES THAT MINIS FROM 2010-EARLY 2012 HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS, RESULTING IN MINI USA EXTENDING THE WARRANTY ON THE FUEL PUMP TO 10 YEARS/ 120,000 MILES. VEHICLES PRODUCED ON OR AFTER 3/1/2012 (INCLUDING MINE) WERE FITTED WITH DIFFERENT EQUIPMENT. NO RECALL WAS CONDUCTED. MY CAR HAD 25,000 MILES ON IT WHEN THE FUEL PUMP FAILED.

THE WATER PUMP IN THE CAR FAILED WITHOUT WARNING OR CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMING ON, CAUSING IMMEDIATE OVERHEATING AND THE HEAD GASKET ON THE ENGINE TO BLOW. MINI REFUSED TO FIX THE CAR, AS THEY SAID IT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY, DESPITE THE FAULTY WATER PUMP BEING THE CAUSE OF THE OVERHEATING.

THE PASSENGER SEAT AIR BAG SENSOR MAT IS FAULTY. THIS ISSUE WAS LISTED AS A RECALL ON PREVIOUS MODELS OF MINI COOPERS FROM NHTSA.

THE VEHICLE STARTS INTERMITTENTLY. THE IMMOBILIZER OF THE VEHICLE DOES NOT DETECT THE PRESENCE OF THEY KEY FOB IN THE SLOT AND THEREFORE WONT START THE VEHICLE. THESE EVENTS HAPPEN INTERMITTENTLY. ONE INSTANCE WAS IN A GASOLINE STATION. I STOP THE ENGINE AND REFUELED. WHEN IT WAS OVER I COULDNT GET THE CAR TO START BECAUSE THER WAS NO RESPONSE FROM THE CAR. I TRIED TO INSERT/EJECT THE KEY FOB IN ITS SLOT AND AFTER COUNTELESS AND MORE THAN THIRTY MINUTES WAS ABLE TO GET IT STARTED. ONE TIME , I WENT GROCERY SHOPPPING AND WHEN I WAS DONE WHEN BACK TO THE CAR AND IT WOULDN'T START. KNOWING THAT THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING , I DID THE INSERT/EJECT OF KEY FOB IN ITS SLOT COUNTLESS NUMBER OF TIMES. I DID THIS FOR OVER AN HOUR BEFORE I GOT A RESPONSE FROM THE CAR AND GET IT STARTED. MY WIFE IS AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS CAR BECAUSE SHE MAY GET STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. IF THERE IS A MEDICAL EMERGENCY AND THIS IS THE ONLY CAR AVAILABLE, IT WOULD BE BETTER OFF TO JUST WAIT FOR THE AMBULANCE THAN ATTEMPT TO BRING THE PERSON NEEDING MEDICAL ATTENTION TO THE HOSPITAL IN THIS CAR BECAUSE YOU MAY GET STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. ANY ROAD TRIP THAT WILL GET YOU 100 MILES AWAY FROM YOUR PLACE OR DRIVING AT NIGHT IS A SAFETY RISK BECAUSE YOU MAY RUN OUT OF FUEL AND REFUEL AT A REMOTE GASOLINE STATION BUT THEN YOU CANT GET THE CAR TO START AGAIN.

I HAD JUST EXITED ONTO THE HIGHWAY AND HAD NOT EVEN MADE IT TO THE NEXT EXIT RAMP, WHEN MY SUNROOF EXPLODED. IT SOUNDED AS IF A GUN SHOT HAD GONE OFF IN MY CAR. WE WERE HIT WITH SHARDS OF GLASS AS THE GLASS DID NOT SHATTER INTO SMALL PIECES. GLASS PIECES WERE 1+ INCHES LONG AND 1+ INCHES WIDE. WE HAD NO VEHICLES NEXT TO US. WE DID NOT FIND ANY DEBRIS IN THE CAR OR ON THE ROOF OF THE CAR EXCEPT FOR SHATTERED GLASS.

IT'S SOMETHING GOING ON WITH THE ENGINE AND THE ENGINE COOLING SYSTEM AND WITH ALOT OF STUFF WITH THIS CAR I GET ONE THING FIX IN TWO MORE THINGS GO WRONG WITH IT JUST HAVING SO MANY PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE.