2008 MINI COOPER S Complaints

TAKATA RECALL: MY 2008 MINI COOPER S HARDTOP BEGAN EXPERIENCING ISSUES WITH THE "PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF" LIGHT STAYING LITE WHETHER OR NOT A PASSENGER IS IN THE CAR. ON APRIL 28, 2016, I TOOK MY CAR TO A MINI COOPER DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THE ISSUE DIAGNOSED (AT A COST OF $53.95). THE DIAGNOSIS STATES "FAULT PASSENGER SIDE SEAT MAT SENSOR" (INVOICE COPY ATTACHED). I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY MY VEHICLE THAT MEETS THE CRITERIA FOR THE APRIL 2015 AIR-BAG RECALL EXCEPT IT IS A HARDTOP INSTEAD OF A CONVERTIBLE IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. TO FIX THIS ITEM WILL BE OVER 1300. MY CAR ONLY HAS 14,000 MILES ON IT. DUE TO THE COST, AT THIS POINT I DO NOT PLAN ON HAVING IT FIXED AND WILL SAY MY PRAYERS EVERY TIME I TRAVEL WITH A PASSENGER IN THE VEHICLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2008 MINI COOPER S. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, AN ABNORMAL NOISE WAS HEARD AND THE CONTACT NOTICED THICK, GREY SMOKE COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. THE OIL WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT OPENED THE HOOD AND NOTICED FLAMES IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. A POLICE REPORT AND A FIRE REPORT WERE FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 12V008000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 85,777.

I OWN A 2008 MINI COOPER S AND IT HAS 62000 MILES ON IT. AS MANY OTHER MINI OWNERS, I HAVE " RATTLE NOISE" ISSUE WHEN COLD START AND POPPED UP "ENGINE OIL PRESSURE TOO LOW" WARNING YESTERDAY WHEN DROVE HOME ON CITY STREET. THIS VEHICLE HAS HAD THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER/GUIDE CHANGED ONCE BEFORE AT 18,942 BY A MINI DEALER.

THE SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR MALFUNCTIONS. THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG MAY NOT DEPLOY EVEN IF THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT IS OCCUPIED. THE AIRBAG LIGHT SOMETIMES STAYS ON, WHILE SOMETIMES GOES AWAY. MINI HAS RECALLED SEVERAL CARS FOR SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR MAT FAULT BUT MY CAR ISN'T ON THE LIST. THE LIGHT STAYS ON WHEN VEHICLE IS STATIONARY AND ALSO WHILE RUNNING. I'M UNABLE TO USE THE PASSENGER SEAT FOR SAFETY CONCERN. THE AIRBAG LIGHT GOES AWAY ON ITS OWN AS WELL BUT TURNS BACK ON WITHIN A FEW MILES.

PASSENGERS AIR BAG APPEARS OFF WHEN SOMEONE ARE SEAT. THIS EVOLVE A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE IN CASE OF ACCIDENT.

DRIVERS FOOT WELL GETS SO HOT THAT YOU CAN NOT TOUCH THE PLASTIC BY THE ACCELERATOR AND YOUR FOOT STARTS COOKING AFTER 20 MINUTES OR SO.

ENGINE RATTLE UPON STARTUP. NEXT THING I KNOW IS THE TIMING CHAIN GUIDES BROKE AND THE VALVES BENT. THOUSANDS IN REPAIR AND MINI WON'T COVER A THING.

AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ON. PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF DESPITE SOMEONE SITTING IN THAT SEAT

AS MANY OTHERS HAVE POSTED HERE, MY ENGINE BEGAN RATTLING LOUDLY WHEN I WOULD START IT UP. TO ALLEVIATE THIS, I WOULD TOP OFF THE OIL AND GET FREQUENT OIL CHANGES, IN FACT, MORE OFTEN THAN MINI/BMW SUGGESTED IT SHOULD GET AN OIL CHANGE. THIS WOULD USUALLY TAKE CARE OF THE RATTLE. ONE NIGHT, THE ENGINE RATTLE KEPT INCREASING AND SUDDENLY THE CAR STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY STREET JUST 20 FEET FROM RAILROAD TRACKS WITHOUT ANY WARNING LIGHTS OR INDICATIONS WHATSOEVER. I HAD IT TOWED TO A NEARBY MECHANICS SHOP I TRUST (NOT THE DEALERSHIP). THE TIMING CHAIN HAD BROKEN AND BENT THE VALVES AND I'M IN THE PROCESS OF HAVING A NEW ENGINE PUT IN (WITH THE SAME FAULTY TIMING CHAIN) TO THE TUNE OF $6,500. I CALLED MINI/BMW USA BECAUSE MY MECHANIC SAID HE'S SEEN THIS PROBLEM FREQUENTLY IN MY MODEL. MINI SAID THEY WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING FOR ME UNLESS THE CAR WAS DIAGNOSED BY THE MINI DEALERSHIP, AND EVEN THEN THERE WOULD BE NO GUARANTEE THEY WOULD COVER ANYTHING BECAUSE OF "MY VEHICLE'S AGE." MINI/BMW USA WOULDN'T EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE HAVE BEEN FREQUENT REPORTS OF TIMING TENSIONER/CHAINS HAVING PROBLEMS. I'M EVEN MORE SURPRISED HOW FREQUENT THIS PROBLEM IS NOW THAT I'M LOOKING ON THE NHTSA WEBSITE. THIS NEEDS TO BE A RECALL AND SOMETHING THAT MINI/BMW SHOULD COVER AND RESPOND TO, SINCE THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS AGAINST THE COMPANY BECAUSE OF THIS.

I BOUGHT THIS CAR USED WITH 86,100 MILES ON IT. WHEN DRIVING WITHIN THE FIRST 500 MILES, THE AIRBAG LIGHT AND SEAT BELT RESTRAINT SYSTEM INDICATED ON MY DASH (BOTH THE TACHOMETER AND THE SPEEDOMETER). AN ALERT FOR THE AIRBAG APPEARS AS AN ICON ON THE TACHOMETER. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP WHO INDICATED THE AUTO GOT WET WHICH CAUSED THE AIR BAG MODULE TO FAIL, WHICH NOW NEEDS REPLACEMENT AT A RIDICULOUSLY HIGH COST.