2011 MINI COOPER S Complaints

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER BROKE, CAUSING NUMEROUS AND SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLARS IN REPAIR COSTS.

CAR FIRE UNDER THE HOOD. ON SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 2018 I DROVE 10 MINUTES FROM HOME. I WAS PARKED IN A LOT FOR 5 MINUTES. CAME OUT OF STORE, STARTED ENGINE AND HEAVY SMOKE IMMEDIATELY STARTED FILLING THE INTERIOR AND BILLOWING UP FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I QUICKLY GOT OUT. OPENED THE HOOD. SAW FLAMES DEEP DOWN, JUST TO THE LEFT OF THE COOLANT EXPANSION TANK. HEAVY WHITE/GRAY SMOKE. CALLED 911, WHO RESPONDED QUICKLY (DANBURY CT FIRE DEPT.) THE OWNER OF THE STORE I HAD BEEN IN, CAME OUT AND WITNESSED FIRE/SMOKE. FIRE SUBSIDED AND FIRE DEPT CHECKED FOR HOT SPOTS, AUTHORIZED FOR TOWING BY AAA TO DEALER. MY MINI HAD BEEN IN THE DEALER'S SERVICE DEPT. APRIL 12, HAVING MAINTENANCE DONE... LESS THAN 48 HOURS BEFORE THIS FIRE HAPPENED. (WORK DONE INCLUDED NEW FAN BELT, OIL CHANGE, FILTER, BRAKES, 2 FRONT TIRES...) I PICKED MY CAR UP ON FRIDAY, APR. 13, AND DROVE HOME. AFTER 2 SHORT ERRANDS ON SUNDAY, THE FIRE BROKE OUT. MY CAR IS AT THE DEALER BEING FIXED BY MINI. MINI USA HAS AUTHORIZED THE WORK. VERY CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT DAMAGE THE INTENSE HEAT CAUSED TO SURROUNDING PARTS UNDER THE HOOD. SO MANY SENSORS AND CIRCUIT BOARDS/ELECTRICAL PARTS... SERVICE MGR SAID IT WAS CAUSED BY A "HOT WIRE." COULD IT HAPPEN AGAIN? I WILL NEVER FEEL SAFE IN THIS CAR AGAIN. I HAVE THE DANBURY FIRE DEPT. RECORD IN AN EMAIL, AND PHOTOS OF MY CAR BEING TOWED. THE DEALER HAS THE INSPECTION REPORT OF DAMAGE. FIRE HAPPENED JUST HOURS AFTER CAR HAD BEEN WORKED ON. COINCIDENCE? THEY SAY SO. NO PROOF. BUT, THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN. IF I HAD BEEN ON A ROAD/HIGHWAY (WHICH I ALMOST WAS), I WOULD'VE BEEN OVERCOME WITH SMOKE AND PROBABLY PASS OUT BEFORE PULLING OFF THE ROAD. THANK GOD I WAS IN A PARKING LOT AT THE TIME! VERY DANGEROUS AND SCARY. I OWNED THE CAR FOR 7+ YEARS. ONLY OWNER/DRIVER. 73K MILES. MAINTAINED VERY WELL. NO GAS/FUEL/OIL/COOLANT LEAKS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 MINI COOPER S US. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE VEHICLE DID NOT ACCELERATE AND THE ENGINE INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE PRESSURE PUMP FAILED, STATING THAT THE PRESSURE WAS AT ZERO PSI. THE TECHNICIAN REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,774.

THE ENGINE LIGHT KEPT COMING ON AND THE FAN KEPT RUNNING EVEN AFTER CAR HAS BEEN TURNED OFF. THE GADGE WOULD READ COLD THAT HOT. TOOK IT TO MECHANIC, THE MECHANIC CLAIMED IT WAS A SAFETY MECHANISM TO KEEP CAR FROM OVER HEATING, HAD THE CAR FOR 4 WEEK AND THE CAR JUST SHUT OFF SHOWING THE SAME ISSUE. THE THERMOSTAT WAS NOT CORRECT ALSO. THIS WAS CITY IN MOTION AND STATIONARY, ONCE IT COOLED OFF IT WOULD START FINE, BUT THEN JUST CUT OFF, EACH TIME IT STOP I JUST HAD IT TOWED WHICH WAS 3 TIMES RATHER THAN DRIVING IT , I JUST DID NOT TRUST THE VEHICLE

ONLY HAD THIS VEHICLE FOR 6 MONTHS. ON THE WAY TO THE MINI OF SAN DIEGO DEALERSHIP TO GET AN OIL CHANGE, THE CAR SHUTS DOWN AS I STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT. I WAS STILL IN MOTION AND ON THE STREET. I WAS COMING OFF THE HIGHWAY. I TRIED RESTARTING THE CAR. I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET. THERE WERE OVERHEATING LIGHTS AND SMOKE A COUPLE OF DAYS BEFORE SO DISCONTINUED DRIVING THE VEHICLE UNTIL MY APPOINTMENT WITH MINI OF SAN DIEGO. THE DAY OF THE APPOINTMENT, THERE WAS NO INDICATION LIGHT OF OVERHEATING. THE DEALERSHIP WAS ONLY 15 MINS AWAY FROM MY HOME. I ALSO FOUND THAT THE MODEL OF MY VEHICLE WAS RECALLED FOR THE SAME REASONS THAT MY CAR IS CURRENTLY IN THE SHOP FOR CURRENTLY. MINI OF SAN DIEGO IS TELLING ME THERE'S NO RECALL ON MY CAR BASED OFF THE VIN NUMBER. BUT BASED OFF THE YEARS AND MODEL, MY CAR FITS INTO THE RECALL.

MY MINI COOPER WAS PARKED IN MY GARAGE FOR OVER TWO WEEKS. ON AUGUST 10, 2017 I MOVED IT OUT OF THE GARAGE TO GET TO SOME THINGS IN MY GARAGE. WHEN I BACKED IT BACK IN, I HEARD A POP AND WITHIN MINUTES I SAW SMOKE COMING FROM THE HOOD. WHEN WE WERE ABLE TO OPEN THE HOOD THE ENGINE WAS ON FIRE. WE HAD TO CALL 911 AND THEY TOLD US WE COULD NOT LEAVE THE CAR IN THE GARAGE BECAUSE OF THE FIRE INCIDENT. WE HAD TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL SO THAT WE COULD MOVE IT OUT OF THE GARAGE WITHOUT STARTING THE CAR. ONCE PARKED ON THE DRIVE WAY, MY CAR PROCEEDED TO SMOLDER TWO MORE TIMES. WE DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY AND FINALLY ALL THE SMOKING STOPPED. MY CAR HAS BEEN AT THE BMW MOMENTUM DEALERSHIP SINCE AUGUST 12, 2017 WITH NO RESOLUTION ON WHAT CAUSED THE FIRE. ACCORDING TO MINI, THEY WERE SENDING A FIRE SPECIALIST TO SEE MY CAR WHICH THEY SAID WOULD TAKE SOME TIME. MY CAR WAS FINALLY LOOKED AT THE FIRST WEEK OF OCTOBER AND AS OF THIS EMAIL, BMW HAS NOT INFORMED ME AS TO WHAT CAUSED THE FIRE. THIS INCIDENT IS VERY CONCERNING TO ME. MY THREE KIDS WERE UPSTAIRS DOING HOMEWORK WHEN MY CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE. HAD I NOT PAID ATTENTION TO THE POP I HEARD AND CLOSED THE GARAGE DOOR, THE CAR WOULD HAVE BEEN ON FIRE IN OUR ATTACHED GARAGE WITH ALL OF US IN THE HOUSE. THIS ALL TOOK PLACE ABOUT 8 PM AS WE WERE WINDING DOWN FOR THE DAY. THE OUTCOME OF THIS COULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC FOR ME AND MY FAMILY. I WANT RESOLUTION TO THIS WHOLE INCIDENT WHICH AS OF TODAY BMW HAS NOT GIVEN ME ANY INDICATION AS TO WHAT CAUSED THE FIRE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 MINI COOPER S. WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, THE CHECK ENGINE AND OIL PRESSURE WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER (SOUTH BAY MINI IN TORRANCE, CA, 310-939-7150), BUT THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED A CODE FROM THE SPARK PLUG. THE TECHNICIAN ALSO DIAGNOSED THAT THE VALVE COVER WAS PUNCTURED AND LEAKED OIL; HOWEVER, THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE HOW THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ANOTHER INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO SPECIALIZED IN MINI VEHICLES AND DIAGNOSED THAT THE TIMING TENSIONER EXPLODED AND PUNCTURED THE VALVE COVER. THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER WAS REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL AND REFERRED THE CONTACT TO THE DEALER (UNIVERSAL CITY MINI IN NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA, 8148-452-1139) AND THE FUEL PUMP WAS REPLACED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000.

AFTER A BATTERY FAILURE (LOSS OF CHARGE OR BATTERY REPLACEMENT) CRITICAL SAFETY FEATURES ARE DISABLED UNTIL THE CAR IS RETURNED TO A DEALER TO "PROGRAM THE NEW BATTERY". THE SAFETY FEATURES THAT ARE DISABLED INCLUDE: 1) TURN SIGNALS, 2) 4 WAY FLASHERS, 3) FRONT WINDOWS LOWERING, 3) CONTROL OF THE HEADLIGHTS (NO CONTROL OF DIMS AND BRIGHT LIGHTS), AND 4) DASH LIGHTS (CAN'T SEE THE SPEEDOMETER). WHILE A SIMPLE WARNING LIGHT IN THIS SITUATION WOULD WORK, THE MANUFACTURER CHOSE TO DISABLE CRITICAL SAFETY FUNCTIONS OF THE CAR. IN MY CASE, ITS A 1 1/2 DRIVE IN AN UNSAFE CAR TO GET THE SITUATION CORRECTED. THIS SITUATION IS BEING EXPERIENCED BY OTHER DRIVERS AND OTHERS CAN BE FOUND WITH A SIMPLE GOOGLE SEARCH.

4 FAULTY IGNITION COILS WITHIN 3 MONTHS: CYLINDERS #1 & # 2 HAD TO BE REPLACED ON 4/7/17 CYLINDERS #3 & #4 ON 7/4/17. FIRST INCIDENT OCCURRED WHEN I WAS PULLING INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC AND RESULTED IN COMPLETE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER. THE SECOND INCIDENT HAPPENED ON THE HIGHWAY WHILE CHANGING LANES, AGAIN COMPLETE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER AND NEARLY CAUSED ME TO BE HIT BY A SEMI-TRUCK. I NARROWLY ESCAPED AN ACCIDENT IN FIRST INCIDENT AS WELL. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING MY CHILDREN IN THIS CAR ANY LONGER. EACH TIME THE PARTS AND LABOR COST MORE THAN $300, NOT TO MENTION THE AGGRAVATION OF BEING WITHOUT A CAR FOR WORK AND FAMILY TRANSPORTATION FOR SEVERAL DAYS. THIS IS NOT WHAT I EXPECTED FROM A QUALITY AUTOMOBILE MADE BY BMW. DOCUMENTATION/INVOICES CAN BE PROVIDED UPON REQUEST.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2011 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT SMELLED A BURNING ODOR AND NOTICED WHITE SMOKE COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH. THE CONTACT EXITED THE VEHICLE AND IT BECAME ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS NOTIFIED AND EXTINGUISHED THE FLAMES. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A SALVAGE YARD WHERE IT WAS DEEMED DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 100,000.