2005 MINI COOPER S CONVERTIBLE Complaints

NOTIFIED THAT MINI WOULD RECALL DUE TO FAULTY SENSOR FOR AIRBAG ON MAY 1. NOW 4 MONTHS LATER, AND STILL NO RECALL. MINI SAYS THEY ARE GATHERING DATA ON THE AFFECTED CARS, NO INFO ON WHEN RECALL AND REPAIR WILL ACTUALLY HAPPEN.

ON APRIL 20, 2015, I TOOK MY 2005 MINI S CONVERTIBLE TO MINI OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY IN DARIEN, CT BECAUSE THE AIR BAG LIGHT WAS ON. I RECEIVED A VERBAL QUOTE OF APPROXIMATELY $1200 TO REPAIR. LATER THAT DAY I RECEIVED AN EMAIL FROM THE SHOP FOREMAN STATING THAT MINI WAS AWARE OF AN ISSUE WITH THE PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR AND THAT MINI WAS LOOKING INTO A COURSE OF ACTION. A FEW DAYS LATER THE PRESS REPORTED THAT A RECALL WAS BEING DONE FOR THIS ISSUE AND I CALLED AGAIN, WHEN I WAS TOLD THAT A LETTER WOULD COME FROM MINI WITH DETAILS. SOMETIME BETWEEN THEN AND JUNE 15, I RECEIVED A LETTER (DATED "JUNE 2015") STATING THAT A RECALL WAS GOING TO BE ISSUED, AND I SHOULD NOT CARRY PASSENGERS IF THE LIGHT WAS ON (IT HAD BEEN ON SINCE APRIL), AND AGAIN CALLED MINI OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, WHERE THEY REITERATED THE INFO IN THE LETTER THAT I WOULD HAVE TO WAIT FOR YET ANOTHER LETTER. I CALLED MINI CUSTOMER CARE BOTH ON JUNE 15 AND AUGUST 25 TO REQUEST INFORMATION ON THE TIMING, AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO PROVIDE ANY INFORMATION BEYOND WHAT THE DEALER TOLD ME. IT IS NOW AUGUST 25, AND OVER FOUR MONTHS THAT I'VE BEEN UNABLE TO SAFELY CARRY A PASSENGER IN THIS VEHICLE. I FEEL THAT THIS MEETS THE STANDARD NOTED IN THE RECALL LETTER "IF YOUR MINI DEALER IS UNABLE TO REMEDY THE DEFECT WITHOUT CHARGE OR WITHIN A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME", ESPECIALLY WHEN I WAS GIVEN A VERBAL QUOTE IN APRIL TO FIX THE ISSUE. MINI HAS ALSO DECLINED TO PROVIDE A LOANER VEHICLE WHILE MINE IS DISABLED. I REQUEST THAT NHTSA INVESTIGATE WHETHER MINI INTENDS TO PROPERLY CARRY OUT THIS RECALL (15V-205).

I HAVE HAD A NEW PROBLEM EVERY WEEK WITH THIS CAR. I TOOK IT TO THE CAR WASH JUST TO FIND OUT THAT THE CONVERTIBLE TOP LEAKS ON BOTH SIDES, AT THE 1ST BEND. THE WATER WAS DRIPPING AT A FAST PACE. I HAD THE TOP CHECKED OUT FOR ANY PROBLEMS PRIOR TO PURCHASING AT WHICH I WAS TOLD NOTHING APPEARED TO BE NEEDED. THE WEATHER STRIPPING AND TOP HAD NO CRACKS ARE SIGN OF WEAR. JUST ANOTHER HEADACHE WITHIN A MONTH OF PURCHASE.

I WAS DRIVING WHEN I SUDDENLY LOSS MY POWER STEERING, MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO STEER THE CAR. *TR

THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG SENSOR TURNS OFF EVEN THOUGH A PASSENGER IS IN THE SEAT. THIS ISSUE SHOULD BE COVERED BY THE LATEST RECALL NOTICE BUT MINI USA HAS NOT INCLUDED MY VEHICLE. *TR

THE PASSENGER DETECTOR ON MY PASSENGER SEAT HAS FAILED. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE IN MINI COOPERS AND BMWS OF THIS AGE. THE FIX IS COMPLETE $1500 SEAT REPLACEMENT AT THE DEALER. BMW HAS ALREADY RECALLED THE PARTS FOR ALL THE BMWS WHERE THIS OCCURS, BUT NOT THE MINIS. *TR

ON THE FIRST DAY OF OCCURRENCE, THERE WAS LOSS OF POWER STEERING. VERY DIFFICULT AND HARD STEERING. NO WARNING LIGHTS OR NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS CAME ON. MANAGED TO PARK SAFELY. STOPPED CAR AND TURNED OFF IGNITION. WAITED A FEW MINUTES. TURNED ON IGNITION AND NORMAL POWER STEERING RESUMED. OCCURRED ONE MORE TIME ABOUT 1 HOUR LATER. OCCURRED MULTIPLE TIMES IN THE COMING DAYS. IF IGNITION IS SHUT OFF THEN TURNED BACK ON, IT WILL RESUME NORMAL OPERATION. THIS HAS ALMOST CAUSED ACCIDENTS BECAUSE OF THE DIFFICULT STEERING AND MAINTAINING OF LANE ESPECIALLY ON CURVED ROADS AND TURNS. *TR

PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR/MAT FAILS WHICH RESULTS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT AIRBAG BEING DISABLED. THIS IS DANGEROUS BECAUSE THE AIRBAG WILL NOT DEPLOY FOR THE PASSENGER IF THERE IS AN ACCIDENT. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT COSTS OVER $1300 TO FIX BUT MINI WILL NOT ISSUE A WARRANTY CLAIM FOR IT. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF OTHER VEHICLES THAT HAVE HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM BUT MINI WILL NOT STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT. THIS IS THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM AS THE RECALL ISSUED BY BMW (NHTSA CAMPAIGN 13V564000). *TR

SAW ON THE WEB THAT MINI RECALLED AND THEN EXTENDED WARRANTY RECALL ON AN AIRBAG MALFUNCTION. THE LIGHT CAME ON A FEW DAYS AGO, BUT I CAN NOT FIND ANY INFORMATION AS TO THE TRUTH IN THAT STATEMENT. SUPPOSEDLY 10 YEARS OR 150,000 MILES. *TR

POWER STEERING SUDDENLY FAILED RESULTING IN NEAR ACCIDENT. UPON REVIEW OF THIS SITE WARRANTY EXTENSION ON POWER-ASSIST STEERING PUMP AND COOLING FAN PUMP WAS ISSUED. DESPITE THE EXTENSION OF WARRANTY AND LACK OF DEALER OR AUTHORIZED SERVICE FACILITY IN LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY, MINI REFUSED TO HONOR WARRANTY UNLESS CUSTOMER TOWED VEHICLE, AT CUSTOMER'S EXPENSE, TO NEAREST AUTHORIZED DEALER WHICH WAS APPROXIMATELY 80 MILES AWAY. LEAVING WARRANTY EXTENSION ON KNOWN PROBABLE DEFECTIVE CONDITION WORTHLESS. BELIEVE INVESTIGATION SHOULD BE PERFORMED TO DETERMINE IF RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED RELATING TO POWER ASSIST STEERING PUMP FAILURES. *TR