MINI Complaints

I REPLACED MY POWER STEERING PUMP FAN 2-3 YEARS AGO THEN ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO I HAD IT REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. NOW MY POWER STEERING IS COMPLETELY GONE WITH NO PRIOR INDICATION THAT IT WAS FAILING AND I HAVE TO PAY A $1,400 TO GET IT REPLACED BY A CERTIFIED SHOP.

AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. SAME ISSUE AS COMPLAINT NHTSA ID NUMBER 10809500 AND 10250135

WE PARKED THE CAR AND 3 HOURS LATER IS WAS ON FIRE. IT SEEMS TO HAVE EMANATED FROM THE POWER STEERING PUMP AREA BUT CANNOT TELL WITH ALL THE FIRE DAMAGE. THE CAR IS MOST LIKELY A TOTAL LOSS.

AIRBAG SENSOR LIGHT ON. DEFECTIVE PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR 2010 NOT PART OF THE RECALL. COST TO REPAIR DEFECTIVE MAT $1340. MINI SHOULD EXTEND THE RECALL BASED ON HIGH NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS FOR 209/2010 MINIS.

POWER STEERING ISSUES: MINI COOPER CONVERTIBLE 2005. THE FIRST EVIDENCE OF MY PROBLEM WAS WHEN THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM SEEMED TO BE FAULTY. I REPLACED THE ALTERNATOR, AND THAT FIXED THE CAR FOR ABOUT TWO WEEKS. AT THAT POINT, I NOTICED A FAN RUNNING A LOT, AND THEN FOUND THE BATTERY DEAD ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. FINALLY, I FIGURED OUT THAT A FAN WAS CONTINUING TO RUN--AND I TRACED THE NOISE TO THE POWER STEERING PUMP. I DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY, AND THEN DROVE TO THE SHOP. THEY REPLACED THE POWER STEERING COOLING FAN. THIS SOLVED THE PROBLEM FOR ABOUT THREE MONTHS. THIS WEEKEND, I PARALLEL PARKED IN A TIGHT SPACE WITH A SLIGHT DIP. I REALIZED WHILE PARKING THAT I SUDDENLY HAD NO POWER STEERING, BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS BECAUSE OF THE WAY I PARKED. IT DID NOT GET BETTER AS I LEFT. I MUSCLED THE CAR OUT OF THE SPACE, AND DROVE IT TO MY LOCAL SHOP, WHERE THEY TOLD ME THAT THE FAN STILL WORKED, THAT THE FUSES STILL WORKED, BUT THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP HAD FAILED. HAD ALREADY READ EXTENSIVELY ABOUT POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURE ISSUES WHEN I HEARD THE FAN RUNNING IN THE FIRST PLACE. BUT... I THOUGHT AFTER A FEW MONTHS THAT I WAS LUCKY TO AVOID THE PUMP FAILURE--IN CATCHING THE FAN FIRST-- BUT IT SEEMS THAT MANY HERE HAVE DESCRIBED. EXACTLY THE SAME TRAJECTORY. I CALLED MINIUSA AND A LOCAL DEALER, AND THEY REFUSE TO HELP, BECAUSE MY CAR'S MANUFACTURE DATE IS A LITTLE UNDER TWO MONTHS PAST THE DATE INCLUDED IN THE "EXTENDED WARRANTY NOTICE". THIS IS RIDICULOUS! IT IS EXACTLY THE SAME PROBLEM DESCRIBED IN THE RECALL, IN EVERY DETAIL, AND IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE. I AM EXTREMELY LUCKY I WAS NOT HURT BY IT. I FILED A FORMAL COMPLAINT DIRECTLY WITH MINI USA. IF I FELT IT WERE FOR LACK OF MAINTENANCE, OR NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR, I COULD ACCEPT THAT, BUT THIS CAR HAS METICULOUS MAINTENANCE, AND RECORDS TO BACK IT UP.

IN SEPTEMBER, 2013, MY 2008 MINI COOPER HARDTOP, WITH THE N12 ENGINE, HAD THE TIMING CHAIN FAIL UNDER OPERATION. THIS CAUSED THE ENGINE TO STOP, AT HIGHWAY SPEED, AFFECTING STEERING, BRAKING AND ALL ABILITY TO MANEUVER THE VEHICLE OUT OF TRAFFIC. TWO VEHICLES BARELY AVOIDED MY DISABLED VEHICLE. I CONTACTED MINI USA AND THEY REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACTORY DEFECT IN THE TIMING-CHAIN TENSIONER THAT CAUSES THE TIMING CHAIN TO FAIL. I PAID OVER $8000 FOR A REPLACEMENT N12 ENGINE. WITH LESS THAN 10,000 MILES ON THE REPLACEMENT ENGINE, IN JULY, 2016, THE TIMING CHAIN FAILED AGAIN. THIS TIME THE VEHICLE WAS CROSSING A BRIDGE AND THERE WAS NO PLACE TO TRY TO PULL OFF. THE SITUATION WAS VERY DANGEROUS AND LEFT MY FAMILY VULNERABLE TO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. I CONTACTED MINI USA AGAIN, AND ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE ADMITTED TO THE TIMING CHAIN DEFECT ON THEIR N14 ENGINE, IN THE S SERIES VEHICLE, THEY STILL REFUSE TO ISSUE A RECALL FOR THE N12 ENGINES IN WHICH THE TIMING CHAIN FAILURES ARE MORE NUMEROUS. THIS DEFECT CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO BECOME INOPERABLE AT SPEED WHICH IS UNSAFE IN THE EXTREME. MINI USA NEEDS TO ISSUE A SAFETY RECALL FOR EVERY VEHICLE EQUIPPED WITH THE N12 ENGINES.

DURING NORMAL VEHICLE OPERATION, VEHICLE LOST POWER. PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, TURNED VEHICLE OFF, AND VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO LOCAL MECHANIC. PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED AS A BROKEN TIMING CHAIN.

VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION AND MY WIFE HEARD A NOISE- CHOSE TO IGNORE NOISE. AFTER RESEARCHING THE PROBLEM I DISCOVERED THE TIMING CHAIN COULD CATASTROPHICALLY FAIL LEAVING MY WIFE ON MOUNTAIN ROADS WITH NO POWER AND LOSS OF POWER STEERING . ALTHOUGH BMW HAS BEEN AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM FOR YEARS THEY HAVE BOB AND WEAVED FIXING ONLY THOSE THEY HAVE BEEN FORCED TO, LEAVING OTHERS ,WITH THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM THE OWNERS RESPONSIBILITY.. THE DEALER CHARGED US $ 1300 TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. OUR PARTICULAR CAR SUPPOSEDLY WAS JUST OUTSIDE THE PRODUCTION RUN CUTOFF FOR FREE REPAIR. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND ALL CARS WITH THIS POTENTIAL PROBLEM SHOULD BE RECALLED. ADDITIONALLY, CUSTOMERS SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PLAY "WHAT IS THE NOISE DETECTIVE " IN ORDER TO DISCOVER A LIFE THREATENING DEFECT. IN ADDITION TO THE RECALL BMW NEEDS TO IMMEDIATELY NOTIFY ALL EFFECTED OWNERS WITH INFORMATION ON HOW TO RECOGNIZE THE PROBLEM AND WHAT ACTION TO TAKE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 MINI COOPER. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE AIR BAG INDICATOR REMAINED ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 47,000.

AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT ON BECAUSE OF FAULTY PASSENGER SIDE SEAT MAT SENSOR. AIRBAGS ARE DISABLED WITHOUT REPAIR/REPLACEMENT.