MINI Complaints

AFTER MY CAR WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT I WAS MADE AWARE THAT THE MINI VIN NUMBER INDICATES THAT MY MINI IS A 2 DOOR MODEL IN MOST DATA RESOURCES FOR EVALUATION PURPOSES. BUT I HAVE THE MINI 4 DOOR HARDTOP MODEL! HOW COULD THAT NOT BE INDICATED WITH A 4D INSTEAD OF THE 2D IN THIS MODELS VIN #? *TR

VEHICLE HAS BEEN SERVICED FOUR TIMES, SINCE PURCHASED IN MAY 2015 FOR BURNS TO LIGHT BULB AND SOCKET MELTING INTO HOUSING. MALFUNCTIONING ENGINE LIGHT APPEARS WHILE DRIVING CAR ON HIGHWAYS AND STREETS. TAILLIGHT IS ON THE LEFT SIDE, NOT FAR FROM GAS TANK. CAR IS UNSAFE DUE TO OVERHEATING, BURNS AND MELTING OF TAILLIGHT COMPONENTS AND PROXIMITY TO GAS TANK. *TR

OUR 2016 MINI COOPER JCW WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT, WHERE IT FAILED TO STOP, AND, IN FACT SEEMED TO ACCELERATE. A PREVIOUS VERSION WE OWNED DID THE SAME THING, SEVERAL YEARS AGO. A FEW DAYS AFTER THIS ACCIDENT, AN ARTICLE APPEARED IN THE NATIONAL MEDIA, DESCRIBING A SIMILAR ACCIDENT IN NEW YORK. IN THAT INSTANCE, THE CAR STRUCK WAS BEING DRIVEN BY THE ACTOR [XXX] , WHICH WAS WHY IT RECEIVED SO MUCH NATIONAL ATTENTION. OUR VEHICLE SUFFERED $7000 IN DAMAGE. NO AIR BAG DEPLOYED, AND IT WAS MOVING AT LESS THAN 5 MILES AN HOUR. WE HAVE HAD MULTIPLE INCIDENTS OF FEET GETTING CAUGHT IN THE PEDALS (WE HAVE A MANUAL TRANSMISSION). HAVING HAD TWO SIMILAR ACCIDENTS, I HAVE CONCLUDED THERE IS EITHER A PROBLEM WITH THE FOOT PEDAL LOCATIONS, OR A PROPENSITY FOR UNCOMMANDED ACCELERATION. BECAUSE SO FEW OF THESE MINI JCW PERFORMANCE MODELS ARE SOLD, IT?S POSSIBLE THAT THE DATABASE IS INSUFFICIENT TO CAUSE NOTICE. I AM OVER 70, BUT REGULARLY DRIVE A LAMBORGHINI (MY THIRD). MY REFLEXES ARE GOOD, AND I AM AN EXPERIENCED DRIVER OF SPECIALIZED VEHICLES. I KNOW HOW TO STOP A CAR AT 5 MPH, AND IN THIS CASE, I WAS AWARE OF THE POTENTIAL PROBLEM. WE KEEP THIS CAR AT OUR FLORIDA HOME, AND IT IS ONLY DRIVEN A FEW THOUSAND MILES A YEAR. THE COINCIDENCE OF THESE EVENTS IS COMPELLING. I ENCOURAGE YOU LOOK INTO IT. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

LEAKING THERMOSTAT REPLACEMENT. THE MINI DEALERSHIP NOTIFIED ME AFTER REPAIRING THE VEHICLE THAT NEARLY EVERY MINI IN THIS MODEL YEAR IS COMING IN FOR A THERMOSTAT REPLACEMENT. I WAS TIPPED OFF TO THIS AFTER QUESTIONING AN ADAPTER THAT WAS INVOICED. MINI KNOWS ABOUT THIS ISSUE OF DEFECTIVE THERMOSTATS BUT IS AVOIDING A RECALL.

PRISTINE CONDITION, LOW MILEAGE, DEALER SERVICED MINI COOPER S (OWNED SINCE NEW) BEGAN EXHIBITING A RATTLING NOISE FROM ENGINE AT 34K MILES. DEALER DIAGNOSED IT AS A TIMING CHAIN DEFECT AND TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER DEFECT. THIS IS A KNOWN ENGINE DEFECT. REFERENCE CLASS ACTION SUIT AND SETTLEMENT 338403. THIS SETTLEMENT BY BMW/MINI USA COVERS THIS FLAW AND BMW/MINI KNOWS THAT VEHICLES PRODUCED WITHIN THE 2007-2010 TIMEFRAME HAVE THIS FLAW. THIS FLAW CAN RESULT IN CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. IN MY CASE, IT WAS NOISY UNDER ACCELERATION, AND WAS INTO THE DEALER FOR SERVICE WITHIN DAYS OF FIRST ISSUE. THIS IS A KNOWN FLAW. HOWEVER, BMW/MINI SETTLED THE CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AND SET ASIDE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR CLAIMS....BUT THOSE CLAIMS MUST BE FILED BY 7/1/16. I DID NOT HAVE THE ISSUE BEFORE THAT DATE, I HAD IT HAPPEN IN SEPTEMBER 2016 - TWO MONTHS LATER. I HAVE REQUESTED SOME ACCOMMODATION FROM BMW/MINI, HOWEVER THEY ARE REFUSING TO PARTICIPATE AT ANY LEVEL, EVEN THOUGH THEY KNOW THIS WAS A FLAWED PART AND COULD HAVE CAUSED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE. I AM NOT EXPECTING FULL REIMBURSEMENT, BUT IF THEY KNOW THE CAR HAS A MAJOR FLAW, THEY SHOULD HAVE SOME COVERAGE IN PLACE FOR ANY OF THESE VEHICLES WITH THE FLAW. THUS FAR THE REGIONAL SERVICE MANAGER AND MINI USA HAVE INDICATED BECAUSE THIS HAPPENED AFTER 7/1/16 THEY WILL NOT ACCOMMODATE.

MY AIRBAG SENSOR LIGHT IS ON CONTINUOUSLY AND MY MECHANIC DIAGNOSED IT AS PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG SENSOR MAT PROBLEM. THIS IS THE SAME PROBLEM THAT RESULTED IN A RECALL FOR 2005-2008 MODELS IN THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 15V205000. I'VE CALLED MY LOCAL BMW/MINI SERVICE DEPARTMENT, BUT THEY SAY IT'S NOT PART OF THE RECALL AND THERE'S NOTHING THEY CAN DO.

TAKATA RECALL. TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT GEARS INTERMITTENTLY WHILE IN AUTOMATIC. SPENT $5,600 TO REBUILD TRANSMISSION. STILL HAVING INTERMITTENT ISSUES.

BOUGHT A 2009 MINI S FOR MY DAUGHTER IN AUGUST OF 2015 WITH 36K MILES ON IT. SINCE THEN I'VE SPENT OVER $5000 IN REPAIRS AND THE CAR IS CURRENTLY PARKED AND NOT BEING DRIVEN BECAUSE NOW THE TIMING CHAIN NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. MY CAR IS 5 MONTHS PAST THE "WARRANTY" PERIOD FOR THIS SERVICE BULLETIN CAMPAIGN, AND THIS REPAIR WILL LIKELY COST ANOTHER $3000OR MORE I'VE PAID FOR TO REPAIR THE OIL LEAK IN THE TURBO LINE AS WELL AS THE WATER PUMP FAILING, AND REPLACED THE VALVE COVER DUE TO OIL LEAKING, ALL WELL KNOWN ISSUES WITH THIS CAR. THE TIMING CHAIN AND TENSIONER ISSUES ARE WELL KNOWN BY BMW/MINI AS WELL AND THERE IS NO RECOURSE FOR OWNERS OF THESE CARS AT THIS POINT. MY CAR ONLY HAS 48,000 MILES ON IT! THERE IS NO REASON FOR ALL OF THESE PARTS TO BE FAILING THE WAY THEY ARE. I WILL HAVE SPENT MORE THAN DOUBLE WHAT I PAID FOR THIS CAR BEFORE ITS DRIVABLE AGAIN. VERY UNHAPPY WITH MINI!!!!!

THE MINI COOPER CLUBMAN HAS A DEFECTIVE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER THAT CAN CAUSE SEVERE DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE AND CRASHES. BMW HAS AGREED TO REPLACE THE CHAINS IN SOME MODELS, BUT NOT OTHERS, LEAVING OPEN THE POSSIBILITY OF CRASHES RELATED TO THE FAILURE OF THIS KNOWN PROBLEM. BMW HAS KNOWN ABOUT THE DEFECTIVE PART SINCE 2008, WHEN THE COMPANY ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN ADDRESSING THE PROBLEM; HOWEVER, FOLLOWING THE NOTICE, BMW FAILED TO ISSUE ANY RECALL OR PROVIDE COMPENSATION FOR THOSE WHO HAD ALREADY REPLACED THEIR CHAINS OR ENGINES. BMW'S FAILURE TO NOTIFY DRIVERS OF THIS PROBLEM IS A DANGER TO THE DRIVING PUBLIC.

WHEN I TOOK MY CAR IN FOR ITS FIRST SERVICE I WAS TOLD THAT THE ENTIRE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO A RECALL. I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO LOCATE ANY SUCH RECALL. I HAVE FOUND THIS ENTIRE EXPERIENCE TO BE VERY UNUSUAL.