MINI Complaints

I PURCHASED MY MINI COUNTRYMAN ON FEBRUARY 14, 2015 FROM THE LOCAL MINI DEALERSHIP. AT APPROX. 1447MILES, 7 MONTH INTO OWNERSHIP, I BEGAN HAVING TROUBLE WHEN TURNING ON THE CAR (THE CAR WAS STATIONARY) THE WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON FOR BRAKES, ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL AND REMAINED ON UNTIL CAR WAS TURNED OF REPEATEDLY OR DIVEN FOR A MILE AND THEN TURNED OF. I TOOK MY CAR BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS ON: 10/02/2015 NO FAULTS IN THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WAS FOUND AND I WAS ASKED TO RETURN WHEN IT REOCCURS. 12/03/15 A FAULT MEMORY AND FAULTY R/F WHEEL SPEED SENSOR WAS DIAGNOSED, SENSOR WAS NOT IN STOCK. 12/04/15 I RETURNED WITH MY CAR TO HAVE THE FAULTY WHEEL SPEED SENSOR EXCHANGED. 12/05/15 TO 12/10/15 FAULTY RELUCTER WHEEL ON THE R/F WHEEL HUB, WHEEL SPEED SENSOR READINGS OFF, SIGNAL SCOPED AND R/F WHEEL HUB REPLACED. 12/28/15 AND ONGOING. ON 1/05/2016 MINI USA HAS GIVEN ME VERBAL ASSURANCE THAT I WILL GET THE CAR REPLACED WITH A NEW MINI OF MY CHOOSING.

IN COLD WEATHER THE DRIVER SIDE PARKING BRAKE FREEZES/STICKS. ONE OF MANY EXAMPLES WAS THIS MORNING. IT WAS 27 DEGREES IN MY GARAGE AND I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE WITH NO PROBLEMS, I DROVE FOR A FEW MILES WITH THE CAR FULLY WARMED UP. I STOPPED FOR COFFEE AND LEFT THE CAR RUNNING (WIFE IN CAR) AND RETURNED NO MORE THAN 5 MINUTES LATER. WHEN I TRIED TO DRIVE THE PARKING BRAKE WAS NOT RELEASED ALL THE WAY. AFTER DRIVING A SHORT DISTANCE THE PASSENGER REAR BRAKE WAS COOL TO THE TOUCH BUT THE DRIVER SIDE WAS RADIATING HEAT AND SMELLED OF BURNING BRAKES. THIS IS AN UNACCEPTABLE FLAW AND CAN BE DANGEROUS. THE REAR CALIPERS ARE RELATIVELY NEW AND THE BRAKE FLUID IS FLUSHED EVERY TWO YEARS. I ALSO HAVE A 2006 MINI COOPER THAT DOES NOT HAVE THIS ISSUE. A QUICK INTERNET SEARCH PROVIDES NUMEROUS EXAMPLES ALL SEEM TO BE ISOLATED IN THE 2004-2005 YEARS AND IN COLD CLIMATES.

WHILE DRIVING WITH THE DRIVER SEAT HEATER ON A BURNING SMELL AND SMOKE BEGAN TO FILL THE CAR. ADDITIONALLY, BEGAN FEELING EXTREME HEAT ON MY BACK. IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER AND FOUND A SMALL FIRE ON THE SEAT BACK WHICH I HAD TO PAT OUT. NO INJURY WAS SUSTAINED. THE SEAT HEATER HAD BEEN IN OPERATION ROUGHLY 5 MINUTES. THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY CONCERN AS THE SEAT HEATER SWITCHES ARE IN A LOCATION WHERE THEY ARE EASILY TURNED ON BY ACCIDENT. HAD I NOT BEEN ABLE TO PULL OFF THE ROAD IMMEDIATELY THE DAMAGES COULD HAVE BEEN SIGNIFICANTLY WORSE AND INJURY WOULD HAVE OCCURRED.

PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR MALFUNCTION. AIRBAG ERROR LIGHTS ON DASH AND INTERMITTENT DISABLING THE AIRBAG WHEN PERSON IS SITTING IN PASSENGER SEAT WHILE DRIVING. THE SEAT SENSOR CAUSES THE AIRBAG TO DEPLOY DEPENDENT ON IF THERE IS SOMEONE SITTING IN SEAT. THIS COULD CAUSE NON DEPLOYMENT OF AIRBAG IN AN ACCIDENT WHEN A PASSENGER IS IN THE SEAT.

MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING THE MINI COOPER ON HWY 101W WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY AND WITH OUT WARNING LOST ALL POWER. SHE WAS FORTUNATE TO NOT HAVE BEEN STRANDED ON THE HIGHWAY. WE HAD THE CAR LIFTED AND TAKEN TO A BMW DEALER. THEY DETERMINED THAT THERE IS A HOLE IN THE #4 CYLINDER THAT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LOSS OF POWER. THE CAR HAS 55K MILES ON IT AND IS 5K MILES OUTSIDE OF FULL WARRANTY. WE HAVE ALL SERVICE RECORDS WELL DOCUMENTED THAT EXCEED BMW \MC RECOMMENDATIONS. WE HAVE SINCE HAD THE CAR LIFTED AND TAKEN TO THE MC DEALER IN CAMARILLO CA. THEY WITH OUT EXPLANATION AS TO WHAT HAPPENED STATE THAT THE CAR NEEDS A NEW ENGINE AT OUR COST OF $6,500+. THIS IS CRAZY GIVEN THE LOW MILES AND THE FACT THAT IT HAS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED. THERE IS MUCH MORE INFORMATION THAT WE CAN PROVIDE HOWEVER THE SITE SEEMS TO TIME OUT AND THIS IS MY THIRD ATTEMPT AT WRITING THIS NOTIFICATION. PLEASE ADVISE OR CONTACT ME IF YOU CAN HELP WITH THIS MATTER. BMW IS FRAUDULENTLY SELLING THESE VEHICLES AS RELIABLE AND THEY NEED TO BE TAKEN TO TASK. REGARDS, [XXX] 'INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).' *BF

THE CAR WOULD NOT EASILY SHIFT GEARS. WHEN I BROUGHT IT TO THE MINI COOPER DEALERSHIP, I WAS TOLD THAT ALL OF THE TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAKED OUT OF THE TRANSMISSION. THE TRANSMISSION IS "SEALED", SO THE TRANSMISSION FLUID CANNOT BE CHECKED OR CHANGED. I WAS TOLD THAT I NEEDED TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION AND CLUTCH. THE CAR SHOULD NOT HAVE A SEALED TRANSMISSION IF IT CAN DEVELOP A LEAK SO EASILY.

LOST POWER STEERING WITH BURNING SMELL AND LOTS OF SMOKE. AS EVIDENCED ON THE ATTACHED DOCUMENT, THE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS WAS BURNT. THE CAR COULD HAVE LOST ALL POWER. THE REPAIR BILL WAS $4097.91. I WAS WITHOUT A CAR FOR WEEKS WITH NO LOANER CAR OFFERED. NATIONAL MINI COOPER DENIED THAT THIS WAS AN ISSUE. THERE IS NOW A PENDING RECALL. THE NEW PARTS MIGHT ALSO NEED TO BE REPLACED. I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN THIS OCCURRED.

I OWN A 2009 MINI COOPER S CONVERTIBLE. I BOUGHT IT 4 MONTHS AGO. I WAS DRIVING ON I35 GOING TO AUSTIN THE 26TH OF DECEMBER 2015. THE VEHICLE DIED WITHOUT A WARNING WHILE IN MOTION. I TURNED THE HAZARDS ON IMMEDIATELY DUE TO THE DANGEROUS SITUATION I WAS IN. THERE WAS NO SHOULDER TO THE RIGHT; I LET THE CAR COAST UNTIL I SAW THAT I COULD SAFELY STOP. A SAN MARCOS COP CAME TO HELP PUSH THE CAR FURTHER IN TO SAFETY BEFORE THE ELECTRICITY OF THE CAR COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN AND MY KEY FOB WAS STUCK IN THE IGNITION. I HAD IT TOWED TO A BMW REPAIR SHOP. I WAITED ANOTHER DAY FOR THEM TO OPEN BEING IT A HOLIDAY WEEKEND. THEN THEY CHECKED WHAT HAPPENED. THEY GAVE ME A LIST. THEY SAID THE VACUUM PUMP MELTED. THE REPORT SAID THAT, PULL VALVE COVER FOUND TIMING CHAIN GUIDES BROKEN DUE TO LOOSE CHAIN SLAPPING THEM NEEDS TIMING CHAIN, GUIDES AND ALL ASSOCIATED SEALS AND BOLTS. THEY GAVE ME A QUOTE OF $2300.00 FOR ALL THE PARTS NEEDED TO GET IT FIXED AND LABOR. I DID NOT GET ANY WARNING LIGHT WITHIN THE 4 MONTHS THAT I HAVE THE CAR. UNTIL I WAS IN THE HIGHWAY AND THE CAR WAS STALLING. I WAS IN A VERY DANGEROUS PLACE FOR THIS TO HAPPEN AND NOW I AM STUCK WITH SUCH A HIGH BILL AND UNCERTAINTY WHETHER MY CAR WILL BREAK DOWN AGAIN IN THE NEAR FUTURE AFTER I GET THE PROBLEM FIXED. THE BMW REPAIR SHOP SAID THE ENGINE DOESN'T SEEM DAMAGED BUT I STILL HAVE YET TO FIND OUT WHEN THEY START THE WORKING ON THE CAR.

PURCHASED CAR W/50,000 MILES ON IT AND HAVE ALREADY HAD WATER PUMP REPLACED AND NOW WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD GOING ABOUT 40 MPH THE TIMING BELT BROKE AND BLEW PARTS INTO THE ENGINE, SO IT PRETTY MUCH NEEDS A NEW ENGINE ALREADY NOW 25,000 MILES AFTER WE BOUGHT IT. LOTS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE TIMING BELT/CHAIN ON THESE 2010 MODELS. SEEMS ODD TO ME.

AIRBAG LIGHT WILL NOT GO OUT, ALL THESE [XXX] MINI COOPERS HAVE PROBLEMS WITH AIRBAGS, THIS IS PRETTY IMPORTANT...MINI WANTS $1500 TO REPAIR A KNOWN ISSUE...HOW MANY PEOPLE NEED TO DIE BEFORE MINI IS FORCED TO DO THE RIGHT THING AND REPAIR THESE [XXX] CARS????????????????? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR