MINI Complaints

IN THE MONTHS OF MAY AND JUNE OF 2015, MY POWER STEERING WOULD INTERMITTENTLY STOP PROVIDING POWER ASSIST. IT HAS COMPLETELY STOPPED WORKING NOW. MAKES IT CHALLENGING TO MAKE EMERGENCY MANEUVERS.

OUR 2010 MINI COOPER DRIVERS SIDE DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR HAS MALFUNCTIONED MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO OPEN THE DOOR. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED TO THIS CAR (PREVIOUS WAS THE PASSENGER SIDE). IT SEEMS TO BE A COMMON OCCURRENCE IN MINI'S. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY SERIOUS POSSIBLY DEADLY CONDITION IF WE WERE IN AN ACCIDENT AS RESCUE/MEDICAL PERSONNEL COULD NOT GET US OUT OF THE DOOR. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE TO HAVE BMW/MINI OWN UP TO THE PROBLEM AND HAVE A SECOND, MECHANICAL, WAY TO OPEN THE DOOR.

THE CAR STALLS(REDUCES SPEED 0-10MPH) IT MAY SHUT COMPLETELY DOWN AT TIMES THIS HAS BEEN THE SAME CONSISTENT PROBLEM SINCE DATE OF PURCHASE THE USED CAR DEALERSHIP HAS BEEN INFORMED OF THIS PROBLEM SINCE DOP AND FOR A MOMENT I THOUGHT THE PROBLEM HAD BEEN SOLVED BUT IT TURNED OUT TO BE A RECALL ON THE POWER STEERING PUMP WHICH WAS REPLACED BACK IN JULY-AUG 2013. THE MINI DEALER ALSO, THOUGHT THEY FOUND THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM BUT CONSISTENTLY JUST CHARGED ME MONIES FOR PROBLEM THAT NEVER TURNED OUT TO BE THE SOURCE SO I STOPPED GOING TO THEM. I TRIED TO FILE A LEMON LAW SUIT BUT WAS TOLD I COULDN'T PURSUE BECAUSE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS. SO LAWYER REF ME TO CONTACT THIS OFFICE AND FILE A CLAIM BECAUSE I'VE SPENT NUMEROUS AMOUNTS OF MONEY AND NOTHING HAS BEEN FIXED I STILL FEEL UNSAFE AND SCARED FOR MY LIFE WHEN I DRIVE BUT I'M LIMITED IN MONEY TO KEEP TRYING TO FIND THE SOURCE THAT'S CAUSING THE PROBLEM. ONE THING NOTED THAT THE CAR ENGINE HAS BEEN REBUILT. ALSO, I'M PAYING A CAR NOTE . PLEASE IF THERE IS ANYWAY YOU CAN'T HELP I FEEL I WAS PREYED UPON AND TAKE. ADVANTAGE OF BECAUSE THE DEALER KNEW THERE WAS A PROBLEM AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE AND WITHHELD IT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER :15V205000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

MOTOR WAS FINE THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN ALL THE OIL DRAINED OUT AND THE MOTOR DIED ALL AT ONCE NO LIGHT NO ALERTS JUST WORKING FINE ONE MIN COMPLETE DESTROYED THE NEXT THEY WANT 10K TO REPLACE IT AND THE WARRANTY COMPANY DEMANDS I PAY 3400 TO HAVE THE OLD MOTOR TESTED TO PROVE IT FAILED DESPITE THE MECHANIC SAYING IT HAS AND HEARING A KNOCKING OF THE RODS ON THE LOWER HALF OF THE MOTOR MINI COOPER VEHICLES: 2007 THROUGH 2010 HARDTOP (R56), 2008 THROUGH 2010 CLUBMAN (R55), AND 2009 THROUGH 2010 CONVERTIBLE (R57) (COLLECTIVELY, THE DEFECTIVE VEHICLES). THE DEFECTIVE VEHICLES HAVE A DEFECT WITHIN THEIR TIMING CHAIN TENSIONERS THAT COST, AT MINIMUM, HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS TO FIX AND THAT CAN CAUSE EXTENSIVE ENGINE DAMAGE (THE DEFECT). UNLIKE MOST ENGINES MADE FOR THE CONSUMER MARKET, THE PRINCE ENGINE USES A METAL TIMING CHAIN RATHER THAN A BELT MADE OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS. WHEN THE PRINCE ENGINE WAS FIRST INTRODUCED IN 2004, DEFENDANT TOUTED THE TIMING CHAINS DURABILITY COMPARED TO A TIMING BELT, AND INDICATED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN WOULD REMAIN MAINTENANCE-FREE THROUGHOUT THE FULL RUNNING LIFE OF THE ENGINE. ONE OF THE FEATURES OF THE PRINCE ENGINE DEFENDANT HAS PROMOTED IS THAT THE TIMING CHAIN AND TENSIONER ARE LOCATED INSIDE THE ENGINE BLOCK. HOWEVER, ACTUAL ROAD USE HAS SHOWN A SIGNIFICANT DRAWBACK TO THIS DESIGN: IF THE CHAIN FAILS, DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE CAN BE CATASTROPHIC. ACCORDING TO DEFENDANTS WARRANTIES AND MAINTENANCE PROGRAM, THE CHAIN AND TENSIONER DO NOT REQUIRE SERVICE, AND THE ON-BOARD COMPUTER DOES NOT MONITOR CHAIN CONDITION. ACCORDINGLY, PROBLEMS WITH THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER CAN EASILY GO UNNOTICED AND CAUSE SERIOUS DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. A DEFECTIVE TIMING CHAIN CAN CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE AND PRESENT SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERNS. WHEN A CHAIN TENSIONER FAILS, THE VEHICLE WILL LOSE ALL POWER, EVEN WHILE IT IS IN MOTION.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MINI COOPER. THE CONTAC STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V205000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,500. UPDATED 10/27/15. *JB

AFTER AN HOURS DRIVE, I WAS STANDING OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE TALKING W/ THE CAR OFF. ALL OF SUDDEN SMOKE STARTS POURING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I QUICKLY OPENED THE HOOD TO HEAR SOME TYPE OF ELECTRICAL FAN/PUMP SOUND & SMOKE COMING FROM THE BOTTOM/REAR SIDE OF THE MOTOR. I WAS ABLE TO PULL THE BATTERY TERMINAL & THE NOISE/SMOKE STOPPED. I THEN SEARCHED ONLINE & FOUND THE KNOWN ISSUES OF THE ELECTRICAL ASSISTED POWER STEERING. I FOUND THE FUSE FOR THE CIRCUIT, A 100 AMP FUSE HIDDEN ON THE BOTTOM SIDE OF THE FUSE BOX THAT HAD NOT POPPED EVEN THOUGH THE PUMP WAS BURNING ITSELF UP. I HAD ENOUGH TOOLS W/ ME TO PULL THE FUSE, GET THE CAR STARTED & MAKE MY WAY HOME W/O THE POWER STEERING ASSIST.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V205000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED TO PERFORM THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE AIR BAG LIGHT CONTINUED TO ILLUMINATE ON AND OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DETERMINED THAT THE AIR BAG NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,629. UPDATED 09/10/15*LJ UPDATED 11/07/2017*CN

THE AIRBAG SENSOR IN THE SEAT CUSHION HAS FAILED AND A WARNING LIGHT NOW PERMANENTLY SHOWS ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE PASSENGER AIRBAG MAY NOT FUNCTION AS DESIGNED. UPDATED 11/25/15*LJ UPDATED 2/5/2016 *JS UPDATED 11/07/2017*CN