MINI Complaints

PARKED AT SHOPPING MALL AND NOT RUNNING FOR AT LEAST 30 MINUTES, COME OUT TO MINI COOPER ON FIRE. SMOKE COMING OUT OF ENGINE AREA, HIGH PITCH FAN WHIRLING, ELECTRICAL SMELL. POWER STEERING FAILED, SHORTED OUT, AND CAUGHT ON FIRE. VEHICLE WAS NOT EVEN ON AND PARKED WHEN THIS HAPPENED. APPEARS TO BE A MAJOR FAILURE MANY OTHERS OWNING A MINI COOPER HAVE EXPERIENCED. BMW/MINI COOPER OF USA DID NOTHING FOR US AND PUT IT ALL ON OUR AND MY INSURANCES SHOULDERS. AMAZED SO MANY CASES OF THIS SAME ISSUE HAVE HAPPENED YET THEY DO NOTHING AND SEEM TO EXPECT EVERYONE ELSE TO FOOT THE BILL. GOT THE RUN AROUND BY BMW AND UNLESS IT WAS FOR MY INSURANCE COMPANY, THE MINI WOULD HAVE BEEN SCRAPPED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING FAILED AND THE TRANSMISSION WAS LEAKING FLUID. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP, FAN, AND THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE POWER STEERING WAS REPAIRED AT A COST OF $1900. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 64,200. UPDATED 7/1/15*CN UPDATED 07/09/15*JB

ENGINE CEASED WHILE TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY. PREVIOUSLY TOOK CAR TO MINI DEALER WHEN ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON AND WAS TOLD THAT THE ENGINE LIGHT WAS PROBABLY ON BECAUSE OF THE GAS CAP AND THEIR WAS NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT. *TR

THIS IS A COMPLAINT AGAINST THE TIMING CHAIN AND TENSIONER FOR THE MINI COOPER WHICH IS KNOWN TO BE FAULTY. THE TIMING CHAIN HAD BEGIN RATTLING AND WAS INSPECTED AT A MINI DEALERSHIP. THEY STATED THAT IT'S A KNOWN ISSUE WITH MINI. REPAIR FOR THIS JOB IS 3800 USD. THIS IS A TREMENDOUS PRICE TAG.THIS CAN LEAD TO A VERY VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION ON THE HIGHWAY HEADING TO WORK. *TR

OIL FEED LINE GOING INTO TURBO IS LEAKING OIL DIRECTLY ONTO TURBO. MINI USES A RUBBER O RING THAT IS CONNECTED TO A VERY HOT TURBO AND O RING WILL FAIL ON ALL MINI COOPERS WITH A TURBO. WHEN THIS RUBBER O RING FAILS IT WILL LEAK OIL DIRECTLY ONTO HOT TURBO AND CAUSE A FIRE. I THINK IT'S IN THE SAFETY OF ALL THAT THIS BE LOOKED INTO AND RECALLED. I BELIEVE MINI COOPER IS VERY AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND IS COVERING UP THE ISSUE BY INSTALLING A CHEAP HEAT SHIELD ON OIL LINE BUT THIS IS A BANDAID FIX AT BEST. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 MINI COOPER CLUBMAN. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH AND MAKING A LEFT TURN, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO TURN, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL FAILED TO RESPOND, AND ALL OF THE GAUGES ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WENT BLANK WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALER AND POWERED OFF. THE CONTACT ROLLED DOWN THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW; HOWEVER, BOTH FRONT WINDOWS BEGAN TO GO UP AND DOWN WITHOUT WARNING UNTIL THE CONTACT REMOVED THE KEY FOB FROM THE IGNITION. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE BATTERY WAS FAULTY AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 35,861.

RATTLING NOISE FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE ENGINE. TOOK TO MINI, TIMING CHAIN WAS STRETCHED OUT. 2000K FIX CAR HAS LESS THAN 84K MILES. HAD THE SAME PROBLEM ABOUT 13 MONTHS AGO. SAID IT WAS THE TENSIONER BUT CHAIN WAS FINE. THAT WAS AT 64K MILES. IN 13MONTHS SPENT 3K ON THE SAME ISSUE. *TR

OUR 2003 MINI COOPER HAS ABOUT 120K MILES ON IT. IT WAS COMPLETELY FINE UNTIL RECENTLY WHEN THE POWER STEERING PUMP STARTED WHINING. SOMETIMES IT COMPLETELY STOPPED WORKING AND WE HAD NO POWER STEERING, THANKFULLY THIS WAS WHILE THE CAR WAS PARKED AND NOT WHILE DRIVING. TURNING THE WHEEL IS A LITTLE HARDER THAN USUAL, AND IF YOU TURN IT TOO MUCH, THE CAR BOGS DOWN AND THE REVS GO WAY DOWN. WE'VE TRIED FLUSHING AND REPLACING THE POWER STEERING FLUID, BUT IT DIDN'T SEEM TO HELP. WE'VE EVEN PUT IN SOME EXPENSIVE ADDITIVES THAT PROMISE TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM AND STOP THE NOISE, BUT IT DOESN'T WORK. WE DON'T FEEL SAFE KNOWING THAT OUR POWER STEERING MAY GO OUT AT ANY MOMENT. AND WE CERTAINLY DON'T APPRECIATE THE LOOKS WE GET WHEN WE DRIVE PAST PEOPLE. *TR

I TOOK MY MINI COOPER TO PASSPORT MINI IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY MARYLAND FOR THE HPFP FAILING WHERE THEY CHANGED IT AND THEN TOLD ME THAT THE TURBO OIL FEED LINE IS LEAKING AND THAT THE TIMING CHAIN HAD STRETCHED AND WAS GOING TO FAIL. AFTER I TOLD THEM THAT I KNOW THAT THEY HAVE HAD PROBLEMS AND COMPLAINED SOME THEY SAID THAT THEY WOULD COVER 30% OF THE CHAIN REPLACEMENT AND A COMPLETE DETAIL OF MY CAR AND THAT THEY WERE BEING "GENEROUS". I EXPLAINED TO THEM THAT I WANTED MY DEFECTIVE CHAIN FIXED NOT A CAR WASH. AFTER READING THIS WEBSITE I AM HOPING TO GET THE OIL FEED LINE REPLACED TOO. IT TO IS VERY WELL DOCUMENTED. IF IT GOES UP IN FLAMES WHILE MY WIFE AND DAUGHTER ARE IN THE CAR WHICH ONE OF THE EXECUTIVES AT MINI OR BMW WILL WRITE ME TO APOLOGIZE FOR THIS? THIS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR FOR A COMPANY. LAWYERS WONT HELP MINI WONT HELP BMW WONT HELP. NO ONE WANTS TO DO THE RIGHT THING FOR THE CONSUMER ANYMORE! ALL OF US DESERVE TO BE TREATED FAIRLY. THIS IS WHY WE HAVE GOVERNMENT, FOR TIMES LIKE THIS WHEN THE BIG COMPANIES RUN US OVER AND LAUGH AT US! *TR

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