MINI Complaints

PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR/MAT FAILS WHICH RESULTS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT AIRBAG BEING DISABLED. THIS IS DANGEROUS BECAUSE THE AIRBAG WILL NOT DEPLOY FOR THE PASSENGER IF THERE IS AN ACCIDENT. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT COSTS OVER $1300 TO FIX BUT MINI WILL NOT ISSUE A WARRANTY CLAIM FOR IT. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF OTHER VEHICLES THAT HAVE HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM BUT MINI WILL NOT STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT. THIS IS THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM AS THE RECALL ISSUED BY BMW (NHTSA CAMPAIGN 13V564000). *TR

THE POWER STEERING ON MY 2004 MINI COOPER, BASE, SPORADICALLY QUITS WORKING, ESPECIALLY IN COLD WEATHER. I WAS TOLD BY MINI DEALERSHIP THAT IT IS A KNOWN DEFECT BUT THEY WILL NOT REPLACE IT UNTIL IT FAILS COMPLETELY. VERY SUB-PAR CUSTOMER SERVICE, AS THEY KNOW IT IS A PROBLEM. UNHAPPY. *TR

ON MY 2004 MINI COOPER, BASE, WITH CVT, IT THE RPMS JUMP TO ~3800 BETWEEN 50-65 MPH. WHEN I ACCELERATE TO ABOVE 65, THE RPMS RETURN TO THE NORMAL RANGE. UPON SLOWING DOWN, THE RPMS THEN JUMP AGAIN BETWEEN 50-65. *TR

BLUE BLACK SMOKE FROM FRONT GRILL OF WARM (20 MILES) DRIVEN CAR. CAR WAS OFF AND PARKED IN HIGHWAY 40 MCDONALDS RESTAURANT PARKING LOT NEXT TO A 10,000 GALLON HEATING FUEL TANK. PARKER FUEL COMPANY EMPLOYEES PUT OUT THE FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT JUST BELOW THE ENGINE. NOTE THE BATTERY WAS DISCONNECTED IMMEDIATELY BEFORE OPENING THE BONNET/HOOD AT WHICH TIME THE SMOKE AND VISIBLE FLAME WAS EXTINGUISHED 5 TIMES VIA 1 SMALL (DEPLETED) AND 3 TIMES ENDING VIA A 2ND LARGER PARKER FUEL COMPANY UNIT. HOWARD COUNTY FIRE AND POLICE VEHICLES ARRIVED AFTER FIRE HAD ENDED. CAR SEEMED NORMAL OVER 20 MILE PORTION OF TRIP ON HIGHWAY 70 + 40 @ 70 + 55 MPH SPEEDS. FLAME COULD BE VIEWED ORIGINATING UNDER ENGINE WHEN LOOKING DOWNWARD IN SPACE BETWEEN ENGINE AND FIREWALL BELOW EXHAUST MANIFOLD. NOT SURE IF FIRE WAS FROM POWER STEERING PUMP DRIVE (ELECTRIC MOTOR), POWER STEERING HOSE(S), PS FAN OR COMPROMISED OIL PUMP VOLUME CONTROL SOLENOID VALVE LEAKING OIL ON VERY HOT SUPERCHARGED ENGINE EXHAUST. I WAS VERY LUCKY THAT THE 4 MINUTES I WAS INSIDE MCDONALDS ,THAT MULTIPLE PARKER FUEL COMPANY EMPLOYEES ARRIVING TO WORK HAD SEEN THE SMOKE AND HAD MULTIPLE FIRE EXTINGUISHERS AND TRAINING TO PUT OUT FIRES. MY CAR WOULD HAVE COMPLETELY BURNED UP IN THE TIME IT WOULD HAVE TAKEN THE FIRE DEPT TO ARRIVE. THE 1ST PARKER FUEL COMPANY EMPLOYEE WAS ALREADY AT MY CAR WITH PLIERS TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY AS HE KNEW IT WAS NOT STEAM FROM A RADIATOR, BUT BLACK SMOKE FROM A ELECTRICAL, GAS, OIL OR RUBBER/PLASTIC SOURCES BEING DIFFICULT TO EXTINGUISH. *TR

AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON FULL TIME, AFTER A PERIOD OF INTERMITTENT ACTIVITY. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ON THE WEB. THE HIGH COST OF REPAIRS SEEMS TO HAVE RESULTED IN A THRIVING BUSINESS SELLING REPLACEMENT "EMULATORS" THAT IMITATE THE SENSOR PAD ELECTRICAL CHARACTERISTICS. THIS IS THE SAME PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR MAT FAILURE FOR WHICH THERE HAVE BEEN EXTENSIVE RECALLS FOR BMW VEHICLES MADE BY THE SAME MANUFACTURER. OWNER CALLED MINI, WAS STONEWALLED AND TOLD THERE WAS NO INTEREST IN HEARING ABOUT THE PROBLEM, JUST TAKE IT TO A DEALER. ASKED DEALER SERVICE REP IF IT WAS SAFE TO DRIVE IN THIS CONDITION, WAS TOLD "I'M NOT ALLOWED TO ANSWER THAT." THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT RISES TO THE LEVEL OF REQUIRING A RECALL, AS WAS DONE FOR EARLIER MINI YEARS. MINI DOES NOT OFFER THE SENSOR MAT AS A SEPARATE PART, INSTEAD REQUIRES REPLACEMENT OF THE SEAT UPHOLSTERY, A $600+ BMW PART NUMBER WHICH IS BACK ORDERED WITH NO CERTAIN DELIVERY DATE OR PRICE. INCLUDING LABOR, THE COST TO REPAIR IS 10% TO 20% OF THE CURRENT SALES PRICE OF THIS YEAR MINI. PLEASE, THERE CAN BE NO EXCUSE FOR NOT RECALLING VEHICLES WITH THIS SIGNIFICANT AND EXPENSIVE SAFETY DESIGN FLAW. (TR

STARTED CAR, RED SERVICE ICON ON DASH ALTERNATING WITH DRIVER DOOR OPEN ICON. THIS WAS A LOSS OF INTERIOR LIGHTS, SIGNAL LIGHTS, BRAKE LIGHTS, HAZARD LIGHTS, WINDOW UP/DOWN CONTROLS, AND DOOR LOCK FUNCTIONS. CAR OTHERWISE OPERATED NORMALLY. THIS MALFUNCTION REQUIRES DEALER ONLY REPAIR. *TR

IN SEPTEMBER OF 2014, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT OF MY 2009 MINI COOPER CAME ON. I TOOK THE CAR IN FOR SERVICE AT THE MINI COOPER DEALERSHIP IN FIFE, WASHINGTON AND WAS TOLD THE TIMING CHAIN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. WHEN I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE NEW I WAS TOLD THE TIMING CHAIN WOULD REMAIN MAINTENANCE-FREE THROUGHOUT THE FULL RUNNING LIFE OF THE ENGINE. OBVIOUSLY THIS WAS NOT THE CASE. ALL MAINTENANCE HAS BEEN PERFORMED AT THE MINI COOPER DEALERSHIP IN FIFE SINCE I PURCHASED IT NEW IN OCTOBER 2008. *TR

ABOUT 1 WEEK AFTER I BOUGHT THE CAR, THE PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF LIGHT COMES ON WHEN I HAVE A PASSENGER AND THE AIRBAG MALFUNCTION SIGN COMES ON THE DASH. IN THE MANUAL IT SAYS :IN THE EVENT OF A MALFUNCTION, HAVE THE AIRBAG SYSTEM CHECKED IMMEDIATELY. OTHERWISE, THERE IS A RISK THAT THE SYSTEM WILL NOT FUNCTION AS INTENDED IN RESPONSE TO A SEVERE IMPACT OCCURRING WITHIN THE SYSTEM'S NORMAL TRIGGERING RANGE. I HAVE BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY BUT THEY TOLD ME IT IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE AND I HAVE TO PAY 100 TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS OKAY. BUT I DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY TO DO THAT. *TR

PASSENGER SAFETY INDICATOR LIGHT REMAINS ON. CALLED LOCAL MINI SERVICE CENTER AFTER READING MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS ON THIS ISSUE AND THEY STATED THEY (MINI USA) HAVE/WILL NOT SERVICE/REPAIR THE FAULTY SEAT MODULE. THIS MUST BE CONSIDERED AS A SAFETY ISSUE FOR THE PASSENGER AND SHOULD BE DEALT WITH UNDER AN EXTENDED WARRANTY OR RECALL. *TR

THIS WOULD BE THE SECOND TIME IN WHICH I HAVE HAD TO VISIT NICK ALEXANDER IMPORTS OF DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES, DUE TO THE MALFUNCTIONING OF MY VEHICLE, SPECIFICALLY THE ENGINE. THE FIRST TIME, MY CAR HAD STALLED ON THE FREEWAY DURING RUSH HOUR TIME. THE SERVICE SPECIALIST AT THE DEALERSHIP ATTRIBUTED MY CAR STALLING AS A SYSTEM UPDATE ISSUE AND FOUND THAT THEIR WAS A RECALL ON A VEHICLE PART (A NUT THAT SECURES THE SPARE TIRE TO THE CAR THAT COULD BECOME LOOSE DURING DRIVING), WHICH HE REPLACED. THIS SECOND TIME, WHICH WAS ON JANUARY 5TH, 2015, MY CAR STARTED TO WARN ME THAT THE "ENGINE OIL PRESSURE WAS TOO LOW" AND TO STOP MY ENGINE IMMEDIATELY. AFTER A FEW MINUTES OF PARKING MY CAR, I NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A PUDDLE OF OIL GATHERING UNDER THE UPPER PORTION OF MY VEHICLE. ONCE I WAS ABLE TO HAVE MY CAR INSPECTED BY THE DEALER'S SERVICE SPECIALIST, I WAS NOTIFIED THAT THERE WAS ANOTHER RECALL ON A PART. THIS TIME IT WAS THE OIL FILTER HOUSING THAT CRACKED BECAUSE IT WAS "TOO WEAK". THE SPLASH SHIELD AND OIL DEFLECTOR ALSO NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. IN BOTH INCIDENTS I WAS PLACED IN LIFE THREATENING SITUATIONS AND CAN NO LONGER FEEL CONFIDENT THAT MY MINI COOPER IS SAFE TO DRIVE. *TR