MINI Complaints

"DEATH RATTLE" NOISE COMING FROM ENGINE COMPARTMENT AS REPORTED BY MANY OTHERS ON ONLINE FORUMS. NOW ENGINE IS THROWING CODES INDICATING CRANKSHAFT OUT OF POSITION. OBVIOUS RELATED ISSUE TO A DEFECTIVE TIMING BELT OR TENSIONER. TOLD BY DEALERSHIP NOT A COVERED REPAIR, ALTHOUGH I'VE READ THAT SIMILAR REPAIR HAS BEEN COVERED BY MANUFACTURER FOR OTHERS AND FOR OTHER MODELS. AS THIS VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN BY MY YOUNG DAUGHTER, OUT OF STATE, I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT A COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE WHILST SHE IS ON THE HIGHWAYS IN THE MOUNTAINS WHERE SHE LIVES, WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR TRAGIC CONSEQUENCES. PLEASE CONSIDER THIS ISSUE AS A SERIOUS POTENTIAL LIFE SAFETY ISSUE, AS A FAILURE AT HIGHWAYS SPEEDS COULD CERTAINLY ENDANGER NOT ONLY MY DAUGHTER, BUT THE LIVES OF OTHERS ON THE HIGHWAY. THANK YOU.

MY 2005 MINI COOPER CONVERTIBLE NEEDS THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED. MY CAR HAS ONLY 92,000 MILES AND IT IS UNFAIR THAT ALREADY IT HAS TO BE REPLACE AT A RIDICULOUS COST. THERE WAS A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT WITH BMW/MINI FOR THE TRANSMISSION THAT WENT WRONG. THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE BESIDES MYSELF WHO WHERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THIS AND WERE LEFT OUT. MINI COOPER SHOULD RECALL THE TRANSMISSIONS .THERE ARE MANY FORUMS OF MINI COOPER OWNERS WHO ARE OUTRAGED AND HAVE SIMILAR SITUATIONS. PLEASE CONSIDER AND MAKE THIS COMPANY RECALL THE TRANSMISSIONS. THANK YOU *TR

THE PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF LIGHT ILLUMINATED. IT IS INTERMITTENT AND DIAGNOSTICS SHOW THAT THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THE SENSOR IN THE SEAT. THIS REQUIRES COMPLETE REPLACEMENT OF THE SEAT. ALTHOUGH THERE IS NO DANGER TO THE PASSENGER (AIRBAG WILL NOT DEPLOY), THE CAR WILL NOT PASS INSPECTION WHEN IT COMES DUE IN NOV 2015. *TR

THE BANGO FITTING ON TOP OF THE TURBO STARTED RANDOMLY AND EXCESSIVELY LEAKING OIL WHILE IDLING IN MY DRIVEWAY. COULD HAVE CAUSED A FIRE. GOING TO HAVE TO REPLACE THE OIL INTAKE LINE, OIL, AND DO A ENGINE CLEANING. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND COULD HAVE EASILY STARTED A FIRE WITH OIL POURING OVER A HOT TURBO. *TR

LOW MILEAGE 2008 VEHICLE BEGAN MAKING LOUD NOISES FROM ENGINE COMPARTMENT. DIAGNOSED AS TIMING CHAIN/TENSIONER FAILURE. APPEARS TO A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL. ESTIMATED REPAIR COST OVER $2000. MECHANICS SAY NOT "IF" BUT "WHEN" THIS WILL HAPPEN TO ALL 2008 MCS. I BELIEVE THIS SHOULD BE REPAIRED ON A RECALL. VEHICLE CANNOT BE DRIVEN SAFELY UNTIL REPAIRED; DELAY WILL RESULT IN TOTAL ENGINE FAILURE. *TR

PASSENGER AIRBAG DISABLED LIGHT CAME ON AND REMAINS LIT AT ALL TIMES WITH THE PASSENGER SEAT OPEN OR OCCUPIED BY A PASSENGER (150 LBS). *TR

THE TIMING CHAIN BELT BROKE SUDDENLY AND FLEW UP INTO MY ENGINE, DESTROYING THE ENGINE COMPLETELY. I GOT A NEW ENGINE, BUT THIS NEW ENGINE IS ALSO FAULTY (REASON UNKNOWN) AND NOW I NEED ANOTHER NEW ENGINE. *JS

IN 2013 MY MINI STARTED TO OVERHEAT. I HAD THE FLUIDS CHECKED AND EVERYTHING WAS OK. I DROVE APPROX., 10 MILES AND THE CAR COMPLETELY OVERHEATED, THE OIL LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CAR SMOKED AND ALMOST CAUGHT ON FIRE. I HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP (MINI NORTHWEST IN FIFE WA,) THEY SAID THERE WERE NO RECALLS AND I NEEDED A NEW MOTOR AND COOLING SYSTEM. I PAID 7500$$ FOR A NEW ENGINE INSTALLED BY THE MINI DEALERSHIP IN JULY 2013 AT MY OWN EXPENSE. ON DEC, 23RD 2014 I DROVE MY MINI APPROX. 12 MILES AND PARKED THE CAR IN THE DRIVEWAY. THE CAR WAS NOT OVERHEATING, NO WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON, 15 MINUTES LATER THE CAR HAD FLAMES SHOOTING OUT FROM THE HOOD. FIRE EXTINGUISHER WOULD NOT PUT OUT THE FIRE. THE CAR THEN MOVED APPROX. 5 FEET FORWARD UP AGAINST THE HOUSE AND BECAME COMPLETELY ENGULFED. THE TIRES BLEW UP THE SUNROOF BLEW UP AND THEN THE BACK WINDOW BLEW OUT. THE CAR IS A COMPLETE LOSS. MINI CLAIMS THEY HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THIS BEFORE, YET THERE ARE SEVERAL ARTICLES OF THE SAME THING HAPPENING TO OTHER CARS, INCLUDING A CLASS ACTION SUIT AND RECALLS. *JS

THE FUEL LINE RUPTURED WHEN DRIVING MY CAR UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS. THE CAR STARTED TO SMELL STRONGLY OF GASOLINE, SO I HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER RATHER THAN RE STARTING THE CAR. APPARENTLY, THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE IN MINI COOPERS DUE TO A POOR DESIGN PER THE AUTHORIZED MECHANIC. THE FUEL LINE SITS NEXT TO A HEATER LINE, AND A COMBINATION OF RUBBING AND HEAT CAUSED THE FUEL LINE TO RUPTURE. MINI IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AS THEY HAVE CHANGED THE FUEL LINE DESIGN TO NOW HAVE A PROTECTIVE SLEEVE THAT PREVENTS ABRASION AND PROTECTS THE FUEL FROM HEAT. NOT ONLY DID THIS REPAIR COST ME $500, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN. WHY HAS THIS NOT BEEN A RECALL FOR MINI? I AM VERY CONCERNED AS A CONSUMER. *TR

THE PASSENGER AIRBAG FAULT INDICATOR LIGHT HAS COME ON WITH NO APPARENT CAUSE, ILLUMINATING WHETHER THERE IS A PASSENGER IN THE SEAT OR NOT. THE DEALER HAS DETERMINED IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AT THE COST OF $1000+. BASED ON THE FORUMS ONLINE, THIS SEEMS TO BE AN EXTREMELY COMMON PROBLEM, SO MUCH SO THAT MINI SHOULD CONSIDER A VOLUNTARY RECALL AND COVER THE REPAIRS. *TR