MINI Complaints

SMOKE BEGAN COMING FROM HOOD VENTS, INSPECTED AND FOUND OIL LEAKING ONTO EXHAUST MANIFOLD AND THE TURBO HEAT SHIELD FROM THE OIL TUBE FEEDING THE TURBO WHERE IT WAS CRIMPED TOGETHER. I WAS CLOSE TO HOME AND CONTINUED, WHEN THE ENGINE COOLED I FOUND THAT I COULD REMOVE THE OIL LINE FROM THE FITTING JUST BY TOUCHING IT. I AM SURPRISED THIS THING DIDN'T GO UP IN FLAMES! WHEN I TOOK IT TO THE MINI DEALER THEY REFUSED TO REPAIR THE OIL TUBING LEAK UNLESS I ALSO COMMITTED TO A NEW HEAD COVER AT 2K. MINI DENIES ANY ISSUES WITH THE DESIGN OR FITTINGS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 MINI COOPER. WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE, THE AIR BAG FAULT LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE PASSENGER SAFETY SENSOR MAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. NO REPAIRS WERE MADE TO THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 58,000.

RED AIR BAG LIGHT ON CENTER DASH AND YELLOW AIR BAG LIGHT WILL NOT GO OUT. THIS HAS BEEN ON GOING PROBLEM FOR YEARS BUT JUST RECENTLY THE LIGHTS WILL NOT GO OUT. *TR

EVER SINCE BUYING THIS CAR USED IN JANUARY OF 2012, THE SRS WARNING LIGHT HAS BEEN ON. THE CAR STORE WE BOUGHT THE VEHICLE FROM DID CANCEL THE CODE WHEN WE DISCOVERED IT WAS ON AFTER PURCHASE. HOWEVER, THE CODE CAME BACK. WE BROUGHT IT TO BE FIXED, AND I BELIEVE SOMEONE ELIMINATED THE COUPLER UNDER THE PASSENGER SEAT, WIRING THE SEAT TO THE ECU DIRECTLY, BY CRIMPING WIRES TOGETHER. STILL, THE LIGHT CAME BACK ON. IT HAS BEEN ON CONSTANTLY FOR OVER A YEAR NOW. I HAVE SOLDERED THE WIRES UNDER THE PASSENGER SEAT TOGETHER, AS ONE CONNECTION SEEMED BROKEN, HOPING THIS WOULD ELIMINATE THE LIGHT. I BOUGHT A CODE READER TO RESET THE LIGHT, BUT THE CODES ONLY TEMPORARILY DISAPPEAR AND AFTER BLINKING A FEW TIMES THE LIGHT IS BACK ON. I DO NOT KNOW, NOR DO I HAVE CONFIDENCE IN KNOWING, WHETHER OR NOT THE AIR BAG WOULD DEPLOY IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT. I HOPE NEVER TO FIND OUT, OF COURSE. BUT I DO KNOW THAT THE AIR BAG LIGHT BEING ON IS A CONSISTENT AND PERSISTENT PROBLEM WITH MINI COOPERS BUILT FROM 2002 - 2006. AND I KNOW THAT THERE HAS BEEN NO RECALL, NOR AN EXTENDED WARRANTY THAT WOULD COVER WORK THAT APPARENTLY WILL COST AROUND $2,000 AT A DEALER REPAIR SHOP. WITH THE RECENT RECALL OF AIR BAGS MADE BY JAPANESE AIR BAG MAKER TAKATA, INCLUDING THOUSANDS OF BMWS MADE IN A SIMILAR TIME FRAME AS THE AIR BAGS IN MY MINI COOPER, I AM ALSO WONDERING IF THE MINI AIR BAGS ARE MADE BY TAKATA, AND SENSIBLY WORRY ABOUT THEIR SAFETY SHOULD THE IN FACT DEPLOY AS DESIGNED. BMW HAS RECALLED SOME OF THEIR OWN CARS FOR AIR BAG LIGHT ISSUES, INVOLVING SEAT SENSORS, BUT NOT ON THE MINI, EVEN THOUGH BOTH CARS USE IDENTICAL COMPONENTS. IT IS TIME FOR BMW TO TAKE OWNERSHIP OF A SERIOUS PROBLEM THE AIR BAG SYSTEMS IN THEIR EARLY MINI COOPERS. I WOULD HOPE THAT YOU CAN FORCE THE ISSUE, AS THIS CERTAINLY IS A SAFETY ISSUE WHICH EXISTS/PERSISTS ON THOUSANDS OF VEHICLES SOLD IN THE US. *TR

THE POWER STEERING DRAINED THE BATTERY AND VEHICLE WAS INOPERABLE. PARTS NECESSARY TO REPLACE WERE: POWER STEERING PUMP POWER STEERING PUMP FAN POWER STEERING FLUID PEN I AM FILING THIS COMPLAINT BECAUSE THE ABOVE PARTS HAVE BEEN RECALLED UP UNTIL 2005. MY VEHICLE IS 2006 BUT I SUSPECT THAT THE OLDER PUMP HAS BEEN USED ON MY VEHICLE BECAUSE THE FAN HAS BEEN WORKING IN AN ODD WAY EVER SINCE I GOT THE CAR. MINI REFUSED TO PAY FOR THIS PART AND I AM ASKING YOU TO EXTEND THE RECALL IF THERE ARE ENOUGH PEOPLE WITH ISSUES WITH THESE PARTS. *TR

WHEN PASSENGERS OR ITEMS WERE PLACED ON THE PASSENGER SEAT THE SEATBELT AND AIRBAG WARNING LIGHTS WOULD ILLUMINATE ON THE DASH, BUT WOULD GO OUT AFTER PASSENGER OR ITEMS WERE REMOVED, AND/OR SEATBELT WAS FASTENED. AS OF NOW BOTH THE AIRBAG WARNING AND SEATBELT WARNING LIGHTS ARE ILLUMINATED, AT ALL TIMES, ON THE DASH AND WILL NOT RETURN TO NORMAL STATE WHETHER SEATBELT IS FASTENED OR NOT. THE AIRBAG SAFETY SYSTEM IS NOW DISABLED UNDER NORMAL DRIVING OPERATION DUE TO THESE FAILURES (AIRBAG/SEATBELT NOT READY STATE). *TR

AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT AND SEAT OCCUPANCY WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. TOOK IN FOR SERVICE- TOLD SEAT OCCUPANT MAT (FRONT PASSENGER SEAT) HAS FAILED AND MUST BE REPLACED. REPLACEMENT IS COST PROHIBITIVE ($1700). SAFETY RISK PRESENT BECAUSE AIR BAGS MAY NOT DEPLOY IN EVENT OF CRASH. DEALER SAYS THERE IS NO RECALL AND WILL NOT REPLACE THE PART UNDER ANY EXTENDED WARRANTY. *TR

AIRBAG AND SEATBELT LIGHT REMAIN ON IN THE VEHICLE. I WILL NOT PAY THE OUTRAGEOUS AMOUNT OF MONEY THE DEALERSHIP WANTS THE FIX OR REPLACE WHATEVER IS WRONG WITH IT. MAYBE ILL BE THE FIRST PERSON INJURED BECAUSE OF THIS FAULT THAT A RECALL ACTUALLY IS ISSUED FOR THIS DEFECT. *TR

THE AIRBAG SENSOR LIGHT CAME ON FOR NO APPARENT REASON. IT IS REALLY UNFAIR FOR ME AS CONSUMER IF I HAVE TO REPAIR A FACTORY DEFECT BECAUSE THERE IS NO RECALL. *TR

THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT CAME ON FOR THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT. THE BMW DEALER SAID THAT THE SEAT SENSOR WAS FAULTY. *TR