MINI Complaints

I WAS DRIVING MY MINI COOPER ON I-95 WHEN THE I NOTICED A VERY STRONG BURNING SMELL AND THE CLUTCH WAS GIVING ME DIFFICULTY CHANGING GEARS. AS I WAS GETTING OFF I-95 THE GEARS WERE NOT RESPONDING AND THE CAR BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN. I GOT OFF I-95 AND JUST MADE IT TO A MAIN BLVD. WHEN THE CLUTCH GAVE OUT AND THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. I COULD SEE THE CARS IN THE REAR VIEW MIRROR COMING AT FULL SPEED AND HONKING AT ME TO MOVE OUT OF THE OF THE WAY. I CALLED 911 AND ASKED FOR A PATROL TO SPOT TRAFFIC AND THEN TRIED TO GET OUT OF THE CAR TO ASK FOR HELP BUT ALMOST GOT RAN OVER BY CARS PASSING BY. I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO GET EITHER HIT OR KILLED. TWO MAN IN A VAN STOPPED AND PUSHED MY CAR OUT OF THE WAY UNTIL THE TRUCK STOPPED. THE POLICE CAR NEVER SHOWED UP. A WEST PALM BRAMAN MINI COOPER SERVICE MAN WAS DRIVING BY AND TOLD ME THE CLUTCH WAS COMPLETELY BURNT OUT AND TO TOW THE CAR TO HIS FACILITY. I DID AND MINI COOPER REFUSED TO FIX IT EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE AWARE OF THE DEFECT AND THE MANY COMPLAINTS. THEY TRIED TO TELL ME THE CLUTCH WAS WORN OUT BUT THE CAR ONLY HAS 13,000 MILES, THEY ALSO TRIED TO BLAME IT ON AGGRESSIVE DRIVING OR THAT I DID NOT KNOW HOW TO DRIVE A STANDARD TRANSMISSION. I TOLD THEM I DRIVE VERY SLOW AND HAVE BEEN DRIVING STANDARD TRANSMISSION MY ENTIRE LIFE. THEY JUST REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE MANUFACTURING DEFECT. PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT SOMEONE LOOKS INTO THIS SO THAT NO ONE HAS TO FACE THE SAME DANGER I DID OR EVEN WORSE, BE KILLED. *TR

WE WERE DRIVING AROUND 70 MPH IN THE HOV LANE OF OUR HIGHWAY WITH OUR DOG IN THE BACK SEAT. A SUDDEN EXPLOSIVE NOISE (SOUNDED LIKE GUNFIRE) AND THE REAR SUNROOF EXPLODED ALL OVER OUR DOG AND REAR SEAT. *TR

WAS ABOUT TO PARK MY CAR AND ALL OF SUDDEN THE STEERING BEGAN FEELING TIGHT. IT SEEMS THAT ALL ASSISTANCE WITH THE POWER STEERING WAS LOST. UPON INVESTIGATION OVER THE INTERNET IT SEEMS THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP IS BLOWN. FORTUNATELY, I WAS NOT DRIVING FAST,BUT THIS CAN CAUSE A POTENTIAL FATAL INJURY. *TR

AIRBAG PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR IS BAD $1500 TO REPAIR AND NO GUARANTEE IT WILL WORK CORRECTLY IN THE FUTURE. WHY HASN'T THIS BEEN RECALLED??? BMW WHO OWNS MINI COOPER RECALLED THIS SENSOR FOR THEIR CARS BUT WHY NOT THE COOPERS? I'M SO ANGRY THAT THEY COULD CARE LESS ABOUT MY FAMILIES SAFETY. AUTOMOBILES ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE AIRBAG SYSTEMS BUT THEY AREN'T REQUIRED TO WORK PROPERLY?? *TR

THE AIR BAG LIGHTS BEGAN ILLUMINATING INTERMITTENTLY ON MY 2007 MINI COOPER WITH 48,000 MILES. UPON MY MECHANIC SCANNING THE COMPUTER WE FOUND THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG SENSOR IS OUT OF THE SEAT. THE ONLY FIX IS TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE PASSENGER SEAT CUSHION (COST: $1500). I GOOGLED "MINI COOPER AIR BAG LIGHT" ' AND FOUND THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM ON MANY DIFFERENT MODEL YEARS. WHEN I CONTACTED MINI COOPER AND QUESTIONED WHY THERE HASN'T BEEN A RECALL ISSUED, THE PERSON TOLD ME THAT SINCE THE PASSENGER OCCUPANT STILL HAS THE SEAT BELT THAT THE AIR BAG MALFUNCTION IS NOT A SAFETY CONCERN. WHEN ASKED IF THE AIR BAGS WOULD DEPLOY ON THE PASSENGER SIDE IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT, HE ANSWERED THE QUESTION BY SAYING "WELL, THEY STILL HAVE THEIR SEAT BELT"'. IF THE AIR BAGS ARE NOT A SAFETY FEATURE OF THE CAR THEN WHY IS IT EQUIPPED WITH 8 AIR BAGS? PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS AIR BAG MALFUNCTION BECAUSE AS A MINI COOPER OWNER, THIS IS A BIG SAFETY CONCERN FOR ME, AS WELL AS THOUSANDS OF OTHER MINI COOPER OWNERS WHO HAVE TAKEN TO THE INTERNET TO EXPRESS THEIR FRUSTRATIONS. THANK YOU *TR

POWER STEERING ABRUPTLY STOPPED WORKING WHILE CORNERING CAUSING DRIVER TO USE HEAVY MANUAL FORCE TO CORNER THE VEHICLE THRU A TRICKY VIADUCT TRAIN BRIDGE PASSAGEWAY. WHILE MIDWAY INTO THE TURN, THE POWER STEERING ABRUPTLY "KICKED BACK ON" CAUSING THE STEERING WHEEL TO TURN VIOLENTLY ACROSS LANE AND NEARLY INTO CORNER OF CEMENT WALL HOLDING UP OVERHEAD TRAIN BRIDGE. OTHER CARS WERE MISSED, AND DRIVER STOPPED CAR WITH FRONT BUMPER SLIGHTLY TOUCHING VIADUCT CEMENT WALL. WIFE AND 7 YEAR OLD CHILD WERE ON THE IMPACT SIDE OF VEHICLE. VEHICLE WAS CHECKED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHICH NOTED THE EHPS POWER STEERING PUMP IS FAILING. HE CLEANED THE POWER STEERING PUMP AND INSTALLED A NEW COOLING FAN ON THE POWER STEERING PUMP. THE PUMP WAS OVERHEATED AND PACKED WITH METAL DEBRIS. INDEPENDENT MECHANIC ADVISED ME TO RETURN TO MINI AS POTENTIAL RECALL ISSUE WHICH HAS BEEN WIDELY REPORTED BUT REFUTED BY MINI. POWER STEERING PUMP STILL HAS SIGNIFICANT NOISE AND IS SCHEDULED FOR REVIEW BY A MINI DEALER. *TR

PASSENGER SIDE SEAT WEIGHT SENSOR WENT BAD. SRS LIGHT ILLUMINATED. $1,500 TO HAVE DEALER REPAIRED. CAR IS NOT REPAIRED YET. *TR

A "POP" WAS HEARD WHEN I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE ON I95. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE CONSIDERING WHEN THE "POP" OCCURRED, MY MINI LOST POWER. AS I WAS PULLED OVER, THE VEHICLE BURST INTO FLAMES. *TR

ONCE YOU SEARCH THE 'DEATH RATTLE' ON GOOGLE, YOU CAN GET LOTS OF INFO ABOUT WHAT IS GOING ON AND THE DEATH RATTLE IS REALLY COMMON ON THE R56. IT IS REALLY A COMMON PROBLEM AND MINI SHOULD TAKE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THAT. *TR

MINI USA WAS WELL AWARE OF THE MASSIVE TIMING CHAIN PROBLEM (AFFECTING 500,000 MINI COOPERS),BUT REFUSED TO FIX IT BECAUSE IT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. I'VE COMPLAINED OF THE CANTANKEROUS RATTLE DURING A COLD START WHICH WAS CLEARLY RELATED TO THE FAILING TIMING CHAIN DUE TO A DEFECTIVE AND POORLY DESIGNED TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER. (APPARENTLY MINI HAS COME OUT WITH A NEW ONE DUE TO THIS PROBLEM). THE DEALERSHIP QUOTED ME $1800 TO REPLACE THE WHOLE CHAIN ASSEMBLY. I ULTIMATELY TOOK IT AN INDEPENDENT MINI MECHANIC AND HAD IT REPLACED FOR LESS ($1144). NOW I AM HEARING THAT MINI DEALERSHIPS ARE REPLACING THIS DEFECTIVE PART BEYOND THE WARRANTY PERIOD. I BELIEVE THAT THERE IS NOW A CAMPAIGN TO REPLACE THE TENSIONER AND CHAIN. THEY SHOULD HAVE REPLACED IT WHEN THE PROBLEMS WERE OBVIOUS AND SHOULD NOW COMPENSATE THOSE WHO'VE PAID OUT OF THEIR OWN POCKETS FOR THIS POORLY DESIGNED PART. *TR