MINI Complaints

RIGHT SEAT AIR BAG OCCUPANCY PAD SENSOR CAUSES AIRBAG LIGHT TO STAY ON. THE SENSOR HAS BEEN TESTED AND IS INOPERATIVE. BMW HAS A RECALL FOR ALL THEIR VEHICLES WITH THE SAME SENSOR. MINI COOPER NEEDS TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THIS FAULTY DESIGN AND HAVE TO REPLACE THE OCCUPANCY SEAT SENSOR AT NO COST TO THE OWNERS. THIS REPAIR COST AROUND $1300.00. IF THIS IS NOT REPAIRED IT COULD PREVENT THE AIR BAGS FROM DEPLOYING. *TR

FROM INITIAL DELIVERY THE SPEEDOMETER INDICATES A SPEED THAT IS 8% OVER ACTUAL. I HAVE FILED SEVERAL COMPLAINTS WITH MINI TO GET THIS CORRECTED. THEY TELL ME THEY HAVE BEEN TRYING TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM SINCE THE INTRODUCTION OF THE 2010 MODEL. IN ORDER TO ACCURATELY MONITOR MY SPEED, I USE AN APP ON MY IPHONE THAT USES GPS TO DISPLAY ACTUAL SPEED. WHEN USING THE IPHONE FOR THIS PURPOSE, I PLACE IT ON THE DASH. MY CONCERN IS THAT THE IPHONE CAN BE A DISTRACTION AND THUS A SAFETY HAZARD. I SUSPECT OTHER DRIVERS ARE USING THIS OR OTHER METHODS TO MONITOR THEIR ACTUAL SPEED. *TR

SAW ON THE WEB THAT MINI RECALLED AND THEN EXTENDED WARRANTY RECALL ON AN AIRBAG MALFUNCTION. THE LIGHT CAME ON A FEW DAYS AGO, BUT I CAN NOT FIND ANY INFORMATION AS TO THE TRUTH IN THAT STATEMENT. SUPPOSEDLY 10 YEARS OR 150,000 MILES. *TR

OUR 2012 MINI COOPER COUNTRYMAN WAS PARKED IN PARKING GARAGE. WITHIN MINUTES OF SHUTTING IT OFF THE ENGINE CAUGHT ON FIRE WHICH SPREAD QUICKLY. THE CAR WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED. OTHER CARS NEXT TO IT WERE AFFECTED AND THE FLOOR OF THE PARKING GARAGE WAS CLOSED DUE TO DAMAGES. THIS IS VERY SERIOUS AND DANGEROUS. *TR

THERE WAS NO ONE SITTING IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT, BUT MY IPOD WAS ON THE SEAT. A "FASTEN SEAT BELT" WARNING WENT OFF WHILE I WAS DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. I HAD BEEN DRIVING FOR OVER 30 MINUTES WHEN THIS HAPPENED. WHILE DRIVING, I REMOVED THE IPOD FROM THE SEAT, BUT THE WARNING DID NOT STOP. BECAUSE IT WAS NOT IMMEDIATELY POSSIBLE TO PULL OVER, I HAD TO IGNORE SAFETY LIGHTS AND CHIMES UNTIL I COULD PULL OVER. ALTHOUGH THIS FALSE WARNING HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES WITH LIGHT OBJECTS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, IT DOES NOT HAPPEN CONSISTENTLY. THE DEALER INSISTS THE CAR IS FUNCTIONING PROPERLY, AND SUGGESTED I LEAVE THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT FASTENED. I THINK THIS BEHAVIOR IS A SAFETY CONCERN BECAUSE (1) IT IS A SOURCE OF UNPREDICTABLE DRIVER DISTRACTION; (2) IT ENCOURAGES DRIVERS TO DEFEAT A SAFETY WARNING BY LEAVING THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT FASTENED; AND (3) IF THE SEAT SENSOR CAN'T DISTINGUISH BETWEEN AN IPOD AND A PERSON, HOW CAN IT GIVE THE PROPER READINGS TO THE AIR BAG SYSTEM IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH. *TR

THE CAR STOPPED AT THE STOP SIGN AS USUAL, HOWEVER, THE ENGINE DIDN'T START AGAIN. HOWEVER, IT'S ONLY 7 YEARS. I CALLED THE BMW SERVICE TO REPORT THE ISSUE. THEY REFUSED TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM... I'D DONE SOME RESEARCHES ONLINE. AND, I'VE FOUND THAT MANY OTHER MINI'S OWNERS HAD FOUND THE SAME PROBLEMS. CAN GOVERNMENT DO SOMETHING TO PROTECT THE CUSTOMERS ? THANKS *TR

POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURE. THIS IS A KNOWN DESIGN DEFECT OF THIS MODEL AND YEAR, HOWEVER, MINI STATES THAT MY VIN IS NOT COVERED (POSSIBLY BECAUSE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE WHILE STATIONED WITH THE ARMY IN GERMANY). THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION AND I AM NOT HAPPY WITH MINIUSA'S RESPONSE TO DATE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MINI COOPER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 113,000.

RIGHT AND LEFT SEATBELT A JAMMED. WILL NOT RELEASE. THIS WAS REPAIRED AND THIS HAPPENED AGAIN ON MAY 14, 2014. *TR

AT THE BEGINNING, THE STEERING PUMP MAKES SOME NOISES AND A FEW WEEKS LATER, MY POWER STEERING COMPLETELY WENT OUT, REALLY HEARD TO STEER ESPECIALLY AT THE LOWER SPEED AND AT THE CORNER. *TR