MINI Complaints

MINI COOPER 2011 OVERHEATED AND BLEW OFF RADIATOR HOSES WHILE DRIVING ON FWY- ENGINE DAMAGE AND HEAD REPLACEMENT.. DEALER IS SAYING BOTTOM RADIATOR HOSE MUST HAVE COME OFF AND LEAKED COOLANT. JUST HAD IT SERVICED. *TR

GEAR SHIFT COMPLETELY BECAME DETACHED AT SPEED. TWO MAGAZINES HAVE HAD SAME ISSUE. THIS COULD EASILY CAUSE A FATAL ACCIDENT IF IT HAPPENED TO SOMEONE THAT ISN'T AS CALM AS MYSELF. CONSUMER REPORTS JUST HAD THIS SAME ISSUE HAPPEN. AFFECTS 2014 MINI COOPER HARDTOP MODELS, CHASSIS CODE F56. HTTP://WWW.CONSUMERREPORTS.ORG/CRO/NEWS/2014/06/2014-MINI-COOPER-S-SHIFTER-COMES-OFF-WHILE-DRIVING/INDEX.HTM. *TR

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE STREET AND WAS GOING TO MAKE A RIGHT TO TURN, SLOWED DOWN TO SAY HI TO MY ROOMMATE WHO WAS LEAVING AND WENT OUT OF GEAR WHEN I WENT BACK IN MY STEERING WAS EXTREMELY STIFF AND I COULD BARELY MOVE THE WHEEL. *TR

ENGINE ALL OF A SUDDEN STARTS MAKING A RATTLING NOISE. TOOK IT IN TO DEALER, TIMING CHAIN GUIDES HAD BROKEN AND CHAIN WAS STRETCHED. WAS INFORMED THERE WAS A MINI CAMPAIGN ABOUT THIS BUT MY VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED. EXPENSIVE REPAIR AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION IF CHAIN HAD BROKEN. WAS INFORMED AFTER WORK WAS DONE THAT CLUTCH WAS BAD AS WELL. HAD DRIVEN THE VEHICLE THE DAY BEFORE WITHOUT ISSUE BUT AFTER ONLY 10 MILES FROM THE DEALERSHIP CAR WOULD NOT MOVE FROM STOPPED SINCE CLUTCH WOULD NOT ENGAGE. EXTREMELY EARLY FOR THIS AMOUNT OF REPAIRS TO BE NEEDED, I QUESTION THE DURABILITY OF THESE PARTS AND THIS BRAND. BOTH OF THESE SUDDEN WEAR FAILURES COULD HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS IF THEY HAD OCCURRED ON THE HIGHWAY. *JS

BOUGHT MINI COOPER IN 09/13. SINCE THEN THE WATER PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. TIMING CHAIN NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. ONLY DRIVEN THE CAR 9 MONTHS. I HAVE SPENT CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF MONEY ON THIS CAR AND HAVEN'T DRIVEN IT A YEAR YET. IT ONLY HAS 8600 MILES ON IT. *JS

MY 2010 COOPER CLUBMAN S RECENTLY HAD ITS TIMING CHAIN SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING FAIL. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN MAINTAINED ACCORDING TO MINI'S SUGGESTED MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE SINCE I FIRST PURCHASED IT. IN FACT, I WAS ON MY WAY TO A SCHEDULED SERVICING OF THE VEHICLE WHEN THE MOTOR FAILED. IT STARTED WITH A LOUD RATTLING NOISE FROM THE MOTOR, WHICH MADE THE CAR INTERMITTENTLY SOUND LIKE EITHER A DIESEL ENGINE OR A CHAINSAW SLICING THROUGH SOMETHING. THEN AS I SLOWED DOWN IN TRAFFIC, THE RPMS ON THE CAR BEGAN TO SPASTICALLY JUMP. I WAS FORTUNATE THAT A BUSINESS COMPLEX PARKING LOT WAS IMMEDIATELY ACCESSIBLE. AS I BROUGHT THE CAR TO A STOP IN THE LOT, THE MOTOR CUT OUT AND REFUSED TO START. I WAS LESS THAN A HALF MILE FROM THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE CENTER! THE SERVICE REP FIRST TOLD ME MY TIMING CHAIN HAD SLIPPED. THEN SHE CALLS BACK THREE HOURS LATER TO TELL ME THERE'S REASON TO BELIEVE THAT A VALVE ISN'T UNDER COMPRESSION. THIS MORNING SHE INFORMS ME THAT I'M LOOKING AT POSSIBLY REPLACING MY MOTOR. THIS CAR WAS WORKING FINE ON THURSDAY WITH NO SIGN THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM. THIS SUDDEN FAILURE OF MY MOTOR WOULD HAVE BEEN BEYOND DANGEROUS HAD IT HAPPENED NOT TWO MINUTES PRIOR WHEN I WAS PULLING OFF OF A MAJOR HIGHWAY. THE DEALERSHIP HAS INFORMED ME THAT NONE OF THE DAMAGE INCURRED IS COVERED UNDER MY EXTENDED MAINTENANCE PLAN. I DID A LITTLE DIGGING AND DISCOVERED THAT NOT ONLY IS THIS PROBLEM APPARENTLY A COMMON ONE, BUT MINI HAS FACED - OR IS CURRENTLY FACING - SEVERAL POTENTIAL CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS OVER THIS FAILURE FOR MANY OF THEIR MODELS MADE DURING THE 2008-2010 YEARS. *JS

38,000 MILES: AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT FOR PASSENGER SIDE SEAT STAYS ILLUMINATED. AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT REMAINS ON AFTER VEHICLE HAS STARTED AND DOES NOT TURN OFF. 54,900 MILES: AISIN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILED THEREBY MAKING THE CAR INOPERABLE. THE CAR SHOWED SIGNS OF GEAR CHANGE SLIPPING BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD GEARS. TRANSMISSION DIAGNOSIS, CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF MANUAL VALVE BODY AND INTERNAL GEARS. REQUIRED A COMPLETE TRANSMISSION REBUILD. *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 MINI COOPER COUNTRYMAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 15,000.

WHILE DRIVING EAST ON SHERIDAN DR. IN THE TOWN OF TONAWANDA, I EXPERIENCED A COMPLETE FAILURE OF THE POWER STEERING. I WRESTLED WITH THE CAR FOR THE REST OF THE DAY, AND WHEN I GOT HOME, I HEARD THAT THE POWER STEERING COOLING FAN WAS RUNNING CONTINUOUSLY, EVEN THOUGH THE CAR WAS SHUT OFF IN THE DRIVEWAY. I ASSUMED IT WOULD STOP EVENTUALLY, BUT WAS WRONG AND RETURNED TO A TOTALLY DEAD BATTERY. I CALLED THE DEALER, TOWNE MINI IN WILLIAMSVILLE, NY, AND WAS TOLD THEY WERE BOOKED TO JUNE 17TH, BUT THAT I COULD BRING IT IN. MIDWAY BETWEEN MY HOME AND TOWNE, WHILE ON THE 290, MY POWER STEERING RETURNED. WHEN I GOT TO TOWNE, THEY AS MUCH AS CALLED ME A LIAR, AND REFUSED TO REPLACE THE PUMP AND FAN. THEY DID HOWEVER, FIND $1300 WORTH OF OTHER WORK THAT "NEEDED" TO BE DONE TO PASS NYS INSPECTION. *TR

AFTER BUYING THIS VEHICLE, DROVE ABOUT 30 OR SO MILES....WHILE SLOWING DOWN NOTICED THE CAR HAD SHUT OFF. NO WARNINGS, NO LIGHTS, NO NOISES....CAR WOULD NOT CRANK. LEFT ME STRANDED IN MIDDLE OF FOUR LANE HIGHWAY. TOWED THE VEHICLE TO MINI WHERE I WAS TOLD A VACUUM PUMP WENT OUT. DUE TO THIS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY (EXTENDED) NOW IM TOLD HAVE TO PAY 8000 FOR AN ENGINE. THIS ISSUE SHOULD BE RESOLVED, THERE WAS NO WARNING AND FROM READING THE ONLINE NOTICES IT SEEMS TO BE A BIG ISSUE. MINI WOULD DO NOTHING ABOUT THIS. IT CREATED A DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR ME, AS IT GAVE NO WARNING WHEN ALL THIS OCCURRED. *TR