MINI Complaints

THE MANUFACTURER'S PROVIDED DRIVERS SIDE FLOOR MAT SLIDES UP OVER BOTH THE BRAKE PEDAL AND ACCELERATOR CAUSING UNINTENTIONAL BRAKING AND/OR ACCELERATION. I EMAILED THE MANUFACTURER REGARDING THIS PROBLEM, BUT SO FAR NO RESPONSE. *TR

THE THERMOSTAT FAILED, THE TEMPERATURE ELEVATED, THE FREEZE PLUG FELL OUT/BROKE OUT OF PLACE CAUSING THE HEAD GASKET TO BLOW OUT. THE COOLANT LEAKED INTO THE OIL AND CAUSED IT TO BECOME "MILKY" THEREFORE BLOWING OUT MY ENGINE. I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT AND THE CAR FAILED TO ACCELERATE. LUCKILY PEOPLE WERE KIND ENOUGH TO LET ME PASS FROM THE FAR LEFT LANE TO THE NEAREST EXIT AND I DID NOT CRASH. *TR

KEY STUCK IN IGNITION DUE TO FAULTY ELECTRICAL SENSOR. NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. *TR

WAS APPROACHING AIRPORT PARKING LOT (DRIVING WAY TOO FAST, BECAUSE I WAS LATE!) WHEN THE POWER STEERING SUDDENLY "FAILED"! IT WAS REALLY FRIGHTENING TO HAVE NO CONTROL, AS THE CAR PULLED TO THE LEFT. LUCKILY, THERE WERE NO CARS COMING FROM BEHIND. JUST BEFORE THE CAR CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP, THE POWER STEERING MYSTERIOUSLY "RETURNED". IF THIS WERE TO HAPPEN WHILST DRIVING AT HIGH SPEED ON THE INTERSTATE, IT WOULD SURELY END WITH FATALITIES. (THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED ONLY ONCE, HOWEVER, I'VE OWNED THE CAR FOR ONLY 8 1/2 MONTHS!). *TR

AIRBAG FAILURE LIGHT CAME ON... AFTER RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM, THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE BUT THE MANUFACTURER WILL NOT COVER THIS UNDER WARRANTY. 700.00 TO DIAGNOSE AND FIX THE ISSUE (CONSERVATIVE ESTIMATE) CALLED MINI USA, AND THEY WILL NOT ISSUE A RECALL EVEN THOUGH THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HAVE HAD THE SAME ISSUE. *TR

DRIVING HIGHWAY SPEEDS, STEERING GOT REALLY HEAVY HARD TO TURN, THEN THE BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON, STARTING SMELLING SOMETHING ELECTRICAL BURNING, PULLED OVER OFF THE ROAD SHUT CAR OFF, SMOKE COMING FROM THE HOOD, OPEN IT, SMOKE WAS COMING FROM THE BACK OF ENGINE. SMOKE SUBSIDED IN A FEW MINUTES, CALLED TOW TRUCK, TOW BACK TO WORK, OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS FOUND THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP LOCKED UP AND FRIED IT, IT ALSO DRAW A LOT OF AMPERAGE THAT IT BLOW 100 AMP MAIN FUSE UNDER FUSE BLOCK, BURNT MAIN POWER WIRE TO POWER STEERING PUMP. REPLACED PUMP, WIRING AND FUSE. *TR

THE CAR BEGAN TO MAKE A HIGH PITCHED WHINE WHICH INCREASED OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS, IT CONTINUED TO GET WORSE AND I NOTICED WHEN I WOULD MOVE THE STEERING WHEEL BACK AND FORTH THE NOISE BECAME MUCH MUCH WORSE, LEADING TO THE FAILURE OF MY POWER STEERING PUMP. MINI ISSUED A RECALL ON THE POWER STEERING PUMPS FOR THEIR 2001-2005 MODELS (13 YEAR, 150,000 MILES.) MINE IS A 2006, I STILL DON'T THINK THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN RESOLVED FOR THIS YEAR OF MODEL AS I AM FINDING MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS ONLINE OF INDIVIDUALS WITH 2006 MINI POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURE. *TR

AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT TURNED ON WHEN DRIVING ON HIGHWAY. THE SERVICE DIAGNOSED FAULTY PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY DETECTOR AND QUOTED $1,880 TO FIX. THIS PROBLEM SEEMS COMMON FOR THIS MAKE BASED ON FORUM WEBSITES. THE CAR HAS ONLY 28K MILEAGE AND SPORT SEATS. *TR

THE POWER STEERING QUIT WORKING WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE, CONTACT WAS MADE WITH THE MINI DEALER IN NASHVILLE TN AND I INQUIRED ABOUT A RECALL ON THE POWER STEERING AND WAS TOLD NO RECALL WAS PLACED ON THIS VEHICLE. *TR

THE PASSENGER AIRBAG DISABLED LIGHT TURNS ON INTERMITTENTLY, EVEN WHEN THE PASSENGER SEAT IS OCCUPIED BY AN ADULT. THE AIRBAG MIGHT NOT DEPLOY IN AN ACCIDENT. THE PROBLEM IS CAUSED BY A FAULTY PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR MAT IN THE SEAT CUSHION. IT FAILED ONCE BEFORE AND WAS REPLACED BY THE CAR DEALER. NOW THE REPLACEMENT SENSOR MAT IS ALSO FAILING. *TR