MINI Complaints

IN APRIL 2013 I WAS MERGING ONTO HIGHWAY I20 WITH MY CHILDREN IN THE BACK OF MY MINI COOPER S 2006. AS I WAS SPEEDING UP TO MERGE ONTO THE HIGHWAY THE CAR COMPLETELY CUT OFF. I VEERED OVER INTO A MEDIAN IN THE MIDDLE OF SIX LANES OF HIGH-SPEED TRAFFIC. THE CAR HAD COMPLETELY SHUT OFF, EVEN THE HAZARD LIGHTS. I WAS VERY LUCKY THAT THE MEDIAN WAS THERE AND THAT I HAD NOT YET ENTERED THE MAIN STREAM OF TRAFFIC. THE POLICE CAME, THEN A FRIEND. AFTER ABOUT A HALF HOUR IT RESTARTED WITHOUT POWER STEERING AND HE WAS ABLE TO SLOWLY DRIVE IT, AND HE FIXED A BELT THAT HE SAID HAD LOOKED LIKE IT HAD BLOWN OUT. ABOUT FOUR TIMES IN THE YEAR PRIOR TO THIS THE CAR HAD CUT OFF, BUT NOT WHILE I WAS DRIVING; IT SHUT DOWN AS I WAS PULLING OUT OF A PARKING SPOT BUT THEN IMMEDIATELY RESTARTED. NO ONE COULD EXPLAIN IT. AFTER THE APRIL INCIDENT I WENT TO THE MINI COOPER DEALER AND SPENT CLOSE TO $3000 TO ENSURE THAT THE CAR WAS SAFE FOR MY CHILDREN. HOWEVER, YESTERDAY, 11/5/13, I WAS BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPOT AND THE CAR COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP FOR ASSISTANCE AND THEY SAID THEY HAD NEVER HEARD OF THIS KIND OF PROBLEM AND COULDN'T HELP; FORTUNATELY THE CAR RESTARTED ABOUT TEN MINUTES LATER. HOWEVER, I AM EXTREMELY CONCERNED THAT THIS CAR IS UNSAFE AND I HAVE HEARD FROM AN ACQUAINTANCE WHO ALSO HAS A MINI COOPER S 2006 WHO SAID THIS HAS HAPPENED TO HER, THAT SOMETHING RANDOM HAPPENED WITH HER CAR AND IT COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN WHILE SHE WAS DRIVING. SHE TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS A RECALL, BUT I CALLED MINI CORPORATE TODAY, AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO RECALL AND REFERRED ME TO NHTSA. *TR

THE VACUUM PUMP (ATTACHED TO EXHAUST CAM SHAFT) ON MY 2009 MINI COOPER JCW SEIZED ON THE HIGHWAY IN MOVING TRAFFIC (LUCKILY IN THE RIGHT HAND LANE) - VACUUM PUMP SEIZER LED TO EXHAUST CAM SHAFT FAILURE, WHICH LED TO MULTIPLE ENGINE PART FAILURE / ENGINE PUNCTURE (DESTROYED ENGINE AND TIMING CHAIN): DESTROYED ENGINE = NO POWER IN MOVING TRAFFIC = SERIOUS HAZARD. *TR

TIMING CHAIN BROKE..I WAS DRIVING ON THE ROAD ON MY WAY HOME COMING TO A STOP SIGN SLOWING MY SPEED LUCKILY TO MAKE A LEFT TURN WHEN I HEARD AN AWFUL NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. I TRIED MAKING MY LEFT TURN WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN AND IT STARTED SPUTTERING VERY SLOWLY MOVING. I MADE IT HOME SPUTTERING..LUCKILY WAS CLOSE TO HOME OTHERWISE I WOULD HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED. AFTER SOME LONG AND FRUSTRATING TROUBLESHOOTING FROM A NICE NEIGHBOR, HE FOUND OUT THAT THE TIMING CHAIN HAD BROKEN CAUSING SEVERAL OTHER PROBLEMS. HE ALSO FOUND OUT THAT IT HAD VERY LITTLE OR NO OIL. WHICH I HAD NO INDICATION FROM THE CAR COMPUTER THAT IT WAS EVEN LOW. THIS MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE TIMING CHAIN PROBLEM BUT AGAIN I HAD NO CAR INDICATION. IT WILL COST ME AT LEAST $7000.00 FOR COST AND LABOR TO FIX SINCE IT IS NOT UNDER WARRANTY OR NOT EVEN SURE IF IT'S COVERED...THIS IS MY 3RD MINI..FIRST ONE WAS A LEASED ONE AND I UPGRADED TO A MINI S WHEN THE LEASE WAS OVER AND LEASED ANOTHER ONE. I BOUGHT THIS ONE WHEN THE SECOND LEASE WAS OVER..EVER SINCE I BOUGHT THIS ONE..I HAVE HAD SO MANY PROBLEMS WITH THE ENGINE. EVERYTHING IS DOCUMENTED ON HOW MANY TIMES I HAVE TAKEN IT IN...SO VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH THIS ONE!!!! *TR

BOUGHT CAR FROM DEALERSHIP AFTER A LOT OF RESEARCH ON ISSUES WITH THESE CARS AN COMPLAINTS. BROUGHT VARRO MINI DEALERSHIP AND ASKED ABOUT TIMING CHAIN AND TENSIONER AND WAS TOLD MINE WAS FINE EVEN THOUGH THEY NEVER OPENED UP COVER TO INSPECT CHAIN OR TENSIONER. HAVE BEEN BACK THREE DIFFERENT TIMES WITH MULTIPLE ISSUES WITH TIMING CHAIN/TENSIONER HORRIBLE RATTLE. MINI SAYS THERE IS NO KNOWN DEFECTS WITH TIMING CHAIN/ TENSIONERS EVER BROUGHT UP. I THEN WAS TOLD BY MY BROTHER THAT HE I TAKING HIS MINI IN FOR A SERVICE ACTION ON THE TIMING CHAIN/TENSIONER, TURBO HEAT SHIELD, THERMOSTAT HOUSING. WE HAVE EXACT SAME CAR, SAME BUILD DATE, AND ROLLED OUT FROM SAME FACTORY BUT MINI STATES OURS ISN'T COVERED UNDER THE SERVICE ACTION EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE THE EXACT SAME CAR AND EVERYTHING. AND MY BROTHER IS ALSO OUT OF WARRANTY BUT THEIRS IS GETTING FIXED FREE. PLEASE HELP. I AM AWARE OF THE FREEMAN-SKEEN CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AND HAVE FILE A COMPLAINT WITH BBB SO I GUESS I'LL HAVE TO FIND LEGAL HELP SINCE THEY DON'T PAY ATTENTION TO NHTSA COMPLAINTS. *TR

I PURCHASED A MINI COOPER S 2013 AND NOTICED THE CAR WAS HARD TO HANDLE ON THE ROAD AT ALL TIMES. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT HAD TOLD ME THAT WAS NORMAL FOR THIS TYPE OF CAR. I KEPT COMPLAINING AND THEY FINALLY TOOK THE CAR IN TO HAVE IT CHECKED. THEY TOLD ME IT THE ALIGNMENT WAS BAD AND THE TIRES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I WAS CHARGED FOR THE SERVICE, BUT I BELIEVE THIS WAS A MANUFACTURE DEFECT BECAUSE THE CAR WAS LIKE THAT FROM THE TIME I DROVE IT OFF THE LOT UNTIL THE TIME OF SERVICE. THIS, IS A VERY SERIOUS MATTER IF NOT ONLY ONE CAR IS SOLD LIKE THIS. NOT TO MENTION THE WHOLE ENGINE WAS LEAKING OIL AND THE BACKFIRING . *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS 2007 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 70 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS MERGED OFF ROAD AND TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN WAS FRACTURED AND CAUSED THE ENGINE TO FAIL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN ANY RECALLS. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 85,000.

I WAS DRIVING AND THEN THE ENGINE MADE A WEIRD RATTLE AND THEN QUIT. THANKFULLY I WASN'T TRAVELING FASTER THAN 45MPH AT THE TIME OF OCCURRENCE. ENGINE IS COMPLETELY RUINED. *TR

IT HAS OIL LEAKS AROUND TURBO LINE WHICH THE OILS MAKE SMOKES AS THE OIL DRIP CONTACTS WITH DOWN PIPE. THIS MAY RESULT IN SERIOUS DAMAGE TO THE CAR. *TR

WHEN MY MINI COOPER S CONVERTIBLE ONLY HAD AROUND 85,000 MILE ON SPEEDOMETER MY TRANSMISSION WOULD SUDDENLY HAVE DIFFICULTY GOING FROM 3RD TO 4TH GEAR AND STALL WHILE GOING DOWN THE ROAD AND I HAVE ALMOST BEEN REAR ENDED BY CARS BEHIND ME NOT EXPECTING ME TO STALL. UPON RESEARCHING WEB THERE ARE MANY SAME COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS MODEL VEHICLE. IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE. MINI USA DID NOT AGREE TO FIX THE VEHICLE. I THINK THIS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED AS A RECALL BEFORE SOME ONE IS KILLED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 MINI COOPER COUNTRYMAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED AS THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS WHERE THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD RUN OUT OF FUEL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUEL GAUGE INDICATED THERE WAS ADEQUATE FUEL IN THE VEHICLE AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE. THE TECHNICIAN STATED CONFIRMED THAT THERE WAS A FAILURE WITH THE FUEL PUMP. THE CONTACT WAS UNAWARE IF THE PART WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 7,500. THE DEALER REMOVED AND REPLACED THE FUEL SENDING UNIT, WHICH WAS DEFECTIVE. UPDATED 01/14/14