MINI Complaints

ACCELERATING AFTER BEING STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT, LOST POWER STEERING, SMOKE CAME OUT OF HOOD, ENGINE TEMPERATURE REDLINED, AND BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER CONVERTIBLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, SHE NOTICED SMOKE EMITTING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. IN ADDITION, THERE WAS A STRONG BURNING ODOR INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE WITH A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER STEERING. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED AT THE TIME OF THE MALFUNCTION. THE VEHICLE TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE FAILURE WAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE FAULTY COOLING FAN, WHICH CAUSED THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM TO OVERHEAT AND EXPOSE MELTED WIRES. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,057.

VEHICLE HAS NON-HEATED SIDE MIRRORS. AT TEMPERATURES BELOW 60F THEY FOG OVER OR ICE OVER WHEN COLDER. VISIBILITY IS LITERALLY ZERO ON BOTH SIDES OF THE CAR. *TR

STEERING WOULD WORK FINE SOME OF THE TIME BUT THEN BECOME VERY HARD TO TURN. *TR

WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK, WENT TO TURN A CORNER AND THE STEERING GOT VERY HARD. *TR

THE 2011 MINI COOPER COUNTRYMAN HAS A POORLY DESIGNED CUP HOLDER THAT PUNCTURES CUPS CAUSING LIQUID TO LEAK. THIS CUP HOLDER IS NOT PROPERLY SEALED AND ALLOWS FLUID (CONDENSATION) INTO THE GEARSHIFT ASSEMBLY. THIS CAUSES THE INABILITY TO SHIFT GEARS PROPERLY. IT WILL ALSO CAUSE THE KEY TO BE STUCK IN THE IGNITION. MINI WILL NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE LABOR TO FIX THE ISSUE AND WILL ALSO NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM FROM RECURRING. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED AS WELL AS A VERY EXPENSIVE FIX FOR THE CONSUMER. WHEN I CALLED MINI USA THEY INFORMED ME THERE WAS LANGUAGE IN THE MANUAL THAT PROVIDED A WARNING ABOUT WHAT CUPS WERE APPROPRIATE BUT I FOUND NO SUCH LANGUAGE. THERE WAS BARELY A REFERENCE TO THE CUP HOLDERS. THEY MAY HAVE UPDATED THEIR MANUAL SINCE I PURCHASED MY CAR BUT MINE DID NOT HAVE ANY REFERENCE TO SUCH A PROBLEM. *TR

I WAS EXITING FROM 35TH STREET IN NEWPORT NEWS, VA ONTO THE WARWICK BLVD OFF RAMP IN TRAFFIC, COASTING WITH THE BRAKES AT ABOUT 5 MPH, WHEN I WAS REAR ENDED BY A NAVY OPERATED FLAT NOSE SCHOOL BUS, WHICH FORCED MY VEHICLE INTO A LATE MODEL CHEVY TRAILBLAZER. MY AIR BAGS (FRONT AND SIDE) DID NOT DEPLOY, AND WHEN I CAME TO REST MY SEAT BACK HAD RECLINED AGAINST MY CHILD'S CAR SEAT (CHILD WAS NOT IN VEHICLE). THE RIGHT REAR UNIBODY WAS CREASED DUE TO THE IMPACT FROM THE BUS. I SUFFERED NECK, BACK, AND SPINE TRAUMA. THE DRIVER OF THE TRAILBLAZER COMPLAINED OF NECK PAIN AT THE SCENE. LOCAL NEWPORT NEWS FIRE AND RESCUE UNITS ARRIVED ON SCENE, AS WELL AS A VIRGINIA STATE TROOPER. THE TROOPER HANDLED THE ACCIDENT. *TR

POWER STEERING FAILED WHILE I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND I ALMOST CRASHED. *TR

THERMOSTAT HOUSING DESIGN FLAW. SPOKE WITH PART DEPT MANAGER ABOUT THE THERMOSTAT HOUSING LEAKING COOLANT AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE SEEMS TO BE A DESIGN FLAW IN THAT THE HEATING ELEMENT IN THE HOUSING CAUSES THE PART TO SPLIT OPEN WHERE THE 2 PIECES WERE SEAMED TOGETHER. THIS HAS BEEN REPORTED TIME AND TIME AGAIN AND CURRENTLY THAT PARTICULAR PART IS ON BACK-ORDER AND THUS NOT ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR AS IT LEAKS ALL THE COOLANT OUT BEFORE LEAVING THE DRIVEWAY. *TR

MY BROTHER WAS DRIVING MY 2005 MINI COOPER S CONVERTIBLE WHEN HE SMELLED WIRES BURNING AND SMOKE, WENT TO PULL OVER AND THE CAR WAS HARD TO CONTROL. UPON INSPECTION THE MECHANIC SAID THAT THE POWER STEER PUMPS ELECTRONICS HAD CAUGHT FIRE AND BURNED THE ADJACENT PARTS. UPON CONTACT RAULPH SCHOMP MINI COOPER DEALER I WAS TOLD THAT MY VIN NUMBER WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE CARS BEING REPLACED FOR SIMILAR PROBLEMS. THE CAR JUST HAD MAJOR WORK DONE TO THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM A YEAR AND HALF AGO BY THE SAME DEALER. SPOKE WITH THE MINI USA REP AND WAS TOLD THAT THIS WAS NOT BEING COVERED. *TR