MINI Complaints

TIMING CHAIN MAKING TERRIBLE RATTLE. AFTER RESEARCH THIS SEEMS TO BE A NEW AND QUITE COMMON PROBLEM. THIS NEEDS TO BE RECALLED. *TR

THE AIR BAG LIGHT IS CONTINUOUSLY LIT ON MY 2006 MINI COOPER. INITIALLY THE LIGHT WAS INTERMITTENTLY ON; HOWEVER NOW IT REMAINS PERMANENTLY LIGHT. THE DEALER HAS INDICATED THAT THE PASSENGER OC3 MAT IS FAULTY AND WILL BE REQUIRE A $1,000+ FIX. INTERNET SEARCHES HAVE FOUND THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE AND THE SAME ISSUE HAS OCCURRED MULTIPLE TIMES ON SOME VEHICLES, EVEN AFTER BEING REPAIRED WITH NEW PARTS. ADDITIONALLY, BMW, THE PARENT COMPANY OF MINI, HAD A SIMILAR PROBLEM WITH THEIR BMW VEHICLES AND A RECALL WAS ISSUED. MINI OFTEN USES BMW PARTS IN THEIR VEHICLES SO IT IS POSSIBLE AND QUITE LIKELY THAT SIMILAR PARTS WERE USED. THIS IS A GENUINE SAFETY ISSUE AND ONE THAT IS WIDE SPREAD WITH THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE. *TR

THE CAR WAS PARKED IN FRONT OF OUR TOWNHOME. THAT AFTERNOON, MY NEIGHBOR KNOCKED ON THE DOOR TO TELL ME THAT THERE WAS BLACK SMOKE COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND THAT SHE HAD HEARD A LOUD POP UNDER THE HOOD. AFTER CALLING THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, THE FIREFIGHTERS CAUTIOUSLY RAISED THE HOOD AND DISCOVERED THAT SOMETHING HAD CAUGHT FIRE UNDER THE HOOD. THEY TOLD ME TO NOT DRIVE THE VEHICLE, AND I CALLED MY INSURANCE COMPANY, HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE MECHANIC WHO WORKS ON OUR AUTOMOBILES, AND THE INSURANCE COMPANY SENT A CLAIMS AGENT TO ASSESS THE DAMAGE. THE POWER STEERING PUMP HAD CAUGHT ON FIRE, AND NUMEROUS OTHER PARTS WERE DAMAGED. *LN *TR

POWER STEERING SYSTEM FAILURE. DEALERSHIP MECHANICS STATED FAN AND PUMP HAD SEIZED. *JS

I JUST BOUGHT A BRAND NEW 2013 MINI COOPER LAST YEAR ON NOVEMBER 2012. SOMETIME DURING LAST WEEK SEPTEMBER 18, 2013, I DROVE HOME FROM WORK TURN OFF MY CAR BUT THE KEY WOULDN'T RELEASE. I HAVE TO PRESS MANY TIMES FOR IT TO RELEASE. THE NEXT DAY HEADING OUT TO WORK, START THE CAR BUT THE GEAR SHIFT GOT STUCK. IT WOULDN'T SHIFT TO REVERSE. I CALL THE DEALER TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO SEE WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE CAR. THE MINI DEALER CALLED TO NOTIFY THAT THEY WILL NEED TO STAY OVERNIGHT AS IF THEY SAID THEY ARE WAITING FOR ONE PART TO COME IN. THE NEXT DAY THE DEALER CALL ME TO ADVISED THAT COFFEE HAD LEAKED INTO THE GEAR SHIFTER AND CAUSE THE FAILURE. AND TOLD ME IT WILL CAUSE $1,500 FOR PARTS AND LABOR TO FIX IT. THEY TOLD ME THAT THE WARRANTY WON'T COVER IT, IT WILL COME OUT FROM MY POCKET. SO I TOLD THEM NOT TO DO ANYTHING, THAT I WILL COME AND PICK UP THE CAR. *JS

THE AUTOMATIC CVT TRANSMISSION JUST DOWN SHIFTED AND NOW WON'T GO INTO HIGH GEAR. THIS WILL HAPPEN ON THE FREEWAY AND WILL SHIFT AND CLUNK INTO GEAR. BMW IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM WITH THIS TRANSMISSION BUT WON'T STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT. IT IS VERY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. *JS

POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEED LATE AT NIGHT ON A LONG ROAD TRIP HOME. WAS TOLD BY MECHANIC THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE MAKE AND MODEL AND WELL KNOWN BY MINI/BMW. *JS

WE BOUGHT 2 2003 MINI COOPERS IN 2003. BOTH VEHICLES HAD ELECTRIC POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURES, ONE IN MARCH 09 AT 143060 AND THE OTHER MINI IN JULY 2010 AT 133380. WE RECEIVED THE EPS EXTENDED WARRANTY LETTER AND SENT IN OUR CLAIM, USPS DOCUMENTED DELIVERY TO MINI USA ON JUNE 29, 2013. I HAVE CALLED MINI "CUSTOMER SERVICE" ON AUGUST 8, AUGUST 29, AND TODAY SEPTEMBER 26. NO ONE THERE CAN TELL YOU ANYTHING AND THEY DO NOTHING EXCEPT APOLOGIZING FOR NOT KNOWING ANYTHING. THEY SAY RESPONSES ARE TAKING 12 WEEKS WHICH IS WHERE I AM ON THE CALENDAR. MY REPAIR COSTS WERE IN EXCESS OF $2000. TODAY I AM SENDING A HAND WRITTEN COMPLAINT LETTER WITH COPIES OF ALL RECEIPTS TO JIM MCDOWELL VP MINI USA. NHTSA NEEDS TO FOLLOWUP ON THIS. THE EXTENDED WARRANTY WAS INTENDED TO HEAD OFF A RECALL BUT THEY ARE NOT HANDLING IT IN A PROPER MANNER. TURN UP THE HEAT! *JS

REAR DOOR SPRUNG OPEN WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY. STOPPED BUT DOOR WOULD NOT CLOSE. CONTACTED DEALERSHIP WHO SAID THERE WAS A NOTED SERVICE BULLETIN ON PROBLEM BUT NOT A RECALL. I HAD TO INCUR FULL REPLACEMENT COST OF DEFECTIVE DOOR LATCH $315. *JS

UPON STARTUP OF THE ENGINE, THERE IS A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. A VERY UNHEALTHY SOUND. SOUND IS UNUSUAL FOR ANY GAS ENGINE, LET ALONE ONE WITH ONLY 57,000 MILES. *JS SEARCHED THE INTERNET FOR OTHER MINI COOPERS EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM. MANY COMPLAINTS ALL OVER THE INTERNET FOR EXACTLY THIS PROBLEM. MANY OWNERS REPORTING EARLY ENGINE FAILURE, AS EARLY AS 12,000 MILES REPORTED BY A MINI DEALER IN MAINE. MOST OWNERS ARE SEEING THE PROBLEM WITH 40-50,000+ MILES. THE LOCAL MINI DEALER SAYS THE REPAIR IS NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY, AND REPAIRS ARE APPROX. $2,000. TIMING CHAINS USUALLY DO NOT NEED REPLACEMENT EVEN AFTER 100,000 OF USE, SOME CARS NEVER REPLACE TIMING CHAINS UNTIL 200,000 MILES. THIS CAR SEEMS TO EAT TIMING CHAINS AROUND 40-50,000 MILES.