MINI Complaints

THE SEAT BELT INDICATOR AND AIR BAG INDICATOR LIGHTS HAVE BEEN INTERMITTENTLY COMING ON WHETHER OR NOT SOMEONE IS IN THE SEAT. NOW THE AIR BAG INDICATOR LIGHT IS ALWAYS LIT AND THE SEAT BELT INDICATOR IS STILL INTERMITTENT. I SPOKE TO THE DEALER WE BOUGHT THE CAR FROM AND THEY WILL NOT TEST THE CONDITION UNDER THE WARRANTY. WE PURCHASED THE CAR ON 12/22/2012. IT WILL COST OVER $100 JUST FOR THEM TO TELL US IF THERE IS A MALFUNCTION. SOUNDS AS THOUGH THE REPAIR WILL COST WELL OVER $1,000. FROM RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET, IT SOUNDS AS THOUGH THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND BMW RECALLED THE BMW MODELS FOR A SIMILAR ISSUE, BUT MINI WILL NOT FIX THIS KNOWN PROBLEM. I FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS WE DO NOT KNOW IF THE AIRBAG SYSTEM IS WORKING PROPERLY OR NOT. THANK YOU FOR ANY ASSISTANCE YOU CAN PROVIDE. *TR

POWER STEERING LOSE THE POWER SUDDENLY, HARD TO TURN OR CHANGE LANE WHEN MY WIFE WAS DRIVING. CHECKED THIS CAR HISTORY, THE POWER STEERING PUMP WAS CHANGED AT BMW DEALER IN 3 YEAR AGO. THIS TIME THE STEERING LOST ITS POWER AGAIN. *TR

THE POWER STEERING PUMP STARTS AND STOPS WHENEVER IT WANTS TO. YOU CAN BE DRIVING AND THE PUMP STOPS AND THE STEERING GETS VERY HARD. THE PUMP ALSO RUNS AFTER THE CAR IS SHUT OFF. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS AN EXTENDED WARRANTY TO COVER THE PROBLEM BUT THEY COULD NOT REPAIR IT FOR TWO MONTHS UNTIL PARTS CAME IN. I TOOK THE CAR BACK WHEN THE PARTS CAME IN AND THEN WHEN THEY RAN THE VIN THEY SAID THE CUTOFF WAS IN FEB AND MY CAR WAS BUILT IN APRIL SO IT IS NOT COVERED UNDER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY.I CALLED MINI AND THEY SAID THAT THEY WORKED EXTENSIVELY WITH YOU TO FIGURE OUT WHAT YEARS HAD THE BAD PARTS. WHEN I LOOK ON LINE I SEE MANY PROBLEMS NOTED FOR 2005 AND EVEN 2006 AND IT LOOKS LIKE CANADA MADE THEM RECALL THE CARS. WOULD YOU REVISIT AND SEE WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THE 2005 MODELS BEFORE SOMEONE IS SERIOUSLY INJURED. THANK YOU *TR

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. CHECKED IT AND ITS THE THERMOSTAT. I HAD REPLACED THE THERMOSTAT 1 YEAR AGO AND NOW AGAIN. WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, TX AND THEY TOLD ME THEIR ON BACK ORDER. APPARENTLY 17,000 ON BACKORDER! ITS ALMOST BEEN A MONTH AND A HALF AND MY CAR IS STILL IN MY GARAGE WITH NO DEFINITE ANSWER FROM MINI. THERE HAS TO BE A BIGGER ISSUE THAT IS BEING COVERED UP BY MINI. *TR

SO, I HAVE ONE OF MANY THOUSANDS OF BAD THERMOSTAT HOUSINGS PART #11537534521( COOLING SYSTEM) . NONE OF THE PARTS HOUSES HAVE THEM IN STOCK. MINI SAID THAT THERE ARE 17,000+ OF THEM ON BACKORDER. 17,000! THIS APPEARS TO AFFECT MINIS FROM 2007 THROUGH 2010. SO, MINE SITS IN THE DRIVEWAY FOR AN INDETERMINABLE AMOUNT OF TIME. NOBODY ACTUALLY KNOWS WHEN (IF) THEY WILL BE AVAILABLE. THE PART HAS BEEN ON BACKORDER FOR A LONG TIME.THERE ARE GUESSES FROM SEPTEMBER 12TH TO OCTOBER 10TH. MOSTLY JUST SHOTS IN THE DARK, SO THEY CAN AT LEAST TELL YOU SOMETHING! THESE PARTS HAVE BEEN FAILING PREMATURELY FOR 6 YEARS, AND NOW LOOK AT THE MESS. MINI IS NOT EXACTLY PRO-ACTIVE. CERTAINLY OUR FIRST AND LAST MINI. I HAVE CONTACTED MINI AND BMW TO ASK WHAT THEIR SOLUTION WILL BE FOR ALL THE AFFECTED CUSTOMERS. ALL THEY DO IS TAKE MY NAME AND NUMBER AND TELL ME THAT THEY WILL CALL BACK . THEY NEVER DO . I AM HOPELESS WITH OUT A CAR THAT CAN NOT BE FIXED DUE TO THE MANUFACTURER ( MINI) NO HAVING REPLACING PARTS AVAILABLE. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE . PLEASE HOLD MINI AND BMW ACCOUNTABLE FOR THAT. *TR

IN ADDITION TO MY PREVIOUS POST, MORE INFORMATION ON THIS SITUATION, THIS NOTE SENT TO MINIUSA.COM, MY 2006 MINI COOPER HAS THE AIRBAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED ABOVE THE REAR VIEW MIRROR AND IS GENERATING AN ERROR 71, PASSENGER OCCUPANCY SENSOR FAULT. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THIS IS DUE TO A FAULTY SENSOR MAT UNDER THE SEAT. FROM MY RESEARCH I SEE THAT THIS HAS BEEN COVERED UNDER AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR THE OC3 SEAT MAT SENSOR WHICH IS USED IN BMW AS WELL AS MINI MODELS. I AM REQUESTING THAT THIS SENSOR BE REPLACED IN MY MINI COOPER AS I FEAR THE PASSENGER AIRBAG WILL NOT DEPLOY IN AN ACCIDENT DUE TO THE DOCUMENTED FAULTY SENSOR. THE RECALL IS STATED AT HTTP://WWW.BMWUSA.COM/STANDARD/CONTENT/CONTACTUS/VOLUNTARYRECALL.ASPX, *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN TURNING IN EITHER DIRECTION, THE POWER STEERING ASSIST WOULD SPORADICALLY FAIL AS THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS WHERE IT WAS STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP AND FAN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 51,000.

THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT IS ON AND DEALER HAS SAID THE SENSOR IN THE PASSENGER SEAT IS BAD AND THE PAD AND SENSOR MUST BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $1400. I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT A CAR THIS POPULAR HAS THIS KIND OF SAFETY ISSUE. I WOULD EXPECT MINI TO AT THE VERY LEAST TO COVER THE COST OF THE PAD OR SENSOR. UNBELIEVABLE. *JB

I WAS DRIVING AND LOST ALL POWER IN MY STEERING. VERY HARD TO TURN, NEARLY GOT INTO AN ACCIDENT CROSSING THE YELLOW LINE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. RECOVERED AND DROVE THE REST OF THE WAY HOME. *JB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, A LOUD NOISE EMERGED FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS WHERE IT WAS STATED THAT THE CVT TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 58,000. .... UPDATED 10-17-13 *BF