MINI Complaints

CVT (AUTO TRANSMISSION) NEEDS REPLACING. MINI COOPER QUOTE IS $9,000 TO REPLACE. MINI DEALER KNOWS THAT THERE' S MANY COMPLAINTS WITH THESE CVT (AUTO TRANS.) *TR

I WAS DRIVING 45-50 MILES AN HOUR ON I95S OVER THE Q BRIDGE NEAR NEW HAVEN. I TURNED GENTLY TO THE RIGHT HAND LANE AND COULD NOT STEER THE CAR TO STRAIGHTEN UP. I WAS UNABLE TO STEER THE CAR AT ALL. I TRIED TO BRAKE BUT IT DID NOT HELP. NOTHING LIKE THIS HAPPENED BEFORE. MY CAR WAS BOUNCED FROM ONE SIDE OF THE CONCRETE BARRIER TO THE OTHER. ALL AIRBAGS WERE DEPLOYED. THE CAR WAS TOTALED. I WAS DEEMED TO BE AT FAULT. I SUSTAINED SEVERE SPINAL INJURY AND REQUIRED MAJOR SURGERY IMMEDIATELY. I WAS UNABLE TO WORK FOR OVER 3 MONTHS. I GOT REIMBURSEMENT FROM MY INSURANCE FOR THE CAR,S KBB VALUE. I THINK THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO HARTFORD. I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FILE THIS COMPLAINT UNTIL NOW DUE TO MY PHYSICAL DISABILITY. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS CASE FOR STEERING FAILURE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A MECHANIC FOR INSPECTION AND THEY STATED THAT THE TIMING CHANGE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 41,000. UPDATED 07/12/13*LJ

POWER STEERING FAN BURNED OUT WHICH CAUSED THE PUMP TO FAIL. SEEMS TO BE A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL YEAR. THE PLACEMENT OF THE FAN IS REALLY BAD BECAUSE IT'S SUBJECT TO CONSTANT ROAD GRIME, SALT, ETC. COST ME OVER $1,200 TO FIX. :( *TR

I HAVE AN '06 MINI COOPER AND NEVER HAD ANY ENGINE/TRANSMISSION ISSUES PRIOR TO TODAY. ALL SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE WAS DONE BY THE MINI DEALER. TODAY LEAVING TO GO TO WORK, I STARTED THE CAR, PUT MY SEAT BELT ON, CHECKED THE MIRRORS, ROLLED DOWN THE WINDOWS, PUT THE CAR GEAR IN "D" AND STARTED MOVING FORWARD OUT A PARKING LOT, AND AFTER A FEW SECONDS WHILE DRIVING, THE CAR LOST ALL ACCELERATION AND CAME TO A STOP. THEN THE CAR WON'T REVERSE NOR MOVE FORWARD WHILE IN ANY GEAR. TOWED TO THE DEALER AND LATER WAS TOLD IT'S THE CVT TRANSMISSION AND IT WILL COST THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO REPLACE THE CVT TRANSMISSION. *TR

I HAD BEEN SERVICING MY 2008 MINI COOPER S AT THE DREYER & REINBOLD BMW MINI DEALERSHIP FOR THE LIFE OF THE CAR, WHICH I BOUGHT NEW. I JUST HAD IT IN THE SHOP AROUND 50K MILES AND WAS NOT TOLD THAT I SHOULD CONSIDER CHANGING MY TIMING BELT. ONE DAY I WENT TO START MY CAR AND IT WOULDN'T START. I TOWED IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME MY TIMING BELT HAD BROKEN AND DAMAGED MY ENGINE. I AM NO FACED WITH REPLACING MY ENGINE AND A BILL OF $6600+. THIS DEFECT THAT WAS NOT BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION HAS RUINED MY ENGINE AND AFTER THOROUGH RESEARCH OF FELLOW MINI DRIVERS, I AM HESITANT ABOUT WHAT OTHER DEFECTS MAY COME ABOUT IN THE FUTURE FOR THIS CAR. THIS SHOULD BE BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF THE MANUFACTURER AND THERE SHOULD BE A LAWSUIT OR RECALL IN PLACE TO COMPENSATE MINI OWNERS FOR THIS FAULTY PART. *TR

I WAS TOLD THE FOLLOWING ABOUT MY PASSENGER AIRBAG SYSTEM. BASICALLY THE COMPUTER FAILED AND I HAD A CRACK IN THE PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR. THIS CAR HAS ONLY 32,000 MILES AND WAS MOSTLY DRIVEN WITH NO ONE IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE FAILED WITH SUCH MINIMAL USE.: REPLACE MRS MODULE AND PROGRAM,ENCODE (MRS MODULE FAILURE, INTERNAL SHORT CIRCUIT) FAIL $774.06 REPLACE PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY MAT (PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY MAT HAS MICRO CRACK ON MAT FAULT 0071)FAIL $874.55. *TR

5/18/13 - AFTER PARKING THE CAR, THE POWER STEERING PUMP CONTINUED TO OPERATE WHEN THE KEY WAS REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION. THE KEY WAS INSERTED BACK INTO THE IGNITION SWITCH AND TURNED TO THE "ON" POSITION. THE POWER STEERING PUMP STOPPED RUNNING. 5/28/13 - WHEN RETURNING TO WORK AFTER LUNCH THE CAR STARTED PERFECTLY AND NO PROBLEMS WERE APPARENT. I PULLED UP TO A STOP LIGHT AND SAT WAITING ON THE LIGHT TO TURN GREEN. WHEN THE LIGHT CHANGED I STARTED ACCELERATING IN 1ST GEAR AND NOTICED THAT THE STEERING WAS VERY HEAVY. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PUMP WAS NOT OVERHEATING. THE PUMP HAS COMPLETELY FAILED AT THIS POINT AND THE CAR IS ABLE TO DRIVE, ALBEIT DANGEROUSLY. *TR

IN SEPTEMBER 2012 THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION BEGAN SLIPPING. I HAD IT CHECKED OUT AND WAS TOLD THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS FINE AND THAT MINI SAYS IT NEVER NEEDS TO BE SERVICED OR HAVE THE FLUID CHANGED. OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS IT GOT WORSE AND I WAS FINALLY TOLD THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. FORTUNATELY I NEVER HAD AN ACCIDENT OR ANY OTHER SERIOUS CONSEQUENCE AS A RESULT OF THE FAILING TRANSMISSION. THIS CAR HAS BEEN TRADED IN BECAUSE THE TRANSMISSION WOULD COST $10,000.00 TO REPLACE. *TR

I RECENTLY HAD MY FRONT BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS CHANGED ON MY MINI COOPER IN MARCH OF 2013. WITHIN THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS MY CAR'S WARNING SENSORS FOR THE BRAKES HAS GONE OFF AGAIN. AFTER CYCLING THRU IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE REAR BRAKES NOW NEEDED CHANGING. I RECENTLY TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO MY SERVICE SHOP WHO GENERALLY DOES MY REPAIR WORK AND THEY ADVISED ME THAT MY LEFT REAR BRAKES WERE FINE - NO MAJOR PAD WEAR OR ROTOR DAMAGE - HOWEVER THE RIGHT SIDE CALIPER WAS WORKING OVERTIME AND HAD WORN DOWN THE REAR INSIDE BRAKE PAD COMPLETEY WHICH IS WHY THE WARNING BRAKE SENSOR WAS ACTIVATED. MY VEHICLE HAS SOMEWHERE AROUND 48250 MILES & STILL UNDER THE 4YR/50000 MILE WARRANTY. I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO REPLACE CALIPERS AT THIS STAGE. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO GLOBAL IMPORTS (SATURDAY 5/25/13) TO ASK THAT VEHICLE BE PUT ON LIFT TO INSPECT & WAS TOLD AFTER ONLY LOOKING UP MY VIN INFO IN THEIR COMPUTER SYSTEM THAT IT WAS LIKELY TIME TO REPLACE BRAKES AND HOW MUCH IT WOULD COSTS. I ASKED TO HAVE VEHICLE LOOKED AT TWICE - WHICH THE SERVICE REP WOULD NOT HAVE VEHICLE LOOKED AT. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE COVERED BY BMW/MINI. I DO NOT DRIVE MY VEHICLE HARD AND MOST MILES ARE IN THE CITY GOING TO & FROM WORK AND HOME. SOME HIGHWAY MILES, WHEN TRAVELING. SINCE PURCHASING THIS VEHICLE FROM GLOBAL IMPORTS ATLANTA IN MAY 2010 - THERE HAVE BEEN PROBLEM AFTER PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE AND I'M WONDERING IF I WAS SOLD A LEMON. I'M BEING TOLD BY MY BRAKE SERVICE GUY THAT JUST TO REPAIR THE RIGHT SIDE (BRAKES, ROTORS, CALIPER & SENSOR) IT WILL COST ME AROUND $650.00 TO FIX. I DONT KNOW IF THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH ALL MINI'S AT THIS MILEAGE OR JUST MINE - I DOUBT WHETHER GLOBAL WILL DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS ISSUE BUT AT LEAST MY CONCERNS ARE DOCUMENTED FOR FUTURE MINI OWNER WHO MIGHT RUN INTO SIMILIAR ISSUE. *TR