MINI Complaints

MY 2006 MINI COOPER HAD A AIR BAG LIGHT JUST TURN ON ABOUT A WEEK AGO FOR NO REASON FOR WHAT I CAN TELL. I CALLED MY MINI DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME IT WAS PROBABLY A WORN OUT PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR. THEY SAID IT WOULD COST ABOUT $900-1000 TO REPLACE THE SEAT AND THE SENSOR. OUR MINI ONLY HAS A LITTLE OVER 50K MILES AND 50% OF THOSE MILES THERE WASN'T ANYONE EVER SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT TO WARE IT OUT. I HAVE SEEN ON SEVERAL OTHER FORUMS THAT THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN CORRECTED BY BMW BUT NOT BY MINI. I BELIEVE THIS ISSUE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON ALL MINI'S AS I HAVE SEEN THAT HUNDREDS OF OTHER PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME ISSUE. *TR

I'VE BEEN A LOYAL MINI COOPER CUSTOMER FOR YEARS NOW BUT RECENTLY MY CAR SUDDENLY STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. I GOT IT TOWED, AND THEY SAID MY TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER CAME OFF AND LITERALLY SLICED SOME PART OF THE ENGINE. THERE HAS BEEN TALKS ABOUT A "RECALL," BUT THEY HAVE NOT MADE IT OFFICIAL BECAUSE IT WILL COST THEM MILLIONS TO DO SO. MINI COOPER DID CONFIRM THAT THERE WERE DEFECTED TIMING CHAINS AND I KNOW SOME DEALERSHIPS CHANGED THE TIMING CHAIN FOR FREE BECAUSE OF THIS KNOWN DEFECT. MINI COOPER DID NOT INFORM ME ANYTHING AND NOW I HAVE TO EITHER PAY 5000 DOLLARS TO GET A USED ENGINE OR SELL MY CAR. I WORK FULL-TIME AND NOW I DON'T HAVE A CAR TO DRIVE TO WORK. *TR

ONE HEADLIGHT WENT OUT. I TRIED TO REPLACE IT, BUT THE PLUG SOCKET HAD A SHORT IN IT. THE BULB, SOCKET, AND WIRING HAD TO BE REPLACED. 6 MONTHS LATER THE OTHER LAMP FRIED THE SOCKET. THE APPROXIMATE COST OF REPAIR IS ABOUT 300 PER HEADLIGHT. *TR

I HAVE OWNED THE MINI SINCE NEW. ALWAYS REGULARLY SERVICED AT THE MINI DEALER. RECENTLY I STARTED THE ENGINE AND IT SOUNDED MORE LIKE A DIESEL ENGINE, VERY NOISY AND UNUSUAL. TOOK IT TO THE MINI DEALER AND AS I EXPLAINED WHAT THE SYMPTOMS WERE, THE FRONT DESK PERSON THAT TOOK MY DETAILS DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM. THE PRELIMINARY DIAGNOSIS WAS CONFIRMED LATER THROUGH AN INSPECTION BY A TRAINED TECHNICIAN. LIKE MANY, MANY MINI OWNERS I HAVE HAD A TIMING CHAIN PROBLEM. THAT THE FRONT DESK STAFF CAN DIAGNOSE A PROBLEM LIKE THIS MADE ME CURIOUS, IT MUST BE SUCH A COMMON PROBLEM THAT THE DEALER SEES IT REGULARLY. SOME RESEARCH CONFIRMED THIS WAS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM WITH MINIS. OWNERS HAVE HAD TERMINAL ENGINE DAMAGE WITH ENGINES THAT ARE LOW MILEAGE AND SIMPLY SHOULD NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEMS. THIS ISSUE WITH THE ENGINE IS SERIOUS AND CAN LEAD TO A MAJOR ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF A CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAYS SPEEDS. ALTHOUGH I WAS LUCKY, AND DO NOT HAVE A HUGE OUT OF POCKET EXPENSE AS I HAVE EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE, I STILL BELIEVE THIS IS AN IMPORTANT SAFETY MATTER THAT BMW/MINI APPEAR TO BE IGNORING. IT SHOULD BE THE SUBJECT OF A VEHICLE SAFETY RECALL. IT IS POOR ENGINEERING AND DESIGN ON THEIR PART, THAT SHOULD BE RECTIFIED. *TR

I'VE BEEN A LOYAL MINI COOPER FOR YEARS NOW BUT RECENTLY MY CAR SUDDENLY STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. I GOT IT TOWED, AND THEY SAID MY TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER CAME OFF AND LITERALLY SLICED SOME PART OF THE ENGINE. THERE HAS BEEN TALKS ABOUT THE "RECALL," BUT THEY HAVE NOT MADE IT OFFICIAL BECAUSE IT WILL COST THEM MILLIONS TO DO SO. MINI COOPER DID CONFIRM THAT THERE WERE DEFECTED TIMING CHAINS AND I KNOW SOME DEALERSHIPS CHANGED THE TIMING CHAIN FOR FREE BECAUSE OF THIS KNOWN DEFECT. MINI COOPER DID NOT INFORM ME ANYTHING AND NOW I HAVE TO EITHER PAY 5000 DOLLARS TO GET A USED ENGINE OR SELL MY CAR. I WORK FULL-TIME AND NOW I DON'T HAVE A CAR. *TR

WAS DRIVING ON NYS THRUWAY WHEN I THOUGHT I'D GOTTEN A FLAT TIRE DUE TO SLUGGISH STEERING NOW HOURS LATER AND A LITTLE INTERNET INVESTIGATION I THINK IT TO BE THE POWER STEERING PUMP. THIS SHOULD BE RECALLED ASAP BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED. *TR

THE POWER STEERING FAILED. SEARCHING, THIS APPEARS TO BE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON STRAIGHT ROAD THEN INTO CURVE...NOTICED THE STEERING WAS HARD TO TURN....WENT IN & OUT FOR A DAY THEN TOTALLY OUT...NO POWER STEERING...HAVE REPLACED THIS AND NOW IT'S OUT AGAIN!!!! *TR

THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. WE CONTACTED THE DEALER WHERE WE PURCHASED THE CAR AND THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO BECAUSE IT WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY AND THERE WAS NO RECALL. THEY HAD REPAIRED THIS PREVIOUSLY UNDER WARRANTY. WE THEN CONTACTED MINI USA AND THEY SAID OUR VIN# WAS NOT LISTED FOR A RECALL. I MENTIONED THERE ARE MINI COOPERS IN FORUMS ALL OVER THE INTERNET WITH AIRBAG LIGHT ISSUES. *TR

I WAS TRYING TO GET ONTO AN OFF RAMP AND WHEN I WAS INTO THE TURN I ALMOST RAN INTO A CONCRETE BARRIER BECAUSE THE WHOLE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP. THE STEERING WHEEL ALWAYS LOCKS UP SOMETIMES IT WITH A FEW MILES AND OTHERS IT IS GOOD UNTIL IT LOCKS UP. VERY DANGEROUS. *TR