MINI Complaints

PASSENGER SEAT AIR BAG SENSOR WARNING LIGHT IS LIGHTING UP. THIS HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED AS A RESULT OF A DEFECTIVE PASSENGER SEAT AIR BAG SENSOR. THERE WAS NO INCIDENT THAT CAUSED THIS. IT JUST WENT BAD. THIS APPEARS TO BE A KNOWN ISSUE FOR MIN AND BMW BUT THEY ARE NOT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY TO REPLACE THE SENSOR WHICH RUNS ANYWHERE FROM $900 TO $1600 TO BE REPAIRED. THIS AUTOMOBILE HAS BEEN VERY WELL MAINTAINED HAS LESS THAN 60K MILES AND IS A ONE OWNER. THERE WAS NO REASON FOR THIS TO HAVE GONE BAD OTHER THAN THE PART MUST BE OF POOR QUALITY OR DESIGN. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND MINI USA SHOULD STEP UP AND RESOLVE THIS FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE POWER STEERING FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS SHUTDOWN AND RESTARTED AND AFTER A FEW MINUTES, OPERATED AS DESIGNED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED BY A MECHANIC BUT THE CONTACT WAS SURE THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP WAS THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED BUT OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 91,000.

TOOK MY CAR INTO THE MECHANIC TO HAVE IT LOOK AT FOR A NEW CLUTCH. THEY NOTICED THE POWER STEERING PUMP WAS LEAKING. THEY REPLACED THE FLUID AND CAUTIONED ME ABOUT GETTING IT REPLACED SOON. *TR

THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW MOTOR DIED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE TRANSFER CASE AND DRIVE SHAFT BOTH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AFTER ONLY 14000 MILES ON A 2012 VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN MAKING A TERRIBLE GRINDING NOISE AND RUSTING OUT FROM THE AXLES BUT WAS TOLD IT WAS SAFE TO DRIVE UNTIL THEY COULD FIT ME IN FOR AN APPOINTMENT. THE GRINDING CONTINUOUSLY GOT WORSE UNTIL WHEN THEY TOOK IN THE CAR TODAY REALIZED THE PROBLEM WAS MUCH WORSE THAN ANTICIPATED. IT SEEMS I AM NOT THE FIRST INDIVIDUAL TO HAVE SUCH A PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE AS WELL. *TR

I WAS DRIVING HOME ON THE HIGH WAY FROM MY FRIENDS HOUSE , WHEN ALL OF THE SUDDEN MY STEERING GOT HARD AND I WAS GOING ABOUT 65MPH, I PULLED OVER AND SHUT MY CAR OFF WONDERING WHAT HAD HAPPENED, TURNED IT BACK ON AND IT WORKED FINE BUT IT FELT LIKE IT WAS GETTING HARD, AGAIN LIKE IT WOULD GET HARD AND LET GO REAL QUICK , STARTED DRIVING REALLY SLOW UNTIL MY NEAREST EXIT AND IT GOT REALLY HARD BEFORE I GOT OFF THE HIGHWAY, AND IT STAYED THAT WAY UNTIL I GOT HOME AND ITS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE. *TR

TURBO OIL FEED PIPING FAILS AT CONNECTOR. BANJO TYPE FITTING ON TUBING FAILS ON CONNECTION ABOVE TURBO, SPILLING OIL ON TURBO UNIT. PRODUCES SMOKE AND A POTENTIAL FIRE HAZARD. *TR

THE AIRBAGS LIGHT CAME ON FOR NO REASON AT ALL. DOING RESEARCH I FOUND THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM! AND APPARENTLY MINI USA IS NOT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY OF IT. *TR

VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP IN FEB 2012 FOR A RATTLING NOISE. SERVICE CENTER AT BRAMAN MIAMI SAID THAT THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE NOISE, SO IT WAS ASSUMED THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. PRIOR TO THIS, THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN IN THE SHOP 2-3 TIMES DUE ENGINE MALFUNCTION LIGHT, ROUGH IDLE AT COLD START AND LOSS OF TURBO POWER DUE TO LEAKAGE IN TURBO OIL FEED LINES. THIS WAS REPAIRED IN EARLY 2012/LATE 2011. IN DECEMBER OF 2012, WHILE DRIVING THE RATTLING NOISE OF THE COMPLAINT IN FEB 2012 INTENSIFIED AND OIL LIGHT ILLUMINATED WHILE DRIVING. CAR WAS PULLED OVER TO SAFE LOCATION. ONCE CAR WAS STOPPED, THE ENGINE MALFUNCTION LIGHT ALSO ILLUMINATED. DRIVER CHECKED OIL LEVEL, WHICH APPEARED LOW BUT WITHIN THE MARKS ON THE DIPSTICK. OIL SPLATTER WAS OBSERVED ON THE HOOD AND ON ENGINE. RUBBER GASKET FEEDING TO ENGINE WAS OBSERVED TO BE DISPLACED WHERE OIL APPEARED TO HAVE LEAKED OUT. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO BRAMAN MIAMI. SERVICE DEPARTMENT REPORTED THAT FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY TIMING CHAIN/TENSIONER ISSUE. SERVICE DEPT IS CHARGING 17K USD FOR REPAIRS AS IT IS NOT FOUND TO BE UNDER THE SCOPE OF WARRANTY OF PREVIOUS REPAIRS TO THE TURBO OIL FEED LINES. MINI HAS BEEN CONTACTED TO SEE IF ANY RELIEF CAN BE PROVIDED AS THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE WITH THESE VEHICLES. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO TURN, THE STEERING WHEEL FAILED TO RESPOND. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WERE IT WAS FOUND THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED ABOUT THE ISSUE AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 59,895. UPDATED 1/29/13 *CN UPDATED 2/7/2013 *JS

POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED AT SPEED. WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE AND PRESENTED A HAZARD TO ME AND THE VEHICLES AROUND ME. THIS IS A COMMON AND KNOWN ISSUE ON MANY MINIS OF SIMILAR YEAR, SHOULD NOT OCCUR TO DUE THE SAFETY HAZARDS. *TR