MINI Complaints

AIR BAG WARNING LAMP TURNS ON AND REMAINS ON RANDOMLY. DIAGNOSTIC INDICATES PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR IS DEFECTIVE. THE PASSENGER SEAT IS USED INFREQUENTLY AND LOOKS LIKE NEW. WE HAVE BEEN TOLD THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT COULD RESULT IN EITHER THE AIR BAG FAILING TO DEPLOY OR DEPLOYING WITH TOO GREAT OF FORCE. THE COST OF REPAIR IS PROHIBITIVE AND YET THE ISSUE MAKES THE VEHICLE ALMOST UN SALEABLIMPOSSIBLE TO SELL WITHOUT THE REPAIR. *TR

LOUD RATTLE IN ENGINE COMPARTMENT ON COLD START UP. LOSS OF POWER ON ACCELERATION. BROUGHT TO DEALER AND DIAGNOSED AS BROKEN TIMING CHAIN GUIDES WITH REPAIR COST OF $2,300. HAVE PURCHASED EXTENDED WARRANTY, SO REPAIR IS COVERED. HOWEVER, THIS IS A HIGHLY REPORTED ISSUE AND SHOULD BE DEALT WITH IN A RECALL OF ALL AFFECTED ENGINES. *TR

HAD CAR IN DEALER SHOP FOR REPAIR OF FAULTY TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER/GUIDE (SEE SEPARATE COMPLAINT). WAS TOLD ALSO HAD A LEAK IN TURBOCHARGE OIL INLET LINE THAT WILL COST OVER $1,000 OUT OF POCKET TO REPAIR. THIS IS CLEARLY A COMMONLY REPORTED ISSUE AND A FIRE SAFETY HAZARD THAT SHOULD BE DEALT WITH IN A RECALL. *TR

STARTED VEHICLE IN THE MORNING OF 11/14/2012. THE SHIFT INDICATOR ON THE DASH SHOWS EP MODE INSTEAD OF D,R,N,ETC. THE CAR SEEMED TO DRIVE FINE BUT THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE SHIFTER ELECTRONICS. THE CAR DOES NOT SEEM TO KNOW WHAT DRIVE MODE IS IN. PUTTING THE AUTO MANUAL TRANSMISSION INTO SPORTS MODE DOES NOT CHANGE THE SHIFT INDICATOR ON THE DASH. IN SPORTS MODES IT STILL SHOWED EP. IN EP MODE THE CAR DOES NOT REV BEYOND 3000RPM AND DRIVES ROUGH AT CERTAIN SPEEDS. THIS MAY BE A MANUFACTURER DEFECT WITH A TRANSMISSION SENSOR, OR THE SHIFTER ELECTRONICS. *TR

AIRBAG LIGHT ON CENTER DISPLAY AS WELL AS YELLOW AIRBAG OFF LIGHT ON OVERHEAD CONSOLE INTERMITTENTLY APPEAR AND DISAPPEAR FOR NO APPARENT REASON. MINI WANT OVER $1500 TO REPLACE A SEAT BOTTOM PAD SENSOR. *TR

PASSENGER AIRBAG, FRONT SEAT, SENSOR HAS A FAULT OR SHORT IN IT. INTERMITTENTLY, WHILE ADULT PASSENGER IS IN SEAT, THE WARNING LIGHT TURNS ON, AND PASSENGER AIRBAG "OFF" WARNING LIGHT COMES ON--THUS SHUTTING OFF THE PASSENGER AIRBAG. THIS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE 2005 AND 2006 MINI COOPERS AND A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. IN THIS PAST MONTH THE FREQUENCY HAS INCREASED TO APPROXIMATELY 99% WHERE THE PASSENGER HAS NO SAFETY PROTECTION AS AIR BAG IS SHUT OFF. TO DATE MINI IS NOT WARRANTYING THIS DEFECT AND IT IS A VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR. I THINK A SAFETY RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED ASAP. *TR

DRIVING VEHICLE HEARD SOME ENGINE NOISE AND OBSERVED RED OIL INDICATOR CAME ON. PULLED OVER AND CHECKED OIL LEVEL, APPEARED TO BE LOW.. I IMMEDIATELY PUT IN TWO QUARTS OF OIL ONLY TO SEE IT ALL SEEP OUT AND THROUGH BOTH FRONT WHEEL WELLS. APPEARED TO BE AN ISSUE WITH THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER. *TR

I PARKED MY CAR IN A PARKING GARAGE AFTER DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MILES. I WALKED TO A DENTIST DOWN THE STREET FOR AN APPOINTMENT. WHILE AT THE DENTIST I GET A CALL THAT WENT TO MY VOICEMAIL THAT MY CAR (WHILE PARKED WITH THE ENGINE OFF) WAS ON FIRE AND WAS FILLING THE PARKING GARAGE WITH SMOKE. UPON RECEIVING THE MESSAGE I RUSHED HOME TO FIND THAT THE FIRE WAS ALREADY OUT, BUT THE SMELL OF SMOKE WAS STILL VERY STRONG. I NOTICED THAT THE INSIDE INDICATING LIGHTS OF THE CAR WERE ON AS IF THE KEY WAS IN THE IGNITION OF THE CAR. I IMMEDIATELY DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY AND INSPECTED THE CAR TO FIND THE SOURCE OF THE FIRE. UPON INSPECTION I FOUND THAT THE FLAMES HAD COME FROM BEHIND AND SLIGHTLY BELOW THE MOTOR. THERE WAS A METAL SHIELD THAT WAS BLACKENED BY THE FLAMES THAT I COULD NOT SEE AROUND SO I JACKED UP THE CAR AND REMOVED THE DRIVER SIDE WHEEL TO FURTHER INSPECT THE SOURCE OF THE FIRE. AFTER DOING SO I COULD THEN CLEARLY SEE THAT THE SOURCE OF THE FIRE WAS THE POWER STEERING PUMP DUE TO THE SURROUNDING BURN MARKS. THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF DAMAGE HAS YET TO BE ASSESSED BY MY INSURANCE COMPANY. THEY TOWED THE CAR AND ARE INSPECTING THE CAR ON DEC 13, 2012. *TR

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THERE WAS BIG DECLINE IN PERFORMANCE. ALSO, THE ENGINE HAS BEEN MAKING A RATTLING SOUND LIKE A DIESEL ENGINE FOR SEVERAL MONTHS NOW WHEN THE ENGINE IS COLD. THE CAR JUST EXCEEDED ITS 50,000K MILE WARRANTY, OF COURSE. I TOOK THE CAR IN FOR SERVICE AT AN INDEPENDENT DEALER. GOT A CALL TODAY SAYING THAT MY TURBO NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT THE TUNE OF ABOUT $2700! ALSO, THE TIMING BELT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AT A TUNE OF ABOUT $1300. I SPOKE WITH THE TECHNICIAN AND HE TELLS ME THAT HE SEES THESE PROBLEMS IN BMW/MINI ALL TOO FREQUENTLY ON VEHICLES WITH LOW MILEAGE. HE SAYS MINI KNOWS THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE ORIGINAL TIMING BELT SO MINI DOESN'T EVEN MAKE THAT MODEL OF TIMING BELT ANYMORE. HE SAID THEY ALSO KNOW THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE OIL SUPPLY LINE TO THE TURBO BEING TOO CLOSE TO THE EXHAUST WHICH COOKS THE OIL AND CLOGS THE LINE WHICH EVENTUALLY LEADS TO OIL STARVATION FOR THE TURBO. MINI RECOMMENDS OIL CHANGES AT 15,000 MILE INTERVALS WHICH COULD ALSO BE AN ISSUE BUT I'VE READ ABOUT PEOPLE WHO HAD THE OIL CHANGED EVERY 5,000 MILES AND STILL HAD PROBLEMS. MINI HAS RECALLED THE AUXILIARY WATER PUMP ONLY BECAUSE IT BECAME A SAFETY ISSUE. MY CAR IS DEFECTIVE AND OUTSIDE OF THE WARRANTY SO NOW I'M STUCK WITH A $5500 BILL FOR REPAIRS. *TR

ONE NIGHT I'M DRIVING JUST NORMALLY ON THE HIGHWAY, EVERYTHING WAS FINE, NO SIGNS OF ANY OTHER PARTS INCLUDED AND OUT OF NOWHERE MY POWER STEERING GOES OUT. I ALMOST GOT INTO AN ACCIDENT. *TR