MINI Complaints

AS I WAS DRIVING MY CAR STARTED CHUGGING. I PULLED OVER AND KEPT CHUGGING. I STOPPED THE CAR, LOOKED UNDER THE HOOD AND SAW IF SOMETHING WAS WRONG. DID NOT SEE ANYTHING. STARTED IT UP AGAIN AND ONCE I ACCELERATED IT STOPPED CHUGGING. DROVE IT VERY SCARCELY AND BROUGHT IT INTO THE DEALERSHIP. WAS TOLD IT WAS A TIMING CHAIN. VERY LUCKY THAT IT HAS NOT SNAPPED OR SKIPPED BECAUSE YOU WOULD HAVE POSSIBLY LOSE CONTROL. THE CAR ONLY HAS 36000 MILES ON IT AND HAS HAD THE OIL LEVEL TOPPED OFF EVERY FEW FILL UPS. THEY DO NOT LOOK AT THIS AS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT, EVEN THOUGH IT HAS HAPPENED ON QUITE A FEW CARS. MY LOCAL MECHANIC SAID HE HAS NEVER HEARD OF A TIMING CHAIN SNAPPING OR STRETCHING TO WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AT 36000 MILES. IT IS DANGEROUS AND ALSO VERY COSTLY TO PAY FOR. *TR

THE CAR HAS A RECALL FOR WATER PUMP, NEVER DONE UNTIL THE CAR ENGINE STOP. NOW THE ENGINE IS TOTALLY LOST. I THINK THE CAR HAS A PREVIOUS RECALL THE TIMING CHAIN TENSOR BUT NEVER WAS DONE. *TR

POWER STEERING WHEEL SUDDENLY FAILED AND BECAME STIFF WHILE GETTING OFF FREEWAY. TOOK GREAT FORCE TO TURN STEERING WHEEL TO STEER CAR. LUCKILY ABLE TO STOP CAR SAFELY. *TR

WHILE DRIVING HOME AS I TURNED INTO MY STREET THE STEERING POWER SUDDENLY WENT OUT CAUSING ME TO DRIVE INTO THE INCOMING TRAFFIC LANE, LUCKILY THERE WERE NO VEHICLES BUT IF THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN ANY VEHICLES I COULD HAVE BEEN IN A FRONT COLLISION. THE FACT THAT THIS HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING MAKES THIS ISSUE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. *TR

AIR BAG SYSTEM DIAGNOSIS RETURNED FAULT CODE 71. TECH CHECK ON SRS SYSTEM FOUND PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY DETECTOR FAULT. PASSENGER AIR BAG SYSTEM IS DISABLED AS A RESULT. ESTIMATED REPAIR COST IS $1200. INTERNET SEARCHES FOUND THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH MINI COOPER'S AND MINI REFUSES TO COVER WHEN OUT OF WARRANTY. *TR

I HAD JUST ACCELERATED ONTO THE HIGHWAY WHEN I SMELLED MY CLUTCH BURNING. I LOST POWER TO THE WHEELS, AND HAD TO REV THE ENGINE IN ORDER MAINTAIN HIGHWAY SPEEDS, UNTIL I COULD EXIT. BY THE TIME THAT I GOT MY CAR TO A SAFE LOCATION, THERE WAS NO POWER GOING TO THE WHEELS AT ALL, SO MY CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. *TR

RECALL CAMPAIGN NO: 12V-008 ELECTRIC AUXILIARY WATER PUMP HTTP://WWW-ODI.NHTSA.DOT.GOV/DEFECTS/RESULTS.CFM THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION WEBSITE SAYS WE ARE ALSO NOTIFIED TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO A BMW DEALER FOR REPAIR. WHY CANNOT I NOT DO THIS? WE HAVE A BMW DEALER IN BOISE. OWNERS OF THE RECALLED VEHICLES ARE NOTIFIED TO TAKE THEIR VEHICLE TO A BMW DEALER, WHO WILL REPLACE THE AUXILIARY WATER PUMP TO PREVENT ANY INCIDENTS RELATED TO THIS ISSUE. THIS PRELIMINARY EVALUATION IS CLOSED. THE ODI REPORTS CITED ABOVE CAN BE VIEWED AT WWW-ODI.NHTSA.DOT.GOV/COMPLAINTS UNDER THE FOLLOWING IDENTIFICATION NUMBERS (ODI NOS.): 10286597, 10286663, 10289793, 10310677, 10314796, 10342365, 10394808, 10394192, 10403982, 10418325, 10422646, 10429003. I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW MANY HOURS I HAVE SPENT ON THE PHONE WITH MINI, MINI OF MURRAY, AND MINI ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE, MY LOCAL BMW DEALER, AND SEVERAL REPAIR SHOPS AND A TOW TRUCKING COMPANY.MINI IS COMPLETELY LEAVING THOSE CUSTOMERS IN THE LURCH THAT DO NOT HAVE MINI DEALERS IN THEIR STATE. NOW MINI OF MURRAY IS TELLING ME THAT IF I FIX MY CAR IN BOISE AFTER I HAVE RECEIVED THE RECALL NOTICE THAT I AM STILL ON THE HOOK FOR PAYING FOR THIS EVEN IF A MINI DEALER WERE TO INSPECT THE REPAIR FROM ANOTHER REPAIR SHOP. HOW IS THIS LEGAL? ALL I WANT IS TO HAVE THE REPAIR DONE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND BE REIMBURSED FOR IT, WITHOUT HAVING TO DRIVE A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS VEHICLE 700 MILES TO DO IT. IT'S A SERIOUS WASTE OF RESOURCES, TIME AND MONEY! SOMEONE PLEASE DO SOMETHING TO MAKE THIS RIGHT WITHOUT TELLING ME THAT THERE'S NOTHING THEY CAN DO.? *TR

BEGAN TO HEAR LOUD KNOCKING NOISE FROM ENGINE OF MY 4 YEAR OLD MINI @ 66000 MILES. HAVE HAD MY MINI SERVICED ACCORDING TO THE SCHEDULE AT THE SAME DEALERSHIP FOR 4 YEARS. AFTER HEARING THE NOISE DID RESEARCH ONLINE TO NOTICE THAT MINIS HAVE A TIMING BELT /TENSIONER ISSUE. NOTICED ON THE SAME NIGHT THAT MY OIL LIGHT CAME ON AND THE INTERESTING THING IS THAT I JUST HAD MY OIL CHANGED IN AUGUST OF 2012 AND THIS WAS NOVEMBER 2012. TOOK CAR TO DEALER AND THE SERVICER SAID THEY HAD HEARD OF SOME MINI'S TIMING CHAINS FAILING AT 14K MILES. AFTER DIAGNOSIS HE NOTES THAT IT IS THE TIMING CHAIN AND THAT THE OIL FILTER GASKET WAS LEAKING WHICH CAUSED THE TIMING CHAIN TO FAIL. THIS IS NOT CORRECT AS MY VEHICLE HAS NEVER LEAKED OIL, AND I HAD JUST GOTTEN MY OIL CHANGED 3 MONTHS EARLIER AND NO MENTION WAS MADE BY MY SERVICE TECHNICIAN. THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE IN MINIS AND THEY ARE NOT PROVIDING ANY KIND OF RELIEF. *TR

I HAD A LITTLE WHINING SOUND WHEN I PUSHED ON THE CLUTCH. EVERYTHING WORKED FINE EVEN WITH THE WHINING SOUND. I STARTED DRIVING TO THE MECHANICS AND MY CAR COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN. THE TRANSMISSION CAME COMPLETELY APART. ALL THE TEETH ARE GONE FROM THE SECOND GEAR WITH NO WARNING. I HAVE ALREADY SPENT 2000.00, NOW I WILL HAVE TO EITHER SPEND ANOTHER 3000.00 FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION, OR TRADE IN MY CAR AT A HORRIBLE LOSS AND I WILL BE UPSIDE DOWN ON THE NEXT CAR. I READ THAT THERE WERE CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS AGAINST MINI/BMW OVER THE TRANSMISSIONS. I WAS HOPING THAT I WOULD FIND A RECALL ON HERE. *TR

THE PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR HAS GONE BAD ACCORDING TO THE DIAGNOSE FROM THE DEALER. I'M TOLD THAT THIS WILL EITHER MAKE THE AIR BAG DEPLOY AT FULL FORCE OR POSSIBLY NOT AT ALL. THERE SEEMS THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON OCCURRENCE ON BOTH BMW AND MINI'S. BMW HAS ADDRESSED THE PROBLEM, MINI HAS NOT. I HAVE A CAR WITH AN UNPREDICTABLE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT AND THE DEALER IS TELLING ME THAT IT IS A 1000 TO MAKE THE CAR SAFE TO PUT MY FAMILY IN. THIS SEEMS LIKE DENIAL OF A PROBLEM. *TR