MINI Complaints

2010 MINI COOPER S. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO ISSUES WITH TIMING CHAIN *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED THE ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ONE WEEK AFTER BEING SERVICED. THE FIRST NOTICEABLE PROBLEM STARTED WITH A LEAK. IT WAS REPAIRED BY REPLACING A SEAL. IT WAS THEN DISCOVERED THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THE WATER PUMP, WHICH WAS THEN REPLACED. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TESTED, THE COMPUTER NOTED MISFIRE FAULTS AND IT WAS AT THAT POINT, THE TIMING CHAIN WAS REPLACED AND ALL ITS RELATED PARTS. THE TECHNICIAN NOTED CARBON BUILD-UP. THE CONSUMER STATED THE FAN STAYS ON MUCH LONGER THAN NORMAL. *JB

DEFECTIVE CVT TRANSMISSION! THE DEALERSHIP SAID THAT IT WAS NO FAULT OF OURS THAT WE NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION, BUT DUE TO THE WAY THIS TRANSMISSION WAS DESIGNED!!!!!!!! *TR

INTERMITTENTLY AND RARELY, WHEN THE CAR FIRST STARTS, THE POWER STEERING DOES NOT WORK. IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO MOVE THE STEERING WHEEL AT ALL, AND THERE IS NO APPARENT EFFECT ON THE WHEELS OF THE CAR. EACH TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED, I HAVE IMMEDIATELY TURNED OFF THE CAR AND RESTARTED. RESTARTING THE IGNITION HAS BEEN ENOUGH TO REGAIN THE POWER STEERING. AFTER THIS HAPPENED BETWEEN 5 AND 10 TIMES OVER THE PAST YEAR, I REALIZED IT WAS A PATTERN AND DECIDED TO LODGE A COMPLAINT. I ALSO REALIZED THAT THE LOUDER-THAN-ORDINARY STEERING FAN NOISE MIGHT BE ANOTHER SYMPTOM OF PROBLEMS WITH THE POWER STEERING. IN MID-SEPTEMBER 2011, THE CAR BATTERY DIED. THE STEERING FAN WAS VERY LOUD. I NOW WONDER IF THE BATTERY FAILURE WAS DUE TO THE STEERING FAN, ALTHOUGH NO ONE AT THE DEALERSHIP COMMENTED ON THE VERY LOUD FAN THAT WAS EXTREMELY NOTICEABLE WHEN THEY RESTARTED THE CAR. *TR

OUR 2006 MINI COOPER HATCHBACK'S PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG INDICATOR STAYS ON WITH OR WITHOUT A PASSENGER. SOMETIMES WITH A PASSENGER, IT WILL GO ON AND OFF SPORADICALLY. IF THE LIGHT IS ON WHEN THERE IS A PASSENGER IT WOULD BE LOGICAL TO ASSUME THAT THE AIRBAG WILL NOT DEPLOY. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET, IT WOULD APPEAR THAT THIS PROBLEM IS WIDE-SPREAD AND DANGEROUS. *TR

THE RIGHT FRONT OCCUPANT SENSOR FOR AIR BAG APPEARS TO BE DEFECTIVE. IT HAD TO BE REPLACED. WE HAVE HEARD OF SEVERAL MINI COOPER'S THAT HAVE DEFECTIVE SEAT SENSORS. WHEN THIS SENSOR FAILS, THE AIR BAGS MAY NOT DEPLOY AS DESIGNED. THIS IS A SAFETY SYSTEM FAILURE. COST TO REPLACE THIS SENSOR WAS OVER $1,400.00. *TR

I WAS ATTEMPTING TO MERGE ON TO A MAJOR HIGHWAY WHEN MY POWER STEERING FAILED, CAUSING MY VEHICLE TO BE TEMPORARILY OUT OF MY CONTROL. DUE TO THE LOSS OF STEERING, I WAS UNABLE TO SAFELY MANEUVER THE CAR INTO TRAFFIC AND WAS FORCED TO USE BOTH MY PARKING BRAKE AND MY REGULAR FOOT BRAKE TO STOP THE VEHICLE BEFORE I COLLIDED WITH A TRAFFIC LIGHT. THE VEHICLE STOPPED APPROXIMATELY 5-10 FEET FROM A TRAFFIC LIGHT POLE AND PLACED ME IN THE CENTER OF THE INTERSECTION WHERE OTHER MOTORISTS WERE ATTEMPTING TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE ON RAMP. AFTER SEVERAL SECONDS, THE POWERSTEERING REENGAGED AND I WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE, WITHOUT INCIDENT. I AM LUCKY TO BE ALIVE, AND THANKFUL THAT IT WAS NOT MY DEATH THE PROMPTED SOME CONCRETE ACTION BY BOTH YOUR AGENCY AND BMW. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME MY POWER STEERING UNIT HAS FAILED. THE FIRST TWO TIMES WERE LESS THAN ONE SECOND EACH AND OCCURRED WHEN THE CAR WAS STATIONARY MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO DIAGNOSE. SOME HOW CANADA HAS FORCED BMW TO ISSUE AT THE VERY LEAST AN EXTENDED WARRANTY ON THIS SPECIFIC PART, HOW IS IT THAT THE US IS SO FAR BEHIND? *TR

STEERING SUDDENLY BECAME VERY DIFFICULT AND STAYED THAT WAY. IT WAS FINE THE NEXT DAY, BUT AS THE CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN A WHILE THE PROBLEM CAME BACK. *TR

POWER STEERING WENT OUT AT HIGHWAYS SPEEDS, AFTER 3+ HOURS OF DRIVING. AFTER COOLING DOWN FOR AN HOUR, POWER STEERING CAME BACK, BUT ONLY LASTED 5 MIN., AND WAS OUT FOR ANOTHER DAY. COMES AND GOES, DEPENDING ON HOW HOT THE WEATHER/ENGINE IS, BUT STAYS OUT LONGER AND ONLY WORKS FOR SHORT PERIODS OF TIME NOW. PLEASE ISSUE A RECALL/EXTENDED WARRANTY AS CANADA HAS SOON! *TR

THE POWER STEERING HAS BEEN GOING OUT FOR SOME TIME. OFTEN IT WILL RESET IF I TURN THE VEHICLE OFF FOR A FEW SECONDS AND RESTART, BUT RECENTLY IT HASN'T BEEN RESETTING RIGHT AWAY AND OFTEN WILL BE OUT FOR QUITE SOME TIME BEFORE RESETTING. THERE HAVE ALSO BEEN STRANGE CREAKING/GROANING SOUNDS EVERY TIME I TURN THE WHEEL RECENTLY, AS WELL AS A WHIRRING SOUND THAT GOES ON AND OFF WHILE THE CAR IS PARKED AND TURNED OFF. THE STEERING WILL GO OUT WHEN I START THE CAR OR WHEN I'M DRIVING. IT'S WORRYING TO DRIVE A VEHICLE WHERE YOU CAN NEVER BE SURE IF A LIGHT TURN OF THE WHEEL WILL DO THE TRICK TO AVOID ANOTHER VEHICLE OR IF IT WILL REQUIRE ALL THE STRENGTH I HAVE--IF I MISJUDGE THIS BY EITHER APPLYING TOO MUCH FORCE OR TOO LITTLE, AN ACCIDENT IS VERY LIKELY. *TR

POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY WITHOUT NOTICE. NEVER GOT A WARNING LIGHT BEFORE DURING OR AFTER FAILURE. NARROWLY AVOIDED AN ACCIDENT SINCE I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR STEERING TO BE SO DIFFICULT TO TURN THE WHEEL. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER INTO A PARKING LOT WHERE I TURNED THE CAR OFF, LET IT SIT FOR A WHILE AND THEN TURNED IT BACK ON AND THE STEERING WAS OK AGAIN. SINCE THE STEERING IS BACK AND NO WARNING LIGHTS, I ASSUME EVERYTHING IS GOING TO WORK OK FROM NOW ON. *TR