MINI Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MINI COOPER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE BECAME RESISTANT TO ACCELERATION ATTEMPTS. THE CONTACT HEARD A BANGING NOISE COMING FROM UNDER THE VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTICS. THE MECHANIC ADVISED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 55,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 MINI MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT WAS TRAVELING 55 MPH WHEN THE CONTACT TRAVELED OVER A SLICK AREA IN THE ASPHALT. THE CONTACT LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, ROLLED OVER AND CRASHED INTO A DITCH UPSIDE DOWN. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE CRASH CAUSED NO INJURIES AND THE POLICE WERE CONTACTED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED OF THE INCIDENT. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND THE FAILURE WAS NOT INSPECTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 74,500.

GROWLING- RUBBING NOISE AUDIBLE AT LOW SPEEDS. AIR CONDITIONING HOSE HAD COME LOOSE AND WAS "BURNING" ON OTHER ENGINE PARTS. DEALER SERVICE STATED THIS WAS A VERY UNUSUAL CASE. CAR HAD BEEN IN FOR TENSOR CHAIN REPLACEMENT FIVE DAYS EARLIER. *JS

CAR RATTLING AND SOUNDING LIKE A DIESEL FOR OVER A YEAR. DEALER SERVICE ADVISED TO CHECK OIL AND BE SURE OIL LEVEL WAS PROPER. NOVEMBER 2011, ALL OIL LEAKED OUT OF CAR ONTO GARAGE FLOOR. CAR TOWED TO DEALER SERVICE. THEY EXPLAINED OIL LEAKED BECAUSE A "PLUG" HAD COME LOOSE. DEALER REPLACED SEALING RING AND ADJUSTED THE CHAIN. I EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT THE ENGINE AND REQUESTED A DIAGNOSTIC BE DONE. SERVICE MANAGER REPLIED THE CAR WAS ALREADY PUT TOGETHER AND I WOULD NEED TO MAKE ANOTHER APPOINTMENT. CAR CONTINUED TO RATTLE LOUDLY. MADE ANOTHER APPOINTMENT DECEMBER 2011 AFTER RESEARCHING ONLINE AND FINDING A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH TENSOR CHAIN. I INFORMED DEALER THAT I EXPECTED THE CHAIN TO BE REPLACED AND A COMPLETE ENGINE DIAGNOSTIC. DEALER REPLACED TENSOR CHAIN. CAR CONTINUES TO RATTLE INTERMITTENTLY. OIL IS CHECKED TWICE PER WEEK AND KEPT AT PROPER LEVEL. *JS

REPORTED BRAKE LIGHT ON TO MINI DEALER IN SACRAMENTO CA. SERVICE STATED THE BRAKES WERE OK, LIGHT JUST NEEDED TO BE RESET. LIGHT CONTINUED TO COME ON FIVE MORE TIMES. EACH TIME, I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND THE SERVICE CONSULTANTS RESET THE LIGHT. DECEMBER 2011 AT 37,000 MILES REPORTED BRAKE LIGHT ON AGAIN. DEALER CHECKED AND REPORTED THAT I NEEDED BRAKES, UNFORTUNATELY, NO LONGER COVERED UNDER 36,000 MILE WARRANTY. WHEN I POINTED OUT THAT I HAD REPORTED THE BRAKE PROBLEM ON FIVE SEPARATE OCCASIONS, STARTING WHILE THE CAR WAS STILL UNDER THE 36,000 MILE WARRANTY, SERVICE MANAGER STATED THERE WAS NOTHING THAT COULD BE DONE, PLACING BLAME ON BMW'S POLICY AND ADDING THAT DEALERS ARE LOOSING MONEY BECAUSE BMW WON'T COVER WARRANTY REPAIR. I WORKED MY UP THROUGH THE DEALER MANAGEMENT, AND FINALLY A MANGER AGREED TO PICK UP THE COST OF THE NEW BRAKES, ALBEIT, QUITE RUDELY, EVEN RAISING HIS VOICE STATING, "WILL THAT MAKE YOU HAPPY NOW?" THIS WAS A POTENTIAL SAFETY ISSUE. I UNKNOWINGLY DROVE THE CAR FOR THREE MONTHS AND APPROXIMATELY 5,000 MILES NEEDING BRAKES. DEALER CLEARLY WAITED UNTIL THE WARRANTY EXPIRED TO EVEN LOOK AT THE BRAKES. *JS

I WAS ON MY WAY HOME FROM MAKING SOME ERRANDS, WENT TO TURN LEFT AND I THOUGHT THE CAR HAD CUT OFF OR SOMETHING. BECAUSE IT DIDN'T WANT TO TURN RIGHT, BUT TO MY SURPRISE IT WAS RUNNING. SO I MANAGE TO TURN IT BEFORE I HIT THE CURB. WHEN I GOT HOME I WAS ABLE TO SEE WHAT WAS WRONG. THE POWER STEERING QUIT WORKING. I LET THE CAR COOL A LITTLE AND GOT BACK IN IT AND THE POWER STEERING WAS WORKING AGAIN. COME TO FIND OUT THE POWER STEERING WORKS FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES AND GOES OUT, UNTIL IT COOLS OFF. I STARTED LOOKING ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND OUT I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND I MEAN DANGEROUS. I CALLED MY MINI DEALER TO SEE IF THERE WERE A RECALL ON THIS PROBLEM AND THEY SAID THERE WASN'T. BUT I DID SEE THEY HAD A MINI DEALER NOTICE FOR THEM TO LOOK OUT FOR THIS PROBLEM, BUT NOT FIX FOR FREE. SO WE NEED A RECALL BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED OR HURT, IF IT HASN'T ALREADY HAPPENED. THANK YOU, [XXX] *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I WAS DRIVING ALONG AND LOST THE POWER STEERING. IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER. I GOT HOME PARKED THE CAR AND LET IT GO. THE NEXT MORNING IT WAS FINE. HOWEVER, THIS MORNING, 6/8/2012, IT HAPPENED AGAIN AS I WAS TURNING IN AN INTERSECTION. FORTUNATELY FOR ME THERE WEREN'T MANY CARS ON THE ROAD, AS IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN. IF THIS HAD HAPPENED IN EVEN A SEMI-BUSY INTERSECTION, I WOULD HAVE BEEN IN TROUBLE. *JS

I WAS DRIVING THROUGH ATLANTIC CITY, AND WHEN I TRIED TO MAKE A LEFT TURN, THE POWER STEERING ASSIST ON MY MINICOOPER FAILED. THE STEERING WHEEL WAS RIGID AND NEEDED TO BE FORCIBLY TURNED USING A GREAT DEAL OF STRENGTH. I ALMOST RAN INTO A FENCE SURROUNDING A PARKING LOT, BUT WAS ABLE TO APPLY THE BRAKES, WRESTLE WITH THE WHEEL , AND EDGE INTO THE PARKING LOT. *JS

I WAS TURNING THE CORNER TO PULL INTO MY STREET AND THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT. I BARELY MANAGED TO TURN THE VEHICLE INTO MY DRIVEWAY AND THEN TURNED IT OFF. WHEN I WENT TO TRY IT AGAIN A FEW DAYS LATER, I COULD NOT TURN THE STEERING WHEEL. *TR

MY POWER STEERING UNEXPECTEDLY STOPPED WORKING WHILE DRIVING TO WORK. STEERING FLUID LEVEL IS FINE AND WHEN I LEFT WORK IT WAS BACK ON. IT IS CONTINUING TO STOP AND START WORKING AT UNEXPECTED TIMES AND WITHOUT WARNING WHICH MAKES STEERING HARD WHEN IT GOES OUT. *TR