MINI Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE PARKING, THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED AND THE VEHICLE BECAME DIFFICULT TO STEER. THE CONTACT RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM BEGAN OPERATING NORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 35,192.

MY 2008 MINI COOPER S (WITH 28,300 MILES) HAS EXPERIENCED DIESEL SOUNDING ENGINE PROBLEMS COMING FROM THE ENGINE. I LOOKED THIS UP ON THE INTERNET TO FIND THIS WAS A TENSIONER OR TIMING BELT ISSUE WITH THE CAR. ALMOST 600 PEOPLE HAVE USED THIS SITE: HTTP://WWW.MINICOOPERSPEED.COM/MINI-COOPER-COLD-START-KNOCKING-NOISE-ISSUE-2007/ TO SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. THIS IS A FORMAL REQUEST TO PLEASE REQUEST ACTION ON BMW'S PART TO RECTIFY THIS TIMING BELT SITUATION. THE OWNERS OF THESE CARS SHOULD NOT AND CAN NOT BE FORCED TO PAY FOR THIS ENGINE PROBLEM OF SUCH A NEW CAR. A RECALL NEEDS TO BE ISSUED, AND BMW NEEDS TO COME UP WITH A PERMANENT FIX. *TR

POWER STEERING FAILED ON LOW AND HIGH SPEED. HAD TO SLOW DOWN TO STOP,KEY OFF AND REKEY SEVERAL TIMES TO GET POWER STEERING TO RETURN. THIS HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES SINCE THE FIRST TIME. IT HAPPENS WITHOUT WARNING AND WITH NO NOTICE. BY LOOKING AT THIS WEBSITE AND ONLINE FORUMS I SEE THIS IS A ONGOING CONCERN,AND THAT THIS CONCERN RESULTED IN A RECALL IN CANADA. I WOULD HOPE THAT NHTSA WOULD ADOPT THE SAME RECAL AS CANADA,AS THIS DEFECT IS NOT THE FAULT OF THE CONSUMER. THE APPX COST OF A KNOWN DEFECT IN THE 1200.00 TO 2000.00 DOLLAR RANGE THAT IS NOT THE FAULT OF THE CONSUMER SEEMS GROSSLY UNFAIR. *TR

2009 MINI CLUBMAN S... TIMING CHAIN NEEDS REPLACED AT 51000. 1000 MILES OUT OF WARRANTY. MINI WILL NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. THIS IS POOR ENGINEERING AND EVEN POORER LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY FROM MINI FOR A KNOWN, DOCUMENTED, AND VERY FREQUENT PROBLEM. *TR

THE AIRBAG SENSOR IN THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT DOES NOT CORRECTLY DETECT A PERSON SITTING IN IT. WHEN A PASSENGER IS IN THE SEAT, THE AIRBAG SENSOR STAYS "OFF". *TR

TURBOCHARGER NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AND THE DEALER WANTED TO CHARGE ME $3,700. BUT THE CAUSE OF MY TURBOCHARGER NEEDING TO BE REPLACED WAS THE CAUSE OF MY AUXILIARY WATER PUMP - THERMOSTAT HOUSING GOING OUT IN 04/12/11 WHICH CAUSED THE TURBOCHARGER TO OVERHEAT AND BECOME DAMAGED. I REMINDED THE DEALER ABOUT THE WATER PUMP BEING REPLACED SO THEY CONTACTED MINI USA AND IT TOOK THEM 2 WEEKS FOR THE DEALER AND MINI USA TO COVER THE REPLACING OF THE TURBOCHARGER UNDER WARRANTY. EVEN THOUGH THEY REPLACED THE WATER PUMP BACK IN APRIL 2011, THE CURRENT FEB 2012 RECALL FOR THE AUXILIARY WATER PUMP IS BEING REPLACED CONCURRENTLY WITH THE TURBOCHARGER. THESE ARE THE 3 COMPLAINTS ON MY CAR IN LESS THAN A YEAR: 04/12/11 - WATER PUMP REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. 10/20/11 TIMING CHAIN REPLACED AND COST ME $2,239. AND NOW 01/27/12 THEY WANTED TO CHARGE ME ANOTHER $3,700 FOR THE TURBOCHARGER. WHO PAYS ALMOST $6,000 IN REPAIRS ON A CAR THAT IS 3 YEARS OLD? *TR

LOUD KNOCKING NOISE UPON STARTING THE CAR. IT WAS VERY LOUD SO I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER. A METAL PIECE FROM THE HOUSING FOR THE TIMING CHAIN BROKE OFF AND CAUSED DAMAGE THAT COST $2239 TO REPAIR. THE SERVICE REP SEEMED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. I ASKED THE SERVICE REP FOR MY OLD PARTS WHICH I HAVE KEPT AND UPON INSPECTION THE PARTS LOOKED GOOD (TIMING CHAIN AND TENSIONERS (PLASTIC PARTS). THE FLAW IS IN THE DESIGN, A ONE INCH LITTLE METAL PIECE THAT CANNOT SUPPORT THE VIBRATION OF THE TIMING CHAIN BROKE OFF AND CAUSED ALL THE DAMAGE. I'VE READ MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS ON THIS SITE REGARDING TIMING CHAIN PROBLEMS ON S MODELS, THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL. *TR

WATER PUMP MELTED - THERMOSTAT HOUSING REPLACED AT 49,492 MILES. MY ENGINE LIGHT LIT UP YELLOW AND BY THE TIME I ARRIVED AT WORK IT WAS RED. I TRIED POURING COOLANT AND IT JUST SPILLED OUT ONTO THE GROUND. I TOOK IT TO MINI TO GET IT SERVICED AND THEY SAID THE HEAT FROM MY ENGINE CAUSED THE THERMOSTAT HOUSING TO MELT AND WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. THEY REPLACED IT WITH A NEW PUMP BUT NOT WITH THE ONE THAT IS NOW THE FEBRUARY 2012 RECALL THAT MINI IS DOING ON ALL 2007 - 2011 S MODELS FOR (THE ELECTRIC AUXILIARY WATER PUMP THAT COOLS THE TURBOCHARGER HAS AN ELECTRONIC CIRCUIT BOARD THAT CAN MALFUNCTION AND OVERHEAT). SEE NEXT COMPLAINT FROM 01/27/12, AS THE CAUSE OF THE OLD FAULTY WATER PUMP THIS HAS NOW CAUSED MY TURBOCHARGER TO GO OUT AND MINI TRIED TO CHARGE ME $3,700 TO REPLACE IT. BUT I REMINDED THEM THAT MY WATER PUMP WAS PREVIOUSLY DEFECTIVE AND THAT HAS CAUSED THE CURRENT PROBLEM WITH THE TURBOCHARGER AND NOW THEY ARE REPLACING IT UNDER WARRANTY ALONG WITH REPLACING THE RECALLED ELECTRIC AUXILIARY WATER PUMP. *TR

MY CAR WOULD NOT START ONE MORNING. I INSTALLED A NEW BATTERY. AS SOON AS I CONNECTED THE BATTERY CABLE, SMOKE STARTED POURING OUT FROM UNDERNEATH THE ENGINE. THE SMOKE WAS ACRID, LIKE SMOKE FROM AN ELECTRICAL FIRE. THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO SMOKE AS LONG AS THE BATTERY CABLES WERE CONNECTED. CONCERNED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF AN ENGINE FIRE,I DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY AND HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP. THE SHOP DETERMINED THAT THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING PUMP AND PUMP COOLING FAN WERE DEFECTIVE. THERE HAD BEEN NO PRIOR INDICATION THAT EITHER THAT THERE WAS ANYTHING WRONG WITH EITHER THE POWER STEERING OR THE BATTERY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MINI JCW. WHILE PARKED, THE CONTACT SMELLED SMOKE COMING FROM THE GARAGE IN HIS HOME WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND FOUND THAT THE VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED AND REPORTED TO THE SCENE TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE. A FIRE REPORT WAS FILED. THE FLAMES CAUSED DAMAGE TO ANOTHER VEHICLE THAT WAS ALSO PARKED IN THE GARAGE AND ALSO CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE RESIDENCE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT DETERMINED THAT THE FIRE WAS CAUSED BY OVERHEATING IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 12V008000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) BUT THE CONTACT HAD NOT SPOKEN WITH THE MANUFACTURER TO VERIFY IF HIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,000.