MINI Complaints

RECENTLY, I'VE BEEN GETTING BOTH THE YELLOW OVERHEAD AIRBAG OFF LIGHT (ABOVE THE REARVIEW MIRROR) AND THE RED WARNING LIGHT ON THE CENTER DASH. THE WARNING LIGHTS WILL GO OFF OCCASIONALLY, BUT ALWAYS SEEM TO RETURN. IT DOES NOT MATTER WHETHER I AM CARRYING A PASSENGER OR NOT. THE PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE A DEFECTIVE SEAT SENSOR OR A DEFECT IN AIRBAG WIRING HARNESS. SINCE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE, I DO NOT WANT TO WORK ON THE SYSTEM MYSELF. MINI WEBSITES DISCUSS SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH THE AIRBAG LIGHTS ON EARLIER MODEL MINIS. I AM CERTAIN A RECALL WAS ISSUED FOR '02-'03 MODELS. CURRENT RECALL DOES NOT INCLUDE LATER BUILD YEARS SUCH AS MY '06, BUT AGAIN, THIS IS DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BY THE MANUFACTURER. *TT

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT HEARD AN ABNORMAL GRINDING NOISE WHEN ACCELERATING AT ANY SPEED. THE DEALER ADVISED THE CONTACT TO BRING THE VEHICLE IN FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING BUT THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHO ADVISED THE CONTACT TO REPLACE THE SUPER CHARGER ASSEMBLY, WATER PUMP ASSEMBLY, BYPASS VALVE, AND THE ANTI FREEZE. NO REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED. THE CURRENT AND THE FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 92,000.

AFTER IGNITING MY CAR, SOMETIMES POWER STEERING DOESN'T WORK. ALL I CAN DO AT THIS MOMENT IS THAT I TURN OFF AND RESTART MY CAR AGAIN. AND MOST OF TIMES IF I RESTART MY CAR, POWER STEERING WORKS FINE. ALSO POWER STEERING ONCE IN A WHILE STOPS TO WORK WHEN I DRIVE SLOWLY, E.G WHEN I DRIVE LOCAL. I HAVE TO RESTART MY CAR IN THIS CASE TOO. UNTIL A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO, I FELT THIS PROBLEM ONLY HAPPENED WHEN I IGNITED MY CAR OR DROVE LOCAL, SO I THOUGHT THIS IS A MINOR ISSUE AS LONG AS I CAN RESTART MY CAR SAFELY. BUT THE MOST DANGEROUS MOMENT OCCURRED TWO DAYS AGO WHEN I WAS MAKING A TURN TO EXIT ON PARKWAY. SUDDENLY IT WAS VERY HARD TO CONTROL THE CAR ON HIGHWAY, AND I HAD TO STOP AT SIDE ROAD AND RESTART. I BROUGHT MY CAR TO LOCAL MECHANIC AND HAD HIM EXAMINE IT YESTERDAY. HE SAID POWER STEERING WHEEL PUMP NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. *TT

ENGINE MADE EXCESSIVE RATTLING ON COLD START UP. TOOK TO BMW AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER, RAILS, AND CHAIN HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALERSHIP CHARGED ME $2,031.97. AS I DROVE THE CAR OFF THE LOT I NOTED THAT THE ENGINE DID NOT FEEL NEARLY AS SMOOTH AS BEFORE AND WAS NOISIER. BROUGHT THE CAR IN TWICE FOR THEM TO FIX. ON THE SECOND TRIP TO DEALERSHIP, 7/18/11, THEY TOLD ME THE WATER PUMP NEEDED REPLACED. THEY CHARGED ME $980.04 THOUGH A TYPICAL CHARGE OF FOR THIS JOB WAS $1315.51. THE CAR TO THIS DAY AT >70,000 STILL DOES NOT FEEL SMOOTH AND CONTINUES TO SOUND LOUD. OBVIOUSLY THIS IS DUE TO THE "BAND AID FIX" APPROACH FOR THE TIMING CHAIN. I PRINTED OUT ALL THE COMPLAINTS FROM NHTSA DATABASE REGARDING THE NOISEY COLD START OF 2007 MINI COOPER S DUE TO TIMING CHAIN DEFECT, 33 OUT OF 110 (NOW 34). THIS IS A PATTERN OF DEFECTIVE ENGINEERING AND NOT A RANDON QUALITY PROBLEM THAT DESERVES A RECALL. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) *TT

THE PAX AIRBAG LIGHT BOTH ON DASHBOARD AND ABOVE REAR VIEW MIRROR ARE LIT AND STAY THAT WAY AFTER A PERIOD OF ON AND OFF WITH SOMEONE STATING IN THAT SEAT. ON THE BLOG OF MINI COOPERS A LOT OF COMPLAINT ABOUT THIS HAPPENING IN BMW THE MAKER OF MINI COOPERS AND THE 05, 06 MINI COOPER MODEL. IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE! A VERY EXPENSIVE FIX AT $1500.00 WHEN IS THERE GOING TO BE A RECALL? *TT

PASSENGER SEAT OC-3 AIR BAG SENSOR FAILURE: I HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM SPORADICALLY SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR BUT RECENTLY, I'VE BEEN GETTING BOTH THE YELLOW OVERHEAD AIRBAG OFF LIGHT (ABOVE THE REARVIEW MIRROR) AND THE RED WARNING LIGHT ON THE CENTER DASH TURN ON AND STAY ON. THIS HAPPENS SEVERAL TIMES A WEEK NOW WHETHER THE SEAT IS OCCUPIED OR NOT. IT CAUSES THE SEATBELT ALARM TO GO OFF AND I HAVE TO BUCKLE AN EMPTY SEAT. MY MAIN CONCERN IS IT JEOPARDIZING THE PASSENGER AIRBAG FUNCTION. *TT

I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER ON 12/15/11 BECAUSE THE PASSANGER AIRBAG OFF LIGHT TURNED ON WHEN A PASSANGER WAS SEATED. THE LIGHT TURNED ON AGAIN JAN 7, 2012. HERE ARE THE DEALER'S NOTES FROM THE 12/15/11 VISIT: SEAT MAT SENSOR OC3 RECODING CHECK FAULT MEMORY NO RELEATING FAULT STORED. COMPLETED TEST PLAN B6577 ACM4. CHECK CONNECTOR TO SENSOR OK. TEST PLAN CONCUDED TO RECODE OC3. UPDATED VEHICLE. D6577 0000 57 310. RETEST OK. AT THE SAME TIME THE CAR ALSO ALERTED TO A TIRE INFLATION ISSUE. HERE ARE THE DEALER'S NOTES REGARDING THIS ISSUE (ALSO 12/15/11): PSI: TIRE INFLATION CHECK SET TIRES TO 33PSI *TT

ELECTRIC POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED WHILE DRIVING. I NOTICED IT WHEN I WENT TO CHANGE LANES AND THE CAR RESISTED. I SLOWED FOR A CORNER AND WHEN ATTEMPTING TO TURN, IT BECAME VERY APPARENT THAT THERE WAS NO STEERING ASSIST. THIS IS A COMMON FAILURE ON THE FIRST GENERATION MINI COOPERS THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE AND DEPENDING ON THE CIRCUMSTANCES, POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE GEAR LINK BECAME STUCK AS THE CONTACT WAS ATTEMPTING TO REVERSE FROM A DRIVEWAY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED THAT COFFEE HAD LEAKED INTO THE GEAR SHIFTER AND CAUSED THE FAILURE. THE DEALER STATED ADVISED THAT BECAUSE THE CUP HOLDER WAS ABOVE THE GEAR SHIFTER, THE DESIGN WOULD ALLOW ANY SPILLED LIQUID TO EASILY ENTER THE SHIFTER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 5,000. UPDATED 03/23/12*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE COFFEE HOLDER SITS RIGHT OVER THE AREA WHERE THE DEALER SATED COFFEE RUINED THE TRANSMISSION COMPONENT. IT IS NOT SEALED AND THE PLACEMENT OF A LIQUID HOLDER OVER A VULNERABLE EXPENSIVE PIECE OF ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT WITHOUT ADEQUATE PROTECTION IS A NEGLIGENT DESIGN. UPDATED EVOQ 04/18/12

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS 2007 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 30 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE STARTED TO OVERHEAT. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHERE THE DEALER ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE NEEDED ANTI-FREEZE. THE DEALER ADDED ANTI-FREEZE TO THE VEHICLE BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED SHORTLY THEREAFTER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER NUMEROUS TIMES BEFORE IT WAS FOUND THAT THE THERMOSTAT WAS THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE THERMOSTAT WAS REPLACED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 33,000.