MINI Complaints

SOMETIME IN LATE SUMMER OF LAST YEAR, MY CAR BEGAN TO MAKE A "HONKING" SOUND. IT SOUNDED LIKE THE CLUTCH THAT HAD ALREADY BEEN REPLACED ON BOTH OF OUR 2005 MINI COOPERS UNDER WARRANTY (ANOTHER POSSIBLE SAFETY ISSUE?) BUT THE CLUTCHING SEEMED OK. UP UNTIL THE TIME I WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR IN TO THE SHOP TO GET LOOKED AT, I NOTICED A PUDDLE IN THE GARAGE, AND I ALSO NOTICED IT WAS GETTING HARDER TO STEER. THE SHOP DETERMINED THAT MY STEERING RACK WAS LEAKING AND NEEDED TO BE COMPLETELY REPLACED, WHICH WE DID. NOW, JUST OVER 1 YEAR LATER, THE CAR IS ALREADY EXHIBITING THE SAME BEHAVIORS EXACTLY. SOMETHING IN THE VEHICLE IS CAUSING THE RACK TO MALFUNCTION AND REQUIRE REPLACEMENT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2010 MINI COOPER. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND TURNED OFF, THERE WAS AN EXPLOSION UNDER THE HOOD. THE CONTACT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED A BROWN SPOT ON THE HOOD AND FLAMES UNDERNEATH THE HOOD. THE FIRE ALSO SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE VEHICLE. A POLICE AND FIRE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A TOW YARD AND DECLARED DESTROYED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,000.

THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY AIRBAG SENSOR HAS FAILED. CONSEQUENTLY THE FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG IS TURNED OFF EVEN IF THE SEAT IS OCCUPIED. THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH PREVIOUS MINI'S AND BMW'S AND WARRANTS A SAFETY RECALL. THIS IS AN EXPENSIVE REPAIR AND PREVIOUS OLDER MODEL MINI'S AND BMW'S HAVE BEEN RECALLED TO FIX THIS ISSUE. *TR

TURBOCHARGER OIL LINE CRIMP FITTING FAILED DUE TO O RING BECOMING HARD FROM EXCESSIVE HEAT FROM TURBOCHARGER RESULTING IN SPRAY OF ENGINE OIL ON HOT TURBOCHARGER. DEALER REPLACED INLET AND OUTLET OIL LINES WITH NEWER DESIGN AND THE ADDITION OF AN OIL LINE HEAT SHIELD NOW BEING USED IN PRODUCTION OF 2011 AND 2012 MODELS. OIL SPRAY COULD CAUSE A FIRE AND THE DESIGN CHANGE FROM MINI INDICATES TO ME THAT A PROBLEM WITH OLD DESIGN EXISTS AND HEAT ISSUE IS PRESENT FROM THEIR ADDITION OF A HEAT SHIELD. MANUFACTURER DID NOT OFFER REIMBURSEMENT OR POLICY REPAIR WHEN A REQUEST WAS MADE. THIS APPEARS TO BE A SAFETY RELATED ISSUE DUE TO VEHICLE FIRE EXPOSURE. *TR

WHEN THE CAR IS STARTED COLD IN THE MORNING WITH AN AMBIENT TEMPERATURE OF AROUND 37DEGREES F. THERE IS A RATTLE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT SOMEWHAT SIMILAR TO A DIESEL ENGINE RATTLE BUT LOUDER. COULD BE A TIMING CHAIN PROBLEM THAT WILL DESTROY THE ENGINE EVENTUALLY. BMW NEEDS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

LENT CAR TO BOYFRIEND TO DRIVE ME TO BOSTON (100 MILE ONE WAY). ON THE WAY HOME HE STOPPED AT A STORE APPROXIMATELY 10 MILES FROM THE HOUSE. WHEN HE CAME BACK OUT OF THE STORE ( WAS IN STORE APPROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES) THE POWER STEERING NO LONGER WORKED. IT WAS LIKE TRYING TO STEER THROUGH CONCRETE FOR HIM. A FEW DAYS LATER HE TRIED THE CAR AND IT ALL WORKED FINE AGAIN. BASED ON PRIOR COMPLAINTS FILED, I AM CONCERNED THAT THE ISSUE WILL REOCCUR WHEN I AM DRIVING CAUSING OBVIOUS SAFETY CONCERNS, OR THAT IT MAY CATCH FIRE (BASED ON OTHER COMPLAINTS FILED FOR SIMILAR ISSUES) AND THAT I WILL BE FACING THE COST OF REPLACING THE POWER STEERING UNIT (WHICH DOES NOT SOUND LIKE IT HAS BEEN REENGINEERED SINCE THIS ISSUE BECAME KNOWN).

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MINI COOPER S. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE LOST ALL POWER STEERING. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED AND TO REPLACE THE PUMP AS WELL AS THE BATTERY TO CORRECT THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. NO REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 116,000 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 115,900.

I HAVE THE S (TURBO) MODEL. WHEN IT'S COLD OUTSIDE (LESS THAN 40 DEGREES) AND THE ENGINE IS COLD (SITTING OVERNIGHT) IT SOUNDS LIKE A DIESEL ENGINE AT START UP. THE FIRST 60 SECONDS OF IDLE IS AWFUL. THE ENGINE CLATTERS LIKE A DIESEL AND THERE IS A BUZZ AS WELL. LIKE A LOOSE HEAT SHIELD OR SOMETHING. I HAVE HAD MANY CARS AND TRUCKS IN MY LIFE AND I HAVE NEVER HAD A VEHICLE SOUND LIKE THIS AT IDLE WHEN IT'S COLD. THE ENGINE OIL IS FULL AND I HAVE SYNTHETIC OIL IN IT. SO OIL VISCOSITY CANNOT BE AN ISSUE. I AM WORRIED THAT ENGINE DAMAGE IS BEING DONE AND I AM GOING TO GET STUCK WITH AN ENGINE OR CYLINDER HEAD REBUILD OR REPLACEMENT. AFTER ABOUT A MINUTE, THE ENGINE BEGINS TO QUIET DOWN AND THEN SMOOTHES OUT. BUT THOSE START UPS!! ABSOLUTELY GOD AWFUL. I WOULD LOVE TO SEE AN INVESTIGATION STARTED ON THIS VEHICLE. I HAVE READ ABOUT THIS ISSUE IN MINI COOPER FORUMS ONLINE AND THIS IS A WIDESPREAD AND COMPLAINED ABOUT ISSUE. BMW HAS APPARENTLY TRIED A NUMBER OF FIXES TO NO AVAIL, BUT SOMETHING HAS TO BE WRONG. SOMETHING IS JUST NOT ENGINEERED CORRECTLY. I BOUGHT THE CAR USED IN THE SPRING OF 2011 AND THE TEMPERATURES WERE WARM ENOUGH THAT THE COLD START CLATTERING WASN'T TOO BAD. BUT BY OCTOBER WHEN THE MORNING LOWS WERE COLDER, THE PROBLEM REALLY BEGAN TO SHOW UP. NOTHING HAS BROKEN YET BUT IT SURE SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING IS READY TO LET LOOSE. HELP! *TR

I PARKED MY MINI CLUBMAN S AND WENT INSIDE A FAST FOOD RESTAURANT FOR ONLY 10 MINUTES, WHEN I RETURNED TO MY MINI, I WAS SHOCKED TO SEE SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I RELEASED THE HOOD LATCH AND TRIED WITHOUT SUCCESS TO OPEN THE HOOD. A NEARBY WITNESS CALLED OUT TO ME AS HE RAN TO ASSIST WITH AN EXTINGUISHER REALIZING MY CAR WAS ON FIRE. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED 911 AND STOOD HELPLESSLY WATCHING AS MY 4-MONTH OLD CAR WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES WITHIN MINUTES. THERE WERE NO PREVIOUS WARNINGS DISPLAYED...IF MY DOG, WHO TRAVELS WITH ME QUITE OFTEN HAD BEEN IN THE CAR AS I WENT INSIDE, I CANNOT IMAGINE HOW I WOULD BE FEELING RIGHT NOW...LOSING THE CAR WAS DIFFICULT, AND NOW, I REALIZE HOW FORTUNATE I WAS NOT TO LOSE MORE, CONSIDERING THE FACT I PARKED THE MINI IN MY GARAGE EVERY NIGHT AS I RETURNED HOME FROM WORK. THE FIRE IS CURRENTLY UNDER INVESTIGATION, SO I CANNOT NAME THE FAILED COMPONENTS AS REQUESTED ABOVE, BUT I WILL UPDATE THIS INFORMATION ONCE THE INVESTIGATION IS COMPLETE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH, THE STEERING BECAME DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE CONTACT BELIEVED THAT THE POWER STEERING MOTOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED A CONCURRENT INVESTIGATION UNDER NHTSA ACTION NUMBER: EA11005 (STEERING STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:PUMP STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM) THAT COULD POSSIBLY HAVE BEEN RELATED TO THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.