MINI Complaints

I WASDRIVING IN CT. WHEN MY CAR WOULD NOT START AGAIN. MY CAR WAS HAULED AWAY AND BMW (MINI COOPER) AND MINI OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY IN STAMFORD CT TRY TO CLAIM THAT THIS ENGINE WAS HYDROLOCKED. THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE WHEN IT WAS NOT RAINING TO MAKE THIS CLAIM. ENGINE COMPLETELY SEIZED. *TR

MY CAR IS THE MINI COUNTRYMAN ALL 4 YEAR 2011. AS I WAS DRIVING ON TONNELE AVE HEADING TOWARDS RT 3 W, THE CAR WAS ON 3RD GEAR AND I SHIFTED TO 4TH. I FELT THAT THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE, AND LOSE POWER. I HAD TO MOVE TO THE SHOULDER, WHILE THE CAR WAS STILL "ROLLING". WHEN I GOT TO THE SHOULDER THE CAR JUST COMPLETELY DIED. THE YELLOW INDICATOR LIGHT WAS ON, I LOOKED UP FROM THE USER'S MANUAL, IT SAYS, " FULL ENGINE POWER IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE, YOU CAN CONTINUE YOUR JOURNEY, BUT MODERATE YOUR SPEED AND EXERCISE DUE CAUTION. HAVE ENGINE CHECKED ASAP." I THEN TRIED TO RESTART THE CAR, IT CRANKED BUT WOULDN'T START. I CALLED ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE AND TOW TRUCK CAME TO TOW THE CAR AFTER HOUR AND A HALF. THE NEXT DAY, SERVICE DEPARTMENT CALLED AND EXPLAINED TO ME THAT THERE IS A SENSOR MALFUNCTION CAUSED THE CAR TO LOSE POWER. I IMMEDIATELY SEARCHED ONLINE TO SEE IF THERE IS ANY RECALLS AND OR ANY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS, I FOUND A FEW OTHER COMPLAINTS WITH THE SAME INDICATOR LIGHT WENT OFF. ALL THESE OWNERS HAVE THEIR CARS FOR AS LITTLE AS A MONTH TO A COUPLE OF MONTHS. *TR

THE VEHICLE IN QUESTION WAS BEING TOWED BEHIND MY MOTOR HOME (WHICH I DO ALL THE TIME) WHEN ANOTHER DRIVER GOT MY ATTENTION TO SEE SMOKE COMING FROM MY CAR. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER GRABBED MY FIRE EXTINGUISHERS AND LIFTED THE HOOD AND PUT OUT THE FIRE, BEFORE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED. 6 FIREMEN WERE UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OR WHERE IT STARTED. *TR

OIL RETURN LINE EXITING TURBOCHARGER LEAKS ENGINE OIL, WHICH DRIPS DIRECTLY ONTO HOT ENGINE EXHAUST DOWNPIPE, THIS LEADS TO SMOKE FROM THE ENGINE BAY AND WILL EVENTUALLY CAUSE A FIRE IF NOT REMEDIED PROMPTLY. BMW SHOULD QUICKLY RECALL AND REPAIR THIS DESIGN DEFECT BEFORE A LOT OF PRIVATE PROPERTY GOES UP IN FLAMES. *TR

AS I APPROACHED THE STREET ON WHERE I LIVE, THE CAR STARTED TO SEVERELY SHAKE AND JERK , AS IF POWER WAS NOT GOING TO THE ENGINE. I WAS ABLE TO PARK IT ON MY DRIVEWAY, BUT THE NEXT MORNING, THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE DEALER BECAUSE IT WOULD NOT START. WHEN THE CAR ARRIVED AT THE DEALER AFTER BEING TOWED IN, THE CAR COULD NOT BE JUMP-STARTED, EVEN AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS. TWO WEEKS PRIOR, I HAD BROUGHT MY CAR IN FOR SERVICE BECAUSE THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THEY REPLACED THE TIMING CHAIN AND FOUND SEVERAL MISFIRE FAULTS, WHICH WERE SUPPOSEDLY CORRECTED. THE CYLINDER HEAD WAS REMOVED AND DISASSEMBLED AND FOUND TO HAVE CARBON BUILD UP. THE INTAKE VALVES AND EXHAUST VALVES WERE CLEANED. SINCE THE INCIDENT, THE CAR IS STILL AT THE DEALER. AN EXTENDED ROAD TEST IS SCHEDULED TO BE PERFORMED WITHIN THESE NEXT FEW DAYS. NO WORD ON WHAT HAS CAUSED THE CAR'S ENGINE TO DIE. *TR

I BOUGHT CAR NEW IN NOV 2007. CAR WAS USED AS TRANSPORTATION EVERY DAY TO AND FROM WORK (~100 MI TOTAL). CAR WAS WELL CARED FOR, SERVICE WAS PERFORMED AS REQUIRED, ETC. IN SEPT 2008 AFTER SITTING UNDRIVEN FOR 10 DAYS WHILE I WAS AWAY ON VACATION, I DROVE 50 MI TO WORK AND THERE WERE NO SIGNS OF TROUBLE EXCEPT THAT AN INDICATOR FOR A BLOWN HEADLAMP CAME ON WHEN I INITIALLY STARTED UP. WHEN I ARRIVED AT WORK AND PULLED INTO A PARKING SPACE I NOTICED WISPS OF SMOKE COMING FROM THE GRILL AND INTAKE AND SUSPECTED OVERHEATING. I PEERED INTO THE INTAKE AND SAW GLOWING ORANGE, AND SMELLED THE SMOKE AND REALIZED THIS WAS A FIRE NOT AN OVERHEATING. I HAD A COLLEAGUE CALL 911 AND GRABBED A FIRE EXTINGUISHER. WHEN I GOT BACK TO THE CAR SMOKE WAS POURING OUT OF THE HOOD. NOT WANTING TO OPEN THE HOOD I AIMED THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER INTO THE GRILL, INTAKE, AND GAPS BUT IT DIDN'T DO MUCH. AT THAT POINT I GRABBED VALUABLES FROM CAR AND WALKED AWAY. FLAMES BEGAN COMING OUT OF THE HOOD OVER THE WINDSHIELD. CAR WAS COMPLETELY ENGULFED WITHIN 10 MINUTES. THERE WERE NO INJURIES OR PROPERTY DAMAGE EXCEPT FOR THE CAR ITSELF. INSURANCE DECLARED IT A TOTAL LOSS. MINI WAS NOTIFIED. I HAVE PHOTOS OF IN-PROGRESS AND AFTERMATH. HAVING SEEN THE RECENT PUBLICITY ABOUT THE INVESTIGATION INTO THE ENGINE FIRES I THOUGHT I SHOULD LOG MY VERY RELEVANT EXPERIENCE. *TR

MY WIFE AND I BOTH NOTICED A BURNING SMELL INSIDE OUR 2007 MINI COOPER S LAST WEEK WHILE TRAVELING ON AN EXPRESSWAY IN EITHER TENNESSEE OR NORTH CAROLINA ON VACATION. I OPENED MY WINDOW FOR 3-4 MINUTES, SUSPECTING THE SMELL MIGHT BE GETTING INTO THE CAR FROM A PICKUP TRUCK RUNNING APPROXIMATELY 40-50 YARDS AHEAD OF US. THERE WAS NO SIGN OF SMOKE OR FIRE AROUND THE PICK-UP TRUCK. THIS SMELL HAPPENED VERY BRIEFLY TWICE ON THE SAME DAY; I OPENED MY WINDOW FOR A FEW MINUTES IN BOTH CASES, AND THE BURNING SMELL DID NOT RETURN AFTER THAT. WE DROVE 2200 MILES IN 9 DAYS AND DID NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR. *TR

THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR LATCH DOES NOT OPEN THE DOOR. I AM UNABLE TO EXIT MY CAR WITHOUT UNLOCKING THE DOORS FROM THE CENTRAL PANEL, ROLLING DOWN THE DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW AND OPENING THE DOOR FROM THE OUTSIDE. THIS IS CLEARLY NOT A BEST PRACTICE IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION. I HAVE SEEN MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS ISSUE WHICH I WOULD LIKE MINI TO RECOGNIZE AS DANGEROUS. IF IT IS JUST A CABLE INSIDE THE DOOR THAT IS NEEDED, THE TOTAL COST FOR REPAIR WILL BE $233.00 (THE PART IS $17.00 THE REST IS FOR LABOR). *TR

AFTER DRIVING TO WORK FOR 30 MINUTES, I PARKED MY CAR. I THOUGHT I SMELLED SOMETHING AS I WALKED AWAY, SO I STOPPED AN LOOKED, BUT I DID NOT SEE ANYTHING. FIVE MINUTES AFTER WALKING INTO MY BUILDING, SOMEONE TOLD ME MY CAR WAS ON FIRE. THE FIRST WITNESS TO SEE SOMETHING (A CO-WORKER) SAID HE SAW SOMETHING ON FIRE DROP FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE CAR. WHEN I RAN OUTSIDE, THE CAR WAS PUTTING OFF A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF SMOKE. WE TRIED TO USE A FIRE EXTINGUISHER, TO NO END, AND WITHIN MINUTES WE WERE SEEING FLAMES. FIVE MINUTES LATER, THE FRONT OF THE CAR WAS ENGULFED IN FIRE. IT WAS FAST AND HOT. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT PUT IT OUT, BUT IT WAS A TOTAL LOSS. I HAVE PHOTO DOCUMENTATION OF THE EVENT. *TR

THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED... SAW SMOKE COMING FROM ENGINE AREA, EVEN WHEN POWER TO ENGINE WAS SHUT OFF AND KEY REMOVED. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO RESTART VEHICLE AFTER TALKING WITH SERVICE MECHANIC, HE ADVISED TO "RESTART" CAR UNTIL THE POWER STEERING UNIT POSSIBLY TURNED BACK ON. AFTER 6 ATTEMPTS (APPOX 3 MINS APART), THE SYSTEM STARTED TO WORK AGAIN, BUT WITH A "STIFF & GRINDING" NOISE COMING FROM THE PUMP BEING TRANSMITTED THRU THE STEERING WHEEL. CAUSE OF FAILURE IS "POWER STEERING PUMP/FAN UNIT". VERY DANGEROUS, AS THIS HAPPENED AT SPEED ON FREEWAY, AND LOST ALMOST ALL CONTROL OF STEERING.