MINI Complaints

WHEN ACCELERATING, THERE APPEARS TO BE A 1-1.5 SECOND DELAY FROM COMPLETE STOP POSITION TO START WHEN DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR. THIS DELAYED ACCELERATION IS PROBLEMATIC ONLY FROM COMPLETE STOPPING POSITION. EXAMPLE, AT PERPENDICULAR INTERSECTION WAITING TO TURN LEFT (PULLING OUT OF A GAS STATION OR MERGING INTO TRAFFIC, THE VEHICLE REQUIRES A ROLLING OR MOVING START BEFORE THE VEHICLE WILL ACTUALLY ACCELERATE OR AT A SAFE ENOUGH SPEED TO PULL OUT INTO TRAFFIC. WHEN I AM AT A COMPLETE STOP AND TRY TO ACCELERATE BY PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR FIRMLY FROM ANY COMPLETE STOP POSITION IN A SAFE ENOUGH SPEED TO CROSS TRAFFIC WHEN TURNING, THERE IS ALWAYS A DELAYED REACTION FROM THE TIME I DEPRESS THE PEDAL AND THE TIME THE VEHICLE TAKES OFF. THIS DOES NOT TO APPEAR AS A PROBLEM THAT HAPPENS ONLY ONCE IN A WHILE, BUT APPEARS ALL THE TIME AND TO BE A MANUFACTURER ISSUES WITH THE ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION AND GEAR CONTROL. I CONTACTED THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT I SHOULD ACTIVATE THE SPORT BUTTON AND DE-ACTIVATE THE DCS CONTROL WHICH CONTROLS THE "SPIN-OUT" ACTION ON THE COUNTRYMAN. I HAVE TRIED THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS AND THE PROBLEM STILL EXIST. THIS IS NOT ONLY THE PROBLEM. THERE IS ALSO AN ISSUE WHEN I AM SIMPLY IN THE DRIVEWAY. WHEN STARTING THE CAR AND PUTTING THE VEHICLE IN REVERSE, THERE IS ALSO THAT "DELAYED" REACTION AFTER THE CAR IS ALREADY IN GEAR, ALMOST LIKE THE VEHICLE HAS TO THINK ABOUT MOVING BEFORE IT ACTUALLY DOES. THIS OCCURS EACH AND EVERY TIME WHILE IN THE VEHICLE. MY VEHICLE IS AN AUTOMATIC. I HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH BOTH AUTOMATIC AND MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS AND HAVE OVER 25 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AND HAVE PURCHASED OVER 15 CARS IN MY DRIVING CAREER AND THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT I HAVE EVERY EXPERIENCED THIS TYPE DRIVING EXPERIENCE WITH AN AUTOMATIC.

POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY, RESULTING IN LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL. *KB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH THE STEERING WHEEL SUDDENLY LOCKED. THE VEHICLE WAS SHUT OFF, AND UPON RESTART THE FAILURE CONTINUED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE STEERING RACK NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 74,000.

THE TAILPIPE OF THE SUBJECT VEHICLE EXTENDS BEYOND THE REAR BUMPER. MY LOWER LEG INADVERTENTLY MADE CONTACT WITH THE EXHAUST AND, AS A RESULT, I SUFFERED A SERIOUS "C"-SHAPED BURN. THE INJURY HAS REQUIRED MEDICAL TREATMENT. *TR IT APPEARS THAT THE MANUFACTURER RECALLED A PRIOR YEAR'S MODEL FOR THE IDENTICAL AND/OR SIGNIFICANTLY SIMILAR ISSUE. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE SUBJECT VEHICLE IS A SISTER AND/OR CLONE OF THE VEHICLE THAT WAS RECALLED.

I HAVE LOST THE POWER STEERING IN MY 2004 MINI COOPER S AT LEAST TEN TIMES WITHIN THE LAST MONTH. ON EACH OCCASION THE POWER STEERING WAS ABSENT WHEN THE CAR WAS STARTED. AFTER SHUTTING DOWN THE CAR AND RESTARTING, THE POWER STEERING CAME BACK. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP TO GET THIS FIXED, AND THEY SAID THAT THE POWER STEERING WAS NOT GETTING ENOUGH ELECTRICAL POWER AND REPLACED MY BATTERY. HOWEVER, AFTER LEAVING THE DEALERSHIP AND WHILE PARKING, THE POWER STEERING FAILED, AGAIN. AFTER RESTARTING THE CAR TWO TIMES, THE POWER STEERING CAME BACK ON. I WILL BE RETURNING TO THE DEALERSHIP THIS EVENING. *TR

2007 MINI COOPER S: COLD START RATTLE HAD BEEN AN ON-AGAIN, OFF-AGAIN PROBLEM, BUT SINCE I'D HAD THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER CHANGED WHILE THE CAR WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY, I DIDN'T MAKE THE CONNECTION. AT 81,000 MILES, I WAS DRIVING WHEN THE RED OIL LIGHT CAME ON. THIS WAS THE FIRST AND ONLY INDICATION OF A PROBLEM. I STOPPED AT THE NEXT GAS STATION, GOT SOME SYNTHETIC OIL, AND PUT IN 2 QUARTS. I CONTINUED ON MY WAY, BUT THE OIL LIGHT HAD NOT GONE OFF. WITHIN ABOUT 1-2 MILES, AS I WAS ENTERING A HIGHWAY, THE CAR BEGAN MAKING A VERY LOUD RATTLING NOISE AND THEN STALLED. I WAS ABLE TO GET TO THE SHOULDER. I CALLED MINI ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE, BUT AFTER ABOUT 15 MINS. ON THE PHONE, THEY FINALLY FIGURED OUT THAT THEY WERE NOT AUTHORIZED TO TOW OFF THIS INTERSTATE. I GOT AN AUTHORIZED TOWING CO. TO COME, AND I LET THEM TOW IT TO THEIR LOCAL GARAGE. THE NEXT DAY THEY TOLD ME THAT THE ENGINE HAD CEASED AND WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE FOLLOWING DAY I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO PRESTIGE MINI TO DETERMINE IF THIS WAS, IN FACT, WHAT HAD HAPPENED. THEY DIAGNOSED THE SAME THING, SAID THERE WAS NO WAY TO KNOW THE CAUSE, AND QUOTED ME $6400 TO REPLACE THE ENGINE (WHICH THEY ULTIMATELY BROUGHT DOWN TO $5600). AT 81K MILES, THERE IS NO REASON THIS ENGINE SHOULD HAVE CEASED. PLUS, I HAD NO WARNING THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE CAR--NO "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT, NO "CHECK OIL" LIGHT UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE. BASED ON WHAT I'VE READ, NOW ABOUT THE 2007 MINI, I AM CERTAIN THIS WAS DEFECT RELATED. HOW DO I PROVE THAT? I'M AT THE MERCY OF THE DEALERSHIP. *TR

POWER STEERING HAS BECOME INTERMITTENT. WHEN THE CAR IS STARTED, SOMETIMES THE POWER STEERING IS FUNCTIONING AND SOMETIMES IT IS NOT.

A PROBLEM DEVELOPED WITH THE STEERING WHEEL OF MY MINI COOPER "S" (2006). THE PROBLEM STARTED SOMEWHAT GRADUALLY, OVER A PERIOD OF SEVERAL DAYS TO A WEEK, DURING WHICH THE WHEEL BECAME MORE AND MORE DIFFICULT TO TURN. MY VEHICLE HAS NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT OR IN ANY SORT OF INCIDENT. IT HAS LESS THAN THIRTY-FIVE THOUSAND MILES ON IT. I TOOK MY MINI TO AN AUTHORIZED MINI-COOPER REPAIR FACILITY WHO INFORMED ME THAT THE KNOCK (SP?) SENSOR AND STEERING MOTOR HAD FAILED AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THIS WAS AT A COST OF APPROXIMATELY $2,000.00 DOLLARS, HOWEVER IT DID NOT RESOLVE THE ISSUE. THE STEERING WHEEL CONTINUES TO BE SLUGGISH AND DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER. IT IS MY BELIEF THAT WHATEVER IS WRONG WITH THE STEERING IS A DESIGN FLAW, AS NO CAR WITH LESS THAN THIRTY-FIVE THOUSAND MILES ON IT SHOULD EXHIBIT SUCH A STRANGE AND CRITICAL FAILURE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH AND ATTEMPTING A RIGHT TURN WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME RESISTANT. THE CONTACT TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF BUT THE FAILURE CONTINUED AS THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED BY THE DEALER NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND ADVISED HIM TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 145,000.

DRIVING UNDER NORMAL DAYLIGHT CONDITIONS WHEN THE POWER STEERING FAILED ON MY 2004 MINI COOPER. *TR