MINI Complaints

"PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF" LIGHT WILL ILLUMINATE, INDICATING THAT PASSENGER AIRBAG IS TURNED OFF, WHEN A FULL SIZED ADULT IS OCCUPYING THE PASSENGER SEAT WITH SEAT BELT BUCKLED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MINI COOPER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH THE TRANSMISSION BEGAN TO SLIP GEARS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE FAILURE WAS RELATED TO THE TRANSMISSION WHICH REQUIRED REPLACEMENT. THE TRANSMISSION CAN ONLY BE REPLACED BY AN AUTHORIZED DEALER, BUT THERE ARE NO AUTHORIZED DEALERSHIPS IN THE STATE. THE MECHANIC ESTIMATED THE REPLACEMENT COST OF THE TRANSMISSION BETWEEN $8,000-$9,000. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED FOR THE MALFUNCTION. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 76,500. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. UPDATED 01/12/10 *BF UDDATED 01/14/10.*JB

I BOUGHT 2007 MINI COOPER S PRE-OWNED CAR ON 8/24/09 WHICH HAS 3,627 MILES ON IT AT $24,000. ON 10/25/09, IS ONLY 3 MONTHS LATER, I WAS DRIVING A CAR AND NOTICED SMELLING SOMETHING BURNING. THE CAR WON'T GO IN GEAR AND MOVE. ON THAT NIGHT, THE CAR STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LOAD. EVEN IF I PUSH A GAS, IT JUST DOES MAKE NOISY SOUND AND SMELL REALLY BAD, AND IT NEVER MOVE. NEXT DAY IT WAS TOWED TO THE ORLANDO MINI DEALER. THE DEALER SAYS THAT THE CLUTCH WAS BURNED OUT AND THIS REPAIR (PER THE DEALERS ESTIMATE IS $3,000)IS NOT COVERED BY THE WARRANTY BECAUSE IT WAS DRIVEN BY AN INEXPERIENCED PERSON OR NEGLECTED. I AM AN EXPERIENCED MANUAL CAR DRIVER AND WHAT THE DEALER TOLD ME IS NOT TRUE. IT IS ONLY 4,000 MILES AND IT SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN IF WE DRIVE IN A NORMAL WAY. THE DEALER DID NOT LISTEN TO ME AND I ENDED UP GOING A RELIABLE LOCAL MECHANIC AND PAYING $2,200 TO FIX IT WITHOUT WARRANTY. THE GUY AT THE MECHANIC SAYS MINI CLUTCH IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM AND HE HAS FIXED SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE. I ALSO WENT TO A WEBSITE AND REALIZED THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AND EVEN SAY IT MIGHT HAPPEN AGAIN SOON. I BELIEVE IT WAS A DEFECTED CLUTCH AND WOULD LIKE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT IT. I HAVE ALL EVIDENCES AVAILABLE. I WOULD APPRECIATE IF YOU COULD HELP ME TO RECOVER MY MONETARY DAMAGES. *TR

PURCHASED A 2004 MINI COOPER A YEAR AGO, WITH A MILEAGE OF 17,000 MILES. AFTER DRIVING ABOUT 4,000 MILES, THE CAR BROKE DOWN AND WAS SENT TO LOCAL MINI DEALER TO GET IT FIXED. CONTINUOUS VARIABLE TRANSMISSION WAS DIAGNOSED WRECKED, AND DEALER OFFERED A REPLACEMENT (ONLY SOLUTION) WITH A RE-FURBISHED CVT TRANSMISSION FOR $9800. AFTER NEGOTIATION, I HAD MINI COVER THE PARTS AND I PAID LABOR. BUT I HAVE SEEN ON SO MANY FORUMS THAT ALL CVT TRANSMISSIONS ARE FAILING SO I WONDER WHY THERE HAVE BEEN NO RECALLS. MY CVT FAILED WHEN THE CAR HAD 21,000 MILES! *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER CONVERTIBLE. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH ANOTHER DRIVER CRASHED INTO HER VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT COMPLETELY DEPLOY. AS A CONSEQUENCE SPARKS FROM THE AIR BAG SHORT, CAUSED HER COAT TO CATCH ON FIRE. SHE SUFFERED 2ND DEGREE BURNS ON THE RIGHT ARM AND THE HEEL OF THE HAND. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED, AND HER CASE WAS ESCALATED TO THE MANUFACTURER. SHE HAS NOT RECEIVED A RESPONSE FROM THE MANUFACTURER. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 75,000. UPDATED 3/8/10 *CN UPDATED 07/27/10*JB

2007 MINI COOPER S SPONTANEOUSLY CAUGHT FIRE WHILE TURNED OFF AND PARKED IN MY GARAGE. I HAD TRAVELED LESS THAN TWO MILES WHEN I PARKED THE CAR. FIRE STARTED UNDER THE HOOD AND COMPLETELY TOTALED THE CAR BY THE TIME THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED AND PUT IT OUT. *TR

2005 MINI COOPER S. APPROXIMATELY 63,000 MILES. OCTOBER 22, 2009. I HAD JUST GOTTEN HOME FROM WORK AND PARKED IN THE GARAGE. GOING IN THE HOUSE I SMELLED SOMETHING BURNING. AFTER A COUPLE MINUTES OF INVESTIGATING IN THE HOUSE, I DECIDED TO GO BACK INTO THE GARAGE, AND FIND THAT IT IS A LITTLE SMOKEY. I OPEN THE GARAGE DOOR AND BACK THE MINI OUT ONTO THE DRIVEWAY. NOW THERE IS SMOKE STREAMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I CAN HEAR SPINNING/CLICKING NOISES COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. I OPEN THE HOOD AND SEE FLAMES COMING OUT OF THE BACK OF THE ENGINE, BELOW THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD. I EMPTIED 3 FIRE EXTINGUISHERS INTO THE ENGINE BAY AND IT WAS STILL BURNING. CALLED 911. BY THE TIME THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME, THE FIRE HAD BURNED ITSELF OUT. I WAS EXTREMELY FORTUNATE THAT I WENT BACK INTO THE GARAGE WITHIN MINUTES TO INVESTIGATE, OTHERWISE IT COULD'VE BEEN A HUGE CAR FIRE AND POTENTIALLY FIRE DAMAGE TO THE GARAGE AND HOUSE AS WELL. *TR

ON MONDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 12, 2009, I WAS DRIVING TO WORK ON THE FREEWAY (280 SOUTH, DALY CITY, CA). I WAS DRIVING MY 2005 MINI COOPER. I WAS IN THE FAST LANE ON A SLIGHT CURVE IN THE ROAD, AND SUDDENLY MY STEERING WHEEL COMPLETELY LOCKED UP. I HAD TO IMMEDIATELY APPLY THE BRAKES TO KEEP FROM VEERING INTO THE LEFT BARRIER, AND USE ALL MY STRENGTH REGAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND ADJUST TO SPEED AND STEERING CONTROL TO GET SAFELY OFF OF THE FREEWAY. THIS WAS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND FRIGHTENING SITUATION THAT COULD HAVE VERY EASILY ENDED IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. ESPECIALLY SINCE I WAS TRAVELING AT HIGH SPEED (65 MPH) IN THE FAST LANE OF A BUSY METROPOLITAN CITY WITH CARS ALSO TRAVELING AT HIGH SPEED ALL AROUND ME. I'VE DONE SOME RESEARCH AND HAVE FOUND THAT POWER STEERING FAILURE IS A DOCUMENTED ISSUE WITH THE MAKE AND MODEL OF MY CAR, AND THAT IN ADDITION TO MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS, YOUR ORGANIZATION, NHTSA, HAS OPENED AN INVESTIGATION INTO SUCH CLAIMS (NHTSA ACTION #'S FROM PUBLIC RECORD: PE07022 AND EA07011). MY FRIEND, WHO IS ALSO A MINI OWNER, HAD THIS VERY SAME FAILURE HAPPEN TO HIM, AND RECOMMENDED THAT I FILE A FORMAL COMPLAINT WITH YOU (AS HE DID). I UNDERSTAND BMW ATTEMPTED TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE IN THE 2002/2003 PRODUCTION MODELS, BUT THIS ISSUE CONTINUES TO OCCUR IN SUBSEQUENT PRODUCTION YEARS: MINE (2005) AND THIS PERSON (2004): HTTP://BIT.LY/3HLZ5A. THE POWER STEERING MECHANISM NEEDS TO BE RECALLED. ME, MY PASSENGER, MY DOG, AND ANYONE ELSE DRIVING NEAR ME COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED IF NOT KILLED HAD I NOT BEEN ABLE TO MANEUVER MY DISABLED VEHICLE TO SAFETY BY BRUTE FORCE. PLEASE HELP ME AND ANY OTHERS WHO MIGHT COME ACROSS THIS PROBLEM AVOID A POSSIBLE CATASTROPHE. IT WILL NOT HELP MUCH TO REPLACE THIS PART WITH ANOTHER FAULTY PART THAT WILL ALSO FAIL IN THE FUTURE. A RECALL MUST BE ISSUED. PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT COURSE OF ACTION I CAN TAKE NOW TO GET MY CAR RUNNING IN A SAFE, MECHANICALLY SOUND CONDITION. THANK YOU. *TR

2005 MINI COOPER S CONVERTIBLE. JUST OVER 50,000 MILES. TODAY, WHILST DRIVING TO LUNCH, MY POWER STEERING FAILED. THERE WAS NO WARNING, IT JUST QUIT, MID-DRIVE. THE CAR IS NOW VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER. THIS COULD HAVE EASILY CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. LOOKING ONLINE, I SEE THAT THIS IS A COMMON FAILURE, YET THERE HAVE BEEN NO RECALLS. HTTP://WWW.MINI2.COM/FORUM/FIRST-GENERATION-FAULTS-FIXES/49527-IMPORTANT-HAVE-YOU-HAD-POWER-STEERING-PUMP-FAILURE-PLEASE-VOTE-YES-NO.HTML. *TR

2008 MINI COOPER S SPONTANEOUS ENGINE FIRE 10/02. I HAD JUST RETURNED HOME FROM WORK AND I HAD DRIVEN THE CAR FOR ABOUT 45MINS AND THEN 10MINS AFTER SHUTTING THE CAR DOWN A FIRE HAD STARTED IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. *TR