MINI Complaints

MY AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON. THE DEALER SAID I HAD A DEFECTIVE SEAT SENSOR BUT THE AIRBAG WOULD STILL WORK... MY DASHBOARD LOOKS LIKE A CHRISTMAS TREE. LATER I HEARD ABOUT THE WARRANTY EXTENSION FOR THIS FAULT. I DROVE 200 MILES ROUND TRIP AFTER MAKING AN APPOINTMENT. THEY LOOKED AT IT AND SAID IT IS NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY. THE DEALER HAS GIVEN ME ALOT OF MISINFORMATION... DOI TRUST THEM ON THIS? NO, OF COURSE NOT. ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE A BMW DEALER ADJACENT, THE BMW DEALERS ARE NOT LIKE THE ONES I AM ACCUSTOMED TO DEALING WITH. I AM DISAPPOINTED THAT MINI HAS SUCH POOR SERVICE WHILE MOST OF ITS BMW DEALERS ARE SO STELLAR. THE HEATED SEATS WORK ONLY A FEW MINUTES. THE DEALER SAID I NEED A NEW FUSE, IN SPITE OF WHAT THE MANUAL SAYS. IT SAYS IF IT BLOWS MORE THAN TWICE, THE VEHICLE SHOULD BE RETURNED TO THE DEALER FOR SERVICE. I DID AND THEIR DIAGNOSIS WAS THAT IT HAD A BLOWN FUSE. *TR

TRANSMISSION WHINING NOISE EVENTUALLY LEADING TO TRANSMISSION FAILURE. MINI IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM WITH CVT TRANSMISSIONS AND REFUSES TO ADMIT FAULT. VERY COMMON PROBLEM OCCURRING IN MOST 2002 VEHICLES WITH ONLY 40,000-60,000 MILES ON THEM. COST IS 7000 TO REPLACE. MINI DOES NOT OFFER REPAIR ON THIS PART. *TR

MY 2005 MINI HAD APROX. 77,000 MILES ON IT WHEN I HAD DROVE FOR ABOUT AN HOUR, PULLED INTO MY DRIVEWAY, HEARD A LOUD NOISE, AND WHEN I GOT OUT I SAW A PIECE OF THE TRANSMISSION CASING LAYING ON THE GROUND AND ALL THE FLUID DRAINED OUT. THERE ARE 95 MINI OWNERS THAT I KNOW OF WHO HAVE HAD 1 OR 2 TRANSMISSIONS REPLACED AFTER ONLY A FEW YEARS OF USE. MINE COST ME 5,000 DOLLARS AND LOSS OF USE FOR 2 MONTHS. MINI WAS AWARE OF THE FAULTY TRANSMISSIONS AND CONTINUED TO SELL THEM. I REALLY BELIEVE THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECKONING. *TR

"PASSENGER AIRBAG IS OFF" LIGHT WILL ILLUMINATE WHILE DRIVING AND WHILE AN ADULT PASSENGER IS SITTING IN THE FRONT RIGHT SEAT. *TR

WHEN THE WEATHER IS WARMER, SAY 80+, THE PASSENGER AIRBAG DISABLED LIGHT ILLUMINATES WITH A FULL GROWN ADULT SEATED AND BELTED. DEALER, OF COURSE, CANNOT RECREATE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MINI COOPER. WHILE DRIVING 15-20 MPH, THE POWER STEERING SUDDENLY FAILED. THE CONTACT HAD TO PULL THE VEHICLE OVER. A DIAGNOSTIC HAS NOT BEEN PERFORMED TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 37,640.

PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG IS DISABLED WHEN PASSENGER IS IN SEAT. IF PASSENGER SHIFTS IN SEAT, THE AIRBAG MAY OR MAY NOT ENABLE. HAVE BEEN TOLD THE FAULT LIES WITH THE AIRBAG SENSOR MAT UNDER THE SEAT. THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE FOR SEVERAL BMW MODELS AND AN EXTENDED WARRANTY HAS BEEN OFFERED. FOR SEVERAL MINI MODELS, THE ISSUE HAS BEEN REPORTED AND AN EXTENDED WARRANTY HAS BEEN OFFERED. SO FAR, THE 2005 MODEL HAS NOT BEEN INCLUDED. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MINI COOPER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE PROCEEDED TO LOSE POWER; HOWEVER, THE CONTACT MANAGED TO MOVE OUT OF THE WAY OF TRAFFIC. HE RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AFTER A FEW MINUTES AND DROVE TO HIS RESIDENCE. THE VEHICLE WILL BE TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 130,000.

RADIATOR HOSE RUPTURES WHEN VEHICLE IS DRIVEN TO THE POINT THAT THE FRONT TIRES TOUCH CURB (PERPENDICULAR) DURING PARKING MANEUVER. FRONT END IS TOO LOW TO ACCOMMODATE A STANDARD CURB. *TR

AFTER PURCHASING A 2009 MINI COOPER THE OUTLET IN BOTH THE FRONT AND REAR OF THE CAR STOPPED WORKING. THE DEALERS EVALUATION WAS AS FOLLOWS: NEITHER THE FRONT OR THE REAR CIGARETTE OUTLETS ARE WORKING. CHECK AND ADVISE. CAUSE: CHECKED/FOUND 20 AMP FUSE BLOWN, INSPECTED OUTLETS, FOUND SOCKET/OUTLET IN CENTER CONSOLE SHORTED TO GROUND CORRECTION: R & R FRONT CENTER CONSOLE REPLACED SOCKET & ILLUMINATED RING. UPDATED IVOQ. 05/01/09. *TR