MINI Complaints

2003 MINI COOPER S I DROVE TO WORK AS ON ANY OTHER DAY AND PULLED INTO MY USUAL PARKING SPOT. ABOUT 10 MINUTES LATER MY CAR ALARM WENT OFF. WHEN I WENT OUTSIDE TO CHECK, ALL THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS WERE GOING NUTS - DOOR LOCKS, LIGHTS, THE ALARM, ETC. I SAW A LITTLE BIT OF SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I POPPED THE HOOD AND BOOT, PULLED OUT MY FIRE EXTINGUISHER, BUT DIDN'T SEE FLAMES. I SMELLED ELECTRICAL FIRE, AND SAW A WHISP OF SMOKE BUT THAT WAS IT. I EMPTIED THE BOOT AND TRIED TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY (I HEARD SOMETHING 'WHIRRING' AND REALIZED THAT THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WAS OBVIOUSLY MALFUNCTIONING.) I COULDN'T DISCONNECT IT MANUALLY SO I LEFT IT AND CHECKED THE ENGINE BAY AGAIN. STILL NO FLAME, BUT MORE SMOKE. I RAN INSIDE AND ASKED A CO-WORKER TO CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. THEN GRABBED MY PHONE AND RAN BACK OUT. ANOTHER CO-WORKER CAME OUT WITH ME AND HELPED ME GET THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER WORKING; NOW WE COULD SEE SOME SMALL FLAMES COMING FROM BELOW THE AIRBOX. I USED UP THE EXTINGUISHER BUT THERE WAS STILL A LITTLE FIRE. FORTUNATELY IT WORKED ITSELF OUT... THEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT SHOWED UP. THEY DISCONNECTED MY BATTERY AND HAD A LOOK. THEY SAID THAT USING THE EXTINGUISHER DEFINITELY KEPT IT FROM SPREADING. THEY FILED A REPORT BUT TO MY KNOWLEDGE THERE WAS NO POLICE REPORT. THE DAMAGE STARTED WITH THE POWER STEERING PUMP IGNITING. THE PUMP WAS REPLACED ALONG WITH SOME WIRING HARNESSES AND A FEW OTHER ASSORTED PARTS. THE ENGINE BAY WAS DETAILED TO GET ALL THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER 'GOO' OUT OF IT. THE CAR HAS BEEN FUNCTIONING NORMALLY FOR ALMOST A YEAR NOW WITH THE NEW PARTS. MORE INFO HERE: HTTP://WWW.NORTHAMERICANMOTORING.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=73527. *TR

I HAVE HAD A SECOND STRESS FRACTURE IN MY FRONT WINDSHIELD IN THE PAST 6 MONTHS AND MINI USA DOES NOT WANT TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. THEY KNOW THAT THEY HAVE A PROBLEM WITH STRESS FRACTURES, BUT WILL NOT FESS UP TO IT. THEY ARE STATING THAT THERE IS A PINHEAD SIZED CHIP IN THE WINDSHIELD, BUT SINCE WHEN WILL A PINHEAD SIZED CHIP CREATE A FOOT LONG FRACTURE IN MY WINDSHIELD. *AK

TL* - THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MINI COOPER. THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER DOORS WOULD NOT OPEN IF THE VEHICLE WAS LOCKED WITH THE REMOTE. THE DEALER WAS CALLED AND AN ESTIMATE FOR THE REPAIR WAS GIVEN OVER THE PHONE. THE COMPONENT THAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE 18,500.

SEVERAL, THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT HAS ILLUMINATED MORE THEN TEN DIFFERENT TIMES, EACH TIME IT WAS REPAIRED BY THE DEALER (WESTCHESTER BMW/WESTCHESTER MINI) THE LAST FIX WAS AFTER THE NORMAL WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED AND REQUIRED MUCH FUSS TO GET IT REPAIRED FOR FREE. THE POWER STEERING PUMP SUDDENLY STOPPED WORKING WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. THE RADIATOR FAN WAS REPLACED TWO TIMES BY ME (CAR OUT OF WARRANTY) EVEN THOUGH I COMPLAINED TO THE DEALER WHEN THE CAR WAS STILL QUITE NEW ABOUT THE FREQUENCY OF THE FAN MOTOR'S STARTING AND STOPPING WHICH WILL SEVERELY SHORTEN THE LIFE OF ANY ELECTRIC MOTOR. THE WINDSHIELD STRESS CRACKED WHILE UNDER WARRANTY AND WAS REPAIRED. THE WINDSHIELD WIPED MOTOR HAS JUST FAILED DURING AN INCREDIBLE RAINSTORM. *JB

2001 BMW X5 4.4I WITH ONLY 66K MLS HAS TRANSMISSION OIL LEAK AT FRONT SHAFT SEAL TO TORQUE CONVERTER CAUSES CAR TO STALL OUT FROM LOSS OF TRANSMISSION POWER DUE TO LOSS OF LUBRICATION,EXCESSIVE HEAT AND TRANSMISSION FAILURE WHEN ACCELERATING

AS THE CLUTCH WAS ENGAGED THERE WAS A GRINDING AND SLIPPING NOISE THAT DEVELOPED FROM FULL STOPS. THIS USUALLY ONLY HAPPENED WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE IN FIRST GEAR. THIS BEGAN WITH FEWER THAN 3,000 MILES ON THE CAR AND OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY, BUT WAS FIRST MOST NOTICEABLE IN COLD AND WET WEATHER. IT WAS NOW PROGRESSING TO OCCUR MORE OFTEN. SEVERAL OTHERS HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS PROBLEM ON FORUMS, SUCH AS THE WEBSITE FORUM FOR MINIS, NORTH AMERICAN MOTORING. *AK

ON MARCH 16TH 2007 I BROUGHT MY VEHICLE TO THE DEALER TO EVALUATE A FAINT CLICKING NOISE THAT I DETERMINED TO BE A CLAMP ON THE FRONT DIFFERENTIAL BOOT HITTING THE SUSPENSION FRAME. THE DEALER STATED THERE WAS NO PROBLEM AND INDICATED IT WAS PROBABLY TIRE NOISE. I PERSISTED THAT THE NOISE WAS NOT NORMAL AND ASKED IF THEY WOULD PUT THE CAR ON THE LIFT SO I COULD SHOW THEM THE PROBLEM. THE LEFT-HAND ENGINE SUPPORT BOLTS HAD APPARENTLY BEEN BACKING OUT CAUSING THE ENGINE TO SHIFT TO THE LEFT. THE THREADS OF THE BOLTS WERE NOT DAMAGED AND THE TECHNICIAN INDICATED THAT THEY MAY NOT HAVE BEEN SUFFICIENTLY TIGHTENED. FURTHER IF I HAD NOT NOTICED THE NOISE AND INSISTED ON EVALUATION THE ONE REMAINING BOLT WOULD LIKELY HAVE BROKEN, AFFECTING THE ABILITY TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE AND RESULTED IN A SERIOUS CRASH. AS OF MARCH 27TH THE DEALERS HAS DETERMINED THAT THEY CAN NOT SIMPLY RE-TIGHTEN THE BOLTS BECAUSE THEY MOST LIKELY UN-THREAD OVER A PERIOD OF YEARS. WITH PROLONGED DRIVING, THESE BOLTS BECAME LOOSE CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE AND SUSPENSION. THIS 2001 BMW X5 IS A SPORT UTILITY VEHICLE, AND ALTHOUGH THIS ONE HAS NEVER BEEN OFF ROAD, THIS POWER TRAIN PROBLEM REPRESENTS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY RELATED DEFECT THAT COULD AFFECT A NUMBER OF VEHICLES IF THE BOLTS SUPPORTING THE ENGINE VIBRATE LOOSE DUE TO IMPROPER TIGHTENING OR TORQUE FORCE. THE DEALER INSISTS THAT THIS IS NOT SAFETY RELATED DEFECT; THEY HAVE NEVER SEEN THE PROBLEM AND HAVE NO EXPLANATION HOW THIS COULD HAVE OCCURRED IN A VEHICLE THAT HAS NEITHER BEEN OFF ROAD NOR INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. HOWEVER A SIMILAR NHTSA CAMPAIGN (NUMBER 03V475000) WAS ISSUED ON NOV 03, 2003 FOR 2004 BMX X5 VEHICLES WITH IMPROPERLY TIGHTENED RIGHT SIDE ENGINE SUPPORT BOLTS AND FRONT DIFFERENTIAL BOLTS. THIS IS THE SAME PROBLEM ON THE LEFT SIDE IN A DIFFERENT MODEL YEAR. IT IS MY BELIEF THAT THE MANUFACTURER NEEDS TO INVESTIGATE AND REMEDY THIS POTENTIAL SAFETY RELATED DEFECT. *JB

THE WIRING HARNESS TO THE ELECTRICAL POWER STEERING PUMP AND THE PUMP ITSELF FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. THIS CAUSED AN UNSAFE CONDITION.*AK PHONE INTERVIEW UPDATE (3/23/07): MR. KIRK STARTED HIS VEHICLE AND FOUND THERE WAS NO POWER STEERING. HE CHECKED AND FOUND WHITE SMOKE WAS COMING FROM THE POWER STEERING UNIT. THE DEALER MECHANIC TOLD HIM THE POWER STEERING HARNESS WAS CORRODED AND SHORTED AS SEEN IN OTHER MINI COOPER THAT THEY SERVICED, AND THAT MR. KIRK WAS LUCKY THAT HIS VEHICLE DIDN'T CATCH FIRE.

THE WINDSHIELD OF MY 2003 MINI COOPER S HAD THREE SIGNIFICANT CRACKS AND MULTIPLE CHIPS WITHIN A YEAR OF OWNERSHIP.*AK

OUR MINI BURNED TO THE GROUND. IT HAD ONLY BEEN DRIVEN 20 MILES AND WAS PARKED WHEN IT HAPPENED. AFTER A FORENSIC SPECIALIST WAS HIRED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE ABS UNIT WAS AT FAULT. IN LATER MODELS, THE FUSE WAS CHANGED FROM A 30 AMP TO A 20 AMP. NO RECALL WAS EVER ISSUED AND BMW/MINI NEVER ACKNOWLEDGED A PROBLEM WITH THE CAR. SINCE THIS HAPPENED, AT LEAST 10-15 OTHER MINIS HAVE BURNED. OUR MINI WAS A TOTAL LOSS. *JB