MINI Complaints

The contact owns a 2009 Mini Cooper S Clubman. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V337000 (Electrical System) however, the contact stated that there was a leak on the passenger’s side which caused a short circuit of the fuse box located in the passenger side foot well. The contact stated that the vehicle would not start. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who determined that the fuse box needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer should cover the cost for the repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 144,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

About two days ago I noticed my MINI started showing an error every time I got into the vehicle saying "Secure vehicle against rolling" I have seen numerous different discussions online but none seemed to come to a solution or single cause of this error. Everything still shifts completely fine in the car, the parking brake engages, and the car shifts into park fine. Seems to be a common problem, it's a shame MINI has not addressed it as a recall.

The contact owns a 2013 Mini Cooper. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V337000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2013 Mini Cooper. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V337000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

At 11,336 my vehicle started shutting down when I was stopped at intersections, red lights, and in stopped traffic. The vehicle continued to do this until 40,817 when if finally shut down and would not restart and had to be towed back to the dealership. I began reporting the issue at 11,336 and continued to report it to the dealership and finally forced them to do a complete diagnostics at 12,667 to figure out why the vehicle was shutting down. The vehicle was extremely dangerous to operate and I had many near misses with my children in the car every time I had to start my dead car in traffic. Mini/BMW could not identify the problem and sent me on my way. Even at 40,917 miles and tsar engineers could not identify why it shut down so they began swapping out the EME (twice), the high voltage lines, black box and several other components. 5 months of repairing my vehicle they were able to get it running and returned it to me. Since BMW has agreed to buy the car back at a loss to me. I'd make more money trading in but the car is unsafe and I do not want another owner or drivers to be put in danger.

In July 2023, a recall letter I received from MINI states a defective Footwell Control Module “could potentially result in a short circuit, resulting in a potential thermal event which could increase the risk of a fire or injury.” It also states “a remedy is currently being developed.” I called the local MINI dealer service department, and that department had never heard of the defect or the recall, sending me in to MINI Customer Relations. The gentlemen I spoke with said he thought the car was safe to drive (nowhere mentioned in the letter), and he could not offer anything in writing to back-up his claim. When I said what if there is a fire in the car, he suggested I “evacuate the vehicle.” I asked for a loaner since I was and still am concerned the car is not in fact safe to drive without an official written confirmation from MINI explaining why and how MINI knows my affected car is safe to drive in light of “increased risk of a fire or injury” identified in the recall letter. He could not answer and sent me on to MINI’s “Executive Office.” I received a call from Alyssa in that office who confirmed that no loaner or alternative transportation would be provided and who offered no other solution beyond another assurance the car was safe to drive despite the specific reference to increased “risk of fire or injury” in the recall letter. Again, no supporting information was provided for that claim, so I remain uncertain as to the safety of my vehicle and will not drive it without a remedy. I offered to have MINI buy back the car if they are so sure it is safe since I will not try to sell the car to anyone else under the circumstances. Since then, nothing whatsoever has happened and my car just sits idle. Surely there is some remedy available for this sort of callous disregard of customer safety and lack of any remedy about a safety issue that MINI itself has acknowledged. I am hoping your office can help me get this resolved quickly.

NHTSA recall 15V-205: OC3 Seat Occupancy Mat is missing other model years. my 2012 R56 was just diagnosed by a garage as having exactly this error. Why isn't NHTSA also recalling the other model years impacted by this safety issue? As the NHTSA must know, this safety issue is impacting many Mini Cooper model years, to the extent that a secondary market for bypass devices has emerged [XXX] ). Additionally, people have reported this safety issue to NHTSA since at least 2019 [XXX] and [XXX] ). Consider this communication as a formal report to the NHTSA of this instance of a safety issue and of the NHTSA inaction in face of this board and well-documented Mini Copper safety issue. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The fuse box JBE module has a Quality Assurance problem with a solder connection to the NEC low pressure fuel relay. This is a known issue with BMW/Mini. The car suddenly stalls without warning. If the driver is not keen or if traffic patterns do not allow, the car can be left in very dangerous situations on the highway or in the middle of intersection. The repair for this problem is widely distributed online via blogs and YouTube, but replacement modules are $1500 (part only) and these modules are not available until at least October 2023. There are no warning lights or other warnings prior to the incident. While I am not aware of any serious injuries, it is only a matter of time before someone is t-boned at an intersections. This part MUST be immediately recalled due to the safety risk. The images below show the JBE fuse box housing as well as the PCB where the cold solder joint can be seen. I have circled the cold solder joint in the close up picture.

The contact owns a 2012 Mini Cooper Clubman. The contact stated that the turn signals, exterior lighting, power windows, and power locks all failed to operate as needed. The check engine warning light was also illuminated. Months prior to the failure, the contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V337000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure was approximately 70,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available. The contact stated the car is not drivable, turn signals, hazards and windows inoperable. MINI/BMW informed the contact could receive the FCM update if she paid out of pocket for the update.

The contact's wife owns a 2009 Mini Cooper S. The contact stated that the turn lights and power windows failed to operate as needed. The contact stated that the red check vehicle warning light was flashing on the instrument panel. The contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V337000 (Electrical System) which he linked to the failure. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed him that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.