MINI Complaints

POWER STEERING IS MALFUNCTIONING. IT COME AND GOES FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS WHILE IN A WINDING ROAD. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY REPLACE SOME LINES. A FEW MOTHS LATER IT STARTED HAVING ISSUES WITH AT THE BEGINNING OF THE DRIVING AFTER THE CAR HAS BEEN IDLE FOR MORE THAN 2 HOURS. NOW THE POWER STEERING IS TOTALLY NOT WORKING AT ALL.

DAILY ON COLD STARTS, THE CAR MISFIRES AND STALLS 2-20 TIMES BEFORE IT STARTS. THIS HAS JUST STARTED HAPPENING IN THE PAST 3 MONTHS.

PURCHASED MINI COOPER COUNTRYMAN S NEW FROM FACTORY. RECENTLY HAD SEVERAL ELEMENTS OF THE CAR FAIL AT AROUND 50,000 MILES. THE TRUNK LATCH WOULD INTERMITTENTLY NOT UNLOCK OR JAM AND NOT CLOSE. TRUNK LATCH EVENTUALLY FAILED TO THE POINT WHERE THE TRUNK HATCH COULD NOT BE OPENED. REAR WIPER MOTOR WOULD MAKE ODD CHIRPING NOISES OCCASIONALLY, ALONG WITH THE RIGHT PASSENGER SIDE MIRROR WOULD MAKE A SHUTTERING NOISE WHEN CLOSING. TOOK IT TO DEALER AND THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE TRUNK LATCH ACTUATOR. IN ADDITION, THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE REAR WIPER MOTOR AND THE SIDE DRIVER'S MIRROR. CONSIDERING I HAVE HAD THIS CAR NEW FROM THE FACTORY, IT HAS BEEN STORED IN THE GARAGE WHEN NOT IN USE, AND THAT I TAKE IT IN FOR REGULAR MAINTENANCE AND OIL CHANGES EVERY 5K MILES, I HAVE A BOOK WITH SEVERAL PAGES OF REPAIRS THAT HAVE BEEN DONE ON THIS CAR THAT STARTED AT 2500 MILES. I HAVE AN EXTENDED WARRANTY ON MY CAR, OTHERWISE I WOULD HAVE ALREADY PAID OVER $6,000 IN REPAIRS FOR A CAR THAT IS ONLY 5 YEARS OLD. THIS IS REALLY UNACCEPTABLE! I DON'T ABUSE MY VEHICLES AND CONSIDERING THE PRICE OF THIS CAR, I EXPECTED MORE.

2015 MINI COOPER COUNTRYMAN PURCHASED NEW FROM FACTORY. HAVE HAD REGULAR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE SINCE PURCHASE. AROUND 48,000 MILES STARTED HEARING RATTLE NOISE FROM FRONT DRIVERS SIDE OF ENGINE COMPARTMENT. DEALER COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING. NOISE ONLY NOTICEABLE AT LOW SPEEDS AND WHEN CLUTCH UNDER LOAD. GOT WORSE OVER TIME, SO TOOK IT TO DEALER AND WORKED WITH MECHANIC TO IDENTIFY ENGINE. THEY CHECKED MOTOR MOUNTS WHICH APPEARED FINE, BUT WHEN THEY REMOVED THEM, MOUNTS WERE FOUND TO BE FAILED. BOTH MOTOR MOUNTS HAD TO BE REPLACED. THIS IS QUITE UNACCEPTABLE CONSIDERING I HAVE KEPT THE CAR IN THE GARAGE, I DON'T DRIVE IT LIKE I STOLE IT, AND I KEEP UP ON ALL THE REQUIRED MAINTENANCE.

PROBLEM 1: CLUTCH/TRANSMISSION FAILED AT 50,000 JUST AFTER WARRANTY. UNABLE TO SHIFT ON HIGHWAY, HAD TO STAY IN LOW GEAR. TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED. IT FAILED A SECOND TIME, WAS REPLACED AT ABOUT 80,000. I BELIEVE IT IS FAILING AGAIN AS THE CLUTCH IS SLIPPING IN 1ST AND 2ND GEARS; MINI COOPER SAYS THEY NOTE NO PROBLEM. PROBLEM 2: TIMING CHAIN. PARKED, MY CAR WOULD NOT START EASILY; STARTED ON 3RD TRY. MY CAR STALLED, STOPPED ON THE HIGHWAY AS I WAS SLOWING DOWN DUE TO TRAFFIC. RESTARTED AND CONTINUED. NO ENGINE LIGHT. DRIVING TO MINI SERVICE, CAR STALLED COMING IN; HAD TO COAST IN. FOUND TO BE TIMING CHAIN, VALVETRONIC ECCENTRIC SHAFT, PERHAPS PARTS FALLING INTO OIL PAN. $2800 IN REPAIRS. WHEN I ASKED ABOUT LAW SUITS OR RECALLS OVER THE LAST 3 YEARS BECAUSE I'VE HAD MAJOR PERFORMANCE ISSUES, MINI COOPER STATED NO KNOWN SUITS EVEN THOUGH THERE WERE. I FIND THAT THERE HAVE BEEN SUITS, AND I "MISSED THE WINDOW" FOR THE TIMING CHAIN.

THE WINDOW CAME UNGLUED SOMEHOW. IT HAD BEEN SITTING IN THE SAME SPOT FOR 2 WEEKS AND IT WAS HOT OUTSIDE, BUT THAT SHOULD NOT BE A REASON FOR A WINDOW TO JUST POP IN LIKE THAT. IT WASN'T BROKEN, IT JUST FEEL IN AND I HADN'T EVEN DRIVE IT FOR AT LEAST TWO WEEKS.

MINI COOPER SEAT OCCUPATION SENSOR OC3 IS FAULTY CAUSING AIRBAG NOT TO WORK PROPERLY.

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING OUR 2004 MINI COOPER HOME TRAVELING UPHILL ON A STEEP PAVED MOUNTAIN ROADWAY TRAVELING A MAXIMUM OF 15 MPH WHEN FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON THE VEHICLE LEFT THE ROADWAY; STRUCK A TREE WITH ITS LEFT FRONT AND BURST INTO AN EXPLODING FIRE KILLING MY WIFE WHO WAS NOT ABLE TO ESCAPE THE BURNING VEHICLE. THE NC STATE POLICE ARE INVESTIGATING THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE AND DEATH. THEY DO NOT KNOW YET WHETHER THE VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE PRIOR TO STRIKING THE TREE BUT, FEEL THE FIRE COULD NOT HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY THE VEHICLE STRIKING THE TREE AT A LOW IMPACT AND SPEED. NC MV ACCIDENT REPORT#[XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TT

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING HER 2010 MINI COOPER CLUBMAN ON AN INTERSTATE IN MICHIGAN IN APRIL 2018 GOING 70 MPH WHEN THE ENGINE JUST QUIT, LOSING ALL POWER. I WAS FOLLOWING HER IN A VEHICLE THAT I HAD JUST PURCHASED SO I PULLED OFF THE INTERSTATE BEHIND HER. THERE WAS NOT ANY INDICATION OF EXTERNAL LIQUIDS ESCAPING THE ENGINE SO AFTER 15 MINUTES OF EXAMINING THE VEHICLE I STARTED IT BACK UP AND DROVE THE 9 REMAINING MILES TO OUR HOME WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT UNTIL I PARKED THE VEHICLE IN OUR GARAGE, LIFTED THE HOOD AND STEAM WAS COMING OUT OF THE OIL CAP WHEN I OPENED IT. I PROCEEDED TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A FOREIGN IMPORT REPAIR SHOP WHERE THEY GAVE ME AN ESTIMATE OF $8,800 TO REPLACE THE ENGINE AS THEY INDICATED THE ENGINE COOLANT HAD BECOME MIXED WITH THE ENGINE OIL. NOT BEING ABLE TO AFFORD THE $8,800 AT THAT TIME I STORED THE MINI IN OUR BARN FOR A YEAR. NOT WANTING JUST TO JUNK THE CAR AFTER HAVING IT FOR ONLY 6 MONTHS BEFORE THE ENGINE FAILED, I DECIDED TO HAVE A FOREIGN IMPORT CAR REPAIR FACILITY REPLACE THE ENGINE AT A COST OF $7,300! AFTER EXPRESSING MY CONCERN ONCE IN AN EMAIL AND THEN IN A LETTER TO THE CEO OF MINI USA, MINI SAID THAT THE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND THAT THEY WOULD DO NOTHING FOR ME. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. A CAR WITH 100,000 MILES ON IT AND HAVING BEEN WELL TAKEN CAR OF WITH A CARFAX TO SHOW THAT, SHOULD NOT HAVE A TOTAL ENGINE FAILURE. UNFORTUNATELY I AM NOT THE ONLY CUSTOMER WITH THIS PROBLEM. THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF MINI COOPER OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME ENGINE FAILURE AS I HAVE. LOOKING AT ANY MINI COOPER FORUM OR EVEN ON MINI USA'S WEB SITE WILL SHOW ENGINE FAILURES AT AN ABNORMAL RATE. THE FACT THAT MINI IS STICKING THEIR HEAD IN THE SAND JUST SAYING THE CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY IS ABSURD. MINI NEEDS TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE DESIGN FLAWS IN THEIR VEHICLES.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MINI COOPER. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE POWER STEERING COMPLETELY FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO REGAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE; HOWEVER, THE STEERING WAS ROUGH AND STIFF. THE CONTACT PERFORMED HIS OWN INSPECTION ON THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP WAS LEAKING. THE CONTACT SPOKE WITH AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE MAY BE INCLUDED IN AN UNKNOWN RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V660000 (STEERING). THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO MINI OF THE WOODLANDS (16675 I-45, CONROE, TX 77385, 936-344-1258) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE REPAIRED BECAUSE THE STEERING PUMP WAS NOT THE ORIGINAL MINI COOPER STEERING PUMP. THE DEALER OFFERED NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE. THE PUMP HAD NOT BEEN REPLACED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 83,000.