Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,245,377 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA, including 140,173 crashes, 56,794 fires, and 8,580 deaths.
What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?
A consumer complaint is a free-form report filed by a vehicle owner directly to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) describing a safety concern about their vehicle. NHTSA collects these reports through its Vehicle Owner Defect Report (VOQ) system and publishes them publicly. Each complaint includes the affected component, the date and circumstances of the incident, whether the failure caused a crash or fire, and any reported injuries or deaths. The owner's full narrative description is included verbatim, NHTSA does not edit or moderate the descriptions.
The database below contains over 2,245,377 individual complaints. NHTSA's investigators monitor it for clusters of similar reports, when enough owners describe the same failure mode on the same vehicle, NHTSA may open a Preliminary Evaluation that can lead to a recall. Many of the largest recalls in U.S. history, including the Takata airbag recall and the Hyundai/Kia engine fire recalls, started as patterns visible in this complaint database years before they became formal recalls.
How to interpret what you read
A few principles for reading consumer complaints usefully:
- One complaint is anecdote; a hundred similar complaints is data. NHTSA does not investigate the truthfulness of any individual report, that's the job of the Office of Defects Investigation, which looks at the full pattern. When evaluating a vehicle, look for whether multiple owners describe the same chain of events.
- Crash, fire, injury, and death flags are owner-set. They are not verified by NHTSA. They are still useful as a filter, because owners who tick those boxes are typically reporting more serious incidents than those who don't.
- Component categories are NHTSA-assigned, not owner-assigned. NHTSA standardizes the component field so that complaints can be aggregated. The owner narrative often goes into more detail than the component category captures.
- Complaint volume scales with sales volume. A best-selling model will accumulate more raw complaints than a niche model even at the same defect rate. To compare across vehicles, look at complaints per 100,000 units sold, not raw counts.
If you've experienced a defect
File a complaint. NHTSA's investigators rely on this database to detect emerging defects, and useful complaints, specific, concrete, with dates and mileage and clear descriptions of what happened, feed directly into the agency's pattern detection. The form takes about 10 minutes and is at nhtsa.gov/recalls under "Report a Safety Problem." Your complaint becomes part of the same public record that this page is built from. Owners filing detailed VOQs are how recalls get triggered.
Read more from our blog
Showing 6,381 complaints for MINI
Incident date: Dec 14, 2012
POWERSTEERING UNIT FAILS AND STEERING BECOMES UNREPONSIVE. *TR
Incident date: Dec 3, 2012
2006 MINI-COOPER. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO TRANSMISSION FAILURE. *SMD THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE, BUT THEY DID STATE THE TRANSMISSION WAS IN THE PROCESS OF FAILING. THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN HE ATTEMPTED TO GET ON THE FREEWAY, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO 2ND GEAR. THE MANUFACTURER OFFERED TO PAY 1/2 OF THE COST ON THE BILL, WHICH TOTALED $8,000. *JB
Incident date: Mar 15, 2010
MINI COOPERS YEARS 2008 AND 2009 HAVE A ISSUE WHICH I BELIEVE IS KNOWN BY MINI USA, BUT THEY HAVE FAILED TO INITIATE A VOLUNTARY RECALL. THESE VEHICLES HAVE A TIMING CHAIN THAT CAN PREMATURELY FAIL (IN MY CASE AT APPROXIMATELY 25,000 MILES). IF THE TIMING CHAIN FAILS WHILE THE VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN, IT WILL CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO SLOWLY COME TO A FULL STOP. IN THE EVENT THE VEHICLE IS BEING DRI... Read more
MINI
COOPER CLUBMAN
(2009) - ENGINE
Dec 17, 2012
Incident date: Dec 13, 2012
HAD CAR IN DEALER SHOP FOR REPAIR OF FAULTY TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER/GUIDE (SEE SEPARATE COMPLAINT). WAS TOLD ALSO HAD A LEAK IN TURBOCHARGE OIL INLET LINE THAT WILL COST OVER $1,000 OUT OF POCKET TO REPAIR. THIS IS CLEARLY A COMMONLY REPORTED ISSUE AND A FIRE SAFETY HAZARD THAT SHOULD BE DEALT WITH IN A RECALL. *TR
MINI
COOPER CLUBMAN
(2009) - ENGINE
Dec 17, 2012
Incident date: Dec 13, 2012
LOUD RATTLE IN ENGINE COMPARTMENT ON COLD START UP. LOSS OF POWER ON ACCELERATION. BROUGHT TO DEALER AND DIAGNOSED AS BROKEN TIMING CHAIN GUIDES WITH REPAIR COST OF $2,300. HAVE PURCHASED EXTENDED WARRANTY, SO REPAIR IS COVERED. HOWEVER, THIS IS A HIGHLY REPORTED ISSUE AND SHOULD BE DEALT WITH IN A RECALL OF ALL AFFECTED ENGINES. *TR
Incident date: Dec 3, 2011
AIR BAG WARNING LAMP TURNS ON AND REMAINS ON RANDOMLY. DIAGNOSTIC INDICATES PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR IS DEFECTIVE. THE PASSENGER SEAT IS USED INFREQUENTLY AND LOOKS LIKE NEW. WE HAVE BEEN TOLD THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT COULD RESULT IN EITHER THE AIR BAG FAILING TO DEPLOY OR DEPLOYING WITH TOO GREAT OF FORCE. THE COST OF REPAIR IS PROHIBITIVE AND YET THE ISSUE MAKES THE VEHICLE ALMOST UN S... Read more
Incident date: Nov 5, 2012
DRIVING VEHICLE HEARD SOME ENGINE NOISE AND OBSERVED RED OIL INDICATOR CAME ON. PULLED OVER AND CHECKED OIL LEVEL, APPEARED TO BE LOW.. I IMMEDIATELY PUT IN TWO QUARTS OF OIL ONLY TO SEE IT ALL SEEP OUT AND THROUGH BOTH FRONT WHEEL WELLS. APPEARED TO BE AN ISSUE WITH THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER. *TR
Incident date: Feb 6, 2012
PASSENGER AIRBAG, FRONT SEAT, SENSOR HAS A FAULT OR SHORT IN IT. INTERMITTENTLY, WHILE ADULT PASSENGER IS IN SEAT, THE WARNING LIGHT TURNS ON, AND PASSENGER AIRBAG "OFF" WARNING LIGHT COMES ON--THUS SHUTTING OFF THE PASSENGER AIRBAG. THIS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE 2005 AND 2006 MINI COOPERS AND A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. IN THIS PAST MONTH THE FREQUENCY HAS INCREASED TO APPROXIMATELY 99% WHERE THE PAS... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2012
AIRBAG LIGHT ON CENTER DISPLAY AS WELL AS YELLOW AIRBAG OFF LIGHT ON OVERHEAD CONSOLE INTERMITTENTLY APPEAR AND DISAPPEAR FOR NO APPARENT REASON. MINI WANT OVER $1500 TO REPLACE A SEAT BOTTOM PAD SENSOR. *TR
Incident date: Nov 14, 2012
STARTED VEHICLE IN THE MORNING OF 11/14/2012. THE SHIFT INDICATOR ON THE DASH SHOWS EP MODE INSTEAD OF D,R,N,ETC. THE CAR SEEMED TO DRIVE FINE BUT THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE SHIFTER ELECTRONICS. THE CAR DOES NOT SEEM TO KNOW WHAT DRIVE MODE IS IN. PUTTING THE AUTO MANUAL TRANSMISSION INTO SPORTS MODE DOES NOT CHANGE THE SHIFT INDICATOR ON THE DASH. IN SPORTS MODES IT STILL SHOWED EP. IN EP M... Read more
Incident date: Nov 14, 2012
STARTED VEHICLE IN THE MORNING OF 11/14/2012. THE SHIFT INDICATOR ON THE DASH SHOWS EP MODE INSTEAD OF D,R,N,ETC. THE CAR SEEMED TO DRIVE FINE BUT THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE SHIFTER ELECTRONICS. THE CAR DOES NOT SEEM TO KNOW WHAT DRIVE MODE IS IN. PUTTING THE AUTO MANUAL TRANSMISSION INTO SPORTS MODE DOES NOT CHANGE THE SHIFT INDICATOR ON THE DASH. IN SPORTS MODES IT STILL SHOWED EP. IN EP M... Read more
Incident date: Nov 14, 2012
STARTED VEHICLE IN THE MORNING OF 11/14/2012. THE SHIFT INDICATOR ON THE DASH SHOWS EP MODE INSTEAD OF D,R,N,ETC. THE CAR SEEMED TO DRIVE FINE BUT THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE SHIFTER ELECTRONICS. THE CAR DOES NOT SEEM TO KNOW WHAT DRIVE MODE IS IN. PUTTING THE AUTO MANUAL TRANSMISSION INTO SPORTS MODE DOES NOT CHANGE THE SHIFT INDICATOR ON THE DASH. IN SPORTS MODES IT STILL SHOWED EP. IN EP M... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2012
I PARKED MY CAR IN A PARKING GARAGE AFTER DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MILES. I WALKED TO A DENTIST DOWN THE STREET FOR AN APPOINTMENT. WHILE AT THE DENTIST I GET A CALL THAT WENT TO MY VOICEMAIL THAT MY CAR (WHILE PARKED WITH THE ENGINE OFF) WAS ON FIRE AND WAS FILLING THE PARKING GARAGE WITH SMOKE. UPON RECEIVING THE MESSAGE I RUSHED HOME TO FIND THAT THE FIRE WAS ALREADY OUT, BUT THE SMELL OF SMOKE... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Dec 11, 2012
I PARKED MY CAR IN A PARKING GARAGE AFTER DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MILES. I WALKED TO A DENTIST DOWN THE STREET FOR AN APPOINTMENT. WHILE AT THE DENTIST I GET A CALL THAT WENT TO MY VOICEMAIL THAT MY CAR (WHILE PARKED WITH THE ENGINE OFF) WAS ON FIRE AND WAS FILLING THE PARKING GARAGE WITH SMOKE. UPON RECEIVING THE MESSAGE I RUSHED HOME TO FIND THAT THE FIRE WAS ALREADY OUT, BUT THE SMELL OF SMOKE... Read more
Fire
MINI
COOPER S CLUBMAN
(2009) - ENGINE
Dec 11, 2012
Incident date: Dec 9, 2012
CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THERE WAS BIG DECLINE IN PERFORMANCE. ALSO, THE ENGINE HAS BEEN MAKING A RATTLING SOUND LIKE A DIESEL ENGINE FOR SEVERAL MONTHS NOW WHEN THE ENGINE IS COLD. THE CAR JUST EXCEEDED ITS 50,000K MILE WARRANTY, OF COURSE. I TOOK THE CAR IN FOR SERVICE AT AN INDEPENDENT DEALER. GOT A CALL TODAY SAYING THAT MY TURBO NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT THE TUNE OF ABOUT $2700! ALSO,... Read more
Incident date: Dec 8, 2012
SON RETURNED FROM TOWN, A 10 MINUTE DRIVE, PARKED CAR IN GARAGE. NEXT MORNING THERE WAS A STRONG SMELL OF AN ELECTRICAL FIRE COMING FROM THE CAR. OPENED THE HOOD AND THE SMELL OF FIRE WAS OVERWHELMING. TOP OF STEERING FLUID PUMP APPEARED TO BE CHARRED. FAMILY AFRAID TO DRIVE CAR TO DEALER, SOME 35 MILES AWAY. AFTER STARTING CAR, ELECTRICAL FIRE SMELL RETURNS. *TR
Incident date: Dec 5, 2012
ONE NIGHT I'M DRIVING JUST NORMALLY ON THE HIGHWAY, EVERYTHING WAS FINE, NO SIGNS OF ANY OTHER PARTS INCLUDED AND OUT OF NOWHERE MY POWER STEERING GOES OUT. I ALMOST GOT INTO AN ACCIDENT. *TR
Incident date: Oct 28, 2011
PASSENGER SIDE "AIR BAG" OFF LIGHT IS ON ALL OF THE TIME AND THUS, THE PASSENGER AIR BAG WILL NOT BE DEPLOYED IN AN COLLISION. HAVE HAD SENSOR WORKED ON, SYSTEM FLASHED BY BMW, ETC TO RESOLVE ISSUE. BMW UNABLE TO RESOLVE WITHOUT EXTENSIVE COST. *TR
Incident date: Oct 28, 2011
PASSENGER SIDE "AIR BAG" OFF LIGHT IS ON ALL OF THE TIME AND THUS, THE PASSENGER AIR BAG WILL NOT BE DEPLOYED IN AN COLLISION. HAVE HAD SENSOR WORKED ON, SYSTEM FLASHED BY BMW, ETC TO RESOLVE ISSUE. BMW UNABLE TO RESOLVE WITHOUT EXTENSIVE COST. *TR
Incident date: Jan 3, 2011
POWER STEERING HAS FAILED ON 2004 MINI COPPER TWICE. THIS IS THE SECOND OCCURRENCE IN 1.75 YEARS. THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN ESPECIALLY AS A CITY DRIVER WHERE THE NEED EXISTS TO PARALLEL PARK, PARK IN PARKING DECKS, AND DRIVING AND TURNING ON NARROW STREETS WITH TRAFFIC. THERE IS NOT ALWAYS THE OPTION TO MAKE A WIDE TURN. MODEL YEARS 04 AND 05 HAVE THIS ISSUE AND MINI HAS NOT ADDRESSED. IN ADDI... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2009
AS WITH ALOT OF OTHER MINI COOPER S MODELS FOR THIS YEAR, MY TIMING CHAIN STARTED TO RATTLE, THE DEALER REPLACED IT UNDER WARRANTY, NOT ONCE, BUT TWICE, THE WATER PUMP HAD BEEN REPLACED, FUEL PUMP REPLACED, THROTTLE BODY REPLACED AND THE LIST COULD CONTINUE. NOW THE CAR HAS 98,234 MILES ON IT AND IT IS SITTING AT THE DEALERSHIP WITH A BLOWN MOTOR FROM BAD #3 CYLINDER, LEAKING HEAD GASKET, AND VALV... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2012
ON MY DRIVE TO WORK ON THE THIRD OF DECEMBER THE STEERING ASSIST WENT OUT WHILE ON THE FREEWAY AND TRYING TO EXIT ONTO AN OFF-RAMP. THE TURN WAS VERY SHARP AND I NEARLY DIDN'T MAKE IT. THANK GOODNESS IT WAS A SLOW TIME IN THE DAY FOR IF IT WASN'T I MAY HAVE HIT SOMEONE ELSE. THIS IS A LARGE SAFETY ISSUE AND HAVING READ THAT THIS COMPLAINT IS BECOMING WIDE SPREAD I WOULD HATE TO SEE ANYONE GET HURT... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2012
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS AWAITING DIAGNOSIS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 58,500.
Incident date: Dec 3, 2012
BACKING OUT OF PARKING SPACE AND UPON SHIFTING FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE AND STARTING FORWARD POWER STEERING WENT OUT. VERY DIFFICULT TO OPERATE CAR DUE TO DIFFICULTY STEERING. *TR
Incident date: Dec 3, 2012
AT LOW MILES THE TRANSMISSION HAS TO BE REPLACED. NO FORE WARNING JUST GONE. I'M TRYING TO DRIVE AND AT 10 MPH I'M REVVING AT UP TO 3000 RPM'S. THIS SHOULD DEF NOT BE HAPPENING! I'M FUMING BEING THAT I HAVE TO NOW REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION WHEN I HAVE NOT BEATEN ON IT OR ANYTHING TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN. SO FAR MY EXPERIENCE WITH BMW HAS NOT BEEN GOOD. I WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER BUYING ANYTHING ELS... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2012
AT LOW MILES THE TRANSMISSION HAS TO BE REPLACED. NO FORE WARNING JUST GONE. I'M TRYING TO DRIVE AND AT 10 MPH I'M REVVING AT UP TO 3000 RPM'S. THIS SHOULD DEF NOT BE HAPPENING! I'M FUMING BEING THAT I HAVE TO NOW REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION WHEN I HAVE NOT BEATEN ON IT OR ANYTHING TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN. SO FAR MY EXPERIENCE WITH BMW HAS NOT BEEN GOOD. I WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER BUYING ANYTHING ELS... Read more
Incident date: Nov 19, 2012
MY 2004 MINI COOPER HAS HAD MULTIPLE INCIDENTS WHERE THE POWER STEERING PUMP FAILS. IT HAS FAILED NUMEROUS TIMES, SOME EVEN WHILE DRIVING. THE PROBLEM STARTS IF THE STEERING WHEEL IS CRANKED ALL THE WAY FOR A TIGHT TURN, GRADUAL TURN OR DOES NOT TURN ON WHEN THE CAR STARTS. SOMETIME THE PUMP WILL RESET IF THE CAR IF SHUT OFF THEN ON AGAIN OR THE PUMP REGAINS PRESSURE. I HAVE CHECKED THE PUMP ITSEL... Read more
Incident date: Nov 3, 2012
I OWN A 2007 MINI COOPER S, THAT I PURCHASED BRAND NEW IN JUNE OF 2007. I IMMEDIATELY FELL IN LOVE WITH THE CAR AND KNEW THAT THIS WOULD BE THE LAST CAR I WOULD EVER OWN. IT IS A $31,000 CAR THAT I HAVE BLOOD, SWEAT, AND TEARS MADE EXPENSIVE ($560/MONTH) PAYMENTS ON FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS. ABOUT TWO YEARS INTO OWNING THIS CAR, I NOTICED WHEN IT WAS COLD OUT THAT MY MINI WOULD GET WHAT IS NOW... Read more
Incident date: Nov 24, 2012
POWER STEERING WHEEL SUDDENLY FAILED AND BECAME STIFF WHILE GETTING OFF FREEWAY. TOOK GREAT FORCE TO TURN STEERING WHEEL TO STEER CAR. LUCKILY ABLE TO STOP CAR SAFELY. *TR
Incident date: Nov 15, 2012
THE CAR HAS A RECALL FOR WATER PUMP, NEVER DONE UNTIL THE CAR ENGINE STOP. NOW THE ENGINE IS TOTALLY LOST. I THINK THE CAR HAS A PREVIOUS RECALL THE TIMING CHAIN TENSOR BUT NEVER WAS DONE. *TR
Incident date: Nov 20, 2012
AS I WAS DRIVING MY CAR STARTED CHUGGING. I PULLED OVER AND KEPT CHUGGING. I STOPPED THE CAR, LOOKED UNDER THE HOOD AND SAW IF SOMETHING WAS WRONG. DID NOT SEE ANYTHING. STARTED IT UP AGAIN AND ONCE I ACCELERATED IT STOPPED CHUGGING. DROVE IT VERY SCARCELY AND BROUGHT IT INTO THE DEALERSHIP. WAS TOLD IT WAS A TIMING CHAIN. VERY LUCKY THAT IT HAS NOT SNAPPED OR SKIPPED BECAUSE YOU WOULD HAVE POSSI... Read more
Incident date: Nov 20, 2012
AS I WAS DRIVING MY CAR STARTED CHUGGING. I PULLED OVER AND KEPT CHUGGING. I STOPPED THE CAR, LOOKED UNDER THE HOOD AND SAW IF SOMETHING WAS WRONG. DID NOT SEE ANYTHING. STARTED IT UP AGAIN AND ONCE I ACCELERATED IT STOPPED CHUGGING. DROVE IT VERY SCARCELY AND BROUGHT IT INTO THE DEALERSHIP. WAS TOLD IT WAS A TIMING CHAIN. VERY LUCKY THAT IT HAS NOT SNAPPED OR SKIPPED BECAUSE YOU WOULD HAVE POSSI... Read more
MINI
COOPER COUNTRYMAN
(2011) - POWER TRAIN
Nov 24, 2012
Incident date: Nov 17, 2012
I HAD JUST ACCELERATED ONTO THE HIGHWAY WHEN I SMELLED MY CLUTCH BURNING. I LOST POWER TO THE WHEELS, AND HAD TO REV THE ENGINE IN ORDER MAINTAIN HIGHWAY SPEEDS, UNTIL I COULD EXIT. BY THE TIME THAT I GOT MY CAR TO A SAFE LOCATION, THERE WAS NO POWER GOING TO THE WHEELS AT ALL, SO MY CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. *TR
Incident date: Nov 21, 2012
AIR BAG SYSTEM DIAGNOSIS RETURNED FAULT CODE 71. TECH CHECK ON SRS SYSTEM FOUND PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY DETECTOR FAULT. PASSENGER AIR BAG SYSTEM IS DISABLED AS A RESULT. ESTIMATED REPAIR COST IS $1200. INTERNET SEARCHES FOUND THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH MINI COOPER'S AND MINI REFUSES TO COVER WHEN OUT OF WARRANTY. *TR
Incident date: Nov 8, 2012
WHILE DRIVING HOME AS I TURNED INTO MY STREET THE STEERING POWER SUDDENLY WENT OUT CAUSING ME TO DRIVE INTO THE INCOMING TRAFFIC LANE, LUCKILY THERE WERE NO VEHICLES BUT IF THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN ANY VEHICLES I COULD HAVE BEEN IN A FRONT COLLISION. THE FACT THAT THIS HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING MAKES THIS ISSUE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. *TR
Incident date: Sep 9, 2012
I HAD A LITTLE WHINING SOUND WHEN I PUSHED ON THE CLUTCH. EVERYTHING WORKED FINE EVEN WITH THE WHINING SOUND. I STARTED DRIVING TO THE MECHANICS AND MY CAR COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN. THE TRANSMISSION CAME COMPLETELY APART. ALL THE TEETH ARE GONE FROM THE SECOND GEAR WITH NO WARNING. I HAVE ALREADY SPENT 2000.00, NOW I WILL HAVE TO EITHER SPEND ANOTHER 3000.00 FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION, OR TRADE IN MY CAR ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 17, 2012
BEGAN TO HEAR LOUD KNOCKING NOISE FROM ENGINE OF MY 4 YEAR OLD MINI @ 66000 MILES. HAVE HAD MY MINI SERVICED ACCORDING TO THE SCHEDULE AT THE SAME DEALERSHIP FOR 4 YEARS. AFTER HEARING THE NOISE DID RESEARCH ONLINE TO NOTICE THAT MINIS HAVE A TIMING BELT /TENSIONER ISSUE. NOTICED ON THE SAME NIGHT THAT MY OIL LIGHT CAME ON AND THE INTERESTING THING IS THAT I JUST HAD MY OIL CHANGED IN AUGUST OF... Read more
MINI
COOPER S CLUBMAN
(2009) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Nov 23, 2012
Incident date: Nov 20, 2012
RECALL CAMPAIGN NO: 12V-008 ELECTRIC AUXILIARY WATER PUMP HTTP://WWW-ODI.NHTSA.DOT.GOV/DEFECTS/RESULTS.CFM THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION WEBSITE SAYS WE ARE ALSO NOTIFIED TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO A BMW DEALER FOR REPAIR. WHY CANNOT I NOT DO THIS? WE HAVE A BMW DEALER IN BOISE. OWNERS OF THE RECALLED VEHICLES ARE NOTIFIED TO TAKE THEIR VEHICLE TO A BMW DEALER, WHO WILL REPLACE... Read more
MINI
COOPER S CLUBMAN
(2009) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:TURBO/SUPERCHARGER
Nov 23, 2012
Incident date: Nov 20, 2012
RECALL CAMPAIGN NO: 12V-008 ELECTRIC AUXILIARY WATER PUMP HTTP://WWW-ODI.NHTSA.DOT.GOV/DEFECTS/RESULTS.CFM THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION WEBSITE SAYS WE ARE ALSO NOTIFIED TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO A BMW DEALER FOR REPAIR. WHY CANNOT I NOT DO THIS? WE HAVE A BMW DEALER IN BOISE. OWNERS OF THE RECALLED VEHICLES ARE NOTIFIED TO TAKE THEIR VEHICLE TO A BMW DEALER, WHO WILL REPLACE... Read more
Incident date: Nov 20, 2012
THE PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR HAS GONE BAD ACCORDING TO THE DIAGNOSE FROM THE DEALER. I'M TOLD THAT THIS WILL EITHER MAKE THE AIR BAG DEPLOY AT FULL FORCE OR POSSIBLY NOT AT ALL. THERE SEEMS THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON OCCURRENCE ON BOTH BMW AND MINI'S. BMW HAS ADDRESSED THE PROBLEM, MINI HAS NOT. I HAVE A CAR WITH AN UNPREDICTABLE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT AND THE DEALER IS TELLING ME THAT IT IS... Read more
Incident date: Nov 18, 2012
CAR LOST POWER AND STARTED RUNNING AND IDLING VERY ROUGH. SERVICE SHOP DISCOVERED THAT THE NYLON CAPS FOR THE HYDRAULIC LASH VALVES HAD DETERIORATED AND CRACKED AND IN SOME CASES HAD FALLEN COMPLETELY OFF HAVING A NEGATIVE AFFECT ON THE ENGINE COMPRESSION. THE ORIGINAL CAPS ARE BRIGHT YELLOW AND AFTER USE AND HEAT THEY TURN ORANGE/BROWN. INTERNET RESEARCH SHOWS SOME MINI'S HAVE STEEL LASH CAPS. SE... Read more
Incident date: Nov 13, 2012
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE CONTACT WAS EXITING THE HIGHWAY WHEN THE POWER STEERING FAILED. THE CONTACT WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES AFTER THE VEHICLE WOULD WARM UP. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND THEY STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A REC... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2012
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MINI COOPER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE RPM READINGS INCREASED AS THE VEHICLE JERKED FORWARD ABNORMALLY. THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.
MINI
COOPER COUNTRYMAN
(2012) - POWER TRAIN
Nov 17, 2012
Incident date: Nov 16, 2012
ON A 2012 MINI COUNTRYMAN S ALL4 WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSION, STARTING AT 15500 MILES ON THE CAR, BEGAN NOTICING ODD RESPONSE TO THE THROTTLE WHEN ACCELERATING ON THE HIGHWAY. THE CLUTCH WOULD ENGAGE AND ENGINE INCREASE REVS (200-400 RPM) TO ACCELERATE WHILE NOT DEPRESSING THE CLUTCH PEDAL. THIS WORSENED OVER THE NEXT 500 MILES UNTIL THE RPM DIFFERENCE WAS 2000-4000 RPM. FINALLY, THE CLUTCH GAVE COMP... Read more
MINI
COOPER COUNTRYMAN
(2012) - ENGINE
Nov 17, 2012
Incident date: Nov 16, 2012
ON A 2012 MINI COUNTRYMAN S ALL4 WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSION, STARTING AT 15500 MILES ON THE CAR, BEGAN NOTICING ODD RESPONSE TO THE THROTTLE WHEN ACCELERATING ON THE HIGHWAY. THE CLUTCH WOULD ENGAGE AND ENGINE INCREASE REVS (200-400 RPM) TO ACCELERATE WHILE NOT DEPRESSING THE CLUTCH PEDAL. THIS WORSENED OVER THE NEXT 500 MILES UNTIL THE RPM DIFFERENCE WAS 2000-4000 RPM. FINALLY, THE CLUTCH GAVE COMP... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2012
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE POWER STEERING FAILED AS THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT WAS EXITING THE HIGHWAY WHEN THE POWER STEERING FAILED AND CAUSED AND INCREASE IN STEERING EFFORTS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR INSPECTION WHERE THEY ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP NEEDED ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 13, 2012
DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY WHEN I FELT THE CAR JERK FORWARD AND THEN IT FELT AS IF THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING IN AND OUT OF GEARS. MANAGED TO PULL OFF THE FREEWAY AND DRIVE TO THE LOCAL MINI DEALERSHIP, WHICH WAS LUCKILY ABOUT A MILE DOWN THE ROAD. WAS TOLD BY DEALERSHIP THE PROBLEM WAS TRANSMISSION FAILURE AND WAS QUOTED $9,000 REPAIR COST. WHEN I ASKED THE MECHANIC WHY THE TRANSMISSION... Read more
Incident date: Nov 13, 2012
DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY WHEN I FELT THE CAR JERK FORWARD AND THEN IT FELT AS IF THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING IN AND OUT OF GEARS. MANAGED TO PULL OFF THE FREEWAY AND DRIVE TO THE LOCAL MINI DEALERSHIP, WHICH WAS LUCKILY ABOUT A MILE DOWN THE ROAD. WAS TOLD BY DEALERSHIP THE PROBLEM WAS TRANSMISSION FAILURE AND WAS QUOTED $9,000 REPAIR COST. WHEN I ASKED THE MECHANIC WHY THE TRANSMISSION... Read more
Incident date: Nov 14, 2012
A CAR STOPPED SHORT IN MY PATH CAUSING ME TO BRAKE HARD AND STALL. SINCE I DIDN'T APPLY THE CLUTCH DURING THE EMERGENCY STOP I PRESSED THE CLUTCH PEDAL TO THE FLOOR IN AN ATTEMPT TO RESTART THE ENGINE. WHEN IT FAILED AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS I HAD IT TOWED TO MINI OF BALTIMORE. THEY TOLD ME IT HAD NO COMPRESSION AND THAT THE EXHAUST CAM HAD JUMPED 180 DEGREES OUT OF TIMING. THIS SOUNDS LIKE A TIMIN... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2011
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER INSTALLING A GPS SYSTEM IN THE VEHICLE HE BECAME AWARE THAT THE VEHICLE SPEEDOMETER WAS GIVEN THE INCORRECT READING. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE GPS READ 51MPH AND THE VEHICLE SPEEDOMETER READ 60 MPH, BUT VEHICLE WAS GOING SLOWER. THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY WERE NOT PROVIDING ANY ASSISTANCE GIVEN THAT THE VEHICLE SPEEDOMETER... Read more