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: Aug 7, 2012
THE PASSENGER AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT INDICATES THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE PASSENGER AIRBAG SYSTEM. THE LIGHT ILLUMINATES CONTINUOUSLY WHETHER A PASSENGER IS IN THE SEAT OR NOT INDICATING THAT THE AIRBAG IS TURNED OFF FOR THE PASSENGER. MINI COOPER DENIES ANY PROBLEM WITH THEIR SAFETY AIRBAG SYSTEM, YET THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT HAVING THE SAME ISSUES. THE PROBLEM OCCURRED SHORTLY A... Read more
Incident date: Oct 6, 2012
AS I WAS DRIVING 40 MPH ON MY LOCAL 2-LANE ROAD, MY POWER STEERING SUDDENLY FAILED WITH NO WARNING WHATSOEVER. I RETURNED CAREFULLY HOME AND LEFT THE CAR PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY UNTIL I COULD CONTACT MY LOCAL MINI DEALER (PRESTIGE MINI IN MAHWAH, NJ). WHEN I GOT INTO THE CAR TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALER, THE POWER STEERING WAS SUDDENLY WORKING AGAIN. PRESTIGE MINI CLAIMS THAT MY STRUT TOWERS ($645) AND ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 5, 2012
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ELECTRICAL POWER STEERING PUMP CAUGHT ON FIRE, MELTING ALL OF THE WIRES. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 110,000.
Fire
Incident date: Jan 9, 2012
POWER STEERING WENT OUT MAKING THE CAR VERY HARD TO STEER. THE FIRST TIME WAS JANUARY 2012, RANDOMLY OFF AND ON SINCE. I HAVE HAD THE POWER STEERING RETURN AFTER SIMPLY TURNING THE CAR OFF THEN ON, OTHER TIMES AFTER A WEEK. IT APPEARS THE POWER STEERING PUMP HAS DECIDED TO QUIT ALTOGETHER AT THIS POINT. *TR
Incident date: Oct 6, 2012
I WAS DRIVING DOWN A SMALL CITY STREET IN MY 2003 MINI COOPER S AND WENT TO MAKE A LEFT TURN - AS SOON AS I DID, THE STEERING BECAME VERY HEAVY...AND UN-RESPONSIVE. I WAS ABLE TO THROUGH MUSCLE STRENGTH FORCE THE CAR THROUGH THE TURN BUT HAD THERE BEEN ANYONE NEXT TO ME THIS SURELY WOULD HAVE CAUSED A COLLISION AS IT WAS A VERY DIFFICULT TURN. THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE POWER STEERING WAS SUDD... Read more
Incident date: Mar 8, 2009
IN 2009, THE POWER STEERING WOULD INTERMITTENTLY WORK, USUALLY RESTARTING RESOLVED THE PROBLEM. INCREASINGLY WORSENED. P PULLING OUT FROM THE BUSINESS TO A RESIDENTIAL STREET, VERY BUSY AFTERNOON TRAFFIC. I HURRIEDLY TURNED RIGHT ONTO THE STREET, THEN LEFT AT THE TRAFFIC SIGNAL. WHILE MAKING THE LEFT MY POWER STEERING DECIDED TO STOP COMING TOO CLOSE TO RUNNING STRAIGHT INTO A LIGHT STANDARD ... Read more
MINI
COOPER S CLUBMAN
(2008) - POWER TRAIN
Oct 6, 2012
Incident date: Sep 28, 2012
THE TRANSMISSION IN MY CAR IS GOING OUT AT ONLY 53 THOUSAND MILES... EVERY TIME I GOT TO TURN OFF MY CAR THE LIGHT POPS ON SAYING THEIR IS A ISSUE WITH MY TRANSMISSION..IT ALSO TAKES ME TURNING OFF MY CAR AND BACK ON FOR IT TO GET UN STUCK OUT OF PARK.. IM GETTING FED UP AND FEAR THAT SOMETHING WORSE WILL HAPPEN WITH MY CAR WHEN MY CHILD OR HUSBAND IS IN THE CAR WITH ME.. I'VE ONLY HAD THIS CAR A ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2010
I HAD JUST BOUGHT THE CAR AND FLEW TO NEW JERSEY TO GET IT. THE MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT THE POWER STEERING WAS OUT AND HE WAS NOT SURE WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. I DROVE IT BACK TO FLORIDA AND DID NOT HAVE POWER STEERING THE WHOLE WAY. IN APRIL 2010, THE POWER STEERING CAME BACK. I CONTINUED TO HAVE POWER STEERING AND THEN IN OCTOBER 2010, IT WENT OUT AGAIN FOR TWO DAYS. THEN IT CAME BACK. THEN IN ... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2012
THE FIRST PROBLEM WAS WHEN THE POWER STEERING FAILED FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES. THE VEHICLE BECAME VERY DIFFICULTY TO CONTROL, BUT EVENTUALLY THE STEERING STARTED WORKING AGAIN. IN AUGUST THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED ONLY THIS TIME FOR AN HOUR. THIS MADE THE VEHICLE ALMOST USELESS. TODAY 10/2/2012 THE POWER STEERING FAILED COMPLETELY WHILE MY WIFE WAS ON THE INTERSTATE. IT WAS PHYSICALLY TIRING TO MAINTAI... Read more
Incident date: Sep 16, 2012
POWER STEERING FUNCTION FAILED; STEERING IS NOW NON-POWERED. *TR
Incident date: Sep 27, 2012
DURING MY COMMUTE TO WORK ON 9/27/12, MY CAR COMPLETELY DIED WHILE I WAS DRIVING IN THE MIDDLE LANE OF THE FREEWAY. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO A GARAGE, WHERE IT WAS FOUND TO BE LEAKING AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF OIL. DURING INSPECTION, IT WAS ASSESSED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN "JUMPED" AND CAUSED A CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. AT THE TIME OF THIS INCIDENT THE CAR HAD 54K MILES ON IT AND THERE WERE ABSOLUTELY N... Read more
Incident date: Sep 29, 2012
THE TIMING TENSIONER ON MY MINI COOPER S BACKED OUT, RESULTING IN A MASSIVE OIL LOSS WHILE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THIS IS APPARENTLY A KNOWN ISSUE BY MINI, BUT NO KNOWN RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED AT THIS POINT. *TR
Incident date: Sep 29, 2012
THE TIMING TENSIONER ON MY MINI COOPER S BACKED OUT, RESULTING IN A MASSIVE OIL LOSS WHILE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THIS IS APPARENTLY A KNOWN ISSUE BY MINI, BUT NO KNOWN RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED AT THIS POINT. *TR
Incident date: Oct 28, 2011
AS I WAS DRIVING ON LOCAL ROAD I NOTICED A CAR DOUBLE PARKED I TRIED TO PASS THE VEHICLE WHEN I NOTICED MY STEERING WHEEL WAS STIFF IT WAS VERY HARD TO TURN IT AT ALL I ALMOST SLAMMED INTO DOUBLE PARKED CAR THAT I COULD NOT PASS AND HAD NO CONTROL OF MY VEHICLE. ITS VERY UNCOMFORTABLE TO DRIVE A VEHICLE THAT WAY SO ITS PARKED FOR NOW IF I KNEW THAT IT WOULD BE THAT DANGEROUS TO DRIVE THIS VEHICLE ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 20, 2011
COOLING FAN STOPPED WORKING ALREADY INSTALLED 3 FANS FROM TIME OF PURCHASE OF VEHICLE THIS WILL BE MY FOURTH ONE ITS HAS ISSUE WITH LOW SPEED. IT BURNS ONLY LOW SPEED ON IT TRIED TO INSTALL AFTERMARKET FAN DID NOT LAST MORE THAN A MONTH HAD TO PURCHASE FROM A DEALER NOW ANOTHER ONE THIS CAN HAS NOTHING BUT A PROBLEM WITH THIS ISSUE. *TR
Incident date: Oct 20, 2011
COOLING FAN STOPPED WORKING ALREADY INSTALLED 3 FANS FROM TIME OF PURCHASE OF VEHICLE THIS WILL BE MY FOURTH ONE ITS HAS ISSUE WITH LOW SPEED. IT BURNS ONLY LOW SPEED ON IT TRIED TO INSTALL AFTERMARKET FAN DID NOT LAST MORE THAN A MONTH HAD TO PURCHASE FROM A DEALER NOW ANOTHER ONE THIS CAN HAS NOTHING BUT A PROBLEM WITH THIS ISSUE. *TR
MINI
COOPER S COUNTRYMAN
(2011) - POWER TRAIN
Sep 28, 2012
Incident date: Sep 20, 2012
AT 18XXX MILES THE CLUTCH IS GONE. TRANSFER CASE FOUND DEFECTIVE. THE CLUTCH HAS BEEN FAILING ON THE ALL4 MODELS ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND DEALERS ARE BLAMING USER ERROR, EVEN AS FAST AS 1500 MILES. $2500 FOR A NEW CLUTCH ON A BRAND NEW VEHICLE IS ABSURD. *TR
Incident date: Aug 30, 2012
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THERE WAS A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER STEERING WITHOUT ANY WARNING. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE DRIVING WITH EXTREME DIFFICULTY IN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL. THE STEERING MALFUNCTION RECURRED THREE TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT AUTO SHOP WHERE THE POWER STEERING PUMP, FAN AND OTHER RELATED COMPONENTS W... Read more
Incident date: May 13, 2012
ON THE MORNING OF SUNDAY MAY 13TH 2012 (MOTHERS DAY), I DROVE THE VEHICLE APPROX 11 MILES TO MY MOTHER-IN-LAW'S HOME. DURING THIS 11 MILE RIDE ALL SEEMED NORMAL WITH THE VEHICLE. AFTER VISITING FOR A FEW HOURS I DROVE IT APPROX 5 MORE MILES TO A STOP & SHOP, AGAIN ALL SEEMED FINE WITH THE VEHICLE. WITHIN THE 10-15MINUTES I WAS INSIDE PURCHASING MOTHERS DAY FLOWERS, STOP AND SHOP EMPLOYEES HAD N... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Mar 3, 2012
THE POWER STEERING QUIT WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE (I85) ON MARCH 3, 2012. WE HAD JUST PURCHASED THE CAR SO WE TOOK IT BACK TO DEALER AND HE HAD THE PUMP AND RESERVOIR REPLACED (TOOK 2 WEEKS). POWER STEERING JUST WENT OUT AGAIN (09/26/12) WITH SAME SYMPTOMS (SPORADIC OPERATION - MAINLY NOT WORKING) WHILE DRIVING TO WORK. *TR
Incident date: Jun 6, 2012
LOUD AND PERSISTENT WHINNING NOISE FROM POWER STEERING PUMP, INTERMITTENT POWER STEERING FAILURE. HAD PAST PROBLEMS WITH THE POWER STEERING FAN (JUNE 2011). *TR
Incident date: Sep 24, 2012
I WAS SLOWING DOWN TO MAKE A LEFT HAND TURN AND ALL OF THE SUDDEN THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT ON IT. BEING A FRONT WHEEL DRIVE CAR MADE IT EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO TURN. HAD SOMEONE WITH LESS ARM STRENGTH BEEN IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT THEY COULD HAVE HIT ONCOMING TRAFFIC HEAD ON AND KILLED SOMEONE. *TR
Incident date: Feb 6, 2012
THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO FEEL LIKE THE TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING: HESITATION, WHEELS SKIDDING, ROUGH ACCELERATION AND DECELERATION. THE PROBLEM CONTINUES AFTER 2 TRIPS TO MINI COOPER IN WHICH THE CAR'S COMPUTER WAS "RESET" BECAUSE NO PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION WERE FOUND. THE PROBLEM DESCRIBED ABOVE PERSISTS, BUT THERE WAS ALSO ONE EPISODE WHERE THE CAR DID NOT START AND LATER TURNED OFF WHILE D... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2012
THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO FEEL LIKE THE TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING: HESITATION, WHEELS SKIDDING, ROUGH ACCELERATION AND DECELERATION. THE PROBLEM CONTINUES AFTER 2 TRIPS TO MINI COOPER IN WHICH THE CAR'S COMPUTER WAS "RESET" BECAUSE NO PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION WERE FOUND. THE PROBLEM DESCRIBED ABOVE PERSISTS, BUT THERE WAS ALSO ONE EPISODE WHERE THE CAR DID NOT START AND LATER TURNED OFF WHILE D... Read more
Incident date: Sep 10, 2012
AFTER DRIVING ONE EVENING A SHORT DISTANCE TO THE STORE AND FEELING A STRANGE PULLING OF THE CAR BUT NOT REALLY MOVING AS FAST AS IT SHOULD, I TOOK IT TO BE CHECKED OUT AT THE MINI OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY. I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS A FAULTY TRANSMISSION BUT THAT I COULD STILL CONTINUE TO DRIVE IT SHORT DISTANCES. THIS COST $138. SO AFTER A COUPLE OF SHORT TRIPS TO WORK, I WAS ON MY WAY HOME ON MONDA... Read more
Incident date: Sep 21, 2012
MY POWER STEERING FAILED. CAUSE UNCONFIRMED AS YET, BUT THIS APPARENTLY IS A KNOWN PROBLEM. POWER STEERING STARTED AGAIN WHEN I RESTARTED THE CAR, BUT NOW THE PUMP MOTOR (OR PERHAPS THE FAN) WON'T SHUT OFF AND THERE IS NO FUSE TO DISABLE. MUST DISCONNECT THE BATTERY TO SHUT IT OFF AND AVOID DRAINING THE BATTERY. STEERING DID NOT LOCK UP, BUT VERY DIFFICULT TO OVERCOME THE RACK-AND-PINION STEERING ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 17, 2012
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MINI COOPER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO PARK THE VEHICLE BUT STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING HAD BECOME INOPERABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,065.
Incident date: Sep 7, 2012
THE POWER STEERING PUMP STOPS OPERATING WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. IT HAS HAPPENED THREE TIMES TO DATE: THE FIRST INCIDENT WAS AT LOW SPEED IN A PARKING STRUCTURE; THE SECOND INCIDENT HAPPENED AT FREEWAY SPEED; THE MOST RECENT INCIDENT OCCURRED ON A SURFACE STREET WHILE DECELERATING TO A STOP. IN EACH CASE, CONTROL OF THE CAR WAS MAINTAINED BUT WAS VERY DIFFICULT. THE PUMP FUNCTION WAS RESTOR... Read more
Incident date: Sep 7, 2012
THE POWER STEERING PUMP STOPS OPERATING WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. IT HAS HAPPENED THREE TIMES TO DATE: THE FIRST INCIDENT WAS AT LOW SPEED IN A PARKING STRUCTURE; THE SECOND INCIDENT HAPPENED AT FREEWAY SPEED; THE MOST RECENT INCIDENT OCCURRED ON A SURFACE STREET WHILE DECELERATING TO A STOP. IN EACH CASE, CONTROL OF THE CAR WAS MAINTAINED BUT WAS VERY DIFFICULT. THE PUMP FUNCTION WAS RESTOR... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2012
I BOUGHT MY 2007 MINI USED 1 MONTH AGO. WHEN I WENT TO TEST DRIVE THE CAR THE ENGINE WOULD NOT START AND THERE WAS A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON. THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT THEY WOULD HAVE IT FIXED AND CALL ME BACK IN FOR A TEST DRIVE. I WENT BACK AND WHEN THE CAR STARTED IT HAD A VERY SLIGHT RATTLE THAT EVENTUALLY WENT AWAY. NOW IN THE MONTH TIME THAT I HAVE HAD THE CAR IT TAKES ME 6 OR 7 TRIES TO GET THE... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2012
I BOUGHT MY 2007 MINI USED 1 MONTH AGO. WHEN I WENT TO TEST DRIVE THE CAR THE ENGINE WOULD NOT START AND THERE WAS A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON. THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT THEY WOULD HAVE IT FIXED AND CALL ME BACK IN FOR A TEST DRIVE. I WENT BACK AND WHEN THE CAR STARTED IT HAD A VERY SLIGHT RATTLE THAT EVENTUALLY WENT AWAY. NOW IN THE MONTH TIME THAT I HAVE HAD THE CAR IT TAKES ME 6 OR 7 TRIES TO GET THE... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2012
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO DRIVE THE POWER STEERING FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. HOWEVER, THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED WHO STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING UNIT MIGHT BE DEFECTIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 149,000.
Incident date: Sep 10, 2012
MY CAR HAS A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. HAVE TO REPLACE IT FOR $9000! IT S MINI COOPER S 2007 ONLY 29800 MILES!! THE DEALER WILL NOT REPINES ANYTHING AND THE WARRANTY IS OUT! *TR
Incident date: Sep 10, 2012
MY CAR HAS A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. HAVE TO REPLACE IT FOR $9000! IT S MINI COOPER S 2007 ONLY 29800 MILES!! THE DEALER WILL NOT REPINES ANYTHING AND THE WARRANTY IS OUT! *TR
Incident date: Sep 11, 2012
WHILE DRIVING THROUGH A RESIDENTIAL AREA, THE WHEEL OF THE CAR BECAME VERY HARD TO TURN. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE ELECTRIC HYDRAULIC POWER STEERING PUMP (EHPS) WAS MALFUNCTIONING. THE FAN OF THE EHPS WAS NOT DISENGAGING WHEN THE CAR IGNITION WAS TURNED OFF, THEREFORE RUNNING DOWN THE BATTERY AND CAUSING THE EHPS TO NOT WORK CORRECTLY. THE NEXT DAY, WITH THE SAME EHPS, THE POWER STEERING WAS WO... Read more
MINI
COOPER CONVERTIBLE
(2005) - STEERING
Sep 11, 2012
Incident date: Sep 10, 2012
DROVE ON THE HIGHWAY AT 65 MPH FOR ABOUT 15 MINS. AFTER EXITING THE HIGHWAY, I REALIZED THE STEERING WHEEL WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN. FORTUNATELY, I WAS COMING TO A TRAFFIC JUNCTION AND I WAS ABLE TO STOP THE CAR AND PULL ASIDE WITHOUT ANY INCIDENT. FROM WHAT I'VE READ ON THE INTERNET, THERE IS AN INHERENT PROBLEM WITH THE POWER STEERING PUMP THAT CAUSES THE POWER STEERING TO FAIL INTERMITTENTLY ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 10, 2012
WHEN TURNING OFF THE ENGINE, THE FAN WON'T TURN OFF AND KEEPS RUNNING. IT DRAINS THE BATTERY VERY QUICKLY. I TOOK IT TO AUTO SHOP AND THE REPORT SAYS STEERING PUMP INTERNAL FAILURE. *TR
Incident date: Sep 9, 2012
I DROVE MY CAR TO MY SPORTS TEAM PRACTICE, PARKED AND PROMPTLY HAD TO RELOCATE MY CAR TO AN ADJACENT LOT. THE POWER STEERING DID NOT WORK UPON STARTING THE CAR TO MOVE IT AND THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OR WARNING OF IT'S FAILURE. NOT EVEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON. *TR
Incident date: Aug 22, 2012
THE PASSENGER AIR BAG WEIGHT SENSOR STOP WORKING. AS A RESULT MY VEHICLE DISPLAYS A WARNING THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAGS ARE OFF. MY DRIVER SIDE FOG LIGHT HOUSING MELTED AND CRACK APART. I USED STOCK 55W HALOGEN BULBS. MY PASSENGER SIDE FOG LIGHT HOUSING HAS ALSO BEGUN TO MELT. MY POWER STEERING IS NOT LEAKING NOW. BUT IT HAS BEEN REPLACED 3 TIMES. *TR
Incident date: Aug 22, 2012
THE PASSENGER AIR BAG WEIGHT SENSOR STOP WORKING. AS A RESULT MY VEHICLE DISPLAYS A WARNING THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAGS ARE OFF. MY DRIVER SIDE FOG LIGHT HOUSING MELTED AND CRACK APART. I USED STOCK 55W HALOGEN BULBS. MY PASSENGER SIDE FOG LIGHT HOUSING HAS ALSO BEGUN TO MELT. MY POWER STEERING IS NOT LEAKING NOW. BUT IT HAS BEEN REPLACED 3 TIMES. *TR
Incident date: Aug 22, 2012
THE PASSENGER AIR BAG WEIGHT SENSOR STOP WORKING. AS A RESULT MY VEHICLE DISPLAYS A WARNING THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAGS ARE OFF. MY DRIVER SIDE FOG LIGHT HOUSING MELTED AND CRACK APART. I USED STOCK 55W HALOGEN BULBS. MY PASSENGER SIDE FOG LIGHT HOUSING HAS ALSO BEGUN TO MELT. MY POWER STEERING IS NOT LEAKING NOW. BUT IT HAS BEEN REPLACED 3 TIMES. *TR
Incident date: Aug 31, 2012
I WAS EXITING THE INTERSTATE AND THE RAMP CURVED TO THE RIGHT, AS I BEGAN TO NEGOTIATE THE CURVE I NOTICED I HAD NO POWER STEERING AT ALL. I REACHED MY DESTINATION ABOUT 15 MINUTES LATER AND HAD NO POWER STEERING ASSISTANCE AT ALL THE ENTIRE TIME. I PARKED THE VEHICLE AND DID NOT USE IT AGAIN UNTIL 9/3/12 AND THE STEERING APPEARED TO BE WORKING PROPERLY AGAIN. IN READING THE INVESTIGATIVE STUD... Read more
Incident date: Sep 6, 2012
AS I WAS PULLING AWAY FROM A STOP SIGN, I REALIZED THAT I COULDN'T TURN THE STEERING WHEEL. I PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE AND WENT BACK AND FORTH TRYING TO SEE IF SOMETHING WAS STUCK. I DID THIS A COUPLE TIMES, THEN REALIZED MY POWER STEERING WAS OUT. I CHECKED THE FLUIDS AND THEY WERE FINE. TOOK THE CAR TO A MECHANIC AND THEY RAN DIAGNOSTIC TESTS AND DETERMINED THE POWER STEERING PUMP WAS FAULTY. *TR
Incident date: Sep 1, 2012
POWER STEERING FAILED, CALLED DEALER TWICE AND BMW COMPANY TWICE, KNEW ABOUT PROBLEMS, BUT SENT ME IN A CIRCLE. DEALER SAID TO GO TO COMPANY FOR HELP AND INFO, COMPANY SAID TO GO TO DEALER, VERY DECEPTIVE PRACTICES. *TR
Incident date: Sep 3, 2012
POWER STEERING FAILED AS I WAS RETURNING FROM TAKING MY CHILD TO THE AIRPORT. THE CAR POWER STEERING COOLING FAN STAYED ON AFTER I TURNED OFF THE CAR AND DRAINED THE BATTERY. THE PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED AS A FAILED POWER STEERING PUMP. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO A MECHANIC AND THE POWER STEERING PUMP WAS REPLACED AS WAS THE DEAD BATTERY. THE TOTAL COST WAS OVER $1700. *TR
Incident date: Aug 23, 2012
ENGINE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER MALFUNCTIONING CAUSING DECREASED ACCELERATING POWER AND A LOUD RUBBING/KNOCKING NOISE WHEN DRIVING, THAT WILL CAUSE ENGINE DAMAGE IF NOT PROMPTLY FIXED. IT IS A WELL KNOW MINI COOPER PROBLEM (2007 MODELS TO CURRENT YEAR) AND THE MINI DEALERSHIP I TOOK MINE TO HAS HAD MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE ISSUE. MINI HAS CAME OUT WITH REPLACEMENT PARTS AND A SERVICE GUIDE ON HOW... Read more
MINI
COOPER S CLUBMAN
(2009) - ENGINE
Sep 6, 2012
Incident date: Aug 25, 2012
NOTICED A LOUD RATTLING NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AFTER A COLD START. THE NOISE WENT AWAY AFTER DRIVING FOR ABOUT A MINUTE SO, IT WAS ATTRIBUTED TO THE SAME LOUD NOISE THAT MINIS MAKE AFTER COLD STARTS. HOWEVER, NOTICED THAT THE NOISE SEEMED LOUDER THAN NORMAL AFTER A COUPLE OF OTHER COLD STARTS AND DECIDED TO TOW THE CAR IN AFTER THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT (YELLLOW) CAME ON AND THE E... Read more
MINI
COOPER S CLUBMAN
(2009) - POWER TRAIN
Sep 6, 2012
Incident date: Aug 25, 2012
NOTICED A LOUD RATTLING NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AFTER A COLD START. THE NOISE WENT AWAY AFTER DRIVING FOR ABOUT A MINUTE SO, IT WAS ATTRIBUTED TO THE SAME LOUD NOISE THAT MINIS MAKE AFTER COLD STARTS. HOWEVER, NOTICED THAT THE NOISE SEEMED LOUDER THAN NORMAL AFTER A COUPLE OF OTHER COLD STARTS AND DECIDED TO TOW THE CAR IN AFTER THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT (YELLLOW) CAME ON AND THE E... Read more
Incident date: Aug 22, 2012
INTERMITTENT PROBLEM WITH THE POWER STEERING GOING OUT AFTER THE ENGINE WARMS UP. THIS HAS HAPPENED NOW 4 TIMES WITH VERY DIFFICULT STEERING. NO LOSS OF FLUID ON THE PAVEMENT OR SQUEALING NOISES. AFTER ENGINE COOLS DOWN, POWER STEERING AGAIN WORKS. *TR
Incident date: Jul 21, 2011
TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER REPLACED JULY OF 2011 NOW AUG31,2012 LOUD NOISE TIMING CHAIN STRETCHED SO REPLACED & TENSIONER REPLACED AGAIN. *TR