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 9, 2012
THE TRANSMISSION HAS FAILED AT 66K MILES - AS I AM RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM, I CAN SEE THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD PREMATURE TRANSMISSION FAILURES WITH THEIR MINI COOPER AND BMW HAS NOT BEEN WILLING TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM. THE COST TO US WILL BE APPROXIMATELY $10,000 TO REPAIR. *TR
Incident date: Aug 13, 2012
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT STATED THE POWER STEERING FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE ONLY OCCURRED ONCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED FOR THE FAILURE NOR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 110,000. UPDATED 9/10/12 *CN
Incident date: May 25, 2010
LOST POWER STEERING UNEXPECTEDLY IN MY CAR. POWER STEERING PUMP AND FAN WERE REPLACED 6/3/2010. ON 6/29/2011, I AGAIN LOST POWER STEERING UNEXPECTEDLY MILEAGE- 96250 . POWER STEERING PUMP AND FAN WERE REPLACED AGAIN. ON 6/26/2012 I YET AGAIN LOST POWER STEERING - MILEAGE -111834, PUMP AND FAN WERE REPLACED FOR THE 3RD TIME. EACH TIME THE FAN HAD FAILED AND THE PUMP OVERHEATED. *TR
Incident date: Aug 5, 2012
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATED. 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 93,000.
MINI
COOPER CONVERTIBLE
(2005) - SEAT BELTS
Aug 14, 2012
Incident date: Jan 1, 2011
THE PASSENGER AIR BAG SENSOR ACTIVATES, SAYING THAT THERE IS A PASSENGER IN THE SEAT WHEN ONE IS NOT PRESENT. IT OFTEN REMINDS THIS "PASSENGER" TO BUCKLE THEIR SEAT BELT. OTHER TIMES IT IS SILENT BUT STILL INDICATES THAT THE PASSENGER AIRBAG IS TURNED OFF WHEN THERE TRULY IS A PASSENGER. *TR
MINI
COOPER CONVERTIBLE
(2005) - SEATS
Aug 14, 2012
Incident date: Jan 1, 2011
THE PASSENGER AIR BAG SENSOR ACTIVATES, SAYING THAT THERE IS A PASSENGER IN THE SEAT WHEN ONE IS NOT PRESENT. IT OFTEN REMINDS THIS "PASSENGER" TO BUCKLE THEIR SEAT BELT. OTHER TIMES IT IS SILENT BUT STILL INDICATES THAT THE PASSENGER AIRBAG IS TURNED OFF WHEN THERE TRULY IS A PASSENGER. *TR
MINI
COOPER CONVERTIBLE
(2005) - AIR BAGS
Aug 14, 2012
Incident date: Jan 1, 2011
THE PASSENGER AIR BAG SENSOR ACTIVATES, SAYING THAT THERE IS A PASSENGER IN THE SEAT WHEN ONE IS NOT PRESENT. IT OFTEN REMINDS THIS "PASSENGER" TO BUCKLE THEIR SEAT BELT. OTHER TIMES IT IS SILENT BUT STILL INDICATES THAT THE PASSENGER AIRBAG IS TURNED OFF WHEN THERE TRULY IS A PASSENGER. *TR
Incident date: Mar 1, 2012
I WAS TOLD MY WARRANTY EXPIRED END OF JUNE. I BOUGHT MINI-S 08 USED IN FEBRUARY FROM A MINI DEALERSHIP IN WESTCHESTER, ELMSFORD, NY. I NOTICED A KNOCKING NOISE THAT TO ME DIDN'T SOUND NORMAL NOT TOO LONG AFTER I BOUGHT THE CAR. THE PEOPLE AT MINI TOLD ME IT WAS FROM SOMETHING ELSE, A LOOSE PIECE AND THAT THEY "FIXED THE PROBLEM." THIS NOISE ONLY BECAME WORSE, AND NOW THE CAR IS AT 45,000 MILES AND... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2012
THE OCCUPANCY SENSOR HAS FAILED. THIS CAUSES THE AIRBAGS TO BE UNARMED WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN USE. I HAVE CONTACTED MINI ABOUT THE PROBLEM. THEY COVERED THE REPAIR ON CERTAIN VEHICLES, BUT NOT MINE. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE, AND IT SHOULD BE COVERED ON ALL VEHICLES THAT IT HAS OCCURRED ON, REGARDLESS OF MILEAGE. THE REPAIR IS VERY EXPENSIVE, AND SHOULD BE COVERED. *TR
Incident date: Aug 1, 2012
THE OCCUPANCY SENSOR HAS FAILED. THIS CAUSES THE AIRBAGS TO BE UNARMED WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN USE. I HAVE CONTACTED MINI ABOUT THE PROBLEM. THEY COVERED THE REPAIR ON CERTAIN VEHICLES, BUT NOT MINE. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE, AND IT SHOULD BE COVERED ON ALL VEHICLES THAT IT HAS OCCURRED ON, REGARDLESS OF MILEAGE. THE REPAIR IS VERY EXPENSIVE, AND SHOULD BE COVERED. *TR
Incident date: Aug 5, 2012
POWER STEERING PUMP FAN GOT LOWER IN TONE, HARDER TO TURN BUT HASN'T FAILED YET. LOOKING UP THE ISSUE ON SEVERAL SITES, THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE WITH THIS PART FAILING. I CONTACTED THE LOCAL DEALER WHICH I ORIGINALLY BOUGHT IT FROM AND NO RECALLS WERE SHOWN FOR IT - FOR THE US. CANADA HOWEVER GOT A RECALL AND THEY ARE FIXING THE PROBLEM THERE FREE OF CHARGE. *TR
Incident date: Jun 18, 2011
I WAS YIELDING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN ON GREEN. THE CAR WAS IN NEUTRAL. IT WAS A RELATIVELY HOT DAY. WHEN I WENT TO GO I SHIFTED INTO GEAR AND IMMEDIATELY FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO TURN. AS I FURTHERED DOWN THE ROAD TO MY EVENT AND WAS USHERED INTO THE PARKING LOT BY TRAFFIC CONTROL, THE POWER STEERING DIMINISHED MORE AND MORE AS I DROVE ON. BY TIME I GOT TO A PARKING SPACE, I COULD JUST BARELY TURN... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2011
I WAS YIELDING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN ON GREEN. THE CAR WAS IN NEUTRAL. IT WAS A RELATIVELY HOT DAY. WHEN I WENT TO GO I SHIFTED INTO GEAR AND IMMEDIATELY FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO TURN. AS I FURTHERED DOWN THE ROAD TO MY EVENT AND WAS USHERED INTO THE PARKING LOT BY TRAFFIC CONTROL, THE POWER STEERING DIMINISHED MORE AND MORE AS I DROVE ON. BY TIME I GOT TO A PARKING SPACE, I COULD JUST BARELY TURN... Read more
Incident date: Aug 10, 2012
PURCHASED USED VEHICLE IN JUNE 2012. ON TODAYS DATE, UPON COLD START VEHICLE BEGAN MAKING KNOCKING NOISES AS IF LIFTERS WERE INVOLVED. AS CAR WARMED UP NOISE BECAME LESS APPARENT, BUT PROMPTED ME TO TAKE TO LOCAL MECHANIC. MECHANIC ADVISED THAT TIMING CHAIN NEEDS ADJUSTING/REPLACING AND NEEDS TO GO TO DEALER (AN HOUR TRAVEL). UPON PERUSING WEB INFO ON VEHICLE AND YEAR, THIS ISSUE APPEARS TO BE ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2012
RIGHT INSIDE DOOR RELEASE FAILED SO THAT PASSENGER COULD NOT OPEN DOOR FROM INSIDE. PASSENGER WOULD BE TRAPPED INSIDE VEHICLE IN AN EMERGENCY. MINI DEALER REPAIRED BY REPLACING ROTARY LATCH LOCK AT COST OF $447. *TR
Incident date: Jul 25, 2012
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MINI COPPER. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILED. THE CONTACT SHUT OFF THE VEHICLE AND UPON RESTARTING, THE POWER STEERING ASSIST HAD INDEPENDENTLY RESET. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER BUT THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO LOCATE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 111,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WA... Read more
Incident date: Jul 25, 2012
ON JULY 25TH, APROX 9:00PM. MY DAUGHTER (DRIVER) HAVE JUST ARRIVED FROM COLLEGE INTERNSHIP AND ARRIVED BOYFRIEND FAMILY HOME (12-15MI TRIP). UPON TURNING OFF THE ENGINE AND GETTING OUT OF THE CAR SHE SMELL BURNT AND SAW SPARKS AND FIRE THROUGH THE CAR FRONT GRILL. BOYFRIEND CAME AND OPEN THE HOOD AND NOTICED THE FIRE. THE BOYFRIEND'S FATHER CAME AND USED DRY CHEMICAL EXTINGUISHER TO PUT FIRE O... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jul 25, 2012
ON JULY 25TH, APROX 9:00PM. MY DAUGHTER (DRIVER) HAVE JUST ARRIVED FROM COLLEGE INTERNSHIP AND ARRIVED BOYFRIEND FAMILY HOME (12-15MI TRIP). UPON TURNING OFF THE ENGINE AND GETTING OUT OF THE CAR SHE SMELL BURNT AND SAW SPARKS AND FIRE THROUGH THE CAR FRONT GRILL. BOYFRIEND CAME AND OPEN THE HOOD AND NOTICED THE FIRE. THE BOYFRIEND'S FATHER CAME AND USED DRY CHEMICAL EXTINGUISHER TO PUT FIRE O... Read more
Fire
Incident date: May 1, 2012
WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE THE POWER STEERING STOPPED WORKING. THE STEERING BECAME VERY UNCOMFORTABLE AND THE FIRST EXIT WE APPROACHED WE STOPPED AND CHECKED FLUID LEVELS, EVERYTHING WAS FINE. RESTARTED THE CAR AND POWER STEERING WAS WORKING AGAIN AFTER A FEW MILES POWER STEERING STOPPED WORKING AGAIN. CAR IS MUCH HARDER TO STEER WHEN THE PUMP GOES OUT THAN IF EQUIPPED WITH MANUAL STEERING. V... Read more
Incident date: Jul 23, 2012
TIMING CHAIN AND TENSIONER FAILURE MENTIONED BY OTHERS ALSO OCCURRED IN MY CAR. FAILURE IN MY CASE WAS PROGRESSIVE: STARTED WITH ROUGH STARTS, NOISY IDLE (FROM CHAIN IMPACTING COVER!) PROGRESSED TO NON-EXISTENT ACCELERATION ABOVE 4000 RPMS (A SAFETY ISSUE ON THE HIGHWAY) . BROUGHT THE CAR TO MECHANIC AND WHILE HE WAS INVESTIGATING THE OBVIOUS AIR LEAK, CAR FAILED TO START. DEALER EVENTUALLY DISCOV... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2012
POWER STEERING FAILED WHEN PARKING THE CAR. *TR
Incident date: Jul 16, 2012
AFTER LEAVING THE HIGHWAY AND NEGOTIATING THE OFF RAMP, THE POWER STEERING SIMPLY STOPPED WORKING. THE STEERING BECAME EXTREMELY DIFFICULT SO I PULLED OVER, SHUT THE CAR OFF AND LIFTED HOOD TO INSPECT. THE WAS NO VISUAL INDICATION OF ISSUES AN FLUID LEVEL IS FINE. AFTER RESTARTING THE STEERING WORKED FINE AGAIN. SEVERAL DAYS LATER THE SAME SITUATION OCCURRED IN THE MIDDLE OF A CORNER, IT WAS ALL I... Read more
Incident date: Aug 5, 2012
DRIVING AT AROUND 40 MPH AND THE POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED. THE STEERING WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. *TR
Incident date: Aug 5, 2012
ENGINE IS RATTLING HORRIBLY. IN DOING SOME RESEARCH IT SOUNDS LIKE WHAT MOST ARE CALLING THE "RATTLE OF DEATH". THE TIMING CHAIN IS MAKING ENTIRELY TOO MUCH NOISE. AND CAR IS RUNNING POORLY. I CAN NOT AND WILL NOT DRIVE THIS CAR TILL IT IS REPAIRED! THIS IS A POTENTIAL CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. MINI COOPER KNOWS ABOUT THIS MAJOR ENGINEERING PROBLEM AND WILL NOT ISSUE A RECALL. REPAIR ESTIMATES ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 30, 2012
DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND THE STEERING GOT HARD. AFTER ALMOST WRECKING AND MAKING IT HOME , TURNED CAR OFF AND 10 MINUTES LATER IT WORKED AGAIN. *TR
Incident date: Apr 1, 2012
OUR 2004 MINI COOPER HAS BEGUN TO EXHIBIT INTERMITTENT POWER STEERING FAILURES USUALLY AFTER BEING AT REST OR AT VERY LOW SPEEDS. IF THE CAR IS TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED, THE POWER STEERING STARTS UP AGAIN BUT THE PROBLEM HAS BEGUN OCCURRING MORE AND MORE FREQUENTLY. *TR
MINI
COOPER CLUBMAN S
(2008) - ENGINE
Aug 2, 2012
Incident date: Jul 31, 2012
I OWN A 08 MINI COOPER CLUBMAN WITH 48,000 MILES AND THE WARRANTY JUST RAN OUT ON JUNE 2812: I TOOK IT IN FOR A REPAIR IN MAY AND NO ONE AT THIS DEALER MENTIONED THE TIMING BELT TENSIONER! I WAS DRIVING DOWN MY ROAD AND THANK GOD THE SPEED LIMIT WAS ONLY 35 WHEN SUDDENLY THE BELT JUMPED AND MY CAR LOST ITS ENGINE: TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL STATION AND THEY LOOKED INSIDE AND SAID SOMETHING CAME LOOSE FRO... Read more
MINI
COOPER COUNTRYMAN
(2012) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Aug 1, 2012
Incident date: Jul 28, 2012
MY MINI WAS STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT BEHIND A TOYOTA 4 RUNNER WHEN I WAS STRUCK FROM THE BACK BY A CARELESS DRIVER IN A MIDSIZE SEDAN WHO HAD FAILED TO SEE THE CARS IN FRONT OF HER STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT. THE DAMAGE DONE TO BOTH THE CAR THAT STRUCK MINE FROM BEHIND AS WELL AS THE DAMAGE DONE TO THE 4 RUNNER WERE MINIMAL BY COMPARISON. THE MINI INCURRED IRREPARABLE DAMAGE TO THE FRONT END OF THE ... Read more
Crash
Fire
MINI
COOPER COUNTRYMAN
(2012) - ENGINE
Aug 1, 2012
Incident date: Jul 28, 2012
MY MINI WAS STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT BEHIND A TOYOTA 4 RUNNER WHEN I WAS STRUCK FROM THE BACK BY A CARELESS DRIVER IN A MIDSIZE SEDAN WHO HAD FAILED TO SEE THE CARS IN FRONT OF HER STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT. THE DAMAGE DONE TO BOTH THE CAR THAT STRUCK MINE FROM BEHIND AS WELL AS THE DAMAGE DONE TO THE 4 RUNNER WERE MINIMAL BY COMPARISON. THE MINI INCURRED IRREPARABLE DAMAGE TO THE FRONT END OF THE ... Read more
Crash
Fire
MINI
COOPER COUNTRYMAN
(2012) - AIR BAGS
Aug 1, 2012
Incident date: Jul 28, 2012
MY MINI WAS STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT BEHIND A TOYOTA 4 RUNNER WHEN I WAS STRUCK FROM THE BACK BY A CARELESS DRIVER IN A MIDSIZE SEDAN WHO HAD FAILED TO SEE THE CARS IN FRONT OF HER STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT. THE DAMAGE DONE TO BOTH THE CAR THAT STRUCK MINE FROM BEHIND AS WELL AS THE DAMAGE DONE TO THE 4 RUNNER WERE MINIMAL BY COMPARISON. THE MINI INCURRED IRREPARABLE DAMAGE TO THE FRONT END OF THE ... Read more
Crash
Fire
Incident date: Jul 30, 2012
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT WAS TRAVELING 55 MPH WHEN GRAY SMOKE EMITTED FROM THE UNDER THE HOOD OF THE VEHICLE AS THE POWER STEERING FAILED. THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED DURING THE FAILURE AND THE VEHICLE OVER HEATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE HARMONIC DAMPER HAD DETACHED FROM THE ENGINE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jun 6, 2012
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ON TWO DIFFERENT OCCASIONS, TWO PASSENGERS SUSTAINED BURNS TO THEIR LEGS FROM THE EXHAUST PIPE WHILE PLACING AN ITEM IN THE TRUNK. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5,600 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 5,732.
2 injured
Incident date: Jul 28, 2012
MY CAR HAS BEEN MAKING A RATTLING SOUND FOR ABOUT 6 MONTHS. ALTHOUGH THE CAR HAS BEEN SERVICED TWICE DURING THAT TIME, NO TECHNICIAN OR MINI SERVICE DEPARTMENT REPRESENTATIVE SAID ANYTHING ABOUT THE RATTLE. WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY I NOTICED MY CAR BEGINNING TO RUN... FUNNY. NOT LONG AFTER, THE ENGINE POWER LIGHT CAME ON. APPROXIMATELY 10-15 MILES LATER, MY CAR STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RO... Read more
MINI
COOPER S CONVERTIBLE
(2005) - STEERING
Aug 1, 2012
Incident date: Jul 11, 2011
ELECTRIC POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED WHILE DRIVING, MAKING THE CAR UNDRIVEABLE. *TR
MINI
COOPER S CONVERTIBLE
(2005) - STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
Aug 1, 2012
Incident date: Jul 11, 2011
ELECTRIC POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED WHILE DRIVING, MAKING THE CAR UNDRIVEABLE. *TR
Incident date: Jul 27, 2012
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT WAS TRAVELING 20 MPH WHEN THE POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO DEALER FOR INSPECTION AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 66,000.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2010
THE TRANSMISSION IN MY 2003 MINI COOPER DIED AT 59,000 MILES. I HAD TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION, SAME AS NUMEROUS OTHER MINI COOPER OWNERS HAVE, AT A COST OF ABOUT $7,000. I WAS TOLD THAT THE CVT TRANSMISSION IN THE 2003 MINI COOPERS WERE DEFECTIVE AND NOTHING COULD BE DONE TO REPAIR IT. MINI COOPER HAS NOT RESPONDED TO THE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS BY ITS CONSUMERS AND HAS NOT OFFERED TO HELP PAY FOR T... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2010
THE TRANSMISSION IN MY 2003 MINI COOPER DIED AT 59,000 MILES. I HAD TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION, SAME AS NUMEROUS OTHER MINI COOPER OWNERS HAVE, AT A COST OF ABOUT $7,000. I WAS TOLD THAT THE CVT TRANSMISSION IN THE 2003 MINI COOPERS WERE DEFECTIVE AND NOTHING COULD BE DONE TO REPAIR IT. MINI COOPER HAS NOT RESPONDED TO THE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS BY ITS CONSUMERS AND HAS NOT OFFERED TO HELP PAY FOR T... Read more
MINI
COOPER S CONVERTIBLE
(2005) - STEERING
Jul 31, 2012
Incident date: Jul 26, 2011
POWER STEERING PUMP STARTED WORKING INTERMITTENTLY, THEN FAILED. CONTACTED LOCAL MINI DEALER (MIDWESTERN AUTO GROUP), WHO ADVISED THAT I BRING IT IN TO "CONFIRM" AT THE DIAGNOSTIC COST OF $140. WHEN I INQUIRED AS TO WHY I SHOULD PAY A DIAGNOSTIC FEE WHEN I HAD I IDENTIFIED THE PROBLEM, MAG SERVICE MANAGER STATED AT THAT TIME THAT A FULL/PARTIAL REPAIR BY MINI USA WAS "HIGHLY LIKELY" IF I ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 29, 2012
WAS STOPPED IN PARKING LOT, FIRE STARTED IN ENGINE BAY. POWER STEERING HAS BEEN INTERMITTENT FOR AWHILE. SHOP INDICATED THAT THE FAN FAILED AND CAUSED THE PUMP/WIRING TO COMPLETELY MELT. THIS ISSUE IS WIDELY KNOWN AND FOUND ON MINI COOPER FORUMS. *TR
Fire
Incident date: May 1, 2012
OUR 2006 MINI COOPER HATCHBACK'S PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG INDICATOR STAYS ON WITH OR WITHOUT A PASSENGER. SOMETIMES WITH A PASSENGER, IT WILL GO ON AND OFF SPORADICALLY. IF THE LIGHT IS ON WHEN THERE IS A PASSENGER IT WOULD BE LOGICAL TO ASSUME THAT THE AIRBAG WILL NOT DEPLOY. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET, IT WOULD APPEAR THAT THIS PROBLEM IS WIDE-SPREAD AND DANGEROUS. *TR
Incident date: Jan 16, 2012
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MINI COPPER. THE CONTACT WAS TRAVELING 35 MPH WHEN THE POWER STEERING FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 105,000.
Incident date: Jul 2, 2012
LOUD SUDDEN DIESEL LIKE RATTLE (COMMONLY KNOWN AS "THE DEATH RATTLE" BY IMPACTED MINI OWNERS) FROM ENGINE COMPARTMENT ON A METICULOUSLY WELL MAINTAINED 2008 MINI COOPER S TURBO. DIAGNOSED BY MECHANIC AS DEFECTIVE TIMING BELT TENSIONER AND IF LEFT UNATTENDED WOULD RESULT IN A CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE AND POSSIBLE SERIOUS INJURY. COST OF REPAIR IS $1,800. BMW/MINI IS WELL AWARE OF THIS COMMON AN... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2011
INTERMITTENT LOSS OF POWER STEERING. OCCURS WHETHER VEHICLE IS HOT OR COLD. CAN OCCUR AFTER VEHICLE HAS SAT OVERNIGHT. WILL START WORKING AGAIN AFTER SHUTTING DOWN AND RESTARTING THE VEHICLE. *JS
Incident date: Jul 29, 2012
AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON. SHUTTING OFF AND RESTARTING CAR, THE LIGHT WILL GO OUT BUT COMES BACK ON WITHIN SECONDS. THIS OCCURRED AFTER ADJUSTING PASSENGER SEAT. *JS
Incident date: Jul 9, 2012
THE TIME CHAIN JUMPED WHICH NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THIS SHOULDN'T HAPPEN WITH SUCH LOW MILES ON THE CAR. MINI REFUSED TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY. IT IS A VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR TO REPLACE THE TIMING CHAIN.. THE CAR BEGAN TO MAKE KNOCKING NOISE AND RUN ROUGH. COULDN'T DRIVE THE CAR AND HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO MINI COOPER SERVICE DEPT. *JS
Incident date: Aug 29, 2011
WHILE PROCEEDING DOWN A NORMAL DRY ROAD I MANUALLY SHIFTED THE TRANSMISSION (USING MANUAL MODE ON THE CVT AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION) FROM 3RD GEAR TO 4TH GEAR. THE SHIFT NORMALLY WOULD BE SMOOTH HOWEVER ON THIS OCCURRENCE THE ENGINE IDLED EXTREMELY HIGH AND THE GEAR KICKED IN AFTER A COUPLE OF SECONDS WITH A LOUD BANGING SOUND WHEN THE GEAR FINALLY TOOK HOLD. THE CAR BEHAVED ITSELF FOR A WHILE BUT TH... Read more
Incident date: Jul 27, 2012
MY 2004 MINI COOPER INTERMITTENTLY LOSES IT'S POWER STEERING AND IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL. THIS USUALLY HAPPENS WHEN THE ENGINE IS NOT YET WARMED BUT SOMETIMES HAPPENS RANDOMLY. IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN CONTROL WHEN TURNING AND TODAY I JUST MISSED A PEDESTRIAN TURNING A CORNER IN A CROWDED DOWNTOWN AREA. *TR
Incident date: Jun 5, 2012
2007 MINI COOPER. CONSUMER STATES PROBLEM WITH FUEL LINE *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED SHE NOTICED A VERY STRONG SMELL OF GAS INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THE NEXT DAY, THE SMELL WA WORSE. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO HER LOCAL MECHANIC TO SEE WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. ACCORDING TO THE MECHANIC, THE FUEL LINE HAD BEEN WORN THROUGH FROM IMPROPERLY INSTALLED HEATER HOSE CLAMPS, WHICH WAS AN ORIGINAL INSTALLATION FROM THE... Read more
Incident date: Jul 22, 2012
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT POWER STEERING FAILED. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO BE STARTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHO ADVISED THAT THE FAILURE CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, WHICH HAD BECOME INOPERABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 105,916 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 105,960... Read more