2002 MINI Cooper Powertrain & Transmission Problems

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MINI COOPER. WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH OUT OF A PARKING LOT, THE VEHICLE MADE A LEFT TURN AND THE GEAR SHIFTER FAILED. IN ADDITION, THE GEAR SHIFTER CABLE DETACHED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE FAILURE RECURRED TWICE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 02V201000 (POWER TRAIN). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED ON THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR SERVICE AND STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS FAILING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. WHILE DRIVING HOME, THE TRANSMISSION SEIZED. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TOWED BACK TO THE DEALER, WHO DETERMINED THAT THE DRIVE SHIFT CABLE FAILED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 02V201000 (POWER TRAIN). HOWEVER, THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 136,000.

2002 MINI COOPER, MANUAL TRANSMISSION. LOW MILEAGE, ONLY 22,000 MILES ON IT. WHILE DRIVING IS CITY TRAFFIC, THE TRANSMISSION FAILED TO ENGAGE WHEN I SHIFTED INTO 1ST AND LIFTED THE CLUTCH TRYING TO START FROM A RED LIGHT. THERE WAS A SMALL "SPUTTER" AND THEN THE CAR COULD NOT BE DRIVEN. I WAS ABLE TO PUSH IT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND THOUGHT THAT THE CLUTCH WAS OUT. THE REPAIR SHOP FOUND OUT THAT THE ENTIRE MANUAL TRANSMISSION HAD DISINTEGRATED. IT HAD TORN ITSELF APART OVER THE YEARS. THE REPAIR SHOP SAID THAT HE WAS AWARE THAT THIS IS A COMMON FLAW WITH THE EARLY MINI COOPERS. THIS WAS A $2500 REPAIR. *TR

WHILE DRIVING MY MINI COOPER ON A MAJOR ROAD IN HEAVY TRAFFIC MY MINI COOPER EXPERIENCED A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER TO THE WHEELS (SUDDEN TRANSMISSION FAILURE). MY ONLY OPTION TO AVOID BEING REAR-ENDED WAS TO STEER THE CAR OFF THE ROAD ( WITH THE REMAINING FORWARD MOMENTUM INTO A FAST FOOD PARKING LOT IN ORDER TO AVOID BEING INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. DESCRIPTION OF FAILED COMPONENT/AFFECTED PART: MINI COOPER'S CVT TRANSMISSION HAVE A KNOWN HISTORY OF SUDDEN FAILURE AT 80K-120K. BMW THE MANUFACTURER OF THE MINI HAS KNOWN ABOUT THE DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION IN THEIR VEHICLE FOR YEARS, AND HAS NEVER INFORMED OWNERS OF THEIR VEHICLES OF THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM OR THE POTENTIAL RISK FOR ACCIDENTS, INJURY, OR DEATH THAT COULD RESULT FROM THE SUDDEN FAILURE OF THE MINI'S TRANSMISSION AND RESULTING TOTAL LOSS OF POWER. BMW HAS NEVER ISSUED A RECALL OR OFFER TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION UNDER THE VEHICLE WARRANTY. ADDITIONALLY, BMW HAS ISSUED SERVICE ADVISORIES TO THEIR SERVICE MANAGERS ABOUT THE PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THEIR MINI COOPER'S CVT TRANSMISSION, BUT AS MENTIONED HAS NOT COMMUNICATED THIS PROBLEM TO MINI OWNERS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STARTED THE IGNITION AND SHIFTED INTO REVERSE HOWEVER, THE GEAR SHIFTER FAILED TO MOVE OUT OF REVERSE AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO ADVISED THAT THE SHIFT CABLE WAS DETACHED FROM THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT LINKAGE. THERE WAS A RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH THE FAILURE UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 02V201000 (POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION:FLOOR SHIFT ASSEMBLY) HOWEVER, THE CONTACT'S VIN WAS INELIGIBLE FOR RECALL REPAIRS. THE PART WAS ORDERED AND THE VEHICLE WAS SCHEDULED FOR REPAIRS WHEN THE PART BECAME AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 148,200. ....UPDATED 12/20/12 *BF UPDATED 12/27/2012*JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MINI COOPER. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE ENGINE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE ELECTRONIC LEARNING MODULE AND THE PYRAMID WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SEVERAL COMPONENTS WERE REPLACED DUE TO MANUFACTURER DEFECTS. THE GEAR LEVER, TRANSMISSION, BRAKE PEDAL, MOTOR, CLUTCH, FRONT AND REAR AXLES, AND THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL POSITION SENSOR WERE ALL REPLACED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 118,457.

BOUGHT THIS CAR IN 2008 AND HAVE HAD VERY FEW ISSUES. THIS MONTH (NOVEMBER 2011) THE CVT (AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION) WENT OUT. ONLY REPAIR APPARENTLY IS "REPLACEMENT" - RECEIVING QUOTES BETWEEN 7K AND 9K FROM THE DEALER AND AAMCO. NOW FINDING OUT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH ALL MINI COOPER CVT'S. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. REPAIR COST NOW EXCEEDS CAR'S VALUE. WON'T DO IT. FOOL ME ONCE... SHAME ON YOU. *TR

I WAS DRIVING FROM EAST LOS ANGELES TO WEST LOS ANGELES (PLAYA DEL RAY) ON THE 105 WEST HGWY WHEN THE CARS TRANSMISSION WENT OUT. THIS HAPPENED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FREEWAY IN LA DURING RUSH HOUR. I HAD TO SLOWLY MOVE OVER TO THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY UNTIL I COULD FIND AN AREA WITH A SHOULDER. I BARELY MADE IT TO THE SHOULDER AND COULD HAVE DIED FROM ONE OF THE CARS SPEEDING PAST ME. LUCKILY I MADE IT. I CALLED AAA AND THEY BROUGHT A TOW TRUCK WHICH TOWED THE CAR INTO A SHOP WHICH STATED THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO REBUILD THE TRANSMISSION. THEY SAID I WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THE WHOLE THING WHICH WOULD COST $7,000 MINIMUM. I CALLED MULTIPLE OTHER DEALERS AND SHOPS, WHOM ALL GAVE THE SAME ESTIMATE. I DONATED IT TO MY LOCAL NPR STATION BECAUSE I DID NOT WANT TO PAY THAT AMOUNT OF MONEY TO REPLACE A FAULTY TRANSMISSION, WITH ANOTHER FAULTY TRANSMISSION. *TR

JUST DRIVING ALONG AND CAR BEGAN TO SPUTTER, AND THEN TRANSMISSION LET GO. ENGINE REVVED, BUT THE GEARS WERE GONE. NO FORWARD OR REVERSE. NOTHING. *TR

SUDDEN FAILURE OF THE MANUAL 5 SPEED TRANSMISSION CAUSING CAR TO COME TO A SUDDEN STOP IN AN INTERSECTION, ENDANGERING THE DRIVER AND BLOCKING TRAFFIC. SOMETHING INTERNAL FAILS IN THE TRANSMISSION, CAR COMES TO T SUDDEN STOP, CANT BE PUSHED AS THE WHEELS LOCK UP AND MUST BE TOWED FROM THE ROAD. APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM ON MESSAGE BOARDS ON THE WEB. TRANSMISSION MUST BE REPLACED. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MINI COOPER. THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH. THERE WERE NO WARNINGS PRIOR TO THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE. THE CONTACT FEELS THAT THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE A CRASH COULD HAVE OCCURRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 63,000.

TRANSMISSION WHINING NOISE EVENTUALLY LEADING TO TRANSMISSION FAILURE. MINI IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM WITH CVT TRANSMISSIONS AND REFUSES TO ADMIT FAULT. VERY COMMON PROBLEM OCCURRING IN MOST 2002 VEHICLES WITH ONLY 40,000-60,000 MILES ON THEM. COST IS 7000 TO REPLACE. MINI DOES NOT OFFER REPAIR ON THIS PART. *TR

PURCHASED A USED 2002 MINI COOPER ABOUT 3 1/2 YRS AGO W/ ABOUT 12K MILES. AT AROUND 15-17K MILES THE TRANSMISSION BASICALLY EXPLODED WHILE I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY. I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS A CRACK IN THE TRANSMISSION. MINI REPLACED IT WITH I'M GUESSING A REBUILT TRANSMISSION. AT THE TIME OF THE REPAIR I ASKED THEM IF THEY WERE PUTTING IN A NEW CLUTCH AND THEY SAID NO, WHICH I FOUND STRANGE. NOW AT 60K MILES THE CLUTCH IS BASICALLY DONE. WHEN THE CAR IS COLD IT SHIFTS PRETTY NORMALLY, BUT AFTER 15-25 MINUTES OF DRIVING THE FIRST TWO GEARS BECOME HARD TO ENGAGE AND THEY SLIP. THIS IS NOT MY FIRST FIVE SPEED AND I'M SHOCKED THAT THIS CLUTCH IS DONE AFTER SUCH LITTLE MILEAGE. SHOULD THEY HAVE REPLACED THE CLUTCH WHEN THEY REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION? I'M NOT A MECHANIC BUT TO LOSE A CLUTCH AT 60K MILES DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE. MY DRIVING HABITS ARE PRETTY NORMAL. I'M NOT LIGHTING UP THE TIRES AT TRAFFIC LIGHTS OR RACING PEOPLE. THIS IS AN EVERYDAY CAR MOSTLY USED ON THE HIGHWAY. I'M BRINGING THE CAR IN TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT THE MINI SERVICE CENTER IN FREEPORT NY ON 12/29/08. ALSO HAD A PROBLEM WITH OVERHEATING ABOUT 4 MONTHS AFTER CAR WAS PURCHASED. AND AIR BAG LIGHT STAYS LIT. HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM CORRECTED ONCE OR TWICE. BUT THE LIGHT STILL STAYS LIT. *TR

TRANSMISSION BEARINGS FAILURE AFTER 82,000 MILES. NO BEARINGS KIT REPLACEMENT OFFERED. *TR

THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION OF MY 2002 MINI COOPER FAILED WHILE MY FRIEND WAS DRIVING MY CAR. SHE WAS ON A WINDING COASTAL ROAD AND THE CAR DIED ON A BLIND CURVE, PUTTING HER AT GREAT DANGER. FORTUNATELY NOBODY WAS HURT. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE SAN FRANCISCO BMW DEALERSHIP, WHERE I WAS INFORMED I NEEDED A $8500 "REFURBISHED" TRANSMISSION, AS THE TRANSMISSION IS NOT EVEN MADE ANYMORE. RESEARCH ON LINE SHOWS THAT THIS BECOMING A FREQUENT PROBLEM WITH "FIRST GENERATION" MINIS WITH THE "CVT" AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. I DECLINED THE REPAIR AND SOLD THEM THE CARCASS OF MY CAR. THIS IS A DANGEROUS PROBLEM AND BMW/MINI IS NOT ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY. *TR

TRANSMISSION BLEW AT 34 THOUSAND MILES. *TR

THE WARRANTY ON MY 2002 MINI COOPER RAN OUT AT 50K MILES. AT 53K MILES THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED WITH A REBUILT TRANSMISSION FROM MINI. THE TOTAL COST OF THE REPAIR WAS $4,200. I HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH MANY OTHER PEOPLE WHO ARE SUFFERING THE SAME FATE BECAUSE MINI WILL NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR FAULTY TRANSMISSIONS. *TR

CVT TRANSMISSION FAILED AFTER 32,000 MILES, NEEDING COSTLY REPLACEMENT. *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY 2002 MINI ON THE FREEWAY AT 65 MPH AND I FELT A SUDDEN JOLTING AND SENSED A BACKWARD FORCE IMPEDING IT FROM GOING FORWARD. LUCKILY, IT WAS NIGHT TIME AND THERE WEREN'T MANY CARS, BECAUSE MY MINI STOPPED GOING FORWARD AND WAS MERELY RUNNING ON MOMENTUM. THE CAR GOT WORSE AND STARTED MAKING A LOUD CLUNKING SOUND FROM WHERE THE TRANSMISSION SITS AND THE CAR CONTINUED JOLTING NOT GOING FORWARD AS I BARELY HAD ENOUGH MOMENTUM TO PULL TO THE SHOULDER. AFTER TURNING OFF THE ENGINE AND CHECKING THAT EVERYTHING WAS FINE BY APPEARANCE (NO OIL LEAK, NO BLOWN GASKET, ETC), I RESTARTED THE CAR FINE, BUT THE CAR NEVER AGAIN ENGAGED INTO GEAR UNTIL I SPENT A WHOPPING $7,000 TO FIX IT. I WOULD SHIFT INTO D AND THE ENGINE WOULD REV, BUT THE CAR STAYED INERT. THE TRANSMISSION IS A CLOSED SYSTEM AND WHEN NO HARM IS DONE TO IT AND NO FLUID IS NOT LEAKING, TRANSMISSIONS SHOULDN'T POSE ANY PROBLEMS AT CONSIDERABLY LOW MILES (99K). I STARTED RESEARCHING ON THE POSSIBLE PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION AND SURE ENOUGH, THERE WAS A LONG LIST OF COMPLAINTS ON THE FAULTY DESIGN. NEXT, I HAD TO SHOP FOR MECHANICS. ALL THE EXPERIENCED MINI MECHANICS TOLD ME THAT BMW OFFERED NO REPLACEMENT PARTS BECAUSE OF A PATENT THE INVENTOR HAD ON THE CVT DESIGN. I HAD TO HAVE THE WHOLE TRANSMISSION REPLACED BECAUSE THERE WERE NO OPTIONS BMW LEFT FOR THE CONSUMER. IT WAS EITHER YOU PAY $7,000 OR YOUR MINI WILL BE SCRAPPED AND NEVER RUN AGAIN. MY MECHANIC WAS NICE ENOUGH TO CHOP OPEN THE TRANSMISSION AND SAW THAT IT WAS JUST A METAL BELT THAT DRIVES THE TRANSMISSION THAT WAS BROKEN. A SIMPLE BELT THAT PROBABLY COSTS NO MORE THAN $200 COULD HAVE BEEN REPLACED AND A WHOLE LOT OF CONSUMER MONEY COULD HAVE BEEN SAVED IF THE PART WAS AVAILABLE TO THE US- NOT TO MENTION THE WHOLE ORDEAL WOULDN'T BE THERE IF BMW HAD DESIGNED A RELIABLE TRANSMISSION IN THE FIRST PLACE, (IE USE A REGULAR AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION INSTEAD OF A CVT WHEN THE CVT HAS NOT BE FULLY TESTED FOR ITS RELIABILITY). *TR

MY AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILED ON MY 2002 MINI COOPER RENDERING THE CAR WILL NOT START. THE DEALERSHIP WANTS $6000+ TO FIX THE TRANSMISSION. I HAD A SIMILAR ISSUE ABOUT 3 MONTHS AGO AND THEY JUST RESET THE CODE AND IT WORKED FINE. THEY SAID IF THEY TRIED RESETTING THE CODE AGAIN, THE CAR MAY JUST DIE ON ME WHILE DRIVING. *TR