2006 MINI Cooper Complaint Log

I SUBMITTED A COMPLAINT TODAY BUT WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE MANUFACTURER IS NOT CONTACTED WITH MY INFORMATION. THANK YOU. *JB

AFTER A RIDE IN MY 2006 MINI COOPER, I REACHED INTO THE BACK (HATCHBACK) TO GET OUT MY BAG AND BURNED MY LEG ON THE EXHAUST PIPE. BMW/MINI SAID THAT EVERYTHING IS TO SPEC, BUT I THINK IT IS A BAD DESIGN THAT IT STICKS OUT JUST A LITTLE FURTHER THAN THE BUMPER AND SHOULD BE CORRECTED. I WILL HAVE A SCAR ON THE OUTSIDE OF MY LEG DUE TO THIS DESIGN. *JB

I STARTED LEASING MY MINI COOPER IN 11/2005. I HAD LEASED CARS WITH MITSUBUSHI PRIOR TO THIS FOR 8 YEARS WITH NO PROBLEMS. RECENTLY, I WAS COMING HOME FROM THE AIRPORT IN MY MINI COOPER. IT STARTED TO "CLUNK", SEIZED, I PULLED OVER - THEN BLACK AND GREEN FLUID STARTED POURING OUT OF THE FRONT OF THE CAR. THE ROADSIDE SERVICE SENT A TOW TRUCK TO PICK ME UP. I SAT IN 95 DEGREE HEAT ON I-95 FOR 1 HOUR AND 45 MINUTES WAITING FOR THE TRUCK. THE TRUCK CAME AND WE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE CLOSEST BMW DEALER - THE DEALER I LEASED FROM - PRINCETON BMW. THEY LOOKED AT THE CAR AND TOLD ME THAT IT WOULD NOT BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY - EVEN THOUGH THE CAR WAS ONLY 8 1/2 MONTHS OLD AND HAD 6,300 MILES ON IT. THEY TOLD ME THAT THE REASON WAS THAT THE CAR HAD GONE THROUGH WATER AND THIS WAS NOT COVERED. 2 WEEKS PRIOR TO THIS EVENT, I WENT THROUGH WATER ON A REGULAR STREET IN MY AREA, THE CAR STOPPED, I STARTED IT UP AND WENT ON MY WAY. I THEN PROCEEDED TO DRIVE THE CAR DOWN THE SHORE, TO WORK, ETC WITH NO PROBLEMS, NO ENGINE LIGHT OR WARNING SIGNS. ON JULY 9, I DROVE TO THE AIRPORT, PARKED THE CAR, AND WENT ON A BUSINESS TRIP. ON JULY 11TH THE INCIDENT ON 95 OCCURRED. I HAVE NEVER HAD A CAR THAT WAS NOT ABLE TO GO THROUGH WATER ON A STREET. *JB

I WAS DRIVING MY BRAND NEW MINI COOPER S, HOME FROM THE DEALERSHIP ON THE INTERSTATE, I WAS CUT OFF BY A SPEEDING CAR WHEN I WAS TRYING TO CHANGE LANES. I BEGAN TO BRAKE AND TRIED TO GO BACK IN MY LANE (I DID NOT OVER-CORRECT), AND MY CAR BEGAN FISH TAILING WILDLY AND PULLING TO THE RIGHT. I COULD NOT CONTROL MY CAR FROM PULLING TO THE RIGHT, AND MY BRAKES WERE NOT WORKING AT ALL. I FOUGHT THE CAR, BUT I INEVITABLY WAS FORCED ACROSS THE INTERSTATE AT 65 MPH INTO A TREE, AND SLID UNDER A FENCE. I WAS NOT SERIOUSLY INJURED, BUT I WAS BRUISED AND VERY VERY UPSET. I CRIED FOR A WEEK, AND EVEN AFTER THAT I WAS SO DEPRESSED I DID NOTHING FOR A LONG TIME. HAD THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED A FEW MILES UP THE ROAD, I WOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED BY BEING THROWN OFF A CLIFF. MY INSURANCE COMPANY HAS HAD SEVERAL PEOPLE LOOK AT THE CAR. THE FRONT PASSENGER BRAKE WAS DEEMED FAULTY. MY INSURANCE COMPANY DEEMED IT AN "UNEXPECTED SEPARATION OF THE RIGHT FRONT ROTOR". FROM THEIR OWN DOCUMENTS " NON-DESTRUCTIVE HARDNESS TESTS ON BOTH FRONT ROTORS SHOWED AN ABNORMAL VARIANCE ON THE RIGHT FRONT ROTOR MATERIAL." ALLSTATE HAS REPEATEDLY TRIED TO GET BMW TO REIMBURSE THEM, AND US FOR THE AMOUNTS OF MONEY WE ARE OUT. BMW CONSISTENTLY CLAIMS THAT THE DAMAGE IS IMPACT RELATED, EVEN THOUGH THE VEHICLE WAS NOT IMPACTED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE, WHERE THE FAULTY BRAKE WAS DISCOVERED. THEY HAVE HOWEVER ASKED TO HAVE THE ROTOR SENT TO GERMANY FOR ANALYSIS, WHICH ALLSTATE WILL NOT DO. NO REPAIR HAS BEEN DONE TO THE CAR, IT WAS TOTALED OUT. ALLSTATE IS GOING TO HAVE TO SUE TO GET THE MONEY THEY ARE OUT, AND WE ARE OUT. BMW REFUSES TO HONOR THEIR WARRANTY IN ANY WAY, AND HAS ONLY OFFERED US A $1000 REBATE IN RETURN, WHICH IS LESS MONEY THAN WE ARE CURRENTLY OUT. THE CAR WAS BRAND NEW, WE HAD ONLY HAD IT FOR 3 HOURS, AND IT NEVER MADE IT HOME. BMW HAS BEEN NEGLIGENT ON IT'S REFUSAL TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY. *JB

DEAR OFFICER, I WOULD LIKE TO COMPLIANT ABOUT A DEFECTIVE 2006 MINI COOPER WINDSHIELD PROBLEM. I HAVE A BRAND NEW 2006 MINI COOPER FOR ABOUT 4 MONTHS, BUT THERE WAS A COUPLE OF LINE CRACKS ON THE WINDSHIELD ALREADY. THE PROBLEM IS NOT EVEN CAUSED BY A ROCK CHIP AND I THINK IT IS A "STRESS" CRACK THAT MANY MANY MINI COOPER BUYERS HAS EXPERIENCED. I TOOK THAT TO THE DEALER AND ASKED THEM IF IT IS UNDER WARRANTY AND THEY DENIED IT WAS CAUSED BY STRESS CRACKS AND REFUSED TO FIX IT. THIS IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE AND I THINK IT SHOULD BE UNDER INVESTIGATION. PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AT THE PROBLEM AND HOPEFULLY IT WILL GET BMW/MINI COOPER ATTENTION TO FIX THE PROBLEM OR AT LEAST TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. *JB

MINI COOPER, MINI COOPER S AND CONVERTIBLES, DATING 2002-2006. GLASS PITS AND CRACKS EASILY. EACH TIME THIS HAPPENS, MINI IS NOT CLAIMING THE GLASS HAS A PROBLEM AND YOU MUST REPLACE AT YOUR OWN COST OR THROUGH YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY. HAVE HAD 2 CARS, AND NUMEROUS FRIENDS WITH THESE CARS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. *NM

DURING A SERVICE CALL ON OUR 2006 MINI COOPER, WE WERE INFORMED THAT BOTH FRONT STRUT MOUNTS WERE BENT AND DAMAGED. THESE ARE NOT COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY AND IN ONE CASE HAS ALREADY BEEN REPLACED ONCE AT 20000+ MILES AFTER HITTING A BAD POTHOLE. THE CAR NOW HAS 34000 MILES AND HAD TO HAVE BOTH MOUNTS REPLACED. APPARENTLY THERE IS A DESIGN DEFECT THAT MINI/BMW IS NOT WILLING TO CORRECT ALTHOUGH THERE ARE AFTERMARKET REINFORCEMENTS AVAILABLE. A FURTHER SEARCH OF THE INTERNET REVEALS THAT A LOT OF MINI & BMW OWNERS ARE HAVING THIS ISSUE, IN PARTICULAR THOSE WITH RUN-FLAT TIRES INSTALLED. *TR

WINDSHIELD CRACK APPEARED OVER NIGHT. *NM

I HAVE HAD A SECOND STRESS FRACTURE IN MY FRONT WINDSHIELD IN THE PAST 6 MONTHS AND MINI USA DOES NOT WANT TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. THEY KNOW THAT THEY HAVE A PROBLEM WITH STRESS FRACTURES, BUT WILL NOT FESS UP TO IT. THEY ARE STATING THAT THERE IS A PINHEAD SIZED CHIP IN THE WINDSHIELD, BUT SINCE WHEN WILL A PINHEAD SIZED CHIP CREATE A FOOT LONG FRACTURE IN MY WINDSHIELD. *AK

BRAND NEW MINI COOPER CONVERTIBLE (1 WEEK OLD). I WAS DRIVING ON A FREEWAY IN THE LEFT MOST LANE. WHILE I WAS CHECKING THE POSSIBILITY TO CHANGE TO THE RIGHT LANE, THE FREEWAY CURVED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. THE CAR ENTERED SLIGHTLY INTO THE SHOULDER LANE ON THE LEFT. THE SPEED WAS 65 MPH. THE MOMENT PART OF THE CAR ENTERED THE SHOULDER LANE, IT LOST CONTROL AND HIT THE SHOULDER. AS A RESULT, THE CAR FLIPPED OVER AND DRAGGED FOR ABOUT 5 SECONDS BEFORE COMING TO A STOP. AS A RESULT OF THIS CRASH, I INCURRED SEVERE EYE INJURY AND SIGNIFICANT HEAD INJURY IN ADDITION TO ROAD RASHES ON HEAD, HANDS AND FACE. THE CAR WAS TOTALED. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MINI COOPER MODEL S. THREE DAYS AFTER PURCHASE AT 130 MILES THE VEHICLE STALLED AND OPERATED AT A REDUCED SPEED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE. ALTHOUGH THE VEHICLE DID NOT STALL OUT COMPLETELY, THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER REPROGRAMMED THE COMPUTER SOFTWARE. AFTERWARDS, THE CONTACT WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE WITH BRAKE PRESSURE APPLIED, THE ENGINE ROARED AND THE VEHICLE LURCHED FORWARD AND STRUCK A TREE. THE POLICE WERE ON THE SCENE AND A REPORT WAS TAKEN. THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE, BUT NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER. THE DEALER PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC TEST AND WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT SUGGESTED REPLACING THE ENGINE. *AK UPDATED 3/3/2006 - *NM

Blindsided Drive side impact car ignited I was cut from my car suffering emence Injuries due to the malfunction of the airbags . No air bags deployed.

BUZZING NOISE ONCE CAR HITS 90 MILES PER HOUR**CC *JB