This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
I had several repairs recently that I found that were part of a recall after the fact. This includes the Electric Auxilillary Water Pump and Timing Chair replacement and repair of damaged parts. They refused to reimburse me for the water pump repair that should have been covered. Secondly, when the timing chain fails as it did in my case can cause $2000- $5000+ in damages. My shop is stating this would be a very expensive repair. There is information that the timing chain warranty was extended because of a class action lawsuit and is now covered up to 100,000 miles. I am well within that range. My goal is to get compensation for the recall work and coverage for the timing chain.
Exhaust vanos solenoid failure 06/12/2019. This is a common issue to MINIs and BMW's that occurs on a regular basis which interrupts the pollution control system. BMW who manufactures the part has extended the warranty for this part on BMW's to 10 years but has not yet addressed all the issues that MINIowners have had with the particular part. There are two in the engine and they are identical (intake/exhaust) cost to replace is over $500. Why does BMW get a replacement and MINIowners have to pay. The car goes into a limp mode when failure occurs, so still drivable but at reduced power. This is a common issue and prevalent in both MINIforums and BMW forums. The warranty should be extended for MINIowners part # 11-36-8-610-388. It is a defective design by the manufacturer.
Thermostat & housing plus water pump have been replaced. Car still runs temps in excess of 230 before fan will come on. I am fearful the engine may get on fire due to heat and therefore, I am not driving it. Took it to the dealer and they removed 2 relays, one of which controlled the engine fan. I replaced the relay.
The contact owns a 2011 MINICooper. While driving, a burning odor entered the vehicle through the air vents and the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the engine light sensor and the fuel pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed to ray catena MINIof westchester (located at 543 tarrytown rd, white plains, NY 10607, (914) 347-6464) where it was diagnosed that the intake boot and all the connectors for the turbo hoses melted. In addition, a leak was found in the oil hose. The vehicle was not repaired due to the repair fees. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 18V248000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was notified of the failures and provided case number: 11105312. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000.
I owned a 2011 MINICooper S ("MINIvehicle that caused a fire and injuries at our home. The fire was discovered while the MINIwas parked in our garage with the ignition off. The fire destroyed our residence, personal property and two vehicles, including the aforementioned MINIFire authorities determined that the fire originated in the MINIs engine compartment and a subsequent investigation yielded that the cause of the fire was an electrical failure to an electrical connection for the circuit board on the auxiliary water pump. The failure ignited nearby combustibles in the engine compartment. The failure was determined to be consistent with that described in NHTSA safety recall campaign 12V-008, which affected 88,911 BMW vehicles. It is unknown why our MINIwas not recalled and or included in that campaign. BMW manufactures minis, as well as other vehicles, and it has been the subject of several recent national media reports involving numerous "unexplained" vehicle fires for which they have not accepted responsibility or provided plausible explanations for. To date, BMW has failed to do either of the latter with regards to our fire. This complaint is being filed for the purpose of enabling the NHTSA to thoroughly investigate this matter in the interest of public safety and in support of its mission of saving lives and preventing additional injuries.
The contact owns a 2011 MINICooper S. the contact stated that the vehicle overheated while driving and the check engine indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer (ray catena MINIof westchester, 9543 tarrytown rd, white plains, NY 10607) where it was diagnosed that the water pump failed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified and did not assist. The failure mileage was 85,000.
The contact owns a 2011 MINICooper. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled intermittently. The check engine indicator illuminated before and after the failure. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 56,000. The VIN was not available.
The engine light kept coming on and the fan kept running even after car has been turned off. The gadge would read cold that hot. Took it to mechanic, the mechanic claimed it was a safety mechanism to keep car from over heating, had the car for 4 week and the car just shut off showing the same issue. The thermostat was not correct also. This was city in motion and stationary, once it cooled off it would start fine, but then just cut off, each time it stop I just had it towed which was 3 times rather than driving it, I just did not trust the vehicle
My MINIcooper was parked in my garage for over two weeks. On August 10, 2017 I moved it out of the garage to get to some things in my garage. When I backed it back in, I heard a pop and within minutes I saw smoke coming from the hood. When we were able to open the hood the engine was on fire. We had to call 911 and they told us we could not leave the car in the garage because of the fire incident. We had to figure out how to get the car into neutral so that we could move it out of the garage without starting the car. Once parked on the drive way, my car proceeded to smolder two more times. We disconnected the battery and finally all the smoking stopped. My car has been at the BMW momentum dealership since August 12, 2017 with no resolution on what caused the fire. According to MINIthey were sending a fire specialist to see my car which they said would take some time. My car was finally looked at the first week of October and as of this email, BMW has not informed me as to what caused the fire. This incident is very concerning to me. My three kids were upstairs doing homework when my car caught on fire. Had I not paid attention to the pop I heard and closed the garage door, the car would have been on fire in our attached garage with all of us in the house. This all took place about 8 pm as we were winding down for the day. The outcome of this could have been catastrophic for me and my family. I want resolution to this whole incident which as of today BMW has not given me any indication as to what caused the fire.
The contact owns a 2011 MINICooper S. while driving at any speed, the check engine and oil pressure warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer (South bay MINIin torrance, ca, 310-939-7150), but the technician was unable to duplicate the failure. The failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed a code from the spark plug. The technician also diagnosed that the valve cover was punctured and leaked oil; however, the technician was unable to determine how the failure occurred. The vehicle was taken to another independent mechanic who specialized in MINIvehicles and diagnosed that the timing tensioner exploded and punctured the valve cover. The timing chain tensioner was replaced. The manufacturer stated that there was no recall and referred the contact to the dealer (universal city MINIin North hollywood, ca, 8148-452-1139) and the fuel pump was replaced. The failure mileage was 130,000.
The contact owned a 2011 MINICooper S. the contact smelled a burning odor and noticed white smoke coming from the engine compartment while driving 45 mph. The contact exited the vehicle and it became engulfed in flames. The fire department was notified and extinguished the flames. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a salvage yard where it was deemed destroyed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
Half engine light come on during driving while change lane on the freeway, and going up hell. Not losing power turbo working fine. Dealer replace vacuum pump but not fix the problem. Half engine light come off when you drive from park while pressing the gas pedal increasing RPM to 15oo, on the freeway or up on the hell the half light come back on. Dealer can not diagnose the problem.
The contact owns a 2011 MINICooper S hard top. The contact stated that the vehicle caught fire while parked and unoccupied. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who stated that the fire originated at the turbo system due to a failed cooling system. The fire department was not present and a police report was not filed. The manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 12V008000 (engine and engine cooling). The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000.
Known issue with thermostat housing & sensor - MINIhas acknowledged a known design issue that causes coolant to leak onto the thermostat sensor. Full replacement is recommended with updated design at customer's cost. Manufacturer should cover this cost since this is an engineering design defect and may lead to potential electrical fires. Affected parts are the thermostat housing, thermostat, thermostat sensor, upper radiator hose & crossover tube. Please refer to manufacturer's communication post: 10049421, 10046779, & 10045301.
After coming home from a routine drive. I parked my car in the drive way. About 30 minutes later I smelt something burning and noticed my hood of my car smoking. I immediately ran outside and started housing of the bubbling hood with a garden hose. I managed to pop the hood and put out the fire which had cover most of the engine at that time.
Leaking thermostat replacement. The MINIdealership notified me after repairing the vehicle that nearly every MINIin this model year is coming in for a thermostat replacement. I was tipped off to this after questioning an adapter that was invoiced. MINIknows about this issue of defective thermostats but is avoiding a recall.
The contact owns a 2011 MINICooper S. while driving 70 mph, there was an abnormal noise coming from the front passenger side of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who diagnosed that the timing chain fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 47,000. Updated 06/15/16
There is a loud clanging coming from the motor, the engine lost oil, it is being towed to a mechanic - the diagnosis is a bad timing chain tensioner, the car has about 65,000 miles, there was a recall for 2008 - 2010 minis for this problem
Timing chain issue lead to oil leak in engine. 2008-2010 models have been recalled after a class action lawsuit was filed for the same issue. My model is one year outside the official BMW recall. I took my car in for routine maintenance. That's when the dealership informed me I couldn't drive my car without the repairs. The cost of the repair was nearly $2000 since I am also outside of my warrantee period. I have read that if this issue wasn't found, it could lead to engine failure either when idle or driving. I am lucky not to have sustained injuries or incur further costs. Other 2011 MINICooper drivers should be made aware since there has been no official warning from BMW. BMW should be held accountable.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Moreno Valley, CA, USA