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.
For the past year, all external light wiring has melted. First instance 5/24/18 both license plate bulbs shorted, second instance 10/26/18 drivers side headlight bulb connector inside light melted, third instance 5/21/19 passenger side headlight bulb wiring harness melted, fourth instance and current 5/30/19 right taillight bulb wiring melted.
Youtube link: Https://www.youtube.com/watch?V=qwxhfeksz0W MINICooper S roadster 6 speed manual while driving smelled odor of rubber burning, then about 10 seconds later saw smoke coming from the defroster vents and then some sort of warning light came on and I immediately turned off the engine and coasted to a stop believing the engine had overheated. I got out of the car and the smoke got worse and when the plastic in the dashboard had melted away I saw flames and called 911. This all happened in less than 2 minutes from the start to calling 911. The engine was not damaged and this was from the wiring I believe. I purchased the car new on May 28, 2014. The car was totaled.
The contact owns a 2014 MINICooper. While driving at a low speed, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. A "vehicle not in park, please put in park and restart" message was displayed across the message board. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The technician diagnosed that the software needed to be updated. The vehicle was repaired. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 7,000.
There was no one sitting in the front passenger seat, but my ipod was on the seat. A "fasten seat belt" warning went off while I was driving at highway speeds. I had been driving for over 30 minutes when this happened. While driving, I removed the ipod from the seat, but the warning did not stop. Because it was not immediately possible to pull over, I had to ignore safety lights and chimes until I could pull over. Although this false warning has happened several times with light objects in the passenger seat, it does not happen consistently. The dealer insists the car is functioning properly, and suggested I leave the passenger seat belt fastened. I think this behavior is a safety concern because (1) it is a source of unpredictable driver distraction; (2) it encourages drivers to defeat a safety warning by leaving the passenger seat belt fastened; and (3) if the seat sensor can't distinguish between an ipod and a person, how can it give the proper readings to the air bag system in the event of a crash.
On two occasions (7/19/14 and 7/29/14), the engine cut-off, putting the car in "accessory mode." On both occasions, I was driving on a flat road, at low speed. There was no ability to drive the vehicle without completely stopping, putting the car in park, and restarting the car. As a result of being in accessory mode, I had no power steering and was only able to glide over to the side of the road. A message appeared on the car's screen: "transmission not in park, vehicle may roll." I purchased this vehicle 3 months ago. I am very concerned, and I don't feel safe driving this car. If this were to happen on a highway, there would certainly be a serious accident, as I would not be able to get the car to the shoulder. As evidenced in the GM ignition switch cases, when a car is switched into accessory mode while driving, the airbags are deactivated as well. Should this happen on a busy roadway/highway, and there is an accident, there is the potential that it could be fatal.
- Bronx, NY, USA
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On two occasions when driving, the auto start and stop function shut the engine off, where I had to put the car in park & restart it. Happened once on a flat surface and once on a downhill slop at a stop. Also, I've only had the car one month and the drivetrain light came and the MINIservice repair says it was fault #20A503 with the water pump. Please advise!
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- Surprise, AZ, USA