10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 6
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
39,176 miles

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #14

Oct 192019

Cooper

  • 120,000 miles
Hello, yesterday afternoon I started my 2009 MINICooper and noted that my gauges suddenly failed. The tach dropped to zero. Suddenly I received a tire pressure warning light. I decided I would move the car to a more favorable location to look under the hood. As I placed the car in reverse I noted that my power steering had failed. I stopped the car immediately and popped the hood. I immediately noticed the smell of burning electrical equipment. I ran down to the basement to grab a wrench to disconnect the battery. When I returned I could hear pops and cracks and noted char on the hood interior. Though the keys were out I continued to hear pops and cracks and felt heat accumulating. I finally got the battery disconnected and the popping stopped. After some investigation I found that the wiring near the power steering module was completely burnt out. The car drove fine the day prior. My wife is 38 weeks pregnant and I am shaken by the idea that this could have happened while she was driving the day before.

- Seattle, WA, USA

problem #13

Jul 152019

Cooper

  • 55,000 miles
My car I bought as a pre-own and the owner before E had leaks as well. These leaks caused electrical damage on the circuit boards that made the circuit board shoulder and heat up so hot it almost went on fire. Also the tires were the wrong size and sales person would not admit fault so I had to pay to replace them all. I was driving when I felt the car lose control on the highway and streets, then I was driving when car overheated. I paid to fix leaks more than $7000 and still leaking. Now another light bulb is out my back break light so I cannot drive it because that is unsafe to others driving behind me.

- Flushing, NY, USA

problem #12

Jul 152019

Cooper

  • 20,000 miles
Electrical failure since day one bought car as a pre-own. Prior owner history same issues as me. My car almost went on fire, poor performance, leaks and leaks with no reload from $6,000+ repairs. Still leaking. Suspected water damage causing electrical or just faulty electrical. Bulbs go out when car not even driven, canopy broke at service dept and they won't repair free of charge. Battery did not work and issues with key fob recognition.

- Flushing, NY, USA

problem #11

Oct 032018

Cooper

  • 128,500 miles
Light is coming on and transmission shifts smoothly but when you decelerate it bucks down. It happens anywhere on the roads when driving and you decelerate. The light that indicates issue with transmission, in the book it says I won't be able to shift out of park but there is no issue shifting out of park, so not sure if it is considered electrical or if it is powertrain

- Taunton, MA, USA

problem #10

May 292018

Cooper

  • 55,000 miles
My 2009 MINICooper S made rattle noise and the whole timing chain got replaced plus the thermostat house and water pump! the engine light still keeps on after trouble-shooting by my mechanics, which might be the computer issue which has to be figured out soon! the timing chain issue should be under fully-covered by manufacturer since too many MINIcooper owner have the same problem and paid thousand of dollars to fix it! my MINIis only about 55K miles and already has timing chain issue!

- New Haven, CT, USA

problem #9

Nov 232016

Cooper

  • 65,000 miles
We parked the car and 3 hours later is was on fire. It seems to have emanated from the power steering pump area but cannot tell with all the fire damage. The car is most likely a total loss.

- Oregon City, OR, USA

problem #8

Jun 112015

Cooper

  • 43,000 miles
Passenger side airbag light on. Has been on for months

- Lake Worth, FL, USA

problem #7

Mar 022012

Cooper

  • 40,000 miles
I purchased a 2009 MINICooper with 16,000 miles in December 2011 through a dealership. In the spring of 2012 the car sat in my driveway overnight. The next morning both windows were completely down. It had rained 5 inches during the night and the pie was an aquarium. I had just had an oil change at a MINIdealership so I called the dealership and was told I had to have it towed to them. The dealer refused to take responsibility for the water damage. The computer was replaced and paid for through a claim on my insurance policy. I told my insurance company to not pay the claim because there was a malfunction of the car. After the computer was replaced the windows again lowered on their own Accord but this time they only went down half way. The dealer then said they reinitialized the computer. Since then the car has randomly stalled while driving in houston, merging onto the freeways, while driving in stop and go traffic and while driving at slow speeds. I took the car to another MINIdealer in houston and they kept the car but claimed it never stalled when they drove it. The car continued to stall randomly. Each time the car stalled I took it to the dealer and after numerous times of being told there were no codes shown by reading the fob I quit taking the car to them. The car continued to randomly stall. In March 2014 the car stalled in 4:00pm traffic while I topped an overpass on a Friday. After a wrecker towed the car to a mechanic the diagnosis is a blown head gasket. I have not gotten a second opinion and have not had it fixed yet. This MINICooper truly has serious problems and is a hazard to be on the road. I no longer drive the MINIwill never drive another MINIand I no longer have to say a prayer before I get in my car. I hope the NHTSA can provide some assistance with this situation.

- Texas City, TX, USA

problem #6

Mar 012011

Cooper 4-cyl

  • 21,300 miles
The contact owns a 2009 MINICooper. The contact stated that after installing a gps system in the vehicle he became aware that the vehicle speedometer was given the incorrect reading. The contact mentioned that the gps read 51mph and the vehicle speedometer read 60 mph, but vehicle was going slower. The dealer stated that they were not providing any assistance given that the vehicle speedometer was in tolerance since the margin of error allowed was ten percent. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 21,300 and the current mileage was 22,000. Updated 11/29/12 updated 12/4/2012

- Lake Elsinore , CA, USA

problem #5

Jul 252012

Cooper 4-cyl

  • 34,000 miles
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 out. Report was made to MINICooper. I came later and notice several wires burnt. The car was towed (7/25, 7/26 early morning) and is today (8/7/2012) at montgomery county MINICooper rockville, md, awaiting inspection by BMW engineering. The car still pending repair. I took pictures last Saturday (8/4). These pictures are available upon request.

- Olney, MD, USA

problem #4

Nov 172011

Cooper 4-cyl

  • 18,794 miles
I stopped at a grocery store on the way home from work at approx. 6:30 pm on 11/17/11. I parked the car, turned off the ignition and locked it. When I exited the store approximately 13-15 minutes later, I found the car a smoldering shell surrounded by firefighters. It appeared to have spontaneously gone up in flames. Firefighters could not determine a cause. There was no indication of any problems with the car prior to this incident (car performed "normally" and there were no alarm or flash indicators on the console suggesting a problem.)

- Hermosa Beach, CA, USA

problem #3

Feb 012009

Cooper

  • 200 miles
The contact owns a 2009 MINICooper. While driving approximately 62 mph, the contact noticed the speedometer was displaying a reading of 70 mph. An authorized dealer was notified and the contact was informed the speedometers all of the vehicles were 10% off and there was no remedy. The failure mileage was 200 and the current mileage was approximately 21,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Pickett, WI, USA

problem #2

Aug 202010

Cooper

  • 21,700 miles
I have a MINICooper 2009 which today marks a year of purchase, for about seven months has been leading the warranty service due to faulty electrical system, air bag passenger and the car turns off while using. Unfortunately to get the car to service never can diagnose the fault.

- Toa Alta, PR, USA

problem #1

Jun 052010

Cooper

  • 20,000 miles
2009 MINICooper S. drove car 20km to local mall. Came out to retrieve wallet from glove box after being in mall for approximately 20min. Car was completely engulfed in flames. Fire department said it was an electrical fire that most likely started in the dashboard somewhere. No warning signs of imminent danger on my drive to the mall. Car only serviced at authorized BMW/MINIdealership. 30K kms on car. Car is completely destroyed.

- Scotland, Ontario, Canada, 00, USA