2006 Mini Cooper Convertible

WHILE DRIVING TO WORK ON HWY 270 GOING SOUTH BETWEEN MANCHESTER RD AND DOUGHERTY FERRY RD IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC SOMETIME BETWEEN 4:30 AND 5:30 PM MY 06 MINI COOPER CONVERTIBLE WAS REVVING UP AS I PRESS THE ACCELERATOR BUT YET BARELY MOVING. RIGHT BEFORE THE DOUGHERTY FERRY EXIT IT "KICKED" INTO GEAR AND BEGAN DRIVING AT ABOUT 40-50MPH. I THOUGHT I MAY HAVE ACCIDENTALLY HIT THE GEAR SHIFTER AND PUT IT INTO SPORT DRIVE BUT WHEN I LOOKED THE GEAR WAS STILL IN DRIVE. SO AS I WAS TRAVELING TO WORK IN ARNOLD, MO THE TRANSMISSION WOULD REV UP AND THEN "KICK" INTO GEAR. WHEN I GOT TO WORK I EXPLAINED TO A CO-WORKER (INITIAL "J.R.") WHAT HAPPEN WHILE I WAS DRIVING AND WE WENT OUT ON OUR BREAK TO TAKE A LOOK AND SEE IF I NEEDED TRANSMISSION FLUID. WE WERE UNABLE TO FIND THE TRANSMISSION DIPSTICK SO ON MY LAPTOP I TRIED LOOKING IT UP TO SEE WHERE IT WAS LOCATED. WE LEARNED THAT'S THERE'S A PLUG UNDERNEATH BUT THE TRANSMISSION IS "SEALED FOR LIFE" MEANING IT SHOULDN'T REALLY HAVE ANY LEAKS. SO I CALLED HOME TO LET MY WIFE TO LET HER KNOW THAT I WAS GOING TO TRY AND MAKE IT HOME IN THE MORNING WHEN I GOT OFF AT 6AM. AFTER DRIVING UP TO HWY 270 AND MANCHESTER GOING NORTH AT ABOUT 630AM TRAVELING AT ABOUT 40 MPH ON 4/4/13 THE CAR BEGIN REVVING UP AGAIN WHENEVER I PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR. SO RATHER THAN GO HOME I HEADED STRAIGHT FOR THE MINI OF ST. LOUIS DEALERSHIP. I GOT TO THE DEALERSHIP BEFORE THEY OPENED AND DIDN'T HAVE AN APPOINTMENT SO THEY STATED THEY WOULD TRY AND SQUEEZE ME IN. SO I WENT TO DRIVE THE CAR UP TO THE ENTRANCE TO THE SERVICE BAY AND THE CAR WAS "BUCKING AND JERKING" AND BARELY MOVING. UPON TALKING TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT MINI I WAS INFORMED THAT I NEEDED A TRANSMISSION AND IT WAS $8K BUT IF I WANTED TO THEY COULD GET ME INTO ANOTHER MINI RIGHT AWAY. ON APRIL 9TH MY WIFE PURCHASED A NEW 2013 FORD FIESTA IN PLACE OF THE MINI. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MINI COOPER CONVERTIBLE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH OR LESS, THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED A SLIGHT LOSS IN THE POWER STEERING. THERE WAS NO WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE STEERING WHEEL MANEUVERED WITH DIFFICULTY, EVEN THOUGH THE POWER STEERING HAD NOT COMPLETELY FAILED. THE VEHICLE CONTINUED IN OPERATION. IN ADDITION, A TICKING NOISE WOULD EMIT FROM THE TRANSMISSION. THE CONTACT PLANNED TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. ALSO IN MAY OF 2009, THE ENGINE AND CLUTCH WERE REPLACED. MOST RECENT THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAULTY POWER STEERING PUMP AND TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION AND THEY ADVISED THE MANUFACTURER WOULD BE INFORMED OF THE DEFECTS. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 44,164 .

I BOUGHT MY MINI COOPER TWO MONTHS AGO. IT IS A 2006 MODEL. I WAS DRIVING HOME ON THE NIGHT OF THURSDAY JANUARY 7TH WHEN I HEARD A LOUD CLUNK. I LIVE ON A CALICHE ROAD SO NATURALLY, I THOUGHT I HAD KICKED UP A ROCK OR CLUNK OF DIRT AND IT HIT THE BODY OF MY CAR. THE NEXT MORNING I HEADED OUT TO GO TO CLASS AND LESS THAN 5 MILES (I LIVE OUTSIDE OF TOWN 30 MILES, SO YES I DO A LOT OF DRIVING, BUT MY 2004 HYUNDAI SONATA HANDLED IT FOR OVER 2 YEARS AND WHEN I FIRST ACQUIRED IT HAD 145,000 MILES AND WHEN I FINISHED 198,000 AND WAS STILL RUNNING FINE) DOWN THE ROAD I BRAKED TO TURN ONTO A DIFFERENT ROAD AND AFTER COMPLETING THE TURN I PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL, THE ENGINE ROARED THE TACHOMETER SPRUNG UP, BUT THE CAR DIDN'T MOVE. THE MECHANIC I TOOK IT TO CONFIRMED THAT MY TRANSMISSION IS SHOT, NO DOUBT ABOUT, HOWEVER HE CANNOT TELL ME EXACTLY WHAT IS WRONG WITH IT WITHOUT TAKING OUT MY TRANSMISSION AND LOOKING AT THE INSIDE AS THAT IS WHERE THE SOURCE OF THE FAILURE ORIGINATES. IT IS AN INTERNAL DEFECT THAT CONSUMERS HAVE NO CONTROL OVER. *TR