2013 Mini Cooper Countryman

THE PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR IS FAULTY. BMW RECALLED MANY BMWS AND MINI COOPERS FOR THIS ISSUE BUT NOT THE 2013 MINI COUNTRYMAN - BUT IT ALSO HAS THIS ISSUE. IT IS ALL OVER THE INTERNET WITH VIDOES TEACHING YOU HOW TO TRY TO BYPASS IT. THE LIGHT COMES ON TELLING YOU THERE IS AN AIRBAG DEFECT AND SEATBELT LIGHT COMES ON FOR PASSENGER SIDE. IT ONLY MAKES THE SOUND WHEN SOMEONE IS IN THE SEAT MOVING AROUND. IF NO ONE IS IN THE SEAT, THE LIGHTS ARE STILL LIT BUT NO ALARM IS SOUNDED. YOU CAN SIMPLY GOOGLE THIS AND TONS OF COMPLAINTS COME UP. IT HAPPENS WHEN YOU TURN ON THE CAR.

EVEN AFTER AN OIL CHANGE,IN ABOUT TWO OR THREE WEEKS, I HAVE TO ADD OIL TO MY CAR, USUALLY ABOUT 2 QUARTS. THE CHECK OIL SYMBOL ILLUMINATES OFTEN, MY OIL LEVEL IS ALMOST ALWAYS SHOWING EXTREMELY LOW ON THE DIP STICK. I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT MY CAR DOES NOT HAVE ANY LEAKS AND THAT MINI COOPERS JUST BURN A LOT OF OIL AND THIS IS NORMAL. HOWEVER, I FEEL THAT HAVING TO ADD OIL TO MY CAR EVERY TWO OR 3 WEEKS IS NOT NORMAL.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 MINI COOPER COUNTRYMAN. AFTER PARKING AND TURNING THE VEHICLE OFF, THE FRONT DRIVER AND PASSENGER DOORS WOULD NOT UNLOCK AND THE DOORS COULD NOT BE OPENED. AFTER MAKING SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO UNLOCK THE DOORS, THE CONTACT HAD TO CLIMB TO THE REAR SEATS TO EXIT THROUGH THE REAR DOOR. THE CONTACT REPLACED A FUSE THAT ENABLED THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE DOOR TO UNLOCK, BUT THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE DOOR REMAINED LOCKED. THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE LOCAL DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 117,000.

MY CAR BEGAN EXPERIENCING ISSUES WITH THE "PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF" LIGHT STAYING LITE WHETHER OR NOT A PASSENGER IS IN THE CAR. I PAID $110.00 TO THE DEALERSHIP TO DIAGNOSE MY CAR AND THEY SAID THE PROBLEM IS THE SEAT MAT SENSOR, AND THEY WANT $1,500.00 TO REPLACE IT. I GOOGLED THIS PROBLEM AND I FOUND THAT THIS HAPPENS QUITE OFTEN TO COOPER OWNERS. WE HAVE NO KIDS AND NOBODY BUT MY WIFE AND/OR MYSELF USE THIS VEHICLE, SO THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN. I ALSO FOUND OUT THAT IN THE PAST THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THE SAME PROBLEM TO OLDER MINI COOPERS, SO I GUESS THE PROBLEM PERSISTS WITH NEWER VEHICLES. ADDITIONALLY I FOUND THAT THIS IS SUCH A COMMON FAILURE ON ALL MINI COPPERS THAT E-BAY AND OTHERS SELL WHAT THEY CALL A "SEAT OCCUPANCY MAT SENSOR BYPASS EMULATOR" AND WHAT THIS DOES IS SIMPLY SUBSTITUTE THE VEHICLE SENSORS SO THAT THE AIR BAG IS ALWAYS ARMED IN CASE THERE IS A ACCIDENT. OF COURSE THIS PREVENTS FROM PLACING CHILDREN OR CAR SEATS IN THE FROM SEAT. THIS EMULATOR ALSO ELIMINATES THE DREADED AIR BAG LIGHT AND/OR CODE FOR THE SEAT OCCUPANCY DETECTOR. AFTER LOOKING AT THE AVAILABILITY OF ALL THESE AFTERMARKET EMULATORS AND PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM, I TRULY BELIEVE THAT THERE MUST BE SOMETHING WRONG WITH THESE SENSORS, OTHERWISE THERE WOULD NOT BE AN AFTERMARKET PART TO PARTIALLY FIX THE PROBLEM. ALTHOUGH I AM NOT WILLING TO RISK USING THIS AFTERMARKET PART.

OUR 2013 MINICOOPER COUNTRYMAN S ALL 4 WITH 30,400 MILES ON, WAS CAUGHT ON FIRE ON NOVERBER-11-2017 IN DEDHAM MA. THE CAR WAS PARKED IN A GARAGE WHILE THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF. CAR DID NOT INDICATE ANY WARNINGS AND WE DIDN'T OBSERVE ANYTHING OUT OF ORDINARY. FIRE WAS PUT IN CHECK BY SPRINKLERS IN THE GARAGE AND DEDHAM CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT HAD TO PUT THE GARAGE ON LOCK DOWN UNTIL THEY TURN OFF THE FIRE AND THE GARAGE WAS SAFE TO ENTER. THE 3 STORIED OFFICE BUILDING WAS GIVEN A HOLIDAY AS THEY COULDN'T STAY IN THE BUILDING DUE TO SMOKE SMELL. WE HAVE OUR BABY CAR SEAT AND FEW OTHER BELONGINGS IN THE CAR, BUT ALL OF THEM WERE DAMAGED IN THE FIRE. WE HAVE INFORMED THE CAR DEALERSHIP THAT SOLD THIS CAR TO US AND THE MINI CUSTOMER RELATIONS DEPARTMENT, BUT BOTH OF THEM DIDN'T SHARE OUR CONCERN FOR SAFETY. WE WISH THE NHTSA WOULD CONSIDER THIS MATTER SERIOUSLY AS IT COULD HAPPEN TO OTHER MINIS. THANK YOU

ENGINE LOST ALL POWER WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY. WAS IN THE MIDDLE LANE OF 3 AND ALL ENGINE POWER WAS LOST WHILE GOING 60MPH. I WAS ABLE TO MANEUVER OVER TO THE SHOULDER THROUGH TRAFFIC WITHOUT INCIDENT BUT WAS PRETTY SCARY. ENGINE WARNING SIGNS WERE FLASHING AND WAS TOLD TO SHUT OFF ENGINE IMMEDIATELY OR ELSE POSSIBLE ENGINE DAMAGE WOULD OCCUR.

VEHICLE DISPLAYS LOSS OF ACCELERATION FROM STOP TO TAKE OFF. THIS LOSS OF POWER CAN LAST UP TO SECONDS. THIS PRESENTS A SAFETY ISSUE IN CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE THE VEHICLE COULD BE IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION WHILE THE LOSS OF POWER OCCURS. I'VE TAKEN THE CAR TO MINI 3 TIMES. THE FIRST TIME THE COILS AND PLUGS WERE REPLACED. SECOND TIME THE ISSUE COULD NOT BE REPRODUCED. THIRD TIME THE VEHICLE WAS REPROGRAMMED. THE CAR IS STILL DISPLAYING THE SAME ISSUE AND IS INTERMITTENT. AS OF THIS DATE, 6/18/2016, THE CAR LAST DISPLAYED THIS ISSUE ON 6/17/2016. I'VE CONTACTED MINI USA AND I AM AWAITING THERE REPLY.