2009 Mini Cooper

THE FUEL LINE RUPTURED WHEN DRIVING MY CAR UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS. THE CAR STARTED TO SMELL STRONGLY OF GASOLINE, SO I HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER RATHER THAN RE STARTING THE CAR. APPARENTLY, THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE IN MINI COOPERS DUE TO A POOR DESIGN PER THE AUTHORIZED MECHANIC. THE FUEL LINE SITS NEXT TO A HEATER LINE, AND A COMBINATION OF RUBBING AND HEAT CAUSED THE FUEL LINE TO RUPTURE. MINI IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AS THEY HAVE CHANGED THE FUEL LINE DESIGN TO NOW HAVE A PROTECTIVE SLEEVE THAT PREVENTS ABRASION AND PROTECTS THE FUEL FROM HEAT. NOT ONLY DID THIS REPAIR COST ME $500, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN. WHY HAS THIS NOT BEEN A RECALL FOR MINI? I AM VERY CONCERNED AS A CONSUMER. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY 12/04/2014 WITH CRUISE CONTROL ACTIVE GOING ABOUT 75 MPH. A TRUCK IN FRONT OF ME BECAME TOO CLOSE BECAUSE HE WAS GOING SLOWER. MY CAR BEGAN ACCELERATING AND I HIT THE BRAKE TO SLOW DOWN, AND DE-ACTIVATE THE CRUISE CONTROL. HOWEVER NOTHING HAPPENED AND MY MINI-COOPER CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE AND I HIT THE REAR END OF THE TRUCK. I USED THE CRUISE CONTROL ON/OFF AND TURNED OFF THE CRUISE CONTROL AND I STOPPED ACCELERATING. I CHANGED LANES TO PULL OVER, HOWEVER I HAD NO BRAKES. I EXITED THE HIGHWAY AS THERE WAS A BIG HILL, HOWEVER WITH NO BRAKES I WENT FLYING THROUGH AN INTERSECTION WHILE HONKING MY HORN, AND THROUGH THE RED LIGHT. THE ONLY OPTION WAS BACK ON THE HIGHWAY AFTER THE LIGHT AND I EVENTUALLY SLOWED DOWN AND THEN USED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP. I REALLY PANICKED AND THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE. THE TRUCK HAD NO DAMAGE, HOWEVER THE MINI-COOPER GOT A DENT ON THE HOOD. THIS ALSO HAPPENED BRIEFLY ABOUT A MONTH AGO, WHERE I HIT THE BRAKE AND MY MINI CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE WHILE IN CRUISE CONTROL, HOWEVER WHEN I TURNED OFF THE CRUISE CONTROL THAT TIME, THE BRAKES WERE FINE AND I HAD A CLOSE MISS OF REAR ENDING ANOTHER CAR. IN HINDSIGHT I SHOULD HAVE PUT MY 6 SPEED IN NEUTRAL OR TURNED OFF THE CAR. AT THE TIME, THESE OPTIONS DIDN'T COME TO ME IN A PANICKED STATE. *TR

THE FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG GOT DISCONNECTED AND WILL NOT OPERATE IN CASE OF ACCIDENT. LIGHTS INDICATING THAT THE AIRBAG IS OFF REMAINS ON AT ALL TIMES. I KNOW SEVERAL MINI OWNERS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME INCIDENT, AND MINI DEALERS REFUSES TO ASSUME THAT THIS FAILURE IS DUE TO POOR DESIGN. I READ THAT BMW (OWNER OF MINI) HAS HAD THE SAME PROBLEM, AND WAS OBLIGED TO REPAIR THIS ISSUE IN CARS AS OLD AS MODELS 2005. *JS

NOTICED DECREASED ACCELERATION PERFORMANCE AND VISIBLY NOTICED LEAKING OIL FROM THE TOP OF THE TURBO SYSTEM NEXT TO THE HEAT SHIELD AFTER RETURNING HOME AFTER A DRIVE ON THE FREEWAY. MINI DEALER IDENTIFIED THE PROBLEM AS A TURBO OIL FEED LINE LEAK. NOTICED ON NHTSA FORUMS THAT THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE WITH MINI OWNERS AND COULD BECOME A FIRE HAZARD UNDER THE HOOD IF NOT DETECTED AND QUICKLY REPAIRED. *TR

THE THERMOSTAT FAILED, THE TEMPERATURE ELEVATED, THE FREEZE PLUG FELL OUT/BROKE OUT OF PLACE CAUSING THE HEAD GASKET TO BLOW OUT. THE COOLANT LEAKED INTO THE OIL AND CAUSED IT TO BECOME "MILKY" THEREFORE BLOWING OUT MY ENGINE. I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT AND THE CAR FAILED TO ACCELERATE. LUCKILY PEOPLE WERE KIND ENOUGH TO LET ME PASS FROM THE FAR LEFT LANE TO THE NEAREST EXIT AND I DID NOT CRASH. *TR

I PURCHASED A 2009 MINI COOPER 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 MINI DEALERSHIP 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 MINI DEALER 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 MINI COOPER TRULY HAS SERIOUS PROBLEMS AND IS A HAZARD TO BE ON THE ROAD. I NO LONGER DRIVE THE MINI, WILL NEVER DRIVE ANOTHER MINI AND 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 . *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE STARTING THE VEHICLE, PARTS OF THE ENGINE SOUND AS IF THEY WERE LOOSE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER AND THE TECHNICIAN CONFIRMED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN ASSEMBLY WAS DEFECTIVE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WERE 60,000. UPDATED 06/10/14*LJ

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH, A LOUD POPPING NOISE WAS HEARD FROM THE ENGINE BEFORE THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE TIMING BELT HAD MALFUNCTIONED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 65,000.