2006 MINI Cooper owner complaints

Passenger air bag light keeps coming on. Has been repaired 4 times. Has not recurred this last repair, however only repaired 2 months ago. Happened first 3/26/07, parts had to be special ordered and it was repaired on 4/17/07; then 1/29/08, then 6/17/08, and then 10/27/08. Each time they make the same repair: part number 52 10 6 961 324, replaced sensor mat, (oc3 mat) passenger seat, 65 77 604, removed seat, removed seat cover, replaced seat cover, mat, and upholstery material. The light has not come back on since last repair, however it has only been 2 months. *tr

2006 Mini cooper, faulty wiring on passenger seat mate sensor, the wiring harness that comes out of the floor and connects to the sensor mate in the seat is to short and becomes damaged when you slide the seat back. This causes an error in the air bag system making it thinks there is a small child or no one in the seat and turn the passenger air bag off. This is a problem when there is an adult in the seat, the air bag system will not protect them. This needs to be a recall, being that the repair can cost up to $1000.00 if the seat mat sensor is damaged. The cost may cause owners not to repair it. This is a design flaw and the manufacture should fix this problem before someone is seriously injured or killed from this. *tr

The red air bag warning light came on. It won't go out. The Mini dealer in birmingham said it's not covered under warranty. Mini usa said the same thing. However, BMW recalled their 2006 models for the same problem. Several other Mini owners are reporting the same problem. The owners' manual states that the air bags may not deploy properly in the event of a crash if the warning light is on. This is a safety issue, and Mini usa needs to address it. *tr

The air bag detection warning remains active after dealer reinstallation of the seat detector pad.

The passenger seat airbag weight sensor has gone bad and as a result, has rendered the entire airbag system inoperable. The vehicle is out of warranty by 4k miles and the local dealer and Mini usa have become non-responsive about fixing an obvious design defect. The replacement part plus labor and factory resetting were quoted at $1900. Searching other online postings reveals that this is a known problem not only for Mini coopers but for parent company bmws as well. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Mini cooper. The contact stated that the front passenger seat no longer detected that a passenger was occupying the seat. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the front passenger seat occupant detection mat failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred numerous times. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

Power steering fan about to fail, was advised to replace to prevent power steering pump failure. Independent mechanic made the assessment and advised the repair. This is known issue in 2004-2006+ minis and am reporting to make sure there are enough data points and consumer reports of the incidence. *tr

Without any warranting the power steering wheel was hard to turn. The car became very difficult to drive I just had diagnosed test four days ago on the car the only problem noted was the thermostat. Know I can not drive the car. *tr

Power steering pump. Complete failure while operating vehicle. *tr

I replaced my power steering pump fan 2-3 years ago then about a year and a half ago I had it replaced under warranty. Now my power steering is completely gone with no prior indication that it was failing and I have to pay a $1,400 to get it replaced by a certified shop.

Plethora of electrical problems. Heated seats are a major concern. They go on and off by themselves, seem haunted. Sometimes, they get so hot they leave burn marks in my legs. I am afraid of an electrical fire. The heated seats get so hot, they left burn marks in my seat. Aisin 6 speed automatic transmission, equipped with "lifetime" fluid, begins slipping gears at 70k the supercharger had to be replaced due to the "design" of the supercharger it could not be repaired, I was forced by bmwusa to purchase a remanufactured supercharger. I was told it was a "common problem" I have also found out from forums such as northamericanmotoring.com this is a problem that BMW does not want to admit its at fault for however they are acknowledging the widespread happenings across the country. The

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 Mini cooper s. On two occasions, while driving at unknown speeds, the engine shut off and the engine light illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact notified the dealer and manufacturer and they are investigating the failure. They did not state if the vehicle was included in any recalls. The failure mileage was 5,000 and current mileage was 5,500.

I own a 2006 Mini cooper and recently, at 62,000 miles had an issue with the cylinders losing compression. I was told it was due to carbon build-up which "pitted" the valves as a result of ethanol in gasoline. I was also told that this is becoming a frequent problem with Mini coopers because the car can not handle the gasoline with ethanol, as they are intended to be run on pure gas. So due to the ethanol mixture, this is going to be an issue. Shouldn't these cars sold here in the united states be able to run on the gasoline that is available here? I have used high-octane premium gas only in my car. I was told that I had done nothing wrong, yet was still financially responsible for the entire repair. I have an extended warranty on the vehicle purchased through the dealer and have followed

Our car has only 53,000 miles on it. We are informed by 2 different dealers that it needs a new transmission totaling $10,000. We were not aware of the class action suit for this very issue that settled late last year. BMW/Mini knew about the defective transmission and said nothing. Our car is not drivable now and is unsafe to operate. It is worthless essentially after being maintained per their guidelines. When driving it lost control and was not able to shift into gears. Was stuck in 4th gear one time and was hard to stop. Could have caused an accident but we were able to get control.

2006 Mini-cooper. Consumer writes in regards to transmission failure. *smd the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure, but they did state the transmission was in the process of failing. The consumer stated when he attempted to get on the freeway, the vehicle would not shift into 2nd gear. The manufacturer offered to pay 1/2 of the cost on the bill, which totaled $8,000. *jb

The vehicle would not shift into 2nd/3rd gear after a traffic stop. The gears would shift erratically resulting in loss of power and we almost had an accident. Check engine light is on and a message shows up "ep" which means transmission is on emergency. *tr

2006 Mini cooper s with 66000 miles had a transmission failure that resulted in unsafe driving condition due to loss of forward propulsion while driving on highway.

Driving at 55 MPH on parkway. Engine made clunk and lost power. Pulled car onto shoulder and started with white smoke under hood, progressing to black smoke and flame. Exited car at first sign of smoke. Car burned in engine compartment, moved into cabin. Final damage was a total. Front end of car is completely burned. Fire in cabin melted dashboard, moved across and melted ceiling, and melted front windshield. Took pictures of final damages at garage following incident. *tr

Dt*: the contact stated while the vehicle was parked in a parking lot, the windshield sustained a small, hairline fracture. The vehicle was inspected by a dealer who determined a possible road hazard was the cause. The vehicle was taken to another dealer for further inspection who determined the windshield fractured from the inside and needed replaced. The manufacturer was alerted. Updated 2/6/2007 - *nm

The plastic gas tank of the 2006 Mini cooper was punctured by debris on rt 3 near chelmsford, massachusetts. Several gallons of gasoline were lost due to the puncture. *jb