Freeze plug randomly popped out while driving causing vehicle to stall in the middle of traffic almost causing a major accident and or death. Research indicates there has been numerous complaints by Mini Cooper owners experiencing the same issue of a premature unexplained failure with no action taken from Mini to mitigate this safety issue. I'm lucky to be alive.
Engine & cooling
Mini Cooper Coupe Engine problems by year
14 complaints filed with NHTSA about the Mini Cooper Coupe's engine & cooling. Stalling, loss of power, oil consumption, overheating, head gaskets, timing chains and engine failure.
Engine complaints by model year
Latest Cooper Coupe engine complaints
The fuse box JBE module has a Quality Assurance problem with a solder connection to the NEC low pressure fuel relay. This is a known issue with BMW/Mini. The car suddenly stalls without warning. If the driver is not keen or if traffic patterns do not allow, the car can be left in very dangerous situations on the highway or in the middle of intersection. The repair for this problem is widely distributed online via blogs and YouTube, but replacement modules are $1500 (part only) and these modules are not...
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available until at least October 2023. There are no warning lights or other warnings prior to the incident. While I am not aware of any serious injuries, it is only a matter of time before someone is t-boned at an intersections. This part MUST be immediately recalled due to the safety risk. The images below show the JBE fuse box housing as well as the PCB where the cold solder joint can be seen. I have circled the cold solder joint in the close up picture.
The contact owns a 2014 Mini Cooper. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 mph, there was smoke detected from the vehicle. The vehicle caught fire without warning. There were no reported injuries, air bag deployment, or crash. The fire department distinguished the fire. A police report was filed. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was towed to a lot. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 84,700.
Repeated experiences of sudden engine operational failure and reduced and/or complete loss of power while driving. The engine malfunction indicator lamp comes on. Car stalls and stops in traffic on the highway and on streets blocking traffic. Will not start again until powered off for periods between 5-15 minutes if at all. -First experienced the issue February 2020 and have intermittently experienced the same issue ever since. -Occurs when driving at a variety of speeds and a variety of fuel levels. -If...
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diagnostics were able to reveal an issue both fuel pumps were noted as the cause on different occasions. The High Pressure Fuel Pump has been the most diagnosed and repaired issue. -Car has been diagnosed by the dealer and 3 independent service repair shops. Dealer stated no recall or existing issue that would cover this problem and have not received any notifications from the manufacture.
Turbo charger has systematically failed over the last year, with worsening effects. This causes the car to automatically go into "limp mode" and cuts power. This is dangerous for driving on the highway. This is a common complaint with mini coopers with many, but not all years recalled.
Thermostat housing fault code came on while driving. 2014 Mini cooper hardtop models have a recall. My vin # does not. Please investigate this and initiate a recall for my vin.
I have a 2013 mini cooper only 59k miles on it and the engine light came on. I tried using the obd machine to turn it off but it won't turn off. I have p052b and p013c codes.Check engine light comes on and off randomly.
I bought my mini brand new in 2013. I took it to be serviced regularly at crevier mini and I took it every time I had a service light come on, which was multiple times in the first couple years. The warranty lasted until june 2017. In november 2017, I noticed a musty smell coming from the air vents, and noticed liquid was leaking from my car. I towed my car to the dealership, and mini techs found that my thermostat housing failed and leaked, and the head gasket was not properly sealed which caused my car to leak...
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coolant. Mini usa helped with the cost of my repair to my car which only had 37,000 miles on it because of its low mileage, for which I was very grateful. Now, in august 2018, I noticed that the radiator fan which is directly connected to the thermostat was not turning (the fan was still functioning when connected to power). I took it to get serviced and mini techs found that my engine had overheated to the point of being critically damaged. There was coolant found in the spark plugs which means most likely that the head gasket leaked. When I asked if this could have been related to the prior repair, I was told it is difficult to pinpoint the exact reason this happened. However, there should have been an indicator light to prevent this type of critical problem before it is irreversible and can't be fixed, but there was not. The entire engine has to be replaced for a service charge of around $7500. This is worth more than the car itself. What I learned is that even if you do everything right, by the book, and per recommendation from mini, your car can still fail and die within 5 years- right after the company warranty wears off. This has shaken my faith with the mini company. For no reason should a car have failed after being driven for around 40,000 miles while receiving service from the dealership itself.
I have a 2014 mini cooper hardtop. I have had this car serviced at least 4 separate times for a recurring issue. Today was very different and unexplainable. I was driving to work on the freeway, my car reaches speeds of 80 at least, but I had slowed to a crawl before the toll plaza. Traffic was the usual heavy traffic. I must have been going 5-10 mph in stop and go traffic. Suddenly, th car started bucking , like it was having trouble downshifting . This is the typical bucking it makes right before the "drive...
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train malfunction: drive moderately." Warning comes on. The engine started ticking (to me that is indicating lack or no oil). "Drive train malfunction: drive moderately." And "drop in oil pressure. Slow to a stop " warnings both came on. I pulled over 3 lanes quickly to the side of the freeway , shut the car off and hoped I was in a safe spot. When the tow truck operator came, he told me oil was underneath my car. Why would a car just spill oil out while driving ? Im pretty scared of what has happened to my engine. Car is at the dealer, and I'm really not confident in this car. I have not been confident since all of the problems I have had since purchase.
Driving on the freeway, car lost oil pressure suddenly, oil poured out of vehicle, smoking as warning lights indicated "drive train malfunction" and then, "loss of oil pressure: stop vehicle". Diagnosed as a failure of a welding on the oil pump housing. Mini replaced part and returned car to me. Within 1 mile, "drive train malfunction" ignited again. A week later, they reported that there were metal shavings in the oil and the engine needed to be replace. I sold it back to mini as a lemon.
While driving in the highway, the car suddenly started shaking and having loud clunking rattling noise. The exhaust was spewing heavy white smoke. The car suddenly slowed and then stopped with " drivetrain malfunction." We also got into an accident! *Tr
This would be the second time in which I have had to visit nick alexander imports of downtown los angeles, due to the malfunctioning of my vehicle, specifically the engine. The first time, my car had stalled on the freeway during rush hour time. The service specialist at the dealership attributed my car stalling as a system update issue and found that their was a recall on a vehicle part (a nut that secures the spare tire to the car that could become loose during driving), which he replaced. This second time,...
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which was on january 5th, 2015, my car started to warn me that the "engine oil pressure was too low" and to stop my engine immediately. After a few minutes of parking my car, I noticed that there was a puddle of oil gathering under the upper portion of my vehicle. Once I was able to have my car inspected by the dealer's service specialist, I was notified that there was another recall on a part. This time it was the oil filter housing that cracked because it was "too weak". The splash shield and oil deflector also needed to be replaced. In both incidents I was placed in life threatening situations and can no longer feel confident that my mini cooper is safe to drive. *Tr
Leg burn from hot exhaust pipe while unloading items from trunk. Leaned against rear bumper with bare leg. *Tr
On two occasions (7/19/14 and 7/29/14), the engine cut-off, putting the car in "accessory mode." On both occasions, I was driving on a flat road, at low speed. There was no ability to drive the vehicle without completely stopping, putting the car in park, and restarting the car. As a result of being in accessory mode, I had no power steering and was only able to glide over to the side of the road. A message appeared on the car's screen: "transmission not in park, vehicle may roll." I purchased this vehicle 3...
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months ago. I am very concerned, and I don't feel safe driving this car. If this were to happen on a highway, there would certainly be a serious accident, as I would not be able to get the car to the shoulder. As evidenced in the gm ignition switch cases, when a car is switched into accessory mode while driving, the airbags are deactivated as well. Should this happen on a busy roadway/highway, and there is an accident, there is the potential that it could be fatal. *Tr
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked daily. Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data