2018 MINI Countryman Complaint Log

The contact owns a 2018 Mini Cooper Countryman. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. The contact stated that the steering wheel was excessively difficult to turn. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the roadway. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with ECM failure. The contact was informed that the ECM needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. In addition, the contact was advised that the failure was a known failure with the vehicle while using the Click and Drive device. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 19,000.

While driving, the steering wheel gets stuck and very hard to maneuver. I have seen a recall for this car but when i entered by VIN, it was not included on the recall. The problem had happened several times. There was a time when everything was working fine, turned off the engine to put gas and when i turned it on to drive, i had a hard time steering. I had to park for a long time (since i was at Costco decided to come inside the store), when i turned on engine, it was gone and working properly like the problem did not happened at all. There were still times that when i turned it off for a little bit to pick up something from a restaurant, when i come back, the steering wheel looks like it was stuck and unable to make left or right turns. It does not happen only when car is turned on and off, it also happens while driving. When i was in a roundabout, steering wheel also has locked/got stuck. I have had our mechanic check this issues twice but he could not find any problem.

My engine malfunctioned after the module under the back seat was wet from an unknown water leak in the vehicle. My vehicle lost power without warning until I came to a complete stop on the side of a very busy highway. I'm not sure if the repair center kept the faulty module or not I would have to check. I know leaks have been a problem with my model in previous years but when I checked my VIN there were no recalls. This is a very dangerous defect and should be fixed.

•What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? I had brake caliper repaired on front right wheel, on 5/5/20. Had to have service on same brake caliper on 10/5/21 - revealed caliper froze causing excessive bakes wear. •How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Potential of brake failure. •Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes. Dealer repaired work- Passport Mini of Montgomery County, 820 Russell Ave, Gaithersburg, MD, 20879 •Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Unknown •Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No

Steering is becoming stiffer. Seems like there is new or added restistance when turning the steering wheel while the vehicle is going slower.

I WAS PULLING INTO SHOPPING CENTER ALL DASHBOARD LIGHT UP WARNINGS ETC. STARTED TO HEAD HOME BECAUSE OF PRIOR INCIDENT WITH COMPUTER FAILURE. CAR STOPPED MID INTERSECTION AND WENT DEAD. PUT IT IN PARK RESTARTED AND DROVE HOME. HEADLIGHTS AND ELECTRICAL ENGINE WOULD NOT SHUT OFF. CALLED SERVICE TO TOW TO DEALERSHIP REPAIR. TOW TRUCK DRIVER ATTEMPTED TO TURN OF LIGHTS, NO LUCK. CAR REPAIRED AT DEALERSHIP, WAS TOLD AT THAT POINT OF A POSSIBLE RECALL, BUT THEY DIDN'T KNOW OF WHAT. CAR REPAIRED. AS SOON A LEASE IS UP IT IS GONE! *TR

VEHICLE'S SWITCH CONTROLLING HEADLIGHTS WAS LEFT IN THE "PARKING LIGHTS ON" MODE INADVERTENTLY (IT OPENED TERMINAL 15 PER MINI). CAR WOULD NOT START LESS THAN 12 HOURS LATER. MINI REPORTS THAT THIS "DAMAGED THE BATTERY BEYOND REPAIR" AND SAID IT WAS NOT SUBJECT TO WARRANTY REPLACEMENT BECAUSE THE USER HAD OPERATED THE SWITCH. IF THIS HAPPENED FOR MANY MINI OWNERS, PEOPLE WOULD BE STRANDED AND LEFT IN A DANGEROUS CONDITION. FURTHERMORE, THIS IS CLEARLY SOMETHING MINI IS CHOOSING TO IGNORE AND CLASSIFY AS USER ERROR WHEN IT IS A DEFECT. MINI CHARGED $600+ PLUS DOLLARS TO REPLACE THE BATTERY, REPROGRAM THE VEHICLE AND PHYSICALLY INSTALL THE NEW BATTERY. THE DEALER REP SAID HE HAS PERSONALLY SEEN 6 OTHER VEHICLES THIS YEAR ALONE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM.

WHEN STOPPED THE BRAKE PEDAL SLOWLY GOES TO THE FLOORBOARDS. SOMETIMES I HAVE TO REPEATEDLY PUMP THE BRAKE PEDAL WHILE AT A STOP LIGHT TO PREVENT RUNNING INTO THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. TOOK IT TO A DEALERSHIP AND THEY DROVE THE CAR BUT COULDN'T FINE ANY PROBLEMS. THE MASTER CYLINDER LEAK DOWN IS GETTING PROGRESSIVELY WORSE WITH TIME. I BELIEVE THAT I AM QUALIFIED TO WRITE ABOUT THIS AS I WAS, WHEN YOUNGER, A TOP MECHANIC FOR PORSCHE AND VOLKSWAGEN.

Fuel sensor failed and due to tank pressure that would not release properly, according to repair shop. Among other safety issues, this caused me to not be able to open the gas tank to refill the gas tank. This has been ongoing. At first the gas flap was repaired (2x) and ultimately the fuel sensor was entirely replaced at my cost. All repairs were done at New Country Mini in Hartford, CT. The repair shop should provide history of repairs over the several years as Mini is denying the seriousness of the defect. I’ve notified mini.

THE VIN [XXX] IS NOT RECOGNIZED ON NHTSA OR SAFECAR WEBSITE. MANUFACTURER AND DEALERSHIP HAVE MY OLD ADDRESS (NOT PROVIDED BY MYSELF) IN THEIR SYSTEM. GENERAL HELPLINE REPRESENTATIVES TOLD ME TO CONTACT MANUFACTURER. MANUFACTURER REFERRED ME TO DEALERSHIP. I CALLED YOUR GENERAL NUMBER AGAIN LAST WEEK AND THE WOMAN DISPARAGED ME AND LAUGHED AT ME. NO ONE WILL HELP ME FIX THIS SAFETY (COMMUNICATION) CONCERN. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

CAR PULLS TO THE RIGHT AND IS WOBBLY WHILE IN MOTION, ESPECIALLY MORE UNSTABLE IN WET CONDITIONS AND MINI COOPER SAYS IT IS AN UNEVEN TORQUE ISSUE RELATED TO THE ELECTRICAL/GAS ENGINE AND CANNOT BE FIXED. I HAVE DRIVEN THE CAR FOR 11 MONTHS AND THEY STILL HAVEN'T REPLACED THE VEHICLE WITH A SAFER VEHICLE OR EVEN TALKED WITH ME ABOUT WHAT THEY ARE WILLING TO DO TO CORRECT THE DEFECT. THE DEALERSHIP AND BMW HAVE IGNORED ME AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO RESOLVE THE MATTER.