What 73 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Mini Cooper Hardtop

REAR BRAKE LIGHT BURNT AND MELTED. IT WAS REPAIRED AND NOW IT MELTED AND BURNT AGAIN BUT HAS CAUSED FURTHER DAMAGE REQUIRING THE WHOLE TAILLIGHT NEEDING REPLACEMENT.

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CAR KEY STUCK IN SLOT AND WOULD NOT ALLOW THE VEHICLE TO SHIFT. AFTER TAKING IT IN FOR REPAIR TO MINI COOPER, WE WERE INFORMED THAT MOISTURE WAS FOUND IN A COMPUTER WHICH IS LOCATED UNDER THE BEVERAGE HOLDER. YES, YOU READ THAT RIGHT. A COMPUTER UNDER THE BEVERAGE HOLDER AND NO MOISTURE BARRIER, NO PROTECTION OVER THIS COMPONENT.. NOW WHO DOES THAT? THERE IS NOTHING IN THE OWNERS MANUAL TO WARN YOU OF THIS NOR IS THERE ANY INDICATION ON THE BEVERAGE HOLDER ITSELF THAT INDICATES THERE IS A COMPUTER COMPONENT BELOW. HOW WOULD A CONSUMER KNOW? HONESTLY, WHO DESIGNS A CAR LIKE THIS? OF COURSE THERE WILL BE MOISTURE... ITS A BEVERAGE HOLDER FOR PETE SAKE! IT WAS A $1200. FIX. HAD I KNOWN OR BEEN PRE-WARNED SOMEHOW, I WOULD NOT HAVE USED THE DARN THING OR AT LEAST WRAPPED MY DRINKS IN A PAPER TOWEL. OF ALL THE PLACES TO PUT A COMPUTER, WHY WOULD ANYONE PLACE IT UNDER THE BEVERAGE HOLDER. I CAN ONLY GUESS THAT MINI COOPER COUNTS ON THIS REPAIR SOMETIME IN THE LIFE OF THE AUTOMOBILE. I FEEL THEY SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COST OF THIS REPAIR.

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TRACTION CONTROL AND BRAKE WARNING LIGHTS COME ON AT START UP AND DO NOT TURN OFF. PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT AT THIS TIME. DEALER REPORTS THAT IT IS THE SZL MODULE (STEERING ANGLE SENSOR) IS FAILING. BMW ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN ON THE 2006 5 AND 6 SERIES FOR THIS SAME SENSOR. READING THE MINI FORUMS THIS SEEMS TO BE A FAIRLY COMMON PROBLEM. CAR HAS 17,800 MILES

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STARTED CAR, RED SERVICE ICON ON DASH ALTERNATING WITH DRIVER DOOR OPEN ICON. THIS WAS A LOSS OF INTERIOR LIGHTS, SIGNAL LIGHTS, BRAKE LIGHTS, HAZARD LIGHTS, WINDOW UP/DOWN CONTROLS, AND DOOR LOCK FUNCTIONS. CAR OTHERWISE OPERATED NORMALLY. THIS MALFUNCTION REQUIRES DEALER ONLY REPAIR. *TR

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PURCHASED A CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED MINI NEXT 2012 CLUBMAN 6-SPEED WITH 6,498 MILES ON IT 08/2013. * 10/14/2013 AROUND 9K MILES LOST POWER ON THE HIGHWAY AND WENT INTO LIMP MODE, MANEUVERED TO SIDE OF HIGHWAY AND CALLED ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE. TOWED CAR IN TO DEALER WHO REPLACED 4 SPARK PLUGS SAID ALL WAS OK. * 10/17/2013 I PICK THE CAR UP, GET 3 MILES FROM DEALER ON INTERSTATE AND THE CAR DOES IT AGAIN SO I MANEUVERED OFF THE CLOSEST EXIT AND CALLED ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE. TOWED BACK INTO DEALER AND THEY KEPT CAR UNTIL 26TH. THEY SAID THE DME WAS BAD AND REPLACED IT AND 4 FUEL INJECTORS. * 10/30/2013 CAR DID IT AGAIN AND I DROVE HOME IN LIMP MODE, CAR WAS SHAKING AND SOUNDED LIKE A 1970 VW BEETLE, NEARLY DIED AT EVERY IDLE, ROUGH, ACCELERATION AND I CALLED ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE AND THEY HAD CAR TOWED FROM MY DRIVEWAY BACK TO DEALER. *11/5/2013 DEALER STILL HAS CAR. *TR

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