2009 MINI Cooper problems

“The contact owns a 2009 Mini Cooper. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the seat belt warning light illuminated even though there was no passenger seated in the passenger’s seat. The contact stated that the warning light remained illuminated with the passenger’s seat occupied and the seat belt properly fastened. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for further assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.”

“This has a major recall and won’t pass inspection. Engine light is on . I’ve called dealership and was told parts are on back order . Last year I was told the same thing before I received a letter in the mail.”

“The contact owns a 2009 Mini Cooper. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH at night, the exterior lights started flickering and started to become inoperable. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, turned off the vehicle, removed the battery terminals, and performed a master reset. After the master reset, there was an abnormal clicking sound inside the vehicle. The contact restarted the vehicle and drove to the residence. After arriving to the residence, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was parked and turned. The vehicle was then taken to a certified mechanic to be diagnosed, and it was determined that the relays inside the junction box used to control several of the electronic features had become inoperable. The mechanic suggested that the vehicle not be driven. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.”

“The passenger occupancy seat sensor is defective (as reported by many other owners of this vehicle model). The sensor is very costly to replace in terms of parts ($1,500) and labor ($1,500) and MINI does not sell the sensor separately as it is embedded in the seat foam. The defective sensor does not recognize a passenger sitting in the passenger seat and deactivates the passenger airbag which is an essential, lifesaving device fitted to a small vehicle. When involved in a major vehicle collision, without a working airbag, the risk of fatality drastically increases. The sensor is also responsible for NOT deploying the airbag if a passenger under 100lbs is sitting in the seat ie. a child. Again, this is a massive safety concern especially due to other owners resorting to a cheap aftermarket bypass module which will always deploy the airbag. This solution could seriously injure or cause fatalities for passengers under 100lbs. Other MINI models with the same electronic occupancy sensor problems have had recalls issued by the NHTSA and has not issued recalls for vehicles with the same issue consistently. It is the NHTSA's responsibility to hold the manufacturer…”

“The problem was that the gas pedal began to stick. Suddenly it began to idle at 4000 rpm. I had to reach down and pull up the gas pedal while driving. I had it replaced a few weeks ago. Then I received a letter from Mini about a footwell control module. It sounds like a similar corrosion problem and it needs to be fixed as well. I had it looked at several times before it was fixed properly because a dirty throttle body can cause it to idle too fast”

“LIGHT IS COMING ON AND TRANSMISSION SHIFTS SMOOTHLY BUT WHEN YOU DECELERATE IT BUCKS DOWN. IT HAPPENS ANYWHERE ON THE ROADS WHEN DRIVING AND YOU DECELERATE. THE LIGHT THAT INDICATES ISSUE WITH TRANSMISSION, IN THE BOOK IT SAYS I WON'T BE ABLE TO SHIFT OUT OF PARK BUT THERE IS NO ISSUE SHIFTING OUT OF PARK, SO NOT SURE IF IT IS CONSIDERED ELECTRICAL OR IF IT IS POWERTRAIN”