I am original owner. Transmission problems. Slipping and hard shifting. Automatic and manual. 70,000 miles. Happens intermittently when driving. Bmw told me to sell it right away. $9,000 to repair. Should be recalled. Very unhappy. Please help.
MINI Cooper S slipping problems
12 of the 1,783 owner complaints about the MINI Cooper S describe transmission slipping, most of them for the 2006 model year.
- owner complaints
- 12
- worst model year
- 2006
- typical mileage
- 60,000
By model year
- 20091
- 20071
- 20069
- 20051
Often reported together
Transmission failure 4Stalling 2Hesitation 2Won't start 1Wipers 1Power steering loss 1Misfire 1Jerking 1
What owners say
Purchased a used 2009 mini cooper s hardtop with 27,000 miles on it and within 20 days the clutch was slipping upon light acceleration and caused very unsafe driving conditions. It was replaced by the carmax warranty given under the first 30 days , my vehicle now has 32,000 miles and is starting to feel similar to the previous symptoms.
38,000 miles: air bag warning light for passenger side seat stays illuminated. Air bag warning light remains on after vehicle has started and does not turn off. 54,900 miles: aisin automatic transmission - automatic transmission failed thereby making the car inoperable. The car showed signs of gear change slipping between 2nd and 3rd gears. Transmission diagnosis, catastrophic failure of manual valve body and internal gears. Required a complete transmission rebuild.
Passenger seat occupancy sensor inop rendering airbag unsafe. Requires replacement of passenger seat cushion with new sensor mat. 6 speed automatic transmission slipping and shifting hard. Occasionally, renders car powerless as in neutral even if in travel lanes making unsafe to operate. Requires replacement of valve block. Servicing of automatic transmission fluid is not required by mini/bmw but same transmission in other brands do. Vw recommends atf replacement at 40k miles and doesn't have problems with valve block failure.
In september 2012 the automatic transmission began slipping. I had it checked out and was told that the transmission was fine and that mini says it never needs to be serviced or have the fluid changed. Over the next several months it got worse and I was finally told that the transmission needs to be replaced. Fortunately I never had an accident or any other serious consequence as a result of the failing transmission. This car has been traded in because the transmission would cost $10,000.00 to replace.
Driving on the freeway when I felt the car jerk forward and then it felt as if the automatic transmission was slipping in and out of gears. Managed to pull off the freeway and drive to the local mini dealership, which was luckily about a mile down the road. Was told by dealership the problem was transmission failure and was quoted $9,000 repair cost. When I asked the mechanic why the transmission had failed this early, told me they had no idea. However, when I asked another employee how many other cars had they seen with transmission problems, he reluctantly admitted "quite a few".
The vehicle began to feel like the transmission was slipping: hesitation, wheels skidding, rough acceleration and deceleration. The problem continues after 2 trips to mini cooper in which the car's computer was "reset" because no problems with the transmission were found. The problem described above persists, but there was also one episode where the car did not start and later turned off while driving on a congested nyc road.
Purchased 2006 mini cooper s brand new at a mini dealer in boston. The vehicle has 108k highway miles. I had serviced the vehicle at the dealer until warranty ran out and transitioned to a national car care chain. I began to notice the vehicle slipping between second and third gear when traveling in stop and go traffic. I brought the car to my regular mechanic and they indicated that I should bring it to a transmission shop. Delivered the car to the shop and have been informed that my CVT transmission had failed and would need to be re-manufactured. I was also informed that my power steering pump is leaking and failing. The power steering fan had seized and was likely the cause of the power steering failure. The mini dealership quoted me over 10k for the transmission replacement only did not inquire about power steering and there were no programs for customers in this situation. This cost is more than the car is worth. The transmission shop will do the repairs for 6k.
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 availability of new superchargers is very low because of this problem, hence me purchasing a remfgd one. Rear wiper motor failed at 40k quoted hundreds to replace, not worth it!!!!!
Tranny went on my 2006 s manual at 20k, 3 weeks out of warranty. I brought it in 5 weeks earlier while still under warranty and told them that it was slipping out of gear. They said ?they could not replicate the problem?. I realize now that they chose these words carefully. 5 weeks and 1000 miles later, just our or warranty it blew. Said the tranny fluid was dark and full of shards. Did they not check this last month????? They told me 6k to fix it. I blew a gasket. He called me back a few hours later and said mini would provide the parts for free if I paid $1300 labor. After researching on the internet, I have found that there are hundreds of people with the same issue on their mini's, many more then I have seen when I have done searches on other issues. I think this is a huge problem that needs to be addressed.
Related recalls
Power train: automatic transmission: control module (TCM/PCM/tecm)
- What is wrong
- BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 Door, and Cooper S Hardtop 2 Door vehicles manufactured January 6, 2014, to October 17, 2014. During service appointments, dealers may have inadvertently reprogrammed the transmission control unit with software that may allow drivers to exit the vehicle when the transmission is not in Park. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
- Risk
- If the driver exits the vehicle without the transmission being in Park, the vehicle could roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.
- Remedy
- MINI will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the transmission control module with the correct software, free of charge. The recall February 4, 2015. Owners can contact MINI customer service at 1‑866‑825‑1525.
Recall number 14V789000 · Recall details
Questions about the MINI Cooper S slipping
Which MINI Cooper S years have transmission slipping problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2006 (9 complaints), 2005 (1 complaints) and 2007 (1 complaints).
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