Five problems related to manual transmission have been reported for the 2002 Mini Cooper. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2002 Mini Cooper based on all problems reported for the 2002 Cooper.
Sudden failure of the manual 5 speed transmission causing car to come to a sudden stop in an intersection, endangering the driver and blocking traffic. Something internal fails in the transmission, car comes to t sudden stop, cant be pushed as the wheels lock up and must be towed from the road. Appears to be a common problem on message boards on the web. Transmission must be replaced.
Purchased a used 2002 Mini Cooper about 3 1/2 yrs ago w/ about 12k miles. At around 15-17k miles the transmission basically exploded while I was on the highway. I was told that there was a crack in the transmission. Mini replaced it with I'm guessing a rebuilt transmission. At the time of the repair I asked them if they were putting in a new clutch and they said no, which I found strange. Now at 60k miles the clutch is basically done. When the car is cold it shifts pretty normally, but after 15-25 minutes of driving the first two gears become hard to engage and they slip. This is not my first five speed and I'm shocked that this clutch is done after such little mileage. Should they have replaced the clutch when they replaced the transmission? I'm not a mechanic but to lose a clutch at 60k miles doesn't make any sense. My driving habits are pretty normal. I'm not lighting up the tires at traffic lights or racing people. This is an everyday car mostly used on the highway. I'm bringing the car in to have it looked at the Mini service center in freeport NY on 12/29/08. Also had a problem with overheating about 4 months after car was purchased. And air bag light stays lit. Have had this problem corrected once or twice. But the light still stays lit.
Transmission blew at 34 thousand miles.
I have a 2002 Mini Cooper with 52k miles, the transmission has went out twice in the past 2 years the first time at 31k miles. The clutch has also went out as well as the sunroof motor, left front brake caliper, windshield wiper motor with a host of sensors, gauges etc. . . Parts are impossible to get and service on a 24k car (when new) is as much as my 70k BMW 7 series.
Car stalls randomly when comming to a stop. This happens on on manuel transmission. When depressing the clutch it revs down and idols low and stalls when approahing a stop. After an inital stall power is reduced and is sluggish when the gas is depressed.