Table 1 shows one common equipment related problems of the 2012 Mini Cooper Countryman.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Equipment problems |
On the evening of March 4th at approximately 6:15 my 2012 Mini cooper s all 4 burst into flames. The car was parked in front of my building for 6 days (we don't use the car very much) in front of my building when the all of a sudden the head lights started flashing followed by the car cabin filling with grey smoke then followed by black smoke then there was a flash (spark?) and the entire cabin the became engulfed in flames. All of this has been captured by our building security camera. I reported the incident the following day to Mini/BMW customer care. I've been sharing emails with thomas lula who is investigating the "thermal event".
Timing chain failure which caused engine shut down. This is a known problem with other models. It was not recalled but BMW lost a class action lawsuit for the same problem in the same car, different years. They have not updated or repaired the issue. Very expensive repair.
The vehicle starts intermittently. The immobilizer of the vehicle does not detect the presence of they key fob in the slot and therefore wont start the vehicle. These events happen intermittently. One instance was in a gasoline station. I stop the engine and refueled. When it was over I couldnt get the car to start because ther was no response from the car. I tried to insert/eject the key fob in its slot and after counteless and more than thirty minutes was able to get it started. One time , I went grocery shoppping and when I was done when back to the car and it wouldn't start. Knowing that this has been happening , I did the insert/eject of key fob in its slot countless number of times. I did this for over an hour before I got a response from the car and get it started. My wife is afraid to drive this car because she may get stuck in the middle of nowhere. If there is a medical emergency and this is the only car available, it would be better off to just wait for the ambulance than attempt to bring the person needing medical attention to the hospital in this car because you may get stuck in the middle of nowhere. Any road trip that will get you 100 miles away from your place or driving at night is a safety risk because you may run out of fuel and refuel at a remote gasoline station but then you cant get the car to start again.
While driving east on interstate 40, I was approximately 50 miles east of asheville, nc when I heard a very loud boom that sounded like a gun shot. It then sounded as if a window were open and I could feel outside air, then I soon discovered a large hole in my sunroof.
From the very beginning, I have had difficulty with my 2012 countryman all4 s clutch. The car simply will not go up hills. Living in the mountain west, this is a big problem. I have been in multiple situations where the car will not engage, resulting in stalling and a burning clutch. I've had to stop and motion for people to go around me to avoid rolling back into them. I took it in twice shortly after purchasing and was told there was nothing wrong with the car. Not surprisingly, at 9,500 miles, my clutch completely burned out 200 miles from home. At first, Mini said my warranty would not cover and tried to charge me ~$3,000, but after complaining, they agreed to cover 75%. They told me the new clutch is upgraded/improved; however, I still have the same issues on hills and have to avoid them, or take our other car if driving into the mountains. This is a well-known problem with these cars as cited on multiple auto review sites. I recently asked Mini to buy-back my countryman because of all of the clutch problems, and because it's too dangerous to drive anywhere there is a hill (even a small one). The answer was simply "no". I am frustrated and fed up with the lack of concern by Mini. . . They know this is a problem and are doing nothing to rectify the situation. I cannot keep this car, but certainly do not want to sell to an unsuspecting individual.