NHTSA Complaint #10142671 — 2005 MINI COOPER

MY 2005 MINI COOPER S AUTOMATIC SUDDENLY STOPPED TWICE FOR NO APPARENT REASON WHILE DRIVING. CAR WAS ONLY 4 MONTHS OLD, ABOUT 4000 MILES ON CAR. I WAS ACTUALLY IN MOTION, AND THE CAR JUST STOPPED MOVING! I HAD TO TURN OFF THE CAR AND RESTART IT. EML AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS CAME ON ONCE THE CAR STOPPED. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAYED ON FOR A FEW DAYS, THEN WENT OFF, SO I ASSUMED IT WAS A FLUKE AND NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT (OTHERWISE I ASSUME THE LIGHT WOULD STAY ON). THE SECOND TIME IT HAPPENED WAS EXACTLY THE SAME SCENARIO AS THE FIRST. I HAVE SINCE LEARNED THAT MINI IS CALLING THIS "LIMP MODE", BUT I HAD NEVER RECEIVED ANY RECALL NOTIFICATION FROM MINI, OR ANYTHING INDICATING THAT THEY KNEW ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. HOWEVER, THE DID KNOW, BASED ON WHAT I HAVE READ OF OTHERS WHO COMPLAINED TO THEM ABOUT THE EXACT SAME PROBLEMS!! YET MINI APPARENTLY DID NOT NOTIFY DEALERSHIPS, BECAUSE THE FIRST ONE I CALLED HAD NO IDEA WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS WHICH I DESCRIBED, AND WASN'T GOING TO TAKE ME FOR SERVICE UNTIL 2 WEEKS LATER. I CALLED A SECOND DEALER WHO IMMEDIATELY KNEW THE PROBLEM, AND SAID IT WAS A VOLUNTARY RECALL. STILL I HAD NOT HEARD ANYTHING FROM MINI USA. I TOOK MY CAR IN AND IT WAS FIXED IN AN HOUR--THEY REPROGRAMMED THE DME. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE! I STILL HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING FROM MINI ABOUT A SAFETY RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM! MAYBE THEY DIDN'T NOTIFY ME BECAUSE I HAD IT TAKEN CARE OF ALREADY, BUT HAD THIS HAPPENED ON THE FREEWAY, RATHER THAN IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, I COULD BE DEAD NOW! WHY ISN'T MINI NOTIFYING OWNERS WHO PURCHASED THE 2005 AUTOMATICS!! WHY AREN'T THEY ISSUING A RECALL? ARE THEY WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO BE KILLED? *JB