NHTSA Complaint #10345159 — 2004 MINI COOPER S

ON MY WAY UP DRIVEWAY I NOTICED A SHARP STINGING SENSATION IN THE LUMBAR OF MY BACK. FELT SORT OF LIKE AN "CONTINUOUS ELECTRIC SHOCK". I IMMEDIATELY ARCHED MY BACK AS A REACTION TO THE STING AND HAD TO STRAIGHTEN MY BACK IN ORDER TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE. WHEN STRAIGHTENING MY BACK I FELT SOMETHING HOT, VERY HOT THIS TIME LIKE SOMETHING THAT WAS ON FIRE. I COULD NOT LONGER CONTROL THE VEHICLE GRABBED FOR THE HANDLE OPENED THE DOOR AND ROLLED OUT ONTO THE DRIVEWAY WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS MOVING. THE VEHICLE BUCKED AND STALLED OUT. I IMMEDIATELY LOOKED AT THE VEHICLE INTERIOR AND NOTICED THAT THE SEAT WAS SMOLDERING AND THERE WAS A HOLE THE SIZE OF A QUARTER BURNED THROUGH THE SEAT IN THE LUMBAR. IT WAS A 100 DEGREE DAY SO I WASN'T USING THE SEAT HEATER, NONETHELESS IT WAS ON, MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSED A FIRE WHICH RESULTED IN ME JUMPING OUT OF THE MOVING VEHICLE. I ALSO READ ONLINE ABOUT THIS HAPPENING TO ANOTHER 2004 MINI COOPER S "PASSENGER SEAT" AS WELL. *TR