NHTSA Complaint #11124763 — 2013 MINI COOPER S

THE 2013 COOPER S WE STARTED HAVING ISSUES ABOUT A YEAR AGO, WHERE THE CAR HESITATED TO ACCELERATE, AS IT IS USUALLY DESCRIBED IN THE SERVICE HISTORY. WHAT HAPPENS IN REAL DRIVING SITUATIONS IS THAT WHEN YOU CRUISE AT AROUND 2,000 RPM AND THEN DECIDE TO ACCELERATE THE CAR LOSES THE POWER, COMPLETELY! SO BASICALLY, WHEN YOU'RE ON THE FREEWAY OR ON A TWO-WAY ROAD AND DECIDE TO OVERTAKE ANOTHER VEHICLE, THE MINI WILL NOT ONLY NOT ACCELERATE, BUT JUST COMPLETELY LOSE POWER FOR A SECOND OR TWO. IT IS AN OBVIOUS SAFETY CONCERN. AT THE BEGINNING IT WASN'T TOO FREQUENT, BUT RECENTLY IT STARTED DOING IT ALL THE TIME, DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE MINI SERVICE REPLACED FUEL INJECTORS, PERFORMED SOME CLEANING AND ALSO SUGGESTED TO ME TO USE A FUEL ADDITIVE WITH EACH FUEL UP. NONE OF THOSE THINGS HELPED, THE ISSUES PROGRESSIVELY STARTED TO GET WORSE. IT ALL STARTED WHEN THE ODOMETER WAS SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 75 AND 80 THOUSAND MILES. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT AROUND 97,000 MILES THEREFORE SLOWLY REACHING ITS WARRANTY END (100,000 AND/OR 6 YEARS). DURING MY RECENT SERVICE APPOINTMENT AT MINI OF RENO I INSISTED ON REPAIRING THE PROBLEM. I WAS TOLD THAT AT THIS STAGE MINI OF RENO, NOR MINI USA KNOW HOW TO FIX THIS PROBLEM AND ONLY THING THEY CAN TRY IS ATTEMPT ON CLEANING THE CARBON BUILD-UP, WHICH THEY QUOTED ME $1386,86, MAKING IT CLEAR AT THE SAME TIME, THAT THIS IS JUST AN ATTEMPT AND THEY CANNOT GUARANTEE THAT IT WILL FIX THE PROBLEM. CONTACTING MINI USA YIELDED NO RESULTS, THEY DIDN'T OFFER TO FIX OR REPLACE THE VEHICLE.