NHTSA Complaint #11396364 — 2016 MINI COOPER S

WHILE DRIVING HOME THURSDAY NIGHT I RECEIVED LEFT TAIL LIGHT MALFUNCTION WARING ON MY DASH PANEL WITH THE TURN SIGNAL BLINKING EXTREMELY FAST. AFTER ARRIVING HOME I CHECKED THE LIGHT AND FOUND THAT THE TAIL LIGHT INOPERATIVE AND THE TURN SIGNALS WERE EXTREMELY DIM. THE NEXT MORNING I CALLED TUCSON MINI AND TOLD THEM THE PROBLEM. THE SA STATED TO BRING THE CAR IN AND THEY WOULD CHECK OUT THE PROBLEM. UPON INSPECTION THEY FOUND THAT THE L/H TAIL LIGHT GROUND CONNECTOR AND THE BULB CONNECTOR MELTED. I ASK THE SA WHAT WOULD CAUSE THIS PROBLEM AND SHE COULD NOT ANSWER THIS PROBLEM. BUT SHE DID MAKE A COMMENT THAT SHE HAD SEEN HUNDREDS OF THESE PROBLEMS. SOME WHICH CAUSED ENOUGH DAMAGE THAT REQUIRED THE WHOLE TAIL LIGHT TO BE REPLACED. SHE ALSO STATED THAT I WAS LUCK THAT THE DAMAGE TO MY CAR LIMITED TO ONLY THE GROUND CONNECTOR AND THE LIGHT BULB HOLDER. I DID SOME RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND SEVERAL INSTANCES WHERE THE SAME PROBLEM HAD OCCURRED. IN ONE CASE THE PERSON HAD TO REPLACE BOTH TAIL LIGHTS. I BELIEVE THIS IS CONSIDERED A SAFETY HAZARD AND COULD POSSIBLY CAUSE A FIRE.