2005 MINI COOPER Power Trainautomatic Transmission Problems

I HAVE NOTICED FOR THE LAST 2 YEARS THAT MY CAR HAS BEEN LURCHING. IN JUST THE LAST WEEK I HAVE NOTICED THAT WHEN I GET TO ABOUT 55-65 MPH, MY RPM'S ARE AROUND 4000. I TAKE MY FOOT OFF THE GAS AND THE RPM'S INCREASED. I HAD SOME MINOR WORK DONE ON THE AUTO-SEQUENTIAL TRANSMISSION IN 2010. I HAD BROKEN THE LINE AND HAS BEEN WELDED BACK IN AND HAD NO MAJOR PROBLEMS ASIDE FROM THE LURCHING UNTIL RECENTLY. ALL FACTORY PARTS ARE STILL ON THE CAR. TRANSMISSION HAS NOT BEEN REPLACED. I AM OUTSIDE MY WARRANTY. *TR

(2005 MINI COOPER TRANSMISSION) VEHICLE DOES NOT MOVE FROM STANDING POSITION WHEN ACCELERATOR DEPRESSED. SUDDENLY JUMPS INTO GEAR (IN DRIVE OR REVERSE POSITION). NEEDED TO STEP ON THE BRAKES IMMEDIATELY TO PREVENT ACCIDENT. ALSO LACKS ACCELERATION WHILE PASSING ON THE HIGHWAY.. UPDATED 03/30/10 *BF SPORADIC INITIALLY. BECAME MORE FREQUENT OVER THE NEXT TWO MONTHS (JANUARY TO MARCH 2009 TIME FRAME). PROBLEMS SURFACED JUST AT THE END OF WARRANTY MILEAGE. TAKEN TO DEALER ON MARCH 26, 2009. SERVICE TECHNICIAN FOUND NO FAULTS FROM SCANNING OR IN LINKAGE OPERATION. NO EFFECT DUE TO RESETTING ADAPTATIONS AND SHIFT SOLENOIDS. TRANSMISSION WAS FOUND TO BE FAULTY. TRANSMISSION REPLACED. *TR UPDATED 07/07/10.*JB

2005 MINI COOPER AUTOMATIC CVT TRANSMISSION FAILED AT ONLY 47,000 MILES. WHEN TAKING MY FOOT OFF OF THE GAS, THE RPM'S WOULD REV UP AS THE CAR SLOWED DOWN. THEN MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND EP (TRANSMISSION) WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CAR WOULD NO LONGER SHIFT ABOVE SECOND GEAR, MAKING THE CAR PRACTICALLY UNDRIVABLE. THIS VEHICLE HAS ALWAYS BEEN SERVICED PROMPTLY AND WELL MAINTAINED THROUGH MINI COOPER DEALERSHIPS. MY FACTORY WARRANTY EXPIRED 6 MONTHS AGO. THE INTERIOR BELT OR CHAIN ON THE TRANSMISSION HAS "COMPLETELY COME APART" AND THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. MINI COOPER ESTIMATES $7600 TO REPLACE THIS TRANSMISSION! *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE JERKED AND MADE RATTLING AND POPPING SOUNDS. THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF AND THE CONTACT PUSHED IT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE KEY COULD NOT BE REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION AND THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE DEALER. SHE WAS INFORMED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AND WOULD COST $7,000 TO REPAIR. THE CONTACT WILL CALL THE MANUFACTURER FOR ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 62,000.

DURING NOVEMBER OF 2008, I BROKE DOWN 4 TIMES. THE FIRST TIME WAS ON 11/1 (WHEN I HAD AN APPT TO HAVE MY AILING CAR LOOKED AT ON 11/3). I MADE THE APPT FOR 11/3 ON 10/30 WHEN I WAS ON A HIGHWAY AND THE CAR BEGAN BUCKING LIKE A MECHANICAL BULL. OBVIOUSLY, I DID NOT MAKE IT TO THE APPOINTMENT. I HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP ON 11/1 AFTER BREAKING DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY INTERSECTION WHILE TRYING TO MAKE A LEFT HAND TURN. THE DIAGNOSIS WAS I NEEDED A NEW BATTERY, VALVE COVER GASKET, AND TRANSMISSION. I WAS "GOOD-WILLED" THE TRANSMISSION BY OTTO'S BMW BECAUSE I WAS OVER MY WARRANTY IN TIME AND NOT MILEAGE (PASSED 4 YEARS, BUT NOT 50000 MILES). I PAID $386 TO FIX THE FIRST TWO ITEMS. THE NEXT DAY, I GOT MY CAR BACK. ON 11/8, I BROKE DOWN AGAIN...

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...

I HAD MY BRAND NEW 2005 MINI COOPER S AUTOMATIC FOR LESS THAN ONE MONTH WHEN IT STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET - THE ENGINE JUST STALLED OUT OR WENT INTO WHAT I'VE BEEN TOLD IS "LIMP MODE". LUCKILY, THE STREET WASN'T CROWDED AND I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. BUT WHAT IF I WAS ON THE FREEWAY???? I'VE SUBSEQUENTLY FOUND OUT MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AND BMW KNOWS ABOUT IT, BUT HASN'T BEEN ABLE TO FIX THE PROBLEM CORRECTLY. I BELIEVE THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE! BMW SAID IT IS A SOFTWARE PROBLEM AND THEY HAVE MADE UPDATES, BUT I DON'T BELIEVE IT HAS BEEN CORRECTED. I AM STILL AFRAID TO DRIVE ON THE FREEWAY FOR FEAR OF BECOMING A STATISTIC! BMW SHOULD AT LEAST NOTIFY ALL MCS AUTOMATIC OWNERS OF THE POTENTIAL HAZARD! *JB

ON 3 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS AFTER TRAVELING A FEW HUNDRED YARDS OR SO OUR MINI WOULD SUDDENLY LOSE POWER AND GO INTO A "LIMP MODE" AS WE MOVE FROM EITHER A STOP SIGN OR TRAFFIC SIGNAL. THIS WOULD CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO STOP IN THE INTERSECTION CAUSING A POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS CONDITION. THE VEHICLES SES CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ALSO COMES ON. WE HAVE TAKEN OUR VEHICLE IN FOR SERVICE THREE TIMES TO GET THIS DEFECT ADDRESSED. MINI STATES THAT IT IS A "KNOWN" PROBLEM WITH THE CURRENT SOFTWARE. I NOW HAVE A THIRD VERSION OF THE SOFTWARE, BUT WE ARE AFRAID TO DRIVE THE CAR TO "TEST" IT OUT. I HOPE EITHER MINI OR THE NHTSA WILL POST A RECALL ON THIS DANGEROUS CONDITION. *JB

STARTED VEHICLE IN THE EVENING WHEN LEAVING WORK THEN DROVE OUT ONTO THE STREET AND THE VEHICLE STOPPED. THE THROTTLE WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING AND THE CAR WOULDN'T MOVE. THE DEALER SAID A TEMPERATURE SENSOR TOLD THE COMPUTER IT WAS OUT OF RANGE AND SENT THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION INTO A LIMP MODE. AFTER PULLING OVER AND RESTARTING THE CAR IT WAS POSSIBLE TO DRIVE IT HOME, BUT THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON. THE VEHICLE WAS ONLY 1 MONTH OLD. THE DEALER HAS REPLACED TWO MAP SENSORS AND AN ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MOTOR, BUT IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE FIXED UNTIL THEY CORRECT THE SOFTWARE. THERE ARE 7 MINI COOPER S AUTOMATICS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM AT THIS DEALER AND MANY MORE THROUGHOUT THE U.S.