The manual tailgate release cable was not fitted in this and other early production MINICooper S cars, though the owner's manual indicates that this safety feature is part of the design. The manual tailgate release cable allows access to the battery compartment, which is in the trunk of the vehicle, when there is an electrical malfunction such as a battery failure. Without the manual release cable, the battery is inaccessible in the event of a failed battery or other electrical malfunction. The battery in my car failed and left me stranded on the side of the highway with no convenient access to remove the battery. Further, the absence of this manual release cable means that the tailgate could not be used as an egress for vehicle occupants in the event of an emergency.

- Providence, RI, USA

My car would not start one morning. I installed a new battery. As soon as I connected the battery cable, smoke started pouring out from underneath the engine. The smoke was acrid, like smoke from an electrical fire. The engine continued to smoke as long as the battery cables were connected. Concerned about the possibility of an engine fire, I disconnected the battery and had the car towed to a repair shop. The shop determined that the electric power steering pump and pump cooling fan were defective. There had been no prior indication that either that there was anything wrong with either the power steering or the battery.

- Sacramento, CA, USA

My 2003 MINICooper has almost caught on fire several times, replaced transmission, electrical harness, power steering pump, A/C hoses and A/C service, wheel bearings, injection plugs etc....... I still cannot find the real problem why is causing a short, it has almost caught on fire several times, this car has been the most dangerous car I have ever own, I have never spend so much money on trying to fix any vehicle, right now I'm about $11,500 in costs of repairs, this is a crime to the consumer, I have been reading about a class action lawsuit that is in progress, I hope and pray that we get justice from the maker of MINI

- Fontana, CA, USA

I bought a new 2003 MINICooper with a 3 year 36K warranty 6/26/03. While under warranty and receiving recommended maintenance through the dealer, the car required repair of the driver's seat which was frozen in the reclined position. Shortly after the warranty expired, and 10,481 miles after a dealer maintenance check, the brake light indicator began flashing. I took it immediately to the dealer. I was told the entire brake system needed replacement for $886.60. At the same service visit, I was told the front struts needed replacement to the tune of $1600. My male friends who are mechanically inclined and/or engineers said that one would need to be doing stunts in a car to need that kind of repair at 50,293 miles. It was not clear why the indicator only tells when brakes are totally shot, or why the most recent service check had not shown worn pads and disks. Later, at 53,007 miles, the driver's side window failed and that cost $497.51 to replace. At 62,516 miles the air conditioning system died which cost $1173.58 to replace. The automatic door lock on the driver?S side does not work and lord knows how much that repair will cost. Now at 69K, the manual transmission needs replacement. My present mechanic (cheaper and more reliable than dealership) says the replacement of the transmission and clutch with a remanufactured system will be >$4000. This is an outlandish amount of repair and repair cost for a $19,000 car with 70K mileage. I have had 2 previous Honda that were cheaper than the MINIand never needed a clutch or transmission. My son drove my $14,000 '95 Honda civic until last month and it had 200K miles. I will never buy another MINIor BMW for that matter, based on this experience. I will be sure to discourage others from buying one. I hope a class action suit is formed.

- Houston, TX, USA

The contact owns a 2003 MINICooper S. while driving 40 mph, the vehicle caught fire. The contact pulled over and doused the vehicle with a bucket of water. The dealer and the police were not notified. The vehicle is parked in his garage. The contact discovered from the NHTSA website that there are approximately eight others who have filed complaints regarding the same failure. The current and failure mileages were 58,000.

- Delavan, IL, USA

We were eventually able to speak to another technician, howard fuller, after extensively questioning mike winter. Howard fuller had not read any of the technical service bulletins (tsbs) about the car and is unfamiliar with the NHTSA complaints or with any similar complaints filed with MINIAfter talking to howard fuller the next day, he had performed some minimal research (read the NHTSA complaints) and stated that our problem was not the same and he repeated his interpretation of what he thought the problem was, which was incorrect. We corrected Mr. Fuller and redirected him to the tsbs. He told us a MINIspecialist was going to come in to examine the vehicle. However, he expressed doubt in the MINIspecialist being able to reproduce the problem. In another disturbing incident, my husband contacted chico motley, the operations director. Mr. Motley was also highly combative and first stated that the Virginia lemon law did not apply to bmws! after my husband, who is a 26-year veteran of the fbi, corrected him, Mr. Motley stated that the Virginia lemon law stated that the vehicle had to experience the same problem and be serviced for it 6 times. My husband again corrected him, quoting Virginia law that it is 3 times. Mr. Motley stated that he made a mistake because he also manages a dealership in dallas, where he stated it is 6 times (which is also incorrect, it is 3 times in Texas as well). He made it clear to my husband that whatever action his service department would take would be satisfactory and that no other option would be considered. In no instance did he ever express any concern over our safety or the nature of this serious complaint.

- Dunn Loring, VA, USA