This vehicle just went over 66,000 miles and the airbag warning light started appearing. An independent mechanic and dealership both diagnosed and said it's a defective front passenger seat occupant detection mat and I'd need to replace the entire system/seat. Several other vehicles with the same part have recalls however my specific 2008 model is not included in this recall. I believe it should be included in the recall as this is clearly a known issue and an obvious safety system/design flaw. No sort of crash or collision occurred and now the vehicle will not pass safety inspection and is unusable because of this until I spent roughly $2000 on the repair.

- Alexandria, VA, USA

I purchased my 2008 MINICooper 3 years ago and it's currently around 78K my car was diagnosed with timing chain stretched and possibly engine damage. However MINICooper usa doesn't want to reimburse the money I'd pay out of pocket myself.

- Mason, OH, USA

As I was driving the car, the hood in the front started to release smoke. There was also a smoking smell. This continued throughout the ride. Brought the car to a mechanic who indicates that the car is leaking oil onto the engine, making it extremely dangerous to drive as it can cause a fire. This problem continues to exist after I replace the oil pipe.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

There is a loud knocking noise (most likely the timing belt) and the car keeps jumping.

- Gurnee, IL, USA

I would like to see a recall issued or at least investigated for any MINIcooper 2007 and up with the BMW engine. This engine has a faulty timing belt tensioner that is prone to fail causing severe engine damage. I have a 2008 and just lost my engine due to this tension failure. After spending the $600 dollars to have my engine taken apart and diagnosed, I was told that BMW already knows about the problem but has not issued any type of recall for it. They also told me that it will require a new engine some where in the dollar amount of $14,000 to replace, unknown at this time if the dealer will cover the loss. This problem is well known be the dealer but it looks like they have done nothing to correct this problem and continue to use this same engine in there vehicles. I was told by one of the workers that BMW has not issued a recall because the problem does not pose a direct safety risk, are you kidding me, going done the highway and having a total engine loss is very much a safety risk. I am sure that my complaint is just another drop in the bucket but I hope at least hope someone takes the time to have this problem corrected before someone is seriously hurt or killed.

- Linden, VA, USA

Sunroof spontaneously shattered. No impact or other incident. Simply driving on highway 85 in santa clara, California. Loud explosion sound, covered in glass with hanging sunroof. Reported incident to 911 then to chp. No assignable cause.

- Boulder Creek, CA, USA