BMW to Tell Mini Cooper Buyers About Faulty Cable WSJ Reports

July 11, 2002

Munich, July 11 (Bloomberg) -- Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
will tell buyers of its Mini Cooper cars that a faulty cable in
some manual transmissions will have to be replaced, the Wall
Street Journal reported, citing a company spokesman.
The cable has worked loose in fewer than 10 percent of the
Cooper models, making it impossible for drivers to shift gear,
Michael McHale, a Mini spokesman, told the paper. The problem
hasn't affected cars with automatic transmissions or the Mini
Cooper S model, he said. BMW officials couldn't immediately be
reached for comment by Bloomberg News.

The faulty cable isn't dangerous, the paper said, citing
dealers. The problem causes the clutch to burn out if the car
stays in the wrong gear, the paper said. No accidents, injuries or
deaths have been reported due to the problem, McHale told the
Journal.

The company has no plans to recall the cars, the Journal
said, citing McHale. Owners will be told in coming weeks to
contact their dealers for free installation of a new cable, the
paper said.

 

I'm glad they're not recalling... If they did, you know they'd recall the Cooper S's in the coming weeks too, just to make sure nothing was wrong!

 

BTW, this is VIN specific... and only affects early build Coopers...

The problem was corrected inline and only earlier build MCs are subject to this replacement. So I would not be proactive and call your dealer... they will call you if your VINs fall into the group. If you have a MC on order... don't worry... this does not affect you!

 

Speaking of VIN's, how can you tell where your own mini sits in the production line- up? What # is considered early in the production? It seems to me that many folks whom have had their Mini's less time than me(May 11th) have had this linkage failure/ clutch cable problem. I gathered the info from both web sites and I would have to say I do not agree with your statement.We should have the cable replaced no matter what. Don't wait for the service dept. to call. I'm planning on having mine switched out when i change the oil at 3000k. I hope the Missus will stay strong until then.

 

I guess I was one of the 10%.It happened last week,downshifting for a red light.The linkage popped off,NO GEARS,I almost freaked!The tow truck guy & I figured it out and popped it back on,RELIEF.Back to the dealer and an hour or so later,new cables,motorin again.Didn't know it was an ongoing problem till now. indie blue/union jack roof/bonnet stripes/16"wh. 5 point,runflat/DSC

 

Hi! Sorry, this has got nothing to do with linkage, but I noticed you have run-flat tires. Do you have any information on how they will do in the snow? I ordered my MINI with them; it is supposed to be coming in October/November -- Thanks!

 

Please be aware the dealer will not call you as previous post stated. The 3 dealers I have called unanimously have basically said they have not even been notified by MINI of the problem, nor do they have new linkage cables available at the moment. I faxed them the Wall Street article as they had not seen the article.

If your car is effected, you will be notified by letter. FYI to all MINI owners..... :smile:

 

MINI has been out for awhile now. How come this cable problem came to light now? Frankly, the news is distressing, disappointing. Sounds like a real quality control lapse. And it seems like pure luck that someone's transmission hasn't failed in the midst of traffic and the car been a target for collision. The company ought to clarify and address the problem for ALL owners, not play "Russian roulette" with them to avoid adverse publicity, which will, in the end, rebound unfavorably to BMW/MINI.

 

>>BTW, this is VIN specific... and only affects early build Coopers...
>>
>>The problem was corrected inline and only earlier build MCs are subject to this replacement. So I would not be proactive and call your dealer... they will call you if your VINs fall into the group. If you have a MC on order... don't worry... this does not affect you!

See post below by Andrew.....the dealer will not call you. Letters from Mini only..... :smile:

 

>>Hi! Sorry, this has got nothing to do with linkage, but I noticed you have run-flat tires. Do you have any information on how they will do in the snow? I ordered my MINI with them; it is supposed to be coming in October/November -- Thanks!

My dealer recommended an extra set of rims and all season tyres for our Wisconsin winters.

Dave

 

Has anyone received one of these letters yet? Can anyone tell us what VINs are having the problem or what production date range? My manual Cooper often has trouble getting into reverse. I wonder if this forbodes the cable problem. I could not imagine being at a stoplight and suddenly you can't shift into any gears. Scary not to mention embarassing and bad publicity for MINI. Can it happen at any time? What if you're getting on the highway then pop, you can't shift or speed up? If it really only takes minutes to replace the part, then they should be safe and do it to all manual Coopers! If anyone gets more info on this, I'm sure we'd all appreciate it. I hope it doesn't happen to me, but who really wants to "wait and see"?

 

>>Has anyone received one of these letters yet? Can anyone tell us what VINs are having the problem or what production date range? My manual Cooper often has trouble getting into reverse. I wonder if this forbodes the cable problem. I could not imagine being at a stoplight and suddenly you can't shift into any gears. Scary not to mention embarassing and bad publicity for MINI. Can it happen at any time? What if you're getting on the highway then pop, you can't shift or speed up? If it really only takes minutes to replace the part, then they should be safe and do it to all manual Coopers! If anyone gets more info on this, I'm sure we'd all appreciate it. I hope it doesn't happen to me, but who really wants to "wait and see"?


I emailed miniusa.com in the owners area and am awaiting reply on my car relative to inkage problem. FYI......Andrew

 

>>BTW, this is VIN specific... and only affects early build Coopers...
>>
>>The problem was corrected inline and only earlier build MCs are subject to this replacement. So I would not be proactive and call your dealer... they will call you if your VINs fall into the group. If you have a MC on order... don't worry... this does not affect you!
>>>>>If I can reply to this, I must tell you to most definitely be proactive. My dealer never called me, Mini usa never contacted me. I only heard about the problem through the wall street journal and checked on this and other websites. If your car was built before May 2002 (maybe even later, but I don't think so) you should IMMEDIATELY contact MiniUsa with your VIN number and make arrangements to have the car checked. DO NOT WAIT for them to contact you. Once I communicated with them they were great about it and the part was at my dealer in about a week and they fixed it in an hour while I waited. Don't wait to break down in traffic with (effectively) no gear box.

 

If your car was built before May 2002 you are definitely a candidate for the shift linkage problem, as was my car. I never got notice from anyone. I heard about this in the Wall Street Journal. I don't get why notices haven't been sent, but they haven't. Just contact MINIUSA by e-mail or phone 866 2756464 and give then your Vin number. They were very helpful. They made sure my dealer had the necessary part, it took about a week and my dealer fixed it in about an hour while I waited. It was all no big deal, especially compared to the potential disaster of being stuck in one gear or maybe neutral while in traffic, the freeway, etc. etc. I just got my car fixed two days ago. It's for real but, like I say, not a big deal. Don't wait for notice, call NOW. 866 2756464.

 

:evil:

Good luck & Cheers!
Clover

 

THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR THE UPDATE!!! My car is one of those VINs , so I'll call MINI and get on my dealer ASAP! Yikes! I too agree that MINI should have had the courtesy to contact those MINI owners immediately. This linkage failure is not only a great inconvenience, but it could be a major safety problem!!! It's also a spot on the MINI reputation- people seeing new MINIs being towed- not a good marketing strategy! :???:

 

>>>>Hi! Sorry, this has got nothing to do with linkage, but I noticed you have run-flat tires. Do you have any information on how they will do in the snow? I ordered my MINI with them; it is supposed to be coming in October/November -- Thanks!
>>
>>My dealer recommended an extra set of rims and all season tyres for our Wisconsin winters.
>>
>>Dave

Thanks for the info! How much would all that cost? Are you going to do it?