There is a new recall. It is for cars produced between Sept. 25th 2002 and Nov. 15th 2002. It is for the rear spring strut bolt, breaking and falling off.

 

Here's all the information:

The BMW Group has informed the NHTSA that it will be proceeding with a customer notification to recall certain Cooper and Cooper S vehicles. The recall affects approximately 5100 vehicles which were produced between 9/25/2002 and 11/14/2002. The implementation of the recall will be conducted as soon as the repair procedures are finalized (approximately 2 weeks). At that time, a Service Information bulletin will be published and official customer notification letters will be mailed. The repair will consist of replacing both rear lower strut mounting bolts.

In the meantime, we have prepared the following Q&A to help address any customer concerns:

Q1. Which models are affected by this recall?

Affected models are 2003 Model Year MINI Cooper and Cooper S vehicles produced between September 25th, 2002 and November 14th, 2002. (The production date can be read on the certification label which is located on the inside of the door pillar on the driver’s side.)

Q2. Why are other vehicles not affected?

The vehicle production date range was established to be between September 25th, 2002 and November 14th, 2002. Therefore, vehicles produced outside of this date range are not affected.

Q3. How many vehicles are affected?

Approximately 5,100 vehicles in the US are affected.

Q4. What failure might possibly occur?

In very rare occasions due to a production problem with the screw that connects the rear struts to the chassis, the head (top) of the screw securing this connection may break. The remaining portion of the screw (stud, or shaft) will still hold the strut in place. However, if left unattended over a longer period of time, and depending on driving conditions, the stud/shaft may break.

Q5. What can happen?

If the screw stud/shaft also broke, the chassis would lean directly on the tire, diminishing the driver's ability to control the vehicle. Depending upon traffic conditions and the driver’s reactions, this could lead to a crash.

Q6. How does the driver become aware of the problem?

The driver’s ability to control the vehicle will be reduced.

Q7. What corrective measures will be taken?

The lower screw connection of the rear struts will be replaced.

Q8. How did MINI become aware of the problem?

MINI became aware of the problem through its own quality control processes.

Q9. Is MINI aware of any accidents or injuries associated with the recall?

No.

Q10. Can customers continue to drive their vehicles?

Yes, but we recommend that affected customers, who will receive a letter asking them to schedule an appointment with their authorized MINI dealer, do so as soon as possible.

If you experience this problem on the road, you should pull over carefully as soon as possible to a safe location and away from traffic. Do not continue to drive your vehicle. Contact MINI Roadside Assistance at 1-866-646-4772 immediately to have your vehicle brought to the nearest MINI dealer.

Q11. How will customers be informed of the recall?

Affected customers will receive a letter asking them to schedule an appointment with their authorized MINI dealer.

Q12. How will the recall be performed?

Affected customers who make an appointment will have the rear strut connection replaced.

Q13. How long will the repair take?

The replacement of the rear strut connection should take about ½ hour. However, additional time may be required depending upon your MINI dealer’s scheduling and processing.

Q14. How many vehicles have experienced this problem?

We have not received any reports pertaining to this issue.

Q15. When will I receive my owner notification letter?

Mailings will be conducted in March 2003.

Q16. Do I have to wait for my recall letter in order to have my recall performed?

Yes. MINI is in the process of implementing the recall campaign to ensure that the necessary parts are at the MINI dealers prior to sending out the owner notification letters.

 

thanks for posting the official doc gabe.

 

i guess they got there Bolt supply from a different (Cheaper) source and it came back to bite them in the butt. :smile:

 

Thanks Gabe for posting that Official notice!


bump

 

>>i guess they got there Bolt supply from a different (Cheaper) source and it came back to bite them in the butt. :smile:
yep

 

Good thing I have my service date scheduled to replace my blower fan in one week. Hopefully they will replace the bolts at the same time. Jeez....could there be anything else? I'm taking it in stride. Love my MINI.

 

My car was at the dealers the last three days having the engine wiring harness replaced.
I asked the service advisor about the recall, he hadn't heard anything about it.

It's great to have my car back.

retroom

 

I am guessing over tork at the factory instead of faulty bolt. Sounds like when they recallibrated there electric tork wrenches they found a problem
JMO

 

How do I find the actual production date forMCS? My door sticker only shows 11/02 month and year not actual production date?

 

I was just a KNAUZ last friday and they have not recieved the "offical" notice yet. I will just wait for my letter.

 

I just spoke to MCM and they have not received notice on this yet either. He looked my MC up in the computer and no recall notices were posted to the account. Wierd.

 

We're in the very early stages with this bulletin. I would bet it might take another couple weeks to get the word out to the dealers.

 

I feel that this may cause a scare among future mini buyers and shake the confidence of current owners. Let me calm you down a bit.

Take a look at what a 1990 325 Beemer has in recalls:

1990 BMW 325i

And it's like that for many, many cars.

 

Yep,
my pre-MINI car was a 1998 Subaru Legacy Outback Ltd, and it had to have a new flywheel installed since it was warped when I got it (no recall, fixed under warranty), and there were two voluntary recalls by Subaru: one for a new master break cylinder the other for (if I remember correctly) uni-joint rubber gaskets. I still loved my suby and it was VERY dependable.

 

And here's the list for my '92 325i.

Seriously I don't think this is really anything to get too worried about.

_________________

 

Recalls are always going to happen.. it's when they get excessive and widespread, it's when there's a problem.. but if it sticks to just a few months here and there, no big deal...

heck, a recall for something that could be a problem eventally is better then the recall on my wife's cavalier a while back.. the airbags could go off if the car hit a big enough bump, or if there was a heavy thump to the floor of the car... bad times...

Rocketboy_X

 

Gabe, do you know if this recall affects all Minis built on those dates? Even Minis for other countries? My car arrived at the Mexico Plant in Dec. 16 so I bet it was built between those dates. Will have to check out with the dealer.

I wouldn´t worry about it though, it sounds more like a preventive measure rather than something that has caused accidents. ALL cars have recalls now, specially in their first two years. My civic comes from the first production batch back in sept 2000 and I had to take it for 3 recalls plus other two service bulletins. I´ve never had any problems with the car yet.

 

PHOBOL-

Thanks for the interesting information about the BMW

If you have access to the ALLDATA site for BMW, could you also get the recall list and service bulletins for the MINI? The site is blocked to comsumers for BMW data.I tried and this is what it said

"information for Honda, Acura and BMW is not available to consumers through the ALLDATA DIY by request of the each manufacturer."

 

mexminime - I would assume it would be for all cars world wide - but I really have no concrete info of this.

 

>>There is a new recall. It is for cars produced between Sept. 25th 2002 and Nov. 15th 2002. It is for the rear spring strut bolt, breaking and falling off.

i just got the call today :???:

 

I just watched "Spies like us" recently and love the line:

Dan A:"We can recall the missle"
Chevy C:"What, like a defective Pinto?!"

I thought it went with this thread quite well. But of course the Cooper is not defective in any way.

 

UPDATE:

Well, I took my MC to what is turning into a monthly visit to the Service Department. (No fun when I live 90 minutes from the shop. I take it with a grain of salt, though. Just makes me happy to know that my MINI will be better than when I handed them the keys.) I told the manager about what I had read here on the site and she said that there was no way to find out about recalls since the uplink on the PCs were down. So I asked her if she could call MINIUSA to see if she could find anything out. She told me that she would do whatever she could find out. Later in the afternoon, I received a phone call and she told me that they still hadn't gotten to look at the car, but she did find out about the Recall and my vehicle was in the time frame, but that she had the parts in stock and would have it fixed when I picked it up tomorrow! YEAY! :smile:

So...there you go. If you have to have service and have not yet received the letter. Make sure that you let your SM know about this issue. It should be noted in the computer system now, so they can reference it when needed.

 

>>There is a new recall. It is for cars produced between Sept. 25th 2002 and Nov. 15th 2002. It is for the rear spring strut bolt, breaking and falling off.


today's the day.......she has her recall appointment :???:
i don't like the fact that other people are going to be working on my car
and to think i was nervous about bringing her in for free service

but this build date gives me an idea for a new topic (i bet it's been done)
but i'm going to check the build date and see what sign my car is