Wonder why the part is backordered?! They've been going through them like they were Halloween candy. I've noted some instances where people have had them replaced twice. I don't understand why they have not communicated anything on this to us. Two weeks ago I sent an email directly to MINI and also posted on the Owner's Lounge asking them for some info. Nada response from MINI on either, only more owners posting with the same problem. I'd at least like to hear them say a fix is in the works or something and also give specific instructions on how to disconnect the faulty sensor if it leaves you stranded with a 'no start' condition.

 

I posted to the other thread about not starting on cold days, but thought it was worth mentioning that this is the 2nd of 3 problems I had with my 2012 Countryman prior to falling into the "lemon" bucket. It sounds like Mini is going to be replacing many more cars if they don't figure it out. My advice to all of you is to check the lemon laws in your state and pursue it if you meet the requirements. The laws are pretty cut & dry so my dealer just offered the new car without going through the legal headaches. Of course I'm now starting over with 5 miles and counting until I need my first tow! I'm trying to be optimistic though because I LOVE the countryman!

 

My car has been at the dealer all week for stumbling, power loss, trim replacement, windows not retracting all the way.... etc, etc, etc. They call me to tell me they found a service note that a "major software upgrade" will fix the power loss and stumbling.

Not to be a pessimist, but I'm betting I"ll be taking more photos of the yellow engine light this weekend when I head to the mountains to ski. Can you say "lemon law"?

 

Pictures are good! I took pictures and video of the loud fan issue. If I would have thought about it, I would have take video of it not starting as well. Fortunately, my dealership offered the new car without having to go through the legal battle. If yours isn't being that considerate, get all the ammo you can!

 

Dealer updated software for stumble and loss of power last week. Picked up my All4-S on Friday, drove it Saturday up I-70 through the Eisenhower Tunnel and back with no loss of power or Yellow Engine light. This upgrade appears to have also fixed the power window issue (windows not retracting all the way) and the car being unable to find it's hear at higher speeds. The Jury is still out as I continue to drive it in the Rockies, but my fingers are crossed that this verdict might actually fix the car - finally! BTW - still selling it before the warranty is out, just a gut feeling that it's a good idea.

 

I just picked up my All4 yesterday, and today the yellow engine light came on. I noticed the fan running for quite some time after a 30 minute drive. Taking it to the dealer tomorrow.

 

I knew it was too good to be true, though I was hopeful. Engine light back on again with loss of power after longer road trip to the mountains. Calling dealer tomorrow... this is getting old as this will be the 3rd visit for this problem.

 

Fan running excessively, sounds like thermostat (sensor) issue.

 

When you lose power does the Tachometer jump as if you have lost it's boost? That seems to be my issue but of course dealer says there is no "code" being saved in computer. Just logged complaint with MiniUSA, will see if (and how) they respond.

 

Yep exactly what service told me. They've replaced the thermostat. Let's see how it goes. The service guy sounded surprised I had this problem after 1 day of ownership, so I don't know how many bad thermostats they've gotten thus far.

 

I have a 2012 Countryman S with just over 11,000 miles on it. I've already had the thermostat sensor replaced and today the engine turns over but the car shuts off immediately - with the yellow engine power light on. Sounds like the same problem everyone else is experiencing on this forum. And, the turbo fan did run for several minutes after this happened. They took the car back to the dealership on a flatbed about an hour ago.

Any of you who've exercised your lemon law righs from MN?

 

The yellow check engine light came on a couple of days ago in my S All4. It came on after a quick stop at the store. It's my wife's car, so I've not noticed if the fan is running for long periods of time. However, fuel economy does seem a little down now, so I suspect it's the faulty thermostat sensor that others have noted. We'll find out next week. Yeah, it takes a week to get an appointment at my Mini dealership. They must get a lot of business. I'm just saying...

If the yellow engine icon isn't flashing, then the Mini service adviser said it's OK to drive. Of course, he also advised me that it's OK to run 87 octane here in Denver during the winter. Seriously? When does winter just start and stop around here. It can be 70 degrees one day and snowing the next. I'm not going to run the risk of having to visit the Mini service department again just because I was advised to use a lower octane fuel, especially with the hassle that others on this forum have received from their service departments for not running premium fuel. I wrote a letter to Mini USA about how lame the sort of advice is, and that it causes more problems in the long run for them.

Anyway, this Countryman S is bittersweet. I've never heard an engine sound like it's going to fly apart when it's cold quite like this one. I've never had a car put any doubts in my mind about whether I'll encounter a new issue when I start it up quite like this one. An yet, when all is well, it's a great car and it's a heck of a looker. It's a shame, because I'm not sure if we'll keep it long term due to our concerns of its reliability.

 

What are people averaging? My in-dash computer has hovered around 24MPG (granted it's only been one week of driving).

Is there a way to reset that computer at each fill up? I haven't had time to crack open the car manual.

 

This ended up being a failed boost pressure sensor. It was replaced under warranty.

However, the gentleman in the waiting room with whom I was chatting was told that his < week old Countryman had a failed thermostat. Not even through one tank of gas yet!

 

Ha, that easily could have been me last week. I was still on the original tank of gas

 

My 3-month old countryman S beeped today and showed me a yellow engine light for the first time. I checked the handbook and it said I had to contact my dealer. I did that and my dealer replied immediately, suggesting someone will tow my car tomorrow to have a check. I agreed and felt like it had a huge problem for their overacting because the handbook suggested "you can continue your journey". After I checked all these posts here, I found it was a common problem for the countrymen. Later tonight I went back to my car in order to take a picture of the engine light, strange thing happened. The light went off! I drove a little while, accelerating and braking, just to check it. It went back to normal completely! I felt worried and decided to ask my dealer to check it anyway tomorrow. Will see the result soon.

 

@RayMini - same thing happens with mine, that is why it is in the shop for the 3rd time as of yesterday. Don't let them tell you it needs a software upgrade (though it might to fix other issues) as software will NOT fix this problem. I believe it has something to do with the oxygen sensor or turbo pressure valve. Seems to happen on longer trips, higher altitudes requiring more boost. Might be heat related, however the dealer is also telling me that the computer is not recording any errors when it occurs, so take a photo of your dash if you can.

Will post the results of round 3 as soon as I have my car back.

By the way - to all in this post stream, Mini Nat-ional called me regarding this issue, and if you want to help do a full court press, call 866-275-6464. They seemed mildly concerned, but I'm glad to have the # to Mini US.

 

Add me to the list. Ran to the store tonight and noticed the yellow solid engine light on. Guess I'll be calling the dealer tomorrow. Epic fail at 7,000 miles....

 

This is getting ridiculous. Are there any CMs that *haven't* had the thermostat replaced in their first 10K miles?

 

What is worse is no official word from MINI on what they are doing about it. All that seems to be happening is swapping out parts, which is not solving the problem for some that have had 2-3 thermostats replaced. I have sent them three emails and no response. I started a thread on the Owners' Lounge and no response. You'd think they'd want to get out in front of an issue.

 

Dropped mine last Monday night and they gave me a convertible. It was 60's all weekend and I motored about town. Oh, Mini has my Countryman for the yellow engine light? I almost forgot since the dealer hasn't called and I'm not calling them, not yet anyway.

 

Epic fail? That's nothing compared to mine. Yellow engine light on at 17miles on my CM4. WTH is going on? MA thinks it's the thermostat. I won't be able to drive down the to dealers until this weekend. How long does it take to change one out?

 

I hear ya. It took my dealer 3 hours, not sure if they got to the car immediately or not. Better it happened to you now then on some long road trip.

 

haven't had a problem with mine, but I've had 2 bad spark plugs

 

Picked up CM4 from dealer yesterday after a 10-day stay. They "found nothing wrong" again, even though I have photos of the yellow engine light. They claimed the car was misfiring and replaced all spark plugs. I'm betting the plugs are being fouled because the turbo is shutting down causing the engine to work at higher RPM's and it is trying to kick on the turbo. I'm giving it one more chance so I can take pictures of the dash when the yellow light engine light comes on again. I'll then have 4 total reported times this has occurred and photographic evidence on 3 occasions. I'm then going to pursue this with everything I've got at my disposal.

Sure the problem is frustrating, but my real frustration is that my experience with car dealers is that they think the public is stupid. If they would just tell us they don't know what the problem is but they are working on a solution and have a targeted timeline for resolution, I'm certain a lot of us would feel better.