The way to get some action on this matter is for everyone effected to file a complaint with The national Highway Transportation Safety Administration
at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/

I know from my experience with other cars that manufacturers take things very seriously when contacted by an NHTSA investigator.

 

I agree. However, when I looked at the site, I could not find a record of any complaint regarding MINI engine bay fires. Maybe I was searching incorrectly.
EDIT: Actually, I found 4 'fire' complaints from 02 to 06 MINIs. Only 2 appear to be complaints of the engine bay nature (02 MC and 03 MCS). Surely, we should be able to get someone's attention if all NAM 'victims' filed a complaint?

 

I agree. I found almost nothing on the NHTSA site about this.
Unless people report to NHTSA nothing will happen. I went through this with my other car - ignition module failure. The issue was all over the disussion boards, but noting happened until we started reporting to NHTSA. After several complaints were filed, I was contacted by an investigator. Next thing you know there is a "voluntary" recall, and now all is well. The point is that the car companies tend to wait until NHTSA starts puting on the heat before they act.
Regards,
Posidon

 

Just an update on mine - the power steering pump was faulty. Luckily no fire.

 

Well, I guess you make this list. Sorry to hear that. Do you plan on submitting a complaint to NHTSA?

 

Well, I'm not sure that I would qualify. It was replaced under warranty and there was no fire.

 

Now that's interesting... I could have sworn that I filed a complaint with them, but maybe it was with another agency. I will file by the end of the week.

 

Thanks for the link tpa. I saw that site a long time ago and actually added some posts to the forum until I realized that the author of the site doesn't keep it updated anymore. I started this thread because I thought that all these fires should be kept track of, and kept currant. I knew that even if I weren't available to maintain this thread, it would be somewhat maintained by the community here at NAM. (As proved by the last page of posts that happened while I was away on vacation.)

As for your theory on why the fires start in the first place, it sounds good to me but I'm no expert by any stretch. I think it's great that people are talking about it though...

 

Portugal... Now im afraid to ride my MINI

 

This topic came up in another thread and I was directed here so I read through this thread and it's not very clear at all as to what is causing these fires or what the fix is.

Can anyone shed some clear light on this?

 

Keep in mind that there are more MINIs in CA than anywhere else is the country.

Also, not everyone in CA lives with LA traffic. It's a pretty big state.

 

I realize that, but, if there is a preventive measure I can take, I'll do it.

 

Ron, from what I have read, the fires were mostly caused by electrical problems, fixed by a new sized fuse. It affected 2004 and earlier cars from what I have read on NAM, and MINI is fully aware of the prob, and has been retrofitting cars with the fixes. If that's the case, check with Niello.

 

Ron, You are exactly right - it's not very clear. The fires are definitely caused by shorts in the electrical system. What causes those shorts is still a mystery. The common areas for the shorts to occur are the ABS Control Module (less common) and the Power Steering Pump/fan (more common). There isn't any known cure at this time.

Gromit, if you have definite proof that MINI has acknowledged the problem and has done a recall to 'fix' it with a higher fuse, please share. As far as I've seen and heard, MINI denies any knowledge of the problem, let alone fixing it. If you're thinking of the higher rated fuses installed in '04s and later, that isn't really a fix for the problem. There are some '04s that have burned. And if they are actively retrofitting the fuses, I would have had SOME kind of notice about it by now; or my dealer in SoCal, with whom I was very tight, would have told me something about it when my car burned (or before).

If there IS a recall or fix specifically for this problem, I'd really like to know since I had to shell out almost $700 of my own money to get it fixed. I should be able to get my money back from MINI at the very least... Also, when I asked my dealer to compare old (burned) and new parts, the part numbers were the same, the parts were the same, and nothing had changed. If they are fixing the problem, you'd think there would be some change...

 

As I clearly said, it's from what I have read on NAM.

 

Thanks guys. One more question, who's "Niello"?

 

Oop's my bad. Thought your were in this end of the state. Niello is the dealer in Sacramento.

 

After i read this thread i went out and look for the PS fan, and i didnt have any luck, i have a MCS 02, where exactly is it?

Thanx guys,
MAC

 

Under the car.

 

It's right behind the engine oil drain plug and looks like a large computer muffin fan. Your car is early and probably doesn't have a grille covering it and can collect plastic bags and other debris which will cause much unhappiness.

Steve

 

Wasn't that the fix? To change the design of the fan to include a grille? The fuse probly blows when the fan siezes (common from what I hear)... I was under my car (04' build) and it does have the grille...

 

They also separated the cooling fan circuit from the power steering fan circuit.

Steve

 

I haven't looked yet but if mine lacks a grille where can I pick one up?

 

Does the grill really work? how about the fuse or circuit separtion?

 

http://mossmini.com/Shop/ViewProduct...26&SortOrder=1