2006 Mini Cooper S Transmission Problems

Which parts fail

• Manual transmission
  2
• Clutch assembly
  1
• Automatic transmission
  1

Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  313%
• 25k–50k
  14%
• 50k–75k
  939%
• 75k–100k
  730%
• 100k–150k
  313%
• 150k+
  00%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2006 Mini Cooper S owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

Automatic transmission electronically disengages (random occurrences) while shifting between 3rd and 4th gear, allowing the engine to rev uncontrollably. Since this happens while accelerating, it creates an unsafe condition in traffic as there is no power to the wheels. When the transmission re-engages, it can happen at a very high rev (3000-5000, or more RPM) which causes an unsafe condition because of the sudden engagement. If roads are wet, the re-engagement can easily produce wheel spin and skidding when it happens during a turning maneuver. The sudden re-engagement at high revs can also break a cv joint or other drive component, which would cause the vehicle to be uncontrollable while in traffic.

Vehicle has had several issues. Latest is transmission which shifts erratically from 2nd gear to 3rd gear causing the vehicle's tachometer to race from 2,000 RPM to nearly 8,000 RPM within a second or two. The vehicle then accelerates/jerks forward erratically. The dealer says this is a transmission issue that would cost $10,500 to repair/replace. There are hundreds if not thousands of complaints about Mini Cooper s transmissions yet the dealer/manufacturer is unwilling to address the issue.

2 days after purchasing a used Mini Cooper s convertible 2006, the car began to self shift at improper times, causing the engine to rev at high RPM's. I contacted the dealer immediately and he test drove the car trying to get the vehicle to respond the same way. After 15 minutes of driving it the problem did not occur and I was sent on my way. The problem continued to persist when I was at low speeds.

I am current owner of a 2006 Mini Cooper s. I purchased the car new around April 2006. Over last 2 months, I have started to see a problem with power train. The car jerks horribly while trying to accelerate when it tries to change to higher gears. This happens either in the "drive" mode where the car automatically changes the gears or while driving in "m/s" mode where the driver gets the option to change the gear. Over last 1-2 weeks, the vehicle jerks when I switch from park to reverse. I took the car to Mini Cooper dealership and their diagnosis was to replace the transmission at a cost of $8500. My car has around 96,500 miles and has been maintained well. When I talked to the dealership, they indicated that they have seen about 2 to 3 cars having problem (just within that dealership) in recent times (the person I talked to was relatively new). …

On 2/16/2013 my harmonic balancer went out while driving on the freeway their are no warning lights . What happens is a loud pop then a bunch of crunching noises from that shock your car will go from 55 MPH to 20 MPH in a matter of seconds ...extremely scary when you see a semi behind you . Mini paid for this malfunction because they know this issue is a major flaw and will cause an accident or possibly someone's death . On 8/29/2013 my transmission failed at 55,123 ...no warnings just slow lunching and grinding also during this event I found out my engine and transmission mounts were cracked. Seat belts are constantly curling backwards and don't lay flat . …

Purchased 2006 Mini Cooper s brand new at a Mini dealer in boston. The vehicle has 108K highway miles. I had serviced the vehicle at the dealer until warranty ran out and transitioned to a national car care chain. I began to notice the vehicle slipping between second and third gear when traveling in stop and go traffic. I brought the car to my regular mechanic and they indicated that I should bring it to a transmission shop. Delivered the car to the shop and have been informed that my CVT transmission had failed and would need to be re-manufactured. I was also informed that my power steering pump is leaking and failing. The power steering fan had seized and was likely the cause of the power steering failure. The Mini dealership quoted me over 10K for the transmission replacement only did not inquire about power steering and there were no programs for customers in this situation. …

Plethora of electrical problems. Heated seats are a major concern. They go on and off by themselves, seem haunted. Sometimes, they get so hot they leave burn marks in my legs. I am afraid of an electrical fire. The heated seats get so hot, they left burn marks in my seat. Aisin 6 speed automatic transmission, equipped with "lifetime" fluid, begins slipping gears at 70K the supercharger had to be replaced due to the "design" of the supercharger it could not be repaired, I was forced by bmwusa to purchase a remanufactured supercharger. I was told it was a "common problem" I have also found out from forums such as northamericanmotoring.com this is a problem that BMW does not want to admit its at fault for however they are acknowledging the widespread happenings across the country. The availability of new superchargers is very low because of this problem, hence me purchasing a remfgd one. …

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Mini Cooper s. The contact was traveling 60 MPH when all of the lights along the dashboard illuminated and the vehicle abnormally accelerated. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where the mechanic confirmed that the tachometer needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted and the vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 54,000 and the current mileage was 55,000. ..updated 07/11/12 the contact was traveling 60 MPH when all of the warning lights on the dashboard illuminated. The vehicle then changed down to 2nd gear( the vehicle has six forward gears) causing huge acceleration and then slowing of the vehicle of the vehicle. After extensive diagnostic work by the mechanic, it was determined that the tachometer had failed which caused the vehicle to downshift to 2nd gear. The failure also necessitated the replacement of the transmission.

I purchased at 2006 Mini Cooper automatic in July 2010. October 2010 I had the kids in my car, key in my hand, car turned off and in park. The car started to roll backwards, dragging me and I had to pull the emergency brake to get the car to stop rolling and not roll into on-coming traffic. I was worried my kids would be hit. Mini USA claimed nothing was wrong. Now I am told my back brakes are worn, I am scared they did not look at my vehicle properly, did not take me seriously and am scared my car will roll again. I always park my car and pull the emergency brake I never leave it just in park. I need someone to make sure these cars and my car is truly safe. Mini USA and the dealer that certified my car have both failed to take this dangerous manner seriously. I could of been seriously hurt and my children killed by on coming traffic.

Tranny went on my 2006 s manual at 20K, 3 weeks out of warranty. I brought it in 5 weeks earlier while still under warranty and told them that it was slipping out of gear. They said ?they could not replicate the problem?. I realize now that they chose these words carefully. 5 weeks and 1000 miles later, just our or warranty it blew. Said the tranny fluid was dark and full of shards. Did they not check this last month????? They told me 6K to fix it. I blew a gasket. He called me back a few hours later and said Mini would provide the parts for free if I paid $1300 labor. After researching on the internet, I have found that there are hundreds of people with the same issue on their Mini's, many more then I have seen when I have done searches on other issues. I think this is a huge problem that needs to be addressed.

Transmission complaints in other Cooper S years