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Having transmission problems with your MINI Cooper? You’re not alone. A federal class action lawsuit claims BMW of North America installed “shoddy” automatic transmissions in first-generation MINI’s that are prone to premature failure and cannot be reasonably repaired, forcing consumers to spend thousands of dollars to replace them and putting them at risk of serious harm.
According to the BMW MINI Cooper class action lawsuit, BMW aggressively marketed the MINI Cooper as a stylish, high performance — yet affordable — vehicle, and launched the MINI amidst great fanfare. The marketing campaign was so successful that buyers lined up to get their hands on the first generation MINIs and waited months to a year for a delivery.
“There’s a saying that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is…[and] after the dust settled from BMW Group’s marketing fervor, owners of First Generation MINIs found that they had been duped because their vehicles did not stand the test of time,” the MINI Cooper class action lawsuit states.
“In their haste to create a new ‘premium small car’ market, BMW Group sacrificed quality to meet demand and keep the sales price low, and as a result, First Generation MINIs were quickly churned out with substandard parts and shoddy workmanship. BMW Group refuses to take responsibility for these actions, and instead, prefers that its customers be left to clean up the mess it created.”
The MINI Cooper transmission class action lawsuit takes aim at BMW’s failure to disclose a material problem concerning the Continuously Variable Transmissions (CVTs) installed in first generation MINIs, which the lawsuit alleges are prone to premature failure.
“As a result of BMW Group’s failure to disclose the fact that CVTs installed in First Generation MINIs are prone to premature failure, consumers are required to spend approximately $6,000 to $9,000 (one-third to one-half of the original purchase price) to repair or replace their CVTs, or sell their vehicle without repair for a substantial loss,” the MINI Cooper CVT class action lawsuit states. Their failure to disclose the problem also places the driver and passengers at risk of serious harm, the lawsuit continues, because the CVTs can fail without warning, resulting in a complete loss of power to the drive wheels.
“As a result of its failure to disclose the material fact that CVTs installed in First Generation MINIs were prone to premature failure, BMW Group has recklessly placed the safety of the owners and occupants of First Generation MINIs at risk, and caused owners of those vehicles to suffer damages.”
The MINI Cooper defective transmission class action lawsuit seeking restitution, damages and other relief for a proposed class of all California residents who, at any time prior to the filing of this complaint, purchased or leased a 2002-2006 MINI Cooper Coupe or 2005-2008 MINI Cooper Convertible in California.
A copy of the BMW MINI Cooper Defective Transmission Class Action Lawsuit can be read here.
The case is Brad Aarons v. BMW of North America, LLC, Case No. 11-cv-07667, U.S. District Court, Central District of California.
UPDATE 1: A federal judge indicated he will approve a class action settlement reached in this class action lawsuit.
UPDATE 2: Judge Gutierrez preliminarily approved the MINI Cooper Transmission Class Action Settlement. Details on how to file a claim will be available soon.
UPDATE 3: Notices and claim filing instructions for the MINI Cooper settlement are being delayed by disputes between the two parties. Both sides asked the Court to intervene to expedite administration of the class action settlement benefits.
UPDATE 4: Claim filing instructions are now available! See how to file a claim for the MINI Cooper class action settlement here.
UPDATE 5: A misplaced objection to the MINI Cooper class action settlement has delayed the distribution of funds. Because the objection is similar to other objections already overruled by the judge, it is likely to be overruled as well. We will update readers when more information is available.
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390 thoughts onBMW MINI Cooper Defective Transmission Class Action Lawsuit
Le compre a mi esposa un Mini Con 112 K millas ha fallado todo el tiempo desde entonces…..es como un hijo con problamas fisicos o mentales…….simplemente lo adoramos !!! pero a diferencia de un hijo con esas caracteristicas la solucion para el auto es mucho mas SIMPLE!!! quiero que esa demanda se HAGA!!!!!!!!!! Por favor avisenme de los nuevos acontecimientos ?DONDE TENGo QUE FIRMAR>??mail: johnpiman@gmail.com
I have a 2008 mini – have spent $6,000 on new transmission, not including power sterling pump, etc. I filled out all the paperwork last year to included myself in the class action lawsuit. Havent heard a word back!!! What a money pit car!!!!
la fecha de hoy 2/8/2016 tengo un mini cooper S 2006 hard top tengo los mismos problemas en la transmission automatica, al encender el carro despues de 7 a 10 minutos se comiensan a deslisar bruscamente los cambios de primera y segunda,..compre este carro en Crevier VMW en Santa Ana CA, y les lleve el mini y no se hacen responsables de repararme esta falla defectuosa, y me figuraron $9000.00 dlls por repararlo..Por favor todo el que tenga un mini aun en esta fecha escribamos y luchemos todos juntos para hacer mas fuerza para que nos reparen este problema defectuoso y tan costoso ..Yo me uno a que hagamos una: *Class Accion Law Suit*……
I have a 2006 Mini Cooper S, bought it used and everything was fine for over a year and now the transmission, I was quoted $7300.00 to fix. Is there anything that I can do about getting it fixed? I dont have the budget to spend that on repairs.
I have a 2002 MINI COOPER, which I love. I have all of the documentations of when I took it in to be serviced and in reference to the transmission. I always took it to the dealership for work, and they were wonderful, however the dealership was sold at one point. Then my transmission failed, and they told me that it would be around $5,000. to fix it. So I took it to a car guy with a good rep who worked on foreign cars and he got the transmission from the dealer, and installed it. It has been 2 1/2 yrs now and I am having a similar problem now with the replacement. So went to the dealer who told me that the warranty on the transmission part was beyond the two years. (It was a week over) and that they would charge me another $8000. to put in a new one. I told them no and am still driving it, but VERY CAREFULLY, as I am afraid the transmission will go out again. I do drive it right and this has made me crazy. The first time I had a friend (car collector) hear a noise in my car, he told me to have them fix the master and slave cylinders, because they werent working right, which might cause a problem with my transmission. Each time I took it into the shop they said they fixed it…but I dont trust them. I take care of my MINI and i LOVE it, but if I could just get them to fix the problem, I would be very happy…BMW was always soooo good before. I am not sure what the problem was when they made my Mini. I also have several other problems that keep popping up, and I could have bought another car several times over for what I have had to spend fixing this one. I also would like to know more about this Lawsuit!!!!! Thank you and I will look forward to hearing from you,
I bought a 2003 mini cooper with 68000 miles after only 2.5 months and a little over 4000 mile transmission when out. any chance there is way to get on this or any other law suit about these transmissions? These cars are pure junk DONT BUY ONE
got rtansmition problems with 2005 mini cooper. It is possible to get in this class action sew?
I purchased a 2006 mini cooper s, automatic transmission a few years ago. It was in excellent condition but I did think the automatic shifting felt weird when I first got it. The dealership assured me that is because I needed to get used to it after driving a Z3 for many years. I did get used to it, but now, at 57,000 miles, I am feeling a lot of hesitation when driving, especially when my air conditioning is on. I have not brought it in for service yet, but found this site. Now I am in a panic that I will have to ditch the car if it is a transmission problem. Do I have any recourse? If this is this case am I eligible to participate in a class action suit? Please advise. I would like to have more info before I bring it in for service.
Purchased a 2005 mini with122K miles through auction for $3,000. I was told it only needed a water pump and a few minor stuff. Turns out the car needs a new transmission and on the low end I was quoted $5,000. I just relocated to New York and now I am stuck with a lemon. Is the class action suit still open? Would I even qualify if I purchased from an auction? I am so bummed the car is in perfect shape otherwise. :(
I have a 2006 mini runs great all of a sudden the car starts to buck and jerk back and forth wont shift past 3rd gear and flashes a EP code on tach cluster was able to get it to reset ran fine for a day and a half out of nowere it just started again if anyone could help it would be greatly appreciated thank you