MINI Cooper Transmission Class Action Lawsuit to Be Approved by Judge
A class action lawsuit against BMW of North America on a transmission defect in the 2001-2006 MINI Coopers is expected to be approved by U.S. District Judge Philip S. Gutierrez.
The affected vehicles were equipped with the British automaker’s continuously variable transmission (CVT), which, the suit alleges, was known to fail even when being well maintained. The suit claims that BMW hid the defects of the CVT from its customers but informed dealers that it was an issue. It is being reported that BMW will settle and offer to reimburse up to 1,200 affected owners that needed repairs within eight years or 150,000 miles of their original purchase. The plaintiffs have estimated the repair costs to range from $6,000 to $9,000.
The proposed class action lawsuit settlement will also provide a max of $4,100 to Class Members who had their Coopers repaired at a third-party facility, and up to $2,000 to owners which sold the vehicle at a loss as a result of the transmission defects. BMW has also agreed to cover all future repairs on the affected Coopers for up to 150,000 miles and eight years.
Also, owners of MINI Coopers who had their transmissions replaced after the warranty expired will get a three-year, 50,000-mile parts warranty.
The original lawsuit was filed in 2011 and four similar class action lawsuits have been filed since.
[Source: Top Class Actions]
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Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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I've seen comments but no responses. I purchased my 2006 Mini Cooper S in November of 2012 from Carmax. At the time, the salesperson repeated suggested that I get the 100,000 mile warranty. He said that Minis are notorious for failing transmissions. It was $5000. Sure enough, 4 months later it needed replacement. I called carmax and Mini. Carmax scheduled an appointment but said, they would need to keep the car for 4 days until they diagnosed if it was a warranty issue. They would not authorize a loaner car until it was diagnosed. I called Mini. They said it was a good thing I called because carmax cannot repair minis. They said that they could diagnose within an hour and give me a loaner. They did. The transmission needed to be replaced for $9000. They said they had a $1600 "handling fee" other than my $300 warranty. I said... what is "handling". They would receive the transmission from the vendor that they get it from. The handling fee is NOT for the receipt of the transmission. It's for holding the transmission for the time between they receive it and when they put it in my car. My ex husband called them and they reduced the fee from $1600 to $50. When I came to pick it up, the handling fee on the bill was $100 because they had to charge me that so they could work with me on bringing the fee down. I contacted Carmax. My salesperson hung up on me and would not answer my calls. Carmax said that because I didn't take my car to them, they would offer me no refund. Mini said oh well. How do I get involved in the lawsuit. My car fits the bill... my dream car is a nightmare!
I am in Cape Town South Africa I bought my mini cooper s 1600 2005 second hand from a reputable dealer in june 2013 now my transmission is playing up it is sticking when i get into traffic.Will they repair or replace it and who do I go to and will it be carried as a claim