[Quadra]

Per New York Times, July 11, 2002, page D6:

BMW will notify buyers of its Mini Cooper cars that a FAULTY TRANSMISSION CABLE IN THE VEHICLES WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED. A Mini spokesman said that the cable is popping out of place, a failure that makes shifting gears in the car impossible. He said that the problem is occurring in less than 10% of the Cooper models. It doesn't affect models with automatic transmission or the Cooper S models.

Dealers said that glitch isn't dangerous, but drivers can burn out the clutch if they continue to drive in the wrong gear. A dealer said people should have the car towed if they encounter the problem. No accidents, injuries or deaths have been related to the problem.

Mini had NO PLANS TO RECALL the vehicle. Mini will begin mailing letters to owners in the coming weeks with instructions to contact their dealers for the free replacement cable installation.

Note: I can't find the article on line to create a link. However, I have the newspaper and I omitted a few sentences on the article when I typed the thread.

Sorry I had to repost, I placed the initial one by mistake in Cooper S section.

[jbkone]

So do I have to wait for a letter to get it done? Probably If it's free I guess I don't care if they recall them, what's the difference? There has to be some legalalities I don't know about.

[johnny36]

The article is in the Wall Street Journal not the New York Times.

[koopers]

I heard that the faulty cable only applies to MC's built during a certain timeframe and thus will only impact certain VIN #'s. Your dealer will contact you if your car falls in that timeframe. Mine was built the week of May 17 and is supposedly okay.

[MINIme762]

I'm glad mine has been replaced already. It's going to be a madhouse at MINI dealerships trying to get all the faulty cables replaced. But I really suggest everyone get it replaced. I know I was disheartened, yet lucky to have just pulled off the interstate (don't ask me why they call it an interstate in Hawaii).

Jason

[Mini Tech]

Its about time! Also, if they mail you a letter telling you that you need to bring your car in for repairs, then it is a recall. If they dub it a "service campaign", what's the difference?

[Juanello]

Although, this MINI/BMW shift linkage recall seems to arrive on time for many MINI owners, it also comes late for many of us who have already been affected by the defect.
You can read the article which depicts the faulty shift linkage cable at the following link:

http://www.auto.com/industry/iwirk12_20020712.htm

Good luck to all of you!

[Quadra]

Oooops... The article was on WSJ and not NY Times. I realized that right after I submitted the thread.... sorry.

Is there a way to find out if your vehicle is affected without waiting for the mailings? I'm hesitant to ask my dealer since I doubt that they'll know either.

[bigahead]

How does this news affect cooper owners in little old blighty (England)????

Will our cables be replaced as well?

[dennis]

Quote:

Originally posted by koopers
I heard that the faulty cable only applies to MC's built during a certain timeframe and thus will only impact certain VIN #'s. Your dealer will contact you if your car falls in that timeframe. Mine was built the week of May 17 and is supposedly okay.

_______________
My MC has the same build date. After reading the post, I contacted my dealer, East Bay MINI and said I'd like to have it checked out. They could not tell if it was defective because they said that they did not have the list from BMW-USA, based on build date. At any rate, they said to drive it to their service dept. and they'll take a look at it. If it needs to be replaced, they say it'll take up to 5 hrs.

How did you know that your build date of May 17 puts your car in the safe category?

[Mini Tech]

Update on this...

They are not replacing the cable per the service campaign (recall). If you have the old style cable, it is getting a retaining clip so the cable cannot come apart. If you have the newer cable, there will be no work done.