The 2011 mini cooper countryman has a poorly designed cup holder that punctures cups causing liquid to leak. this cup holder is not properly sealed and allows fluid (condensation) into the gearshift assembly. this causes the inability to shift gears properly. it will also cause the key to be stuck in the ignition. mini will not take responsibility for the labor to fix the issue and will also not correct the problem from recurring. i believe this is a safety issue and needs to be investigated as well as a very expensive fix for the consumer. when i called mini usa they informed me there was language in the manual that provided a warning about what cups were appropriate but i found no such language. there was barely a reference to the cup holders. they may have updated their manual since i purchased my car but mine did not have any reference to such a problem. *tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 mini cooper countryman. the contact stated that while parking, the steering wheel seized and became difficult to move. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where the main computer was reprogrammed to remedy the steering system failure. months later, the steering system failure recurred accompanied by a burning odor. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer, who reprogrammed the system but was not able to remedy the issue. the dealer also installed an eps computer patch. the failure mileage was 15,800. . ..updated 01-10-14 *bf the consumer stated mini usa was aware of the steering problem failure occurring in 2011 mini cooper countryman's. they have failed to provided her information on exactly what they know is failing in the steering system or the bulletin that have on the steering issue. the dealer worked on the vehicle, and they believed the problem was resolved. the consumer stated the vehicle was taken to the dealer numerous times, for different things. the mirrors were not operating properly, the clutch failed twice, two steering failures, and the re-programming of the computer, several times. updated 01/15/14