Unable to open the driver's door from the inside; immediate failure. at about 36,000 miles and again at 60,000 miles, the driver's door could only be opened by pulling on the inside door handle multiple times or opening the window & using the outside handle. the issue appears to be a cable that comes off a pulley in the opening mechanism. the dealer replaced the cable in its proper position; the fix lasted about 2 years before re-occurring causing the car to fail state safety inspection. this is a problem known to mini/bmw and is reported in many online mini cooper forums. *tt
Door lock mechanism freezes and traps drive and occupants inside of the vehicle. anytime the temperature is below freezing door locks freeze. upon contacting mini their response was that they get this complaint frequently but they do not have a method to correct the problem. *tr