2007 MINI COOPER Complaints

RATTLE AND OIL LEAK. LOSS OF FULL ENGINE POWER WHEN RESTARTED. DEALER SAYS ITS A TIMING CHAIN ASSEMBLY ISSUE. *TR

THE TIMING CHAIN GUIDES AND TENSIONER IN THE MINI COOPER ARE MADE FROM PLASTIC. THERE IS A SERVICE BULLETIN CREATED BY MINI USA TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE, BUT NO RECALL. AS I WAS DRIVING HOME, MAKING A TURN ACROSS A BUSY INTERSECTION, MY TENSIONER BROKE, WHICH CAUSED MY VEHICLE TO DIE IN THE MIDDLE OF A TURN WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC. I HAD TO GET OUT OF MY VEHICLE AND PUSH IT ACROSS THE INTERSECTION WHILE CARS WERE DRIVING BY. ALTHOUGH IT IS COMMON FOR VEHICLE ENGINES TO DIE OF DIFFERENT ISSUES, THIS IS A WELL-DOCUMENTED AND ACKNOWLEDGED PROBLEM FOR MINI COOPERS, BUT THERE HAS NOT BEEN ENOUGH OF A PUBLIC OUTCRY FOR A RECALL. THE SITUATION IS DANGEROUS, AS IT CAN CAUSE ENGINE FAILURE WHICH CAN RESULT IN A COLLISION. THE REMEDY IS A REPLACEMENT OF A MANUFACTURER-ACKNOWLEDGED FAULTY PART. *TR

VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN 1.2 MILES FOR FIRST RUN OF THE DAY. TEMP WAS 48 F. CAR WAS IN DRIVE AT STOPLIGHT WHEN ENGINE ACCELERATED BEYOND MAX RPM. CAR LUNGED FORWARD INTO INTERSECTION AND A LOT OF EFFORT HAD TO BE APPLIED TO BRAKE TO KEED CAR FROM GOING ANY FURTHER. DRIVER GRABBED GEAR SHIFTER AND SHIFTED TO NEUTRAL AND HAVING SLIPPED INTO REVERSE. ENGINE RPM THEN SUBSIDED AND VEHICLE WAS THEN DRIVEN 14 MILES WITH NO FURTHER INCIDENCE. *TR

TURBO OIL COOLING LINES LEAKING ENGINE OIL ON TO HOT TURBOCHARGER. THIS IS A FIRE HAZARD. MANY MINI COOPER S MODELS ARE HAVING THIS FAILURE. *TR

SATURDAY NIGHT, DEC. 28, 2013. I GO DOWNTOWN WITH MY GIRLFRIEND. SHE HAS A BIG BAG SO WE LET THE PASSENGER SEAT UP TO PUT HER BAG IN THE BACK SEAT. AS SOON AS SHE SITS DOWN AND WE BEGIN TO DRIVE AIR BAG LIGHT IN THE ROOF AND PRE BELT TENSIONER GOES OFF. I CHECK THE SEAT AND SEAT BELT. NOTHING VISIBLY WRONG. MY GIRLFRIEND IS 5'4 120 LBS. THIS IS RIDICULOUS. I GOOGLED THE PROBLEM AND FIND OUT BMW WHO MAKES MINI COOPER KNOWS THIS IS A PROBLEM AND ISSUED A RECALL ON EARLIER YEARS BUT LATER YEARS NEED A RECALL AS WELL AS THIS IS ANGLING DANGEROUS AND EXPENSIVE ISSUE TO FIX. YOU CAN FIND PROBLEMS ALL OVER THE NET REGARDING THIS ISSUE. MAKE BMW-MINI COOPER FIX THIS ISSUE THAT THEY KNOW ABOUT BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT. *TR

THE MINI MADE A BEEPING NOISE / WARNING NOISE WHILE DRIVING. STOPPED THE CAR. IT WAS VERY SLUGGISH TO START SO I TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC (NOT THE MINI DEALER IN MY TOWN WHICH HAS A HORRIBLE SERVICE DEPARTMENT.) THE DIAGNOSIS WAS A FAILING TIMING CHAIN AND EVERYTHING ASSOCIATED WITH IT. REPLACED TIMING CHAIN, CHAIN TENSIONER, ADJUSTER UNIT CAM, GUIDE RAIL, SLIDE RAIL, CRANKSHAFT SEAL, GASKET RING, VALVE COVER GASKET, DRIVE BELT, IGNITION COIL, SPARK PLUGS ... EVERYTHING. THIS FAILURE COULD GAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC WITHOUT MY IMMEDIATE ACTION TO STOP THE CAR AND TAKE IT TO A MECHANIC. IT WAS A $3,000 + FIX. *TR

DRIVING MINI COOPER S WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN I LOST POWER TO THE CAR AND WAS ABLE TO GET IT OFF THE HWY. TIMING CHAIN BROKE AND DAMAGED THE ENGINE. THE CAR HAS 91,000 MILES ON IT. *TR

TIMING CHAIN FAILURE. HAPPENED ON FREEWAY. COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER, HAD TO BE TOWED. *TR

HAVE FOUND THAT MY MINI IS HAVING THE EXACT SAME ISSUES AS THOSE COVERED BY THE BMW SERVICE RECALL ARE HAVING, ALTHOUGH MINE IS NOT COVERED AS CONFIRMED BY MINI CUSTOMER RELATIONS. THIS SHOULD BE EXTENDED TO INCLUDED ALL MINIS THAT ARE HAVING THIS ISSUE AND NOT ONLY THOSE THAT OPTED FOR THE UPGRADED MODEL S. *TR

RECEIVED A LETTER FROM MINI ON 11/16/13 NOTIFYING ME OF POSSIBILITY OF FAULTY CHAIN TENSIONER, WHICH NEEDED TO BE "CHECKED FOR WEAR AND REPLACED IF NECESSARY," AND THAT I SHOULD CONTACT AN AUTHORIZED MINI DEALER TO ARRANGE AN APPOINTMENT. NO INDICATION THAT THE VEHICLE SHOULD NOT BE DRIVEN. TWO DAYS LATER (11/18/13), JUST AS I WAS ABOUT TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHAKE, THEN THE RED ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, SO I SHUT DOWN THE VEHICLE AND HAD IT TOWED FIRST TO THE IMPORT SHOP THAT NORMALLY SERVICES THE MINI THEN, AFTER CONSULTATION WITH THAT MECHANIC ABOUT MINI'S RECALL LETTER, HAD IT TOWED TO A MINI DEALERSHIP, WHERE IT NOW SITS WAITING FOR DIAGNOSIS AND NEWS ABOUT WHAT ANY DAMAGE MIGHT COST TO REPAIR, WHETHER I WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR IT, AND WHETHER I WILL BE REIMBURSED FOR TWO TOW CHARGES AND A CAR RENTAL. *TR