2009 MINI COOPER Complaints

I WAS ON THE I-40 HIGHWAY FROM GATLINBURG TO NASHVILLE. THERE WAS A HOLE ON THE HIGHWAY. MY CAR PASSED THE HOLE THEN FRONT RIGHT WHEEL BECAME CURVED. ALSO, I HAVE BLACK BOX IN MY CAR. I CAN PROVE IT. I NEED TO CHANGE MY WHEEL IT TAKES MORE THAN 500 DOLLARS. *TR

I STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT ON A BUSY CITY STREET. THE MINI COOPER S ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING AND WOULD NOT START. THAT DAY WAS HEAVY SNOW AND THE ROADS WERE VERY DIFFICULT TO DRIVE ON. I COULD NOT MOVE THE CAR. AFTER SOMETIME WAITING ON A TOW TRUCK THE FOUR WAY FLASHERS QUIT WORKING. FORTUNATELY NO ONE RAN INTO THE CAR. I DISRUPTED TRAFFIC FOR ABOUT AN HOUR UNTIL THE POLICE WERE ABLE TO PUSH THE CAR OFF THE ROAD. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE MINI DEALER AND IT WAS DETERMINED THE TIMING CHAIN BROKE. THE CAR ONLY HAS 32,000 MILES ON IT. RESEARCHING, I SEE THAT MANY MINI OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THE TIMING CHAIN FAILING. MY 17 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER USUALLY DRIVES THIS CAR. I AM GLAD I WAS DRIVING IT WHEN THIS HAPPENED AND FORTUNATE THE CAR WAS NOT MOVING WHEN THE ENGINE FAILED. *TR

CAR STARTED MAKING RATTLING NOISE ON START UP, DROVE IT TO MINI, THEY SAY MY TIMING CHAIN IS STRETCHED AND HOUSING BROKEN, AROUND $2500, TO REPAIR. READING ONLINE THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM, EVEN THE BASIS OF A LAWSUIT AND I FEEL IT SHOULD BE LOOKED INTO. *TR

TOOK IN FOR OIL CHANGE, BURNING SMELL, AND RATTLING SOUND WHEN ENGINE COLD. I WAS GIVEN A LIST AFTER THEY HAD A FEW DAYS OF: MATERIAL FAILURE OF OIL PAN GASKET, OIL FILTER HOUSING LEAK, TURBO OIL FEED LINE LEAK, MATERIAL FAILURE OF THERMOSTAT HOUSING, MATERIAL FAILURE OF WATER PUMP, AND MATERIAL FAILURE OF TIMING CHAIN, TIMING CHAIN GUIDES, TENSIONER. I ENDED WITH A TOTAL REPAIR COST OF $4,666.30. TWO WEEKS LATER I AGAIN HAVE A BURNING SMELL AND THE TRIM COVERING THE TURBO CHARGER CRACKS. I AM TOLD THIS IS NORMAL AND IT IS JUST OUT OF THE 5 YEAR WARRANTY ON THIS EVEN THOUGH I HAVE AN EXTENDED COSMETIC WARRANTY. IN DECEMBER THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON BUT GOES OFF AFTER I CALL DEALER. I AM TOLD IF IT IS OFF, MAY JUST BE EMMISIONS ERROR. ON 2/20/2015, MY OIL PRESSURE LIGHT GOES ON, DEALER HAS NO OPENINGS UNTIL 2/23/15. I TAKE IN AND NOW IT HAS MORE ISSUES, STEMS AND VALVES, WHICH WILL BE ANOTHER $2K IN REPAIRS. IT IS STILL NOT DUE FOR OIL CHANGE BUT I HAD REQUESTED ONE SINCE I WAS THERE. IT IS LOW ON OIL DUE TO VALVE AND THE ENGINE ISSUE. ALL OF THESE ISSUES ARE IDENTICAL TO A THOSE VEHICLES WITH THE TENSIONER,WATER PUMP, TURBO FEED LINE RECALL.....BUT YET I AM TOLD MINE DOES NOT HAVE THE RECALL ON IT. *JS

PURCHASED A USED 2009 MINI COOPER S HARDTOP WITH 27,000 MILES ON IT AND WITHIN 20 DAYS THE CLUTCH WAS SLIPPING UPON LIGHT ACCELERATION AND CAUSED VERY UNSAFE DRIVING CONDITIONS. IT WAS REPLACED BY THE CARMAX WARRANTY GIVEN UNDER THE FIRST 30 DAYS , MY VEHICLE NOW HAS 32,000 MILES AND IS STARTING TO FEEL SIMILAR TO THE PREVIOUS SYMPTOMS. *TR

LEAK IN TURBO OIL LINE DUE TO CRACKS IN PLASTIC O-RING. AFTER HUNDREDS OF HEAT CYCLES, THE O-RING COOKS ITS SELF AND STARTS TO LEAK OIL ONTO THE TURBO. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THE PRODUCT RECALL AND INSTALLATION OF THE OIL LINE HEAT SHIELD BY NTSB SHOULD HAVE ALSO INCLUDED RECALL AND REPLACEMENT OF THE TURBO OIL LINE. THE OIL LINE HEAT SHIELD HAS NOT SOLVED THE PROBLEM OF THE BAKED O-RING IN THE TURBO OIL LINE AND THEREFORE THE TURBO OIL LINE SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER MANUFACTURER RECALL/DEFECT! *TR

2009 MINI COOPER S - I, LIKE SO MANY OTHER MINI COOPER OWNERS, HAVE JUST FALLEN VICTIM TO THE "DEATH RATTLE" OF THE [KNOWN BY BMW] DEFECTIVE/FAULTY AND NON-RECALLED TIMING CHAIN ISSUE. IT'S ABSURD THAT WE CONTINUE TO EXPOSE THIS FAR TOO COMMON DEFECT OF A PRODUCT THAT WAS ORIGINALLY DEEMED AS A "NON-SERVICE" ITEM GOOD FOR THE OPERATING LIFE OF THE ENGINE. MOST OWNERS EXPERIENCE PROBLEMS WITHIN THE FIRST 50,000 MILES. I PURCHASED THIS WELL MAINTAINED (AT A LOCAL MINI DEALER) MINI FROM A PRIVATE PARTY JUST DAYS AFTER THEY PERFORMED AN EXPENSIVE 'WALNUT TREATMENT' TO CLEAR OUT EXCESSIVE CARBON BUILD UP. WITHIN 100MI OF THIS SERVICE, THE 'DEATH RATTLE' STARTS. I AM NOW BEING TOLD THAT IT WILL RUN JUST OVER $2400 (I'VE UNCOVERED ABOUT $400 IN TOTAL PARTS) TO CORRECT AN ISSUE BMW HAS BEEN HIDING BEHIND FOR YEARS; THEY'VE EVEN ISSUED A WARNING TO SERVICE ADVISORS TO NOT RE-INSTALL THE DEFECTIVE PARTS, BUT DENY THE PART TO ACTUALLY BE DEFECTIVE OR IN NEED OF RECALL. WHEN WILL ANYONE STAND UP FOR THE LITTLE GUY, THE CONSUMER, AND DEMAND THIS WELL KNOWN, OFTEN OCCURRING, EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS DEFECT BE CORRECTED AT THE COST OF THE MANUFACTURER? I NOW HAVE AN $11,500 PAPER WEIGHT. *TR

THE ENGINE WAS RATTLING HEAVILY WHEN THE CAR IGNITION WAS ON AROUND 5 PM AT THE WORKPLACE PARKING LOT . IN THE MEANTIME, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS FLASHING. THE CAR FAILED TO DELIVER THE POWER TO THE TRANSMISSION. A FEW DAYS LATE, MY CAR WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND DIAGNOSED WITH LEAK OIL FROM ONE OF TIMING BELT TENSIONERS AND A BROKEN TENSIONER. THE DEALERSHIP HAD TO REPLACE THE BROKEN ONE WITH A NEW TIMING BELT KIT TOGETHER WITH TENSIONERS AS A GOODWILL FROM THE MINI COOPER USA (85% WARRANTY DEDUCTIBLE). EVEN THOUGH, I FELT THE QUALITY OF THIS IMPORTANT ENGINE PARTS WAS UNACCEPTABLE WITH SUCH A LOW MILEAGE ON THE CAR. THE TIMING BELT OF THIS MODEL WAS A METAL CHAIN LOCATED INSIDE THE ENGINE BOX AND SUPPOSED TO LAST LIFE-LONG WITHOUT WORRY. I WAS LUCKY THAT THIS INCIDENT HAPPENED JUST IN THE PARKING LOT. I COULD NOT IMAGINE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES IF THIS INCIDENT HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. I SINCERELY BELIEVE THE MANUFACTURE BMW/MINI SHOULD BE FULLY RESPONSIBLE FOR SUCH A DEFECT PRODUCT AND A PROPER ACTION BY THE MANUFACTURE SHOULD BE CONSIDERED TO AVOID SUCH AN INCIDENT HAPPENING TO OTHER CUSTOMERS WHO OWN THIS MODEL. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, THE TPMS SENSOR WARNING LIGHT CONTINUOUSLY ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 77,000. UPDATED 03/24/15*LJ UPDATED 04/27/2016*JS UPDATED 9/17/2017*CN

MY TIMING CHAIN HAS NOW STARTED TO FAIL FOR THE 4TH TIME ON THIS CAR. THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONERS FAIL AND MINI DOES NOTHING TO CORRECT THE ISSUE PAST THE WARRANTY PERIOD. *TR