2010 MINI COOPER S Complaints

THE TIMING CHAIN BELT BROKE SUDDENLY AND FLEW UP INTO MY ENGINE, DESTROYING THE ENGINE COMPLETELY. I GOT A NEW ENGINE, BUT THIS NEW ENGINE IS ALSO FAULTY (REASON UNKNOWN) AND NOW I NEED ANOTHER NEW ENGINE. *JS

RATTLING SOUND DURING START UP AND EARLY IN IN DRIVING SEQUENCES, THAT COMES ALONG WITH A LOSS OF POWERE OR ACCELERATION. THE RATTLING SOUND CAN BE HEARD FROM THE UPPER RIGHT SIDE OF THE ENGINE (PASSENGER SIDE) . *TR

ENGINE SEIZED WHILE DRIVING ON THE 6-LANE HIGHWAY DURING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. JUST A SUDDEN COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER, ALL VEHICLE OPERATION STOPPED. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ON THE OUTSIDE LANE, AND I WAS AT AN EXIT THAT WENT DOWN HILL, SO I COASTED DOWN THE OFF RAMP BEFORE IT ROLLED TO A COMPLETE STOP. SOME BYSTANDERS ASSISTED ME IN PUSHING THE VEHICLE OFF THE SIDE OF THE BUSY 4-LANE ROAD. TURNS OUT IT IS THE TIMING CHAIN PROBLEM WITH MANY MINI COOPERS, 2007 - 2012. THERE IS A FAULTY OR MISSING PART, THAT IF NOT ADDRESSED, RESULTS IN "CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE". MY VEHICLE HAD 50K MILES ON IT; I PURCHASED IT NEW, SO I HAVE ALL VEHICLE RECORDS, ALL RECOMMENDED MAINTENANCE PERFORMED; ALL RECALLS PERFORMED, AND MY RECORDS ARE 100% COMPLETE. THE REAL KICKER IS - MY SERVICE RECORDS CLEARLY SHOW THAT SEVERAL TIMES I REPORTED A "RATTLE" FROM THE ENGINE (WHILE UNDER WARRANTY) AS FAR BACK AS 2012. AND THE SERVICE RECORDS INDICATE THAT THE DEALERSHIP "COULD NOT DUPLICATE CUSTOMER COMPLAINT OF RATTLE". THE NOTORIOUS "RATTLE" IS THE FIRST SYMPTOM OF THIS ENGINE FLAW THAT CAN RESULT IN CATASTROPHIC ENGINE DAMAGE, AND IT WAS KNOWN BY THE AUTO INDUSTRY IN 2012. COST - $8K, COMPLETE ENGINE REPLACEMENT REQUIRED. DEALERSHIP AND BMW DENY ANY WRONG DOING, AND DENY ANY KNOWLEDGE OF THE "ENGINE" ISSUE. FOLLOWING THE INCIDENT, I SPENT A MONTH OF MY TIME TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT HAPPENED, WHY, HAD IT TOWED TO THREE PLACES, LOTS OF PHONE CALLS, RESEARCH, ETC. LUCKILY NO ONE DIED. THIS WAS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION TO BE IN, AND THE PEOPLE THAT STOPPED TO HELP ME PUSH THE CAR WERE VERY BRAVE. I LOOKED PRETTY PATHETIC I AM SURE - LONE, PETITE FEMALE TRYING TO PUSH A CAR ON A VERY BUSY 4-LANE ROAD DURING RUSH HOUR, IN 90 DEGREE HEAT. LUCKY FOR BMW/MINI THAT NO ONE DIED. I GUESS THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT IT WILL TAKE TO FORCE THEM TO RECOGNIZE THIS PROBLEM. *TR

COLD START KNOCKING NOISE, AFTER DRIVING OUT MY LOT THE ENGINE WILL SUDDENLY TURN OFF AND HAVE TO START UP AGAIN. RATTLING SOUND CONTINUES.... *JS

2010 MINI CLUBMAN S TIMING CHAIN BROKE. SLOWED WITH NO POWER ACCELERATION. THEN NOTHING. INSTANTLY SHATTERED INTO PIECES. (PRODUCED "DEATH RATTLE" AND AND THEN SHATTERED.) *TR

MY 2010 COOPER CLUBMAN S RECENTLY HAD ITS TIMING CHAIN SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING FAIL. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN MAINTAINED ACCORDING TO MINI'S SUGGESTED MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE SINCE I FIRST PURCHASED IT. IN FACT, I WAS ON MY WAY TO A SCHEDULED SERVICING OF THE VEHICLE WHEN THE MOTOR FAILED. IT STARTED WITH A LOUD RATTLING NOISE FROM THE MOTOR, WHICH MADE THE CAR INTERMITTENTLY SOUND LIKE EITHER A DIESEL ENGINE OR A CHAINSAW SLICING THROUGH SOMETHING. THEN AS I SLOWED DOWN IN TRAFFIC, THE RPMS ON THE CAR BEGAN TO SPASTICALLY JUMP. I WAS FORTUNATE THAT A BUSINESS COMPLEX PARKING LOT WAS IMMEDIATELY ACCESSIBLE. AS I BROUGHT THE CAR TO A STOP IN THE LOT, THE MOTOR CUT OUT AND REFUSED TO START. I WAS LESS THAN A HALF MILE FROM THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE CENTER! THE SERVICE REP FIRST TOLD ME MY TIMING CHAIN HAD SLIPPED. THEN SHE CALLS BACK THREE HOURS LATER TO TELL ME THERE'S REASON TO BELIEVE THAT A VALVE ISN'T UNDER COMPRESSION. THIS MORNING SHE INFORMS ME THAT I'M LOOKING AT POSSIBLY REPLACING MY MOTOR. THIS CAR WAS WORKING FINE ON THURSDAY WITH NO SIGN THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM. THIS SUDDEN FAILURE OF MY MOTOR WOULD HAVE BEEN BEYOND DANGEROUS HAD IT HAPPENED NOT TWO MINUTES PRIOR WHEN I WAS PULLING OFF OF A MAJOR HIGHWAY. THE DEALERSHIP HAS INFORMED ME THAT NONE OF THE DAMAGE INCURRED IS COVERED UNDER MY EXTENDED MAINTENANCE PLAN. I DID A LITTLE DIGGING AND DISCOVERED THAT NOT ONLY IS THIS PROBLEM APPARENTLY A COMMON ONE, BUT MINI HAS FACED - OR IS CURRENTLY FACING - SEVERAL POTENTIAL CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS OVER THIS FAILURE FOR MANY OF THEIR MODELS MADE DURING THE 2008-2010 YEARS. *JS

MY FATHER PURCHASED A 2010 MINI COOPER CLUBMAN S IN LATE 2009. HE HAS MAINTAINED PROPER MAINTENANCE ON THE CAR SINCE DAY ONE. IN FEBRUARY 2014 HE GAVE THE CAR TO ME. THE CAR ONLY HAS 57,000 MILES ON IT AND WE NOTICED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING AND WE TOOK IT TO MINI OF LOUISVILLE. THEY HAD THE CAR FOR OVER 1 MONTH TO REPLACE THE VALVE BODY BECAUSE THE PART WAS ON NATIONAL BACKORDER. WE WERE ADVISED THAT IF WE CONTINUED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE IT COULD CAUSE THE TRANSMISSION TO FAIL EVEN WHILE DRIVING. IF IT IS ON NATIONAL BACKORDER, AND FOR OVER 30 DAYS, I WONDER HOW MANY OTHER MINI'S ARE HAVING THE SAME REPAIRS. THE TOTAL COST FOR THE REPAIRS WERE JUST UNDER $2800. THE CAR HAS LESS THAN 60K MILES ON IT AND WAS JUST SLIGHTLY OVER THE WARRANTY, WHERE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN FIXED AT NO CHARGE. BOTH MY HUSBAND AND I HAVE NOTICED THAT THE TRANSMISSION IS STILL SLIPPING AND IS WORSE THAN IT WAS BEFORE THE REPAIRS AND WE HAVE ONLY HAD THE CAR BACK FOR 3 DAYS. I HAVE READ MANY PEOPLE HAVING THE SAME ISSUES WITH THE 2010 MINI. I ALSO SAW THAT THERE WAS A CLASS ACTION SUIT AGAINST BMW FOR THE 2002-2008 MINI COOPER FOR TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. *TR

FIRST INCIDENT: ON A HOT DAY, VEHICLE WAS PARKED, DRIVERS SEAT OCCUPIED AND RECLINED. AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATES UPON RESTART OF VEHICLE. FAULT WAS RESET BY DEALER WITH NO EXPLANATION. SECOND TIME SAME SITUATION; HOT DAY, PARKED, DRIVER SEAT OCCUPIED AND RECLINED, AIRBAG LIGHT ILLUMINATES UPON RESTART. DEALER REPLACED AIR BAG DUE TO ELECTRICAL CABLE FOR DRIVERS SEAT AIRBAG BEING NEARLY CUT IN TWO BY SHARP EDGE OF SEAT FRAME. *TR

AT ABOUT 42000 MILES, I STARTED TO NOTICE A RATTLE COMING FROM THE ENGINE WHEN THE ENGINE WAS FIRST STARTED. THE RATTLE WAS MOST NOTICEABLE BETWEEN 2000 AND 3000 RPM. THIS RATTLE ALSO COINCIDED WITH THE WEATHER TURNING COLDER. THE RATTLE CONTINUED TO WORSEN OVER TIME, AN OIL LEAK DEVELOPED, AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT EVENTUALLY CAME ON. AFTER SEARCHING THE INTERNET AND CALLING MY MINI DEALERSHIP, I DETERMINED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER WAS MOST LIKELY AT FAULT. I ORDERED THE PART AND REPLACED IT MYSELF. DURING THE PROCESS OF REPLACING THE TENSIONER, I FOUND THAT THE OLD TENSIONER WAS LOOSE IN ITS SOCKET. AFTER REPLACING THE PART, THE ENGINE RAN SMOOTHLY AND CONTINUES TO RUN SMOOTHLY. *TR

WE WERE DRIVING THE CAR AT 20 MPH AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. WE PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND DID NOT NOTE ANY PROBLEMS. WE THEN DROVE DIRECTLY TO THE MINI DEALERSHIP NEARBY AND THEY SAID THE HEAD GASKET SEAL WAS BROKEN A LEAKING OIL. ALSO THEY SAID THE TIMING CHAIN AND BELT TENSIONER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AS THEY WERE LOOSE. NO REPAIRS WERE EVER PERFORMED ON THESE PARTS. IT WAS NOTED THAT THERE WAS BUILD UP IN THE OIL LINES TO THE TURBO CAUSING IT TO SEIZE UP AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. TOTAL COSTS WERE $3,000 FOR PARTS AND LABOR. *TR