2009 MINI COOPER S Complaints

PASSENGER SEAT AIRBAG DISABLED LIGHT REMAINS ON EVEN WHEN SEAT IS OCCUPIED. MECHANIC RAN DIAGNOSTIC AND FOUND CODE FOR PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR. CALLED MINI AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY WILL NOT REPAIR SINCE MODEL YEAR 2009 IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE CURRENT RECALL.

DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE APPROXIMATELY 70MPH, SUDDENLY VEHICLE BEGAN RUMBLING. IMMEDIATELY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT FLASHED AND THE CAR IMMEDIATELY STOPPED ACCELERATING. THE MOTOR KEPT RUNNING BUT WITH A CONTINUOUS RUMBLING AND ACCELERATOR WAS COMPLETELY INACTIVE. CAR WILL START BUT NO POWER OUTPUT, PRESSING ON THE GAS IS FUTILE.

THE PROBLEM OCCURRED WHEN THE TENSIONER FOR THE TIMING CHAIN NO LONGER APPLIED PRESSURE TO THE GUIDE RAIL. THIS CAUSES THE TIMING CHAIN TO FLAP AGAINST THE THE GUIDE RAILS EVENTUALLY BREAKING THEM. THERE WAS A NOISE THAT WAS CREATED HEARD DURING COLD START UP AND EVENTUALLY WENT AWAY WHEN THE ENGINE GOT WARM. THE ITEMS REPAIRED WERE A FAULTY CHAIN TENSIONER, TIMING CHAIN, CHAIN GUIDE RAIL, BEARING BOLT, BEARING BOLT GASKET, CRANK SHAFT SPROCKET, CRANKSHAFT PULLEY BOLT, VALVE COVER GASKET, PERMATEX HYLOMAR GASKET MAKER, SERPETINE BELT, SOLENOID, AND VANOS. THIS ISSUE APPEARED WELL BEFORE BMWS SUGGESTED MAINTENANCE PERIOD OF 120,000 MILES, OR 10 YEARS.

CAR HAD A RATTLLE WHEN COLD. HAD AN APPT. TO HAVE IT CHECKED ON 5/19. DROVE APPROXIMATELY 1 MILE. STOPPED AT RED LIGHT AND CAR JUST DIED. I WAS IN THE LEFT HAND LANE IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. CAR HAD TO BE TOWED. DANGEROUS SITUATION. TIMING BELT BROKE. TOLD I NEED A NEW ENGINE AT A COST OF $6,000. HAVE SINCE READ OF MANY IDENTICAL PROBLEMS DESPITE A GOOD MAINTENANCE RECORD. SO FAR, MINI HAS NOT ACKNOWLEDGED KNOWING THE TIMING BELT WAS DEFECTIVE DESPITE THE FACT IT HAS OCCURRED IN CARS ONE YEAR AFTER PURCHASED NEW.

UPON TH EENGINE HEATING AND COOLING THE PLASTIC GASKET ON TH EENGINE OIL COOLER CAN GET PINCHED, CAUSING AN OIL LEAK. MINI COOPERS IN PRIOR YEARS - 2002-2007 HAD THE SAME ISSUE AND MINI HAD A RECALL. IF I SPEND THE $1,800 TO GET THE REPAIR THE NEXT TIME THE ENGINE HEATS UP AND COOLS - THE GASKET COULD BECOME PINCHED AGAIN - THUS CAUSING A LEAK. MINI COOPER OF ATLANTA IS YES THIS COULD HAPPEN AND I WOULD HAVE TO GET IT REPAIRED AGAIN. MINI COOPER NEEDS TO ENSURE THE 2 PLATES OF THE METAL OIL COOLER ARE SECURE AND CANNOT EXPAND AND SHRINK - UPON ENGINE USAGE. THIS IS THE SAME MANUFACTURING FLAW MINI COOPER HAD IN 2002 - 2007 - SO WHY HASN'T MINI COOPER BEEN TOLD TO FIX THEIR PROBLEM - VERSES THROWING THE RESPONSIBILITY TO THE CUSTOMER?

ENGINE CEASED WHILE TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY. PREVIOUSLY TOOK CAR TO MINI DEALER WHEN ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON AND WAS TOLD THAT THE ENGINE LIGHT WAS PROBABLY ON BECAUSE OF THE GAS CAP AND THEIR WAS NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT. *TR

AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT COMES ON WHILE DRIVING. BMW NORTH AMERICA HAD ISSUED A RECALL FOR THE 2005 - 2008 MODELS, BUT NOT AFFECTED 2009 (2008 PRODUCTION DATE) MODELS. PERSISTENT OIL LEAKS FROM AND AROUND OIL FILTER HOUSING AND TURBO OIL LINES. OIL LEAKS DIRECTLY ON EXHAUST MANIFOLD DOWN PIPE, POTENTIALLY STARTING A FIRE, HASN'T YET, BUT THERE HAS BEEN PLENTY OF SMOKE AND IN ONE INSTANCE, A SMALL FLARE-UP WHEN OIL DRIPPED ON THE PIPE AS THE CAR WAS IDLING IN THE GARAGE AFTER A SHORT TRIP. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MINI COOPER S. WHILE DRIVING AT 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 113,000.....UPDATED 07/22/15 *BF UPDATED 10/06/2017*CN

TIMING CHAIN, WENT ,,THE DEALER SAID IT WAS THE SELF ADJUSTING TIMING CHAIN, IF IT SELF ADJUSTS THERE MUST BE A MANUFACTURE DEFECT,,LOOKED ON LINE AND FROM 2007-2009 500,000 CAR HAD THE SAME PROBLEM THE COST TO FIX IS $2200 DEALER SAID NOT WORTH FIXING AND SENT ME TO LOOK AT A NEW CAR. *TR

A FEW WEEKS AFTER I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE, I NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A NOISE WHEN STARTING THE ENGINE COLD. THIS "RATTLING" NOISE WOULD CONTINUE UNTIL THE ENGINE HEATED UP & GO AWAY. I TOOK THE CAR IN THEY CHANGED THE OIL & TOLD ME THAT THE COOLANT WAS LOW. HE ASKED IF THE CAR WAS OVERHEATING WHICH IT WAS NOT. HE TOLD ME TO KEEP A CLOSE EYE TO SEE IF THE CAR OVERHEATS. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT TO TAKE THE CAR TO A LOCAL MECHANIC JUST TO BE SAFE. A FEW DAYS LATER, DRIVING 65MPH ON THE FREEWAY I NOTICED SMOKE COMING OUT OF MY EXHAUST & THE HOOD, CLOSER TO THE WINDSHIELD NOT THE FRONT BY THE RADIATOR. SMOKE STARTED COMING FROM THE VENTS AND SMELLED "RUBBERY". THE THERMOSTAT SYMBOL APPEARED & THEN THE OIL LIGHT. I TOOK IT TO CARMAX WHO SAID "SRY, NO EXTENDED WARRANTY, NO HELP". I TOOK IT TO THE LOCAL MECHANIC. HE TOLD ME INITIALLY THAT THE THERMOSTAT WAS BLOWN AND THERE WAS A MATERIAL FAILURE OF THE HOUSING (IT WAS CRACKED), HE REPLACED ALL THE PIPES FROM THE COOLANT: $482. THE MECHANIC CALLED & SAID THAT HE COULD NOT "BURP" THE VEHICLE & THAT IT MADE A WEIRD SOUND SO THEY HAVE TO "BLEED IT OVERNIGHT". THIS DID NOT SOLVE THE ISSUE SO THEY HAD TO TAKE THE ENGINE APART & FIND THE PROBLEM. THE HEAD CASKET WAS BLOWN & QUOTED ME A REPAIR BILL OF $5000+ .THE OWNER OF THE SHOP CALLED BMW AND ASKED IF THEY COULD DO A "GOOD FAITH" REPLACEMENT WHICH THEY SAID THEY WOULD DO IF THE CAR HAD LESS THAN 80,000 MILES ON IT... MINE HAD 85,000 MILES ON IT... FROM WHAT I AM READING ON THE COMPLAINT BOARD, THIS IS A VERY COMMON ISSUE!! AS A RN IF THERE IS A FAILURE IN ANY PRODUCT WE IMPLANT IN PATIENTS, THERE IS AN IMMEDIATE RECALL, SO WHY, WHEN BMW CLEARLY KNOWS THIS IS AN ISSUE DO THEY WAIT FOR HARD-WORKING PEOPLE LIKE ME TO BE PUT IN THIS HORRIBLE SITUATION!!! I HOPE THAT BMW STEPS UP AN HONOR IT'S "GOOD FAITH" BEYOND 80,000 MILES AND REPLACE THE CAR. *TR