2009 MINI COOPER S CLUBMAN Complaints

TURBO OIL FEED LINE LEAKING ONTO ENGINE/MANIFOLD. POSSIBLY COULD HAVE CAUSED A FIRE. *TR

THE PROBLEM FIRST STARTED AS A NOISE WHEN STARTING THE ENGINE IN THE COLD. THIS "RATTLE" NOISE WOULD CONTINUE UNTIL THE ENGINE GOT A BIT WARMER AND THEN WOULD GO AWAY. EVERYTIME THE ENGINE STARTED COLD THE NOISE WOULD COME BACK. I TOOK MY (NOW OUT OF WARRANTY) CAR TO THE MINI DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION AND REPAIR AND THE TENSIONER WAS REPLACE. UNFORTUNATELY THE REPAIR DID NOT LAST LONG. ONLY 2 MONTHS LATER THE NOISE RETURNED. I AM STILL LIVING WITH THIS "RATTLE" NOISE HOPING MY CAR DOES NOT BURST INTO FLAMES WHILE DRIVING. I CAN NOT AFFORD THE (OVER $1000) QUOTE FOR REPAIRING THE TIMING CHAIN ASSEMBLY AT THIS TIME. I FEEL, AFTER READING THROUGH MANY MANY COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET, THAT THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL AND ALL TIMING CHAINS OF THESE VEHICLES SHOULD BE REPLACE. THERE IS NO REASON THAT A CAR WITH LESS THAN 75,000 SHOULD NEED A NEW TIMING CHAIN! I HAVE NEVER USED ANYONE BUT MY LOCAL MINI DEALER TO FIX ANY ISSUE WITH MY CAR, I FEEL THAT MINI HAS LET ME DOWN. I WILL BE LOOKING INTO JOINING THE CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST MINI. *TR

BOTH THE TENSIONER AND THE TIMING CHAIN WENT ON THIS CAR WITH IN A FEW DAYS. WE WERE LUCKY THAT IT DID NOT TEAR APART THE ENGINE. WE CALLED MINI COOPER, AND NEW COUNTRY MINI WHERE WE BOUGHT THE CAR BRAND NEW, AND WERE TOLD THAT THERE WERE NO ISSUES WITH THESE ITEMS. HOWEVER, EVERY MINI CHAT ROOM IT WAS A HOT TOPIC. WE ORDERED THE PARTS AND MY HUSBAND INSTALLED THEM. IN OCTOBER WE RECEIVED A SERVICE BULLETIN ON THE SAME PARTS, AND CALLED THE 800 NUMBER. I SPOKE WITH THE ADVISOR AND EVEN THEY COULD NOT GIVE ME A STRAIGHT ANSWER ON REPAIRING THIS CAR. FIRST THEY WOULD REIMBURSE US FOR THE PARTS, THEN THEY WANTED TO SEND A FLATBED TO PICK IT UP (THE FRONT DOOR LOCKS ARE ALSO FROZEN SHUT) AND PROVIDE A LOANER, THEN THEY NEVER SHOWED. I NEED HELP. THIS $34,000 CAR IS A DEATH TRAP. *TR

THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR IS FROZEN, IT CANNOT BE OPENED, FROM MINI FORUMS I HAVE SEEN WHERE THIS IS A SERIOUS ONGOING PROBLEM. NOW THE BACK BARN DOOR IS FROZEN SHUT. THE LOCKS ARE OBVIOUSLY BROKEN, YET THE DEALERSHIP EXPECTS THAT WE WILL COVER THIS OUT OF POCKET TO THE TUNE OF $1800. OBVIOUSLY THEY HAVE PROBLEMS. *TR

NHTSA ID NUMBER: 10043724 THERE HAS BEEN A SERVICE BULLETIN BUT NOT A RECALL ON THE TURBO HEAT SHIELD. WITH THE LACK OF THE HEAT SHIELD THERE COULD BE ENGINE FAILURE BY A LACK OF OIL SUPPLY. I PAID OUT OF POCKET FOR THE ALL THE REPAIRS CAUSED BY THE LACK OF THE HEAT SHIELD TOTALING $636.37, BUT MINI WILL NOT ACCEPT ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THESE COSTS AS THIS IS A SERVICE BULLETIN NOT A RECALL (THOUGH MY DEALER HAD LEFT A MESSAGE STATING THAT IT WAS AN OPEN RECALL). THIS SHOULD BE AN OPEN RECALL AS THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED. *TR

I WAS DRIVING AND THEN THE ENGINE MADE A WEIRD RATTLE AND THEN QUIT. THANKFULLY I WASN'T TRAVELING FASTER THAN 45MPH AT THE TIME OF OCCURRENCE. ENGINE IS COMPLETELY RUINED. *TR

AFTER COMPLAINING TO THE DEALERSHIP 2 TIMES PRIOR, WE BROUGHT IN OUR MINI FOR SERVICE WITH A COLD-START RATTLE THAT WAS RELATED TO THE TIMING CHAIN SYSTEM. THE DEALERSHIP IN ST. LOUIS REPLACED ONLY THE TENSIONER, EVEN THOUGH ACCORDING TO STANDARD PROTOCOL (PUMA MEASURE #10686850-13) THEY SHOULD HAVE REPLACED THE ENTIRE TIMING CHAIN SYSTEM. WHEN THE RATTLE RETURNED A COUPLE THOUSAND MILES LATER WE BROUGHT IT BACK AND THEY TOLD US THAT IT WAS A "NORMAL NOISE" AND SENT US ON OUR WAY. THE TIMING CHAIN SYSTEM EVENTUALLY BROKE DOWN, BUT BECAUSE WE WERE NOW OUTSIDE OF WARRANTY THEY REFUSED TO FIX IT. I WOULD ADVISE ANYONE DEALING WITH THIS ISSUE TO PURSUE THE LEMON LAW, BECAUSE MINI IS AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND ISN'T FIXING IT AS THEY KNOW THEY SHOULD. WE GAVE THEM AMPLE OPPORTUNITY TO FIX THE ISSUE, AND BECAUSE OF THEIR NEGLIGENCE WE ENDED UP WITH A VEHICLE THAT DIDN'T RUN. *TR

PASSENGER SEAT AIR BAG SENSOR MAT HAS BEEN TRIPPING THE FAULT TO LIGHT UP THE DASHBOARD AND OVER HEAD LAMPS TELLING THE DRIVER THE AIRBAG IS DISENGAGED, WITH OR WITHOUT A PASSENGER IN THE SEAT. PREVIOUS YEAR MINI'S AS WELL AS SAME YEAR MINI'S HAVE BEEN AFFECTED CAUSING MINI TO EXTEND A WARRANTY OR EVEN A RECALL IN THE INSTANCE OF BMW. HOWEVER FOR MY MAKE MODEL AND YEAR NO SUCH WARRANTY HAS BEEN ISSUED OR EXTENDED. THIS IS A MANDATORY SAFETY FEATURE UNDER FEDERAL AND STATE LAW, CONSUMERS SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY 100'S IF NOT 1000'S OF DOLLARS TIME AND AGAIN FOR A PART THAT WAS DESIGNED TO LAST ONLY A FEW YEARS WHEN ALL VEHICLES MUST POSSES A SAFE WORKING AIRBAG FOR THE LIFE OF THE CAR. HAVE CONTACTED MINI USA AS WELL AS VARIOUS DEALERS, USA AND UK BASED. THEY WILL NOT PROVIDE ANY INFORMATION WITH REGARDS TO THE PART AND IF IT IS USED IN PREVIOUS YEARS VEHICLE'S WITH THE KNOWN ISSUES. THEY CLAIM THAT THE COMPUTER SAYS "YOUR" VIN NUMBER HAS NO KNOWN ISSUES. MINI TELLS ME I SHOULD ONLY CHANGE MY OIL ONCE EVERY 2 YEARS OR 15 THOUSAND MILES. THEY ALSO TELL ME NOT TO WORRY ABOUT THE CAR UNLESS A WARNING LAMP COMES ON. THEY ALSO TELL ME THAT MY VEHICLE BURNS ABOUT A LITRE OF OIL FOR EVERY 5000 MILES DRIVEN. AS FAR AS I KNOW RUNNING AN ENGINE ON 2 LITRES OIL WILL CAUSE IT TO SEIZE. HOW CAN THIS PRACTICE BY THE COMPANY PREVENT OR PROVIDE FOR SAFE USAGE TO CONSUMERS WHO DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT CARS EXCEPT HOW TO DRIVE ONE. *TR

ENGINE WARNING LIGHT TAKEN FOR MINI DEALERSHIP FOR SERVICE ON 8 AUG 2012, 3 DEC 2012, AND NOW IN JUNE 2013. VEHICLE NOW HAS ABOUT 36,800 MILES AND IS NO LONER UNDER WARRANTY BY ABOUT SEVEN MONTHS. ENGINE TEMPERATURE LIGHT NOW COMES ON AND VEHICLE HAD NO OIL SHOWING ON DIP STICK. CANNOT TELL IF OIL IS BURNING OFF AND NO EVIDENCE OF LEAK. REPAIRMAN NOW STATES THAT THE TIMING CHAIN IS THE ISSUE AND WILL COST UPWARDS OF $2800 TO FIX. *TR

TIMING CHAIN FAILURE. VEHICLE ENGINE LIGHT APPEARED, ENGINE TEMP SHOT UP AND I HAD TO STOP IMMEDIATELY. ENGINE WOULD NOT RESTART AND VEHICLE TOWED TO REPAIR SHOP. $1,800 REPAIR. *TR