2007 Mini Cooper

CATASTROPHIC FAILURE AND STALL ON THE HIGHWAY WITHOUT WARNING. NO ENGINE LIGHT OR WARNING LIGHTS. VEHICLE STOPPED AND STALLED AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED. NOT DRIVABLE. VERY DANGEROUS, NEARLY GOT HIT BY SEMI TRUCKS ON HIGHWAY AND OTHER VEHICLES. VERY UNSAFE. PROBLEM: NEEDED NEW CLUTCH AND FLYWHEEL @ COST OF $3000 PLUS TOWING. THIS IS THE 3RD TIME THAT THIS CAR HAS HAD CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY IN THE PAST 6 MONTHS. THE OTHER TIMES WERE CAUSED BY SOME ELECTRICAL ISSUES PERTAINING TO THE ENGINE. DEALER DENIED IT WAS TIMING CHAIN. THE MINI COOPER 2007 NEEDS TO BE RECALLED BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED OR SERIOUSLY INJURED. *TR

AFTER BUYING THIS VEHICLE, DROVE ABOUT 30 OR SO MILES....WHILE SLOWING DOWN NOTICED THE CAR HAD SHUT OFF. NO WARNINGS, NO LIGHTS, NO NOISES....CAR WOULD NOT CRANK. LEFT ME STRANDED IN MIDDLE OF FOUR LANE HIGHWAY. TOWED THE VEHICLE TO MINI WHERE I WAS TOLD A VACUUM PUMP WENT OUT. DUE TO THIS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY (EXTENDED) NOW IM TOLD HAVE TO PAY 8000 FOR AN ENGINE. THIS ISSUE SHOULD BE RESOLVED, THERE WAS NO WARNING AND FROM READING THE ONLINE NOTICES IT SEEMS TO BE A BIG ISSUE. MINI WOULD DO NOTHING ABOUT THIS. IT CREATED A DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR ME, AS IT GAVE NO WARNING WHEN ALL THIS OCCURRED. *TR

THE VERY WELL KNOWN "TIMING CHAIN FAILURE". THE EVENT STARTED WITH RATTLING NOISE IN THE ENGINE BAY ON THE PASSENGER'S SIDE, THEN THE BIG MESSY OIL LEAKED AND THE ENGINE WAS DRYING UP AND CHOKED (MADE A VERY DANGEROUS DRIVING SITUATION).LUCKILY, I WASN'T ON THE HIGHWAY!! BMW DENIED REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE REPAIR COST OF THIS FAULT DESIGN/ENGINEERING. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS 2007 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 70 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS MERGED OFF ROAD AND TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN WAS FRACTURED AND CAUSED THE ENGINE TO FAIL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN ANY RECALLS. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 85,000.

WHILE DRIVING IN TRAFFIC, THE ENGINE SEIZED AND STOPPED ABRUPTLY DUE TO THE FAILURE OF THE OIL SUCTION PUMP. THE PUMP FAILED INTERNALLY AND DUE TO THE DESIGN THAT TIED IT DIRECTLY TO THE OVERHEAD CAM, IT CAUSED THE CAMSHAFT TO SEIZE, STRETCHED AND BROKE THE BOLT CONNECTING THE TIMING GEAR AND CHAIN TO THE CAMSHAFT, WHICH THE FELL INTO THE LOWER ENGINE AREA AND CAUSED FURTHER ENGINE DAMAGE. FORTUNATELY, THIS PARTICULAR INCIDENT OCCURRED IN A RELATIVELY SLOW TRAFFIC SITUATION AND THE CAR WAS SHIFTED TO NEUTRAL AND PUSHED OFF TO THE SIDE. DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE WAS SUBSTANTIAL AND CONSISTENT WITH MULTIPLE OTHER REPORTS OF SIMILAR FAILURES. THIS IS A MAJOR DESIGN FLAW (IN MY OPINION AS AN ENGINEER) IN THAT THE SHEAR POINT BEING ON THE CAMSHAFT INSTEAD OF THE PUMP CAUSES INSTANTANEOUS ENGINE FAILURE WITHOUT WARNING AND COULD LEAD TO A SERIOUS CRASH OR INJURY. IN ADDITION TO THIS FAILURE, THERE WAS DAMAGE TO THE OIL SYSTEM THAT MAY HAVE TRIGGERED THIS PUMP FAILURE. MINI HAD ALLEGEDLY PERFORMED SOME 'VALVE CLEANING' APPROXIMATELY 6,000 MILES PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT, HOWEVER THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF ANY SUCH 'CLEANING' WHEN THE ENGINE WAS OPENED. I HAVE EXTENSIVE PHOTOS OF THIS ENGINE AS IT WAS DISASSEMBLED, SHOWING THE PUMP, BOLT AND OTHER PARTS AND WILL BE HAPPY TO SHARE THOSE. *TR

TRAVELING WITH NO WARNING, THERMOMETER LIGHT CAME ON, TURNED YELLOW TO RED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY, PULLED OVER AND CALLED DEALERSHIP, ADVISED THERE WAS RECALL ON WATER PUMP FOR OVERHEATING, HAD CAR TOWED IMMEDIATELY; DEALERSHIP REPLACED RECALLED WATER PUMP (EXTERIOR), BUT PAID $600.00 FOR THERMOSTAT; LEFT DEALERSHIP AND ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WITHIN 30 MINUTES,HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED AGAIN; NOW CAR RAN HOT AGAIN, NO ANTIFREEZE IN CAR, REFILLED AND LIGHT WENT OFF, 1.5 DAYS LATER SAME OCCURRENCE BUT ENGINE SMOKING,VERY BADLY, TOWED AGAIN TO DEALERSHIP, NOW STATES IT IS WATER PUMP #2 (INTERIOR) , AND TIMING CHANGE WHICH WAS ALREADY SUPPOSEDLY PERFORMED ON CAR, NOW STATING I MUST PAY FOR WATER PUMP, TENSIONER ON TIMING CHANGE, VALVE SENSOR, AND VALVE COVER GASKETS ANOTHER $1000.00, ALL OF WHICH PERTAIN TO THE SAME OCCURRENCES OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. I CALLED MINI COOPER CALL CENTER AND THEY ONLY REFER YOU BACK TO DEALERSHIP, STATING THEY HAVE NO TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE AND ARE UNABLE TO ASSIST ME, THEY HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE RECALL ITEMS. WOW I THOUGHT THIS PROBLEM ONLY BELONGED TO A SAAB I PREVIOUSLY OWNED AND ELIMINATED FOR SAME REASONS.. ! *TR