We found the following complaints for MINI COOPER S (2009)
Read complaints for MINI COOPER S (2009)
I was involved in a multiple car accident. None of the air bags deployed and the seat belt did not hold me appropriately resulting in hitting the steering wheel with my face. I had head concussion and multiple face bruises, including a deep cut in my lip. Mini (bmw) is investigating.
Passenger side airbag light on. Has been on for months
Yellow passenger airbag warning light continues to indicate a warning signal and illuminate, although there is not a passenger and the seat is completely empty.
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.
Passenger seat occupancy sensor malfunction.airbag error lights on dash and intermittent disabling the airbag when person is sitting in passenger seat while driving.the seat sensor causes the airbag to deploy dependent on if there is someone sitting in seat.this could cause non deployment of airbag in an accident when a passenger is in the seat.
My airbag light/seat sensor warning light came on both center console and driver's console for no apparent reason. Both lights stay illuminated.proper operation of seat sensor in passenger seat mat which activates passenger side airbag is now in question.
Passenger side airbag sensor. Light does not go off. Dealer advises this is a known problem and they extended warranty on it for 10 yrs but did not recall even though they know it's a defect. We purchased our 2009 mini in oct 2008 so not covered by their extension. Shouldn't it be since they acknowledge problem?
Takata recall.passenger airbag light permanently on. Mechanic diagnosed and say it will be $1400 to replace.
I own a 2009 mini cooper and the airbag and seatbelt warning lights come on whenever i get in the car. The light came on recently when i started the car and it now occurs every time i turn the motor on. I've been online researching the problem and discovered that this may mean that the airbags will not deploy if i have an accident. This appears to be a problem facing a number of mini cooper owners and bmw has not resolved this problem after many 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 sincemodel year 2009 is not included in the current recall.
2009 mini cooper passenger air bag sensor light use to come on frequently while stationary and in motion, with or without passenger, and now stays on all the time. The alarm light comes on as soon as the car is started. The warning light is illuminated on the tachometer gauge and center speedometer gauge and an overhead light warned that "passenger airbag is off" the alarm takes over the display above the steering wheel and makes it so you can no longer see your speed or any other information. Started at ~ 55,000 miles on the car.my mechanic diagnosed it as passenger side airbag sensor mat problem. This is the same problem that resulted in a recall for 2005-2008 models in the nhtsa campaign number 15v205000.this is a safety hazard, as none of the airbags will deploy in case of impact. This a manufacturing defect. Multiple complaints on the same issue are available all over the internet.
I have been getting the air bag warning light (in red) coming on while driving the car started in february, 2015. I've told that mini/bmw is aware of this issue, but is not making any movement on establishing a safety recall on affected cars.warning light comes on regardless of how many passengers are in the vehicle. Sometimes the light comes on and stays on, other times it cycles through on-off, with the audible warning, several times a minute.
I had an accident on 6-30-2016 where i lost control of my car due to hitting first a soft shoulder of the hwy. Sr145 travelling at a speed of approx. 50-55 mph.i grazed a power pole on driver's side door and ran through three large wooden posts on a ranchers property.the car spun at an180 angle leaving me in the field facing the opposite direction for which i was headed.not one airbag deployed on impact!!!i am concerned that these airbags and/or installation is faulty and chp office said i could have been killed if the right front tire had not blown causing me to veer just to the right of the power/telephone pole.power to the area was knocked out for approx. 1 hour.i do have copies of the police report and about 18 pictures of the accident with two pictures being a closeup of my 2009 mini cooper.please let me know if you need anything else?
At 40k miles on a 2009 mini cooper s (r56); srs airbag and seatbelt warning lights appear on lcd screen / speedometer, tachometer and roof; lcd warning reads "fault in passenger-restraint system affecting airbag, belt tensioner or belt-force limiter..." warning lights illuminate at startup and remain permanently on while at idle and during drive, as well as all other functions and conditions until shut off. Technician scanned and retrieved fault code 93c3 ("seat occupancy detector, passenger") and estimated a cost of $1,950 to replace entire seat cushion, by a special order from the factory, which has the occupancy detector built into the lining. The component was not replaced. Upon investigation online, there exist thousands of other complaints to the nhtsa for the exact same issue for thischasis model; it is evident that this is a fualty safety component that needs to be recalled by the manufacturer. I urge the nhtsa to press even harder on this matter before any serious injuries or deaths occur as a result of either negligence on the manufacturer's behalf, or for a lack of response by the nhtsa, or worse: both. This is a major safety risk, it is a serious liability concern, and i fear for the safety of my passengers. I hope to be contacted as soon as possible to discuss further.
Car was taken in to dealer just after report of mini airbag recall of earlier models [including 2006]. Since car wasn't listed on recall list but i had experienced several months of passenger airbag light problems [ for no apparent reason]; i was concerned and asked for repair. The piece removed and replaced looked like it had melted. I was told if my model was ever recalled they would reimburse me the cost of the repair. I do not see my complaint on your list and surprised as i thought i was told it would be reported by the dealer. After the repair, i asked for the damaged part; however, it mysteriously could not be found. My question would be are these safety type issues required to be reported by dealers? i reviewed your list of complaints and there are a number of similar complaints to mine [8 postings by owners and 2 manufacturer comments]. I hope my drivers side components never fail as i am not sure it was replaced. Mechanic diagnosis; ran short test found passenger seat mat sensor bad. Replaced seat mat sensor no fault found after repair.
Passenger side airbag remains off due to a failure of the passenger seat occupancy detection system.
Takata recall.passenger airbag light permanently on. Mechanic diagnosed and say it will be $1400 to replace.
The electric auxiliary water pump failed and caused the circuit board to overheat.if the circuit board were to overheat, it can increase the risk of a fire.other observation:misfire present at several cylinders.intake ports carbonized.
My 2009 mini cooper s made rattle noise and the whole timing chain got replaced plus the thermostat house and water pump! the engine light still keeps on after trouble-shooting by my mechanics, which might be the computer issue which has to be figured out soon! the timing chain issue should be under fully-covered by manufacturer since too many mini cooper owner have the same problem and paid thousand of dollars to fix it! my mini is only about 55k miles and already has timing chain issue!
My mini is only at 133,xxx miles. Around 130,xxx miles it started, i got off work and was going to head home. I tried starting it, it just cranked until i pressed the stop button. About 4 different service icons came across the screen ( red car saying service, car up on a lift, steering wheel with an exclamation point,and a gear cog with an exclamation point). Disconnected the battery for 5 minutes, hooked it back up and it worked fine, or so i thought. It now runs rough, and i have to disconnect the battery about every 5th-6th time i try to go anywhere because it will just do as before and just crank. Have taken it to 3 different shops, all saying the ecu is bad. I can try to have it reprogrammed for $500-$800, however if they are unable to reprogram it, i am left with the only option of spending $1,000 for a nee blank ecu from mini, which then has to be programmed by mini for additional $$.
Was parked and went to start it and no warning chimes seat belt seat radio air bags
Passenger side airbag light on. Has been on for months
2009 mini cooper s. Drove car 20km to local mall. Came out to retrieve wallet from glove box after being in mall for approximately 20min. Car was completely engulfed in flames. Fire department said it was an electrical fire that most likely started in the dashboard somewhere. No warning signs of imminent danger on my drive to the mall. Car only serviced at authorized bmw/mini dealership. 30k kms on car. Car is completely destroyed.
My 2009 mini cooper s made rattle noise and the whole timing chain got replaced plus the thermostat house and water pump! the engine light still keeps on after trouble-shooting by my mechanics, which might be the computer issue which has to be figured out soon! the timing chain issue should be under fully-covered by manufacturer since too many mini cooper owner have the same problem and paid thousand of dollars to fix it! my mini is only about 55k miles and already has timing chain issue!
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.
The contact owns a 2009 mini cooper s. While driving the vehicle or while parked, the coolant in the vehicle began to leak profusely. The failure was persistent. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the water pump failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 12v008000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 87,178.
Timing chain broke well before 10 year or 100000 miles.this timing chain breakage caused my engine to fail due to piston damage or cylinder damage.my engine now needs to be replaced.my vehicle was movingwhen the sound occurred.when i researched this sound, i learned it may be the timing chain and took it to the garage to be replaced.the garage replaced the timing chain and when they took it for a test drive, it didn't seem to be running right and after further inspection it was determined that the engine was ruined and needed to be replaced.
The electric auxiliary water pump failed and caused the circuit board to overheat.if the circuit board were to overheat, it can increase the risk of a fire.other observation:misfire present at several cylinders.intake ports carbonized.
Mini released a service bulletin (campaign: sim 11 02 12) regarding faulty timing chain tensioner. At appx. 40k miles, my cooper s was taken in for service and it was reported there was a "rattle" in the front of the engine. The dealership replaced the tensioner under warranty. Now the same issue has occurred. I am being told the entire timing chain assembly needs replacement at an approximate cost of $3k. Mini has offered to pay 1/2 the cost. There is no explanation why the repair is not covered under 2 year replacement tensioner warranty; since this original issue was only partly addressed while in 50k car warranty. My mini now has 77k. Once warranty request is submitted from dealer to mini corporate, decision is final. There is no appeal. Failure to perform service will result in engine failure in near future.
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.
Vehicle was taken to dealership in feb 2012 for a rattling noise. Service center at braman miami said that they could not duplicate the noise, so it was assumed they found nothing wrong with the vehicle. Prior to this, the vehicle had been in the shop 2-3 times due engine malfunction light, rough idle at cold start and loss of turbo power due to leakage in turbo oil feed lines. This was repaired in early 2012/late 2011. In december of 2012, while driving the rattling noise of the complaint in feb 2012 intensified and oil light illuminated while driving. Car was pulled over to safe location. Once car was stopped, the engine malfunction light also illuminated. Driver checked oil level, which appeared low but within the marks on the dipstick. Oil splatter was observed on the hood and on engine. Rubber gasket feeding to engine was observed to be displaced where oil appeared to have leaked out. Vehicle was towed to braman miami. Service department reported that failure was caused by timing chain/tensioner issue. Service dept is charging 17k usd for repairs as it is not found to be under the scope of warranty of previous repairs to the turbo oil feed lines. Mini has been contacted to see if any relief can be provided as this seems to be a common issue with these vehicles.
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.
I purchased this car with 24k miles on it. It now has a little over 28k miles. It has been starting and running just fine, until the weather turned colder. Now if the car sits outside for a few hours with the temp below about 45 degrees, the engine rattles and sounds horrible when i first start it. This is a very loud rattle coming from the passenger side of the engine. The noise is so bad that i am afraid to drive the car until it warms up and the sound goes away. After a little research online, i am shocked to see how many people have this problem and that it is the timing chain tensioner and guide system. I wish i had researched these cars before making a purchase because now i own an expensive problem.
Auxiliary water pump failure. Same issue with other identical cars with a recall but this one is not listed. Recall number for this is 18v248000. The same issue is happening with my car but mini says it isn't listed.
I started the car and a loud rattling noise came from the engine.i drove about 5 miles and the oil check light came on.i decided to take it to a jiffy lube that was within 2 miles and then the engine light came on.by the time i got to jiffy lube the car didn't have any oil left.the car was serviced by the mini dealer only 4 months prior.had the car towed 1 1/2 hours to the nearest mini dealer. Most of the damage was caused by the timing tensioner chain.the dealer said mini would cover those repairs but the turbo oil feed line was leaking too and i would have to pay for that.it cost me $900.00.i asked if the car had a heat on it and he said no but that i don't really need one.i thought there had been a service bulletin put out specifically because of the heat from the turbo causing this issue but he said it had nothing to do with it.
Car went into limp gear mode on freeway, high rpm at 40 mph. Vehicle shipped to mini dealer 05/09/17 saying there was a transmission error code. Dealer said they tested vehicle and it wasn't the transmission it needed a water pump and cylinder need valve cover. 67,117 miles on odometer. Also front cv axle boot leaking. Had repairs done ($1692.58) after discount. At time of pickup, dealer asked to keep the vehicle a few more days to double check the transmission. A few days later they say yes there is a transmission error with the car going at higher highway speeds and it will need a new transmission! cost ($9000) i did not have this done.the service advisor told me the vehicle was not safe to drive! this vehicle is driven by my 16 year old daughter to and from school!
Upon startup of the engine, there is a loud noise coming from the engine.a very unhealthy sound.sound is unusual for any gas engine, let alone one with only 57,000 miles.searched the internet for other mini coopers experiencing this problem. Many complaints all over the internet for exactly this problem. Many owners reporting early engine failure,as early as 12,000 miles reported by a mini dealer in maine. Most owners are seeing the problem with 40-50,000+ miles.the local mini dealer says the repair is not covered by warranty, and repairs are approx. $2,000. Timing chains usually do not need replacement even after 100,000 of use, some cars never replace timing chains until 200,000 miles. This car seems to eat timing chains around 40-50,000 miles.
My car has been leaking oil and the dealership determined it was due to the timing chain tensioner. They are charging $357.98 to have it fixed. My car was purchased brand new and has only 50,000 miles on it. As soon as my 4-year warranty expired, my car has been in the shop multiple times due to engine issues.services that have been performed at 50,000 miles:1. Thermostat is leaking coolant- $ 671.992. Water-pump also leaking coolant- $661.203. Coolant flush- $169.80i use only premium gas for my car, perform regular oil changes, and maintain my car meticulously. These problems should not be occurring after 4.5 years of driving. I believe that mini produces faulty cars that do not last, have absolutely zero reliability, and then charges an exorbitant amount to fix something that should have not been broken in the first place.
This is the second complaint i've made within six months of purchase:i was driving along the highway at 70mph when the reduce speed engine light came on. Before i had a chance to reduce speed the car came to a complete stop on the fast lane of the highway. The car behind me swerved as i managed to restart my2009 mini cooper s and pull into the slow lane. I managed to avoid collision and placed hazards on. I got my mini to brady's auto repair. The mechanic told me that the loss of engine power was due to turbocharge failure on an original mini part. He said that bmw done a recall for the same part which is in the 2009 mini cooper s and couldn't figure out why they hadn't done it for mini. The turbocharge was completely replaced on my mini at the expense of $2778.47. I contacted mini which stated that there is no recourse and nothing they can do. I'm responsible for the repair. I am not happy with this at all as i had my two children in the mini when this incident happened and it could have lead to loss of life if the driver behind me hadn't taken action.i hope the nhtsa does investigate this matter in all mini coopers.
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, andvanos. This issue appeared well before bmws suggested maintenance period of 120,000 miles, or 10 years.
Water pump for turbocharger replaced in may (recall) and turbocharger warranty extended via mini of america letter. Turbocharger failed in august, but mini of austin blamed failure on lack of oil changes. All oil changes performed by that dealership whenever the car told us it was due. Crappy response from mini of america as well.
I purchased a brand new mini cooper s in 2009 w/ standard 3 years of factory maintenance and i later added on an extended warranty a few years later. 2014 ientered into a 3 year lease on a bmw. Aside from maintenance, the mini was mostly garaged except for maintenance until thafter a month of driving it, i heard a ticking sound that made me think it needed oil added, despite having one about 2 months prior. I added the mini synthetic oil to the car and the ticking sound stopped for a week or two. Then it started rattling and shaking severely when driving low speeds or at an idle. I checked the on board diagnostic systems, which is supposed to check oil levels and the general health of the car. No issues came up but i stopped driving it because i saw the oil light come on, and i know that couldn't be good, especially since oil was added between changes. I had the car towed to an independent mini mechanic, they told me that the timing chain needed to be replaced, there were holes in the turbo line and some various oil leaks.their estimate was roughly $2500 to make the car drivable again. Spoke to mini corporate, urged me to take it to mini dealer for diagnostics so corporate to see what help they'd offer me on these issues because they knew the timing chain belt was an issue and they knew the car burns through oil 50% faster than their electronic system and owners manual says. They were aware of this in 2008 and it affected several mini coopers to the extent of blowing out their entire engine. A class action lawsuit was filed because mini failed to issue a recall, warn buyers, or notify current ones. They extended the timing chain belt coverage to 7 years or 80k after the suit. My car has 73k but it's 7 years going on 8. The dealer confirmed diagnosis but mini won't offer any help on the 3-4k repairs. If this happened 9 months ago, they would cover it.
Fuel leak a/p mini service; not covered by extended warranty; after extensive research advised service representative of the reported design flaw in crimp device holding oil line connecting to turbo.advised by independent mechanic turbo unit defective, needs replacement. Mini of fairfield returned vehicle in an unsafe mannerwith stripped bolts andimproper placement of oil pan. After calling bmw of north america mini of fairfield decided to change oil lines without changing turbo unit. On driving vehicle noticed smoke coming from hood; vehicle revving in park, and a metallic sound coming from under vehicle; returned to mini service and after further evaluation (diagnostic fee $100)i was advised that car is safe to drive;i tried 2 different mini service departments neither wouldreplace turbo unit considering the fire hazard as reported.
At 30000 miles the timing chain was replaced due to a recall. Car rattled for a few months prior to replacemen. At 55ooo mile my car engine light came on and lost power. I was able to limp it in to work about another 5 miles. My husband drove it to mini dealership another 10 miles away and they stated that it blew a valve or a piston quoting him a head replacement of $5000 or replacement of engine for $10000. I purchased this car new and i have maintained it to a t. Reading on line this seems to all be related to the timing chain issue. Mini is not standing by their car and refusing to take responsibilty. Hopefully if we all continue to squeak we can get them to take responsibilty for faulty vehicles. I have a nice looking non running worthless car sitting in my driveway...anyone want it!
Defective timing chain and tensioners causing additional damage to the exhaust valves preventing compression in the engine as is described in one of many class action suits.
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.
Timing belt failure due to restrictor belt defect.
Check engine light came on....excessive carbon build up.happened again at 68k miles ....
Timing chain broke..i was driving on the road on my way home coming to a stop sign slowing my speed luckily to make a left turn when i heard an awful noise coming from the engine. I tried making my left turn when the light turned green and it started sputtering very slowly moving. I made it home sputtering..luckily was close to home otherwise i would had to have it towed. After some long and frustrating troubleshooting from a nice neighbor, he found out that the timing chain had broken causing several other problems. He also found out that it had very little or no oil. Which i had no indication from the car computer that it was even low. This may have contributed to the timing chain problem but again i had no car indication. It will cost me at least $7000.00 for cost and labor to fix since it is not under warranty or not even sure if it's covered...this is my 3rd mini..first one was a leased one and i upgraded to a mini s when the lease was over and leased another one. I bought this one when the second lease was over..ever since i bought this one..i have had so many problems with the engine. Everything is documented on how many times i have taken it in...so very disappointed with this one!!!!
Timing chain tensioner broke causing timing chain to break and ruining valve train and pistons. Since it is an interference engine.complete engine to be replaced, with only 25,000 orginial miles on vehicle.
Fire did not occur, but there is a risk. Many mini cooper models with turbochargers are experiencing a leaky oil feed line to the turbo after approximately 25,000 miles. Due to a poorly insulated rubber gasket. It is a manufacturing flaw, but mini has failed to acknowledge the issue. This is a fire risk. The oil is allowed to leak into the engine bay, and it can destroy the engine because mini coopers do not have an oil sensor.
Daily on cold starts, the car misfires and stalls 2-20 times before it starts. This has just started happening in the past 3 months.
12/14/12: i drove home from work. I had no problems driving, but heard a bit of a cold start knock.12/15/12: car didn't start in the morning. I immediately got the car towed to herb chambers in boston, where i had exclusively taken it to every maintenance check-up and issue i had since i purchased it new at the same location, even after my warranty had expired.12/16/12: herb chambers performed a diagnosis for $135, and said that the timing chain was broken, which would cost $2,500 to fix. However, they also said that other engine parts may be broken, but they wouldn't know until they started working on the timing chain. As you can see, i was not happy at all with this inconclusive diagnosis. Do i pay $2,500 for them to then tell me it actually needs a new engine for close to $10,000, or do i tow it elsewhere?12/17/12: towed car to german performance service for a more complete diagnosis, which showed that the timing chain and tensioner were broken, as well as most valves and other engine parts. We conclude that it is cheaper to replace the entire engine ($3,213 + $1,980 of labor = $5,193) than to fix everything individually, which would be more labor intensive.12/21/12: i contacted mini usa to inform them about my situation and how unpleased i was with herb chamber's extremely vague diagnosis, as well as mini's major timing chain flaw. Mini usa completely ignored my request for the sole reason that i took my car to a 3rd party mechanic. They said that if i had stayed at the dealer (even though they gave me an incomplete diagnosis), that they may have helped me out.12/30/12: i contacted herb chambers boston with the same concerns. They understood my points, but said that unfortunately they cannot force the manufacturer to do anything they do not want to do. As a small gesture, they did give me back what they charged me for their initial diagnosis ($135).
The contact owns a 2009 mini cooper s. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 mph, the vehicle failed to accelerate when the accelerator pedal was depressed and began to jerk. In addition, a loud knocking sound was heard from the hood of the vehicle when driven and oils leaks were discovered when parked. The failure occurred constantly. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 44,000.
I have a mini cooper s 2009, with only 50,000 miles in it ,and already its failing the guide and support rail the holds the timing chain, those supports are made of plastic which i believe it should be some kind of metal instead,when the support guides breaks the chain comes out of place crashing the engine, well the is ecsactly what happen to me , when i was driving in the freeway, i had to stop and get my car towed, but lucky me i wasn't in the middle of freway which it could cause a big accident, maybe death. Most of car makers like honda has a miles limit for timing belt replacement, mini cooper s dont, its base on how much you drive it ,thats what dealer said. Botton line mini usa should replace those plastic parts for something more durable specially if its going to make your car stop all of of sudden.
Total loss of power as i was crossing a major highway, car towed to local bmw certified mechanic, shows timing chain misfire, needs total replacement with multiple components needing replaced due to timing chain problem. 3300$ worth of damage to engine. Apparent problem with timing chain on thousands of mini cooper and they have not called a recall on the piece. This was almost a major accident for me and is causing me thousands of dollars to replace and major inconvenience.
Third complaint and counting.....i went to start my mini, only to notice it was leaking oil heavily under my car. I brought it to my repair shop who told me it might be the o ring. They replaced it and told me to bring it back a week later. I returned friday july 19th to have them look under the hood. There was oil everywhere. All over the engine. The seal was fine! it turns out the vacuum pump needs to be replaced and possibly the timing chain at a later date. The cost for the pump and labor is $574.00. So far i have spent almost $4000.00 on repairs. I don't have an estimate for the timing chain, i can only imagine.i only bought my mini in february at 49k miles and she's been in the shop longer than she's been driven. I don't know what to do any more and wish that bmw/mini would acknowledge that all r56 engines are defective. If i known i would have bought another better reliable car than a mini and that is coming from a person who loves my mini.
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.
Driving on 405 fwy in southern california turning out of freeway off ramp in the pouring rain.the car dead stopped.very dangerous, cars coming off freeway behind me was a 911 situation.after someone pushed me off to the side of the road had car towed.no engine light warning to indicate problem of tensioner (timing chain breakage).entire engine was replaced/rebuilt because of extensive damage to engine.bmw apparently is aware of the timing chain defect and has not issued service bulletin or recall.i'm hearing there is a class action suit because of the many complaints.the fact that i could have very easily been killed or seriously injured is why i am issuing a complaint (not to mention my bill for $6200.00 i have on my credit card) and the three weeks it took to fix.naturally i was 6 months out of my warranty.
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?
Since i get my until now i repair two times .the first time i was change the part of the top of the motor i don't remember the name.but this one that is the most strage i was driving and in the middle of the road the motor stop intanly.the most strange is 10 minutes after drive the car all this happen so that mean is no safe.and now whati have to do....
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.
The contact owns a 2009 mini cooper s. The contact stated that she noticed the engine had a leak. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection and they stated the water pump and the turbo charger needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 75,000.
I was driving down the highway and my car gave me a warning that my engine temp was way to high. I was lucky enough to have a good place to stop and check out whay was gong on. I open the hood, the engine is smoking and the coolant reservoir is neat empty. I look and see a pool of antifreeze coming from the thermostat. This is the third thermostat i have installed on this car and the second faulty one i have had in 3 months. This is also the second time i have had to stop on the highway due to a badly leaking thermostat.
Was told by mechanic at dealership timing chain tensioner had been replaced while in for service in past but now it needs replaced another employee 2 days later says no record of it. I need to pay full amount. Too early for timing chain replacement to be required in a decent car. Defect. Needs recall.
The timing tensioner on my mini cooper s backed out, resulting in a massive oil loss while at highway speeds. This is apparently a known issue by mini, but no known recall has been issued at this point.
The contact owns a 2009 mini cooper s. The contact stated that while parked, the engine fan failed to deactivate. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 12v008000 (engine and engine cooling). The approximate failure mileage was 49,000.
My 2009 mini cooper s made rattle noise and the whole timing chain got replaced plus the thermostat house and water pump! the engine light still keeps on after trouble-shooting by my mechanics, which might be the computer issue which has to be figured out soon! the timing chain issue should be under fully-covered by manufacturer since too many mini cooper owner have the same problem and paid thousand of dollars to fix it! my mini is only about 55k miles and already has timing chain issue!
Leaking turbo oil feed line and failing timing chain.
The contact owns a 2009 mini cooper s. The contact stated that coolant was leaking from the radiator. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that the vehicle was repaired by the previous owner under nhtsa campaign id number: 12v008000 (engine and engine cooling). The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 44,000.
Timing chain broke leading to vehicle coming to a sudden stop.had this happened in heavy traffic, it could have been life threatening.bmw refuses to assist.
Once you search the 'death rattle' on google, you can get lots of info about what is going on and the death rattle is really common on the r56. It is really a common problem and mini should take the responsibility of that.
Turbo oil lines leaking oil. No check engine light has being activated.
Took vehicle in for installation of the heat shield for turbo feed line. This is a recall and newly installed part to protect the turbo feed line due to overheating.once it was installed i was informed that the turbo line is failing and the dealer wants to charge me $1500 to repair the leaking line.the failure of the line is obviously due to excessive heat around this line... The same reason they are installing a heat shield.this is ridiculous and the item should be recalled and replaced!
First noticed the rattle while driving the car. Everytime subsequently after that whenever i turned the car on i would hear a loud rattling noise under the hood. Car is a 2009 mini cooper s with 38,005 miles on it. Timing chain and assembly needs to be replaced. Dealership quoted me $5,000 to repair. The car was just out of warranty and mini usa didn't want to help out with repair cost. Seems like a lots of these fairly new cars have this issue. Dealership that quoted me said they had 5 they were working on just this week. They expected mini to issue a recall but were surprised they hadn't. Guys in the parts department were all to familiar with all the parts that were required to fix the problem. They had them readily accessible and expressed their sympathy of having to pay $$ to fix what unquestionably is a manufacture defect. Please help us give mini a friendly nudge into issuing this recall.
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 updated 10/06/2017
Turbo oil feedline / pipe failure, resulting in leak, possibly due to excessive heat.
Purchased used vehicle in june 2012.on todays date, upon cold start vehicle began making knocking noises as if lifters were involved.as car warmed up noise became less apparent, but prompted me to take to local mechanic.mechanic advised that timing chain needs adjusting/replacing and needs to go to dealer (an hour travel). Upon perusing web info on vehicle and year, this issue appears to be a prevalent mafunction in this vehicle causing major engine failure.
There is a cooling system failure in my car that has caused cylinder head issues and head gasket issues. Even though my car is a 2009, it only has about 53,000 miles. I purchased the car in december 2019 and in january 2020 the car overheated while driving and then i noticed the coolant was leaking from the car. I replaced the hose and thermostat. Now in august/september 2020 the car overheated again and there was also leaking from the coolant. I took the car to the mechanic and they said the engine needs major repair work. I recently noticed recalls on this make and model regarding the engine and engine cooling, however based on my experience with this car, i'm thinking this may still be an issue with this car. Additionally, i reviewed the carfax report from the previous owners and there was no information about any resolved recalls. However, i spoke with the bmw dealership that the car had work done at from the previous owner and they said the recalls in 2012 (auxiliary coolant pump) and 2015 (heat shield turbo charger) were resolved. I also confirmed this with another mini cooper dealership. Based on the carfax report, these recalls may have never been resolved.
Started to hear a knocking noise coming from the engine compartment.issue with the time chain.so bent out of shape that the chain almost broke.i have always kept on top of changing my oil and getting my car serviced everytime it need it so i don't understand why this would even happen.when researching my problem i saw that its extremely common for models since 2007+ to experience this.this needs to be recalled.there's no reason for a owner to have to pay 200-2000 dollars when they have done everything right with servicing and oil changes etc.im just glad i wasn't on the highway when this happened to me because having your engine belt break in a busy highway doesn't sound safe.
Engine all of a sudden starts making a rattling noise. Took it in to dealer, timing chain guides had broken and chain was stretched. Was informed there was a mini campaign about this but my vehicle was not included. Expensive repair and potentially dangerous situation if chain had broken. Was informed after work was done that clutch was bad as well. Had driven the vehicle the day before without issue but after only 10 miles from the dealership car would not move from stopped since clutch would not engage. Extremely early for this amount of repairs to be needed, i question the durability of these parts and this brand. Both of these sudden wear failures could have been extremely dangerous if they had occurred on the highway.
Vehicle was in motion at 55-60 mph. Vehicle cut off and would not start or turnover. 15 minutes of rest and car was started and rpms were fluttering. Mini cooper of grand rapids stated the timing chain was "most likely" "out". They also stated no goodwill assistance could be provided while acknowledging the window, for a previous lawsuit involving thee 2009 mini cooper s, was closed and the defective tensioner and guide rails (to include engine design) were still in my mini cooper. Car has started once since but will not stay running. Other cases of fuel pumps failing on said model were acknowledged but "no recalls have been issued" said mini, thus not warranting any repair or concern for my failed mini. Repair estimate was 3,985$. After mentioning the previous lawsuit during 2015, a 'random' discount was announced of 10-15% to bring said total to est. 2,900$. My 2009 mini cooper s has had idle and rpm issues/fluctuations for a couple months after previous owner had just replaced the timing chain assembly in january of 2019 with genuine mini replacement parts (factory parts causing the same factory defect)
This is the 2nd time this happend the car started to acelerate by its self when stopped and the brakes couldn't hold the car back, i then put the car into newtral, then into park tapped the gas and the car acted normal. It was like the car had a mind of its own and just started to go without my foot on the gas pedal . The last time this happend was a year ago .i thought it was a fluke but now it happend again, i am a very good driver but after this happend again i think i might just get rid if this car ...it reminded me of the movie chritine when thecar had a mind of its own. I was stopped at a light with a car in front of me, the weather was 45 degrees and was driving for about 15 minutes already when it happend
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 problemthe cost to fix is $2200dealer said not worth fixing and sent me to look at a new car.
Turbo oil feed line leak, oil filter housing gasket which is costing me close to 1200$.
Known issues: timing chain and intake valves.engine light came on at approx 40,000 miles.dealership diagnosed 2 issues that seem to be known recurring issues for this make/model:carbonized intake valves requiring cleaning, and replace timing chain.this bill will cost over $2600.several complaints have appeared for intake value buildup and also for the timing chain issues.internet searches show this as a common issue and also a known issue by bmw mini.this should have been a recall as they knowingly sold these defected cars in 2009.with only 40k miles to date, i plan to keep this car for at least 4 more years. May not be possible with bills like this one.
Driving vehicle heard some engine noise and observed red oil indicator came on. Pulled over and checked oil level, appeared to be low.. I immediately put in two quarts of oil only to see it all seep out and through both front wheel wells. Appeared to be an issue with the timing chain tensioner.
The timing chain has an issue and rattles really laud. This is causing issues with the vehicles idle and speed during driving.
Turbo leaking oil - gaskets - major complaints all over the internet. Maybe this is something they need to review for design error.
Check engine light came on. Checked it and its the thermostat. I had replaced the thermostat 1 year ago and now again. Went to the dealership here in san antonio, tx and they told me their on back order. Apparently 17,000 on backorder! its almost been a month and a half and my car is still in my garage with no definite answer from mini. There has to be a bigger issue that is being covered up by mini.
Failure of timing belt tensioner in 2009 mini cooper s leading to massive oil leak loss of power to engine and near lethal accident.
The timing chain failed, found to be sheared through.
My vehicle had been parked for a couple of days in our garage. When i pulled it out on the 2nd i noticed a large pool of oil on the floor. I immediately drove it to the local dealership and was informed that the timing chain tensioner system had failed and that if not immediately remedied this would cause catastrophic engine failure. Over my communications with the dealer, mini of sterling in sterling, va, i was told that this was a frequent occurrence, at least one a week, and is a recognized problem with a known work-around. They informed me that they had seen catastrophic engine failure and that with my commute of 45 miles on major highways that such a failure at speed would result in a major crash.
Cpsc: i1350251a. Mini cooper s 2009. Consumer stated that the car was brought new and have several issues. *lnthe consumer stated because of the late recall, issued by bmw, the oil supply line was damaged and started to leak.
I drove the car for less than a mile at city speeds and proceeded to park to run errands. About 5 minutes later i noticed smoke coming out of the engine compartment of the car, upon closer inspection i realized the car was on fire and called 911. By the time the fire department arrived to the scene (about 5 minutes later) the fire had spread through the vehicle. The car showed no warning signs before the fire started and all scheduled maintenance had been performed. The cause of the fire is to be determined.
2009 mini cooper s loud noise at cold startup immediately after car was received in november 2008miniusa has discovered it's an issue with the timing belt and its tensioneri read of this issue online and asked mini dealer to repair it: they replaced timing belt and tensioner but some mini owners report a recurrence of the issue and major damage to the car's engine.
While driving the vehicle the abruptly halted causing me to veer off to the side of the road so that it could be stopped somewhere safe. Vehicle would not restart, no warning lights of any sort were present prior to this incident.vehicle needed to be pushed to a location to allow it to be towed. Details of service provided from knauz mini asfollows:found car not starting, during fault inspection found fault for exhaust cam sensor not reading.found exhaust cam not moving through oil cap on valve cover.removed valve cover for cylinder, found timing chain to be broken causing exhaust cam timing chain sprocket to break off exhaust cam.found the timing chain breaking causing damage to complete engine due to timing chain breaking in two pieces.found lower crank damaged from timing chain wedging in between block and timing chain cover area.removed complete engine and replaced, note during removal of sub-frame bolts on rail found treads to be damaged from factory (subframe never removed before) while being installed.re-tapped treads and replaced both bolts.test drove car with new motor overnight no further problems found.
Fan is barely blowing out of the front vents, the air is all flowing through the bottom vents.this happens intermittently.heat and air-conditioning works fine.only the air flow is limited regardless of adjustments to air flow settings or temperatures.
While driving vehicle,oil started to drain in large quantities over the street. Steady stream about 2 inches wide was visible on the street once vehicle was stopped. Oil light came one approximately 5 minutes after oil spin was noted.car was moved to safe location once oil light came on.engine would not restart.notes from knauz mini service manager:found timing chain tensioner walking out of position causing oil to come out of cylinder head.cleaned oil residue and replaced timing chain tensioners.due to lack of proper tension of timing chain tensioner checked timing.
Engine oil spraying from camshaft chain tension-er seal. Oil was spraying out under pressure. I would consider this to be a fire hazard, as hot exhaust components are nearby.
Mini cooper sent a recall for a faulty timing chain in my 2009 mini cooper. This is the 2nd timing chain repair in 2 years. When i had it in for the repair i informed the tech i smelled oil burning after the vehicle was running during a highway drive. They looked at the car and informed me the turbo lines were leaking which pose a risk if i left it unrepaired. The turbo line repair is a $1000 repair on a car with less than 35000 miles. The tech informed me that they were going to put a heat shield on the vehicle also as part of a recall. Perhaps this shield should have been installed prior and the line would still be intact.
Loud rattle at cold start.
Why is my vin # not added to this recall?it has all the same symptoms..i called mini usa without getting anywhere.did i just a buy a lemon?see info below:the cold start issue has been a common theme popping up in the faults and fixes threads on various mini forums. Specifically, mcs owners complaining about a peculiarly loud engine rattle on start-up. Now the r56 is a n?interesting" sounding engine to begin with. The direct fuel injection solenoids give the car a very diesel-esque sound at idle. But this is a very different sound altogether.bmw has determined that the cold start rattle was/is being caused by the timing chain tensioner (which is in turn powered by an oil-pressurized piston). More specifically the sound is caused when the tensioner piston doesn't extend all the way (or at all) which then allows the timing chain to come in contact with the guides on the engine cover.after two years of research into the issue mini now has official repair information at dealers that will eliminate the issue. The puma measure number that will need to be referenced is 10686850-13 (we've seen 10686850-12 mentioned but we believe 13 is the latest) and the part number is 11.31.7.598.956. According to the information we've seen, all cars affected in with the issue will get a new timing chain, chain guides, cam sprockets and vanos unit.at this stage mini is handling this on a case by case basis when the owner complains about the sound. Were guessing they would like to steer clear of something along the lines of a recall (voluntary or otherwise) due to the cost of the service. However don't be surprised to see and hear more about this issue and the official fix soon.in the mean time if your 2007-2009 mcs is affected wed urge you to call and make an appointment at your local dealer.
I have a 2009 mini cooper s with 27,000 miles.twice the engine valves has been cleaned because of excess carbon build up.just look at the discussions on the web.seems to be a major problem with car.
Fire did not occur, but there is a risk. Many mini cooper models with turbochargers are experiencing a leaky oil feed line to the turbo after approximately 25,000 miles. Due to a poorly insulated rubber gasket. It is a manufacturing flaw, but mini has failed to acknowledge the issue. This is a fire risk. The oil is allowed to leak into the engine bay, and it can destroy the engine because mini coopers do not have an oil sensor.
While idling at a red light, vehicle rpms varied dramatically and the engine shut off. Vehicle was able to be restarted and moved with the check engine light illuminated. Upon further investigation the valve cover was found to have a vacuum leak, which has become a common issue with mini cooper s models.
The contact owns a 2009 mini cooper s. The contact stated that the check engine light would illuminate on the instrument panel and the vehicle would make a loud noise. The dealer diagnosed that fuel line was clogged, which made it difficult for the fuel to flow freely. The manufacturer was not notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 29,643.
Vehicle was in motion at 55-60 mph. Vehicle cut off and would not start or turnover. 15 minutes of rest and car was started and rpms were fluttering. Mini cooper of grand rapids stated the timing chain was "most likely" "out". They also stated no goodwill assistance could be provided while acknowledging the window, for a previous lawsuit involving thee 2009 mini cooper s, was closed and the defective tensioner and guide rails (to include engine design) were still in my mini cooper. Car has started once since but will not stay running. Other cases of fuel pumps failing on said model were acknowledged but "no recalls have been issued" said mini, thus not warranting any repair or concern for my failed mini. Repair estimate was 3,985$. After mentioning the previous lawsuit during 2015, a 'random' discount was announced of 10-15% to bring said total to est. 2,900$. My 2009 mini cooper s has had idle and rpm issues/fluctuations for a couple months after previous owner had just replaced the timing chain assembly in january of 2019 with genuine mini replacement parts (factory parts causing the same factory defect)
I purchased a brand new mini cooper s in 2009 w/ standard 3 years of factory maintenance and i later added on an extended warranty a few years later. 2014 ientered into a 3 year lease on a bmw. Aside from maintenance, the mini was mostly garaged except for maintenance until thafter a month of driving it, i heard a ticking sound that made me think it needed oil added, despite having one about 2 months prior. I added the mini synthetic oil to the car and the ticking sound stopped for a week or two. Then it started rattling and shaking severely when driving low speeds or at an idle. I checked the on board diagnostic systems, which is supposed to check oil levels and the general health of the car. No issues came up but i stopped driving it because i saw the oil light come on, and i know that couldn't be good, especially since oil was added between changes. I had the car towed to an independent mini mechanic, they told me that the timing chain needed to be replaced, there were holes in the turbo line and some various oil leaks.their estimate was roughly $2500 to make the car drivable again. Spoke to mini corporate, urged me to take it to mini dealer for diagnostics so corporate to see what help they'd offer me on these issues because they knew the timing chain belt was an issue and they knew the car burns through oil 50% faster than their electronic system and owners manual says. They were aware of this in 2008 and it affected several mini coopers to the extent of blowing out their entire engine. A class action lawsuit was filed because mini failed to issue a recall, warn buyers, or notify current ones. They extended the timing chain belt coverage to 7 years or 80k after the suit. My car has 73k but it's 7 years going on 8. The dealer confirmed diagnosis but mini won't offer any help on the 3-4k repairs. If this happened 9 months ago, they would cover it.
While driving a 2009 mini cooper s at over 35 miles per hour the engine lost power and would not restart. Mechanic diagnosed it as a high pressure fuel injector failure and mini refused to act in good faith and replace the product despite issuing an extended warranty on that specific component in a safety bulletin.
Vehicle was in motion at 55-60 mph. Vehicle cut off and would not start or turnover. 15 minutes of rest and car was started and rpms were fluttering. Mini cooper of grand rapids stated the timing chain was "most likely" "out". They also stated no goodwill assistance could be provided while acknowledging the window, for a previous lawsuit involving thee 2009 mini cooper s, was closed and the defective tensioner and guide rails (to include engine design) were still in my mini cooper. Car has started once since but will not stay running. Other cases of fuel pumps failing on said model were acknowledged but "no recalls have been issued" said mini, thus not warranting any repair or concern for my failed mini. Repair estimate was 3,985$. After mentioning the previous lawsuit during 2015, a 'random' discount was announced of 10-15% to bring said total to est. 2,900$. My 2009 mini cooper s has had idle and rpm issues/fluctuations for a couple months after previous owner had just replaced the timing chain assembly in january of 2019 with genuine mini replacement parts (factory parts causing the same factory defect)
The timing tensioner on my mini cooper s backed out, resulting in a massive oil loss while at highway speeds. This is apparently a known issue by mini, but no known recall has been issued at this point.
While driving the vehicle the abruptly halted causing me to veer off to the side of the road so that it could be stopped somewhere safe. Vehicle would not restart, no warning lights of any sort were present prior to this incident.vehicle needed to be pushed to a location to allow it to be towed. Details of service provided from knauz mini asfollows:found car not starting, during fault inspection found fault for exhaust cam sensor not reading.found exhaust cam not moving through oil cap on valve cover.removed valve cover for cylinder, found timing chain to be broken causing exhaust cam timing chain sprocket to break off exhaust cam.found the timing chain breaking causing damage to complete engine due to timing chain breaking in two pieces.found lower crank damaged from timing chain wedging in between block and timing chain cover area.removed complete engine and replaced, note during removal of sub-frame bolts on rail found treads to be damaged from factory (subframe never removed before) while being installed.re-tapped treads and replaced both bolts.test drove car with new motor overnight no further problems found.
Engine all of a sudden starts making a rattling noise. Took it in to dealer, timing chain guides had broken and chain was stretched. Was informed there was a mini campaign about this but my vehicle was not included. Expensive repair and potentially dangerous situation if chain had broken. Was informed after work was done that clutch was bad as well. Had driven the vehicle the day before without issue but after only 10 miles from the dealership car would not move from stopped since clutch would not engage. Extremely early for this amount of repairs to be needed, i question the durability of these parts and this brand. Both of these sudden wear failures could have been extremely dangerous if they had occurred on the highway.
On 8-28-16 the timing chain failed on the engine of my 2009 mini cooper s, which lead to catastrophic engine failure, requiring the engine to be replaced. At the time of failure i was driving at full speed on the highway. There was sudden power loss and i had to avert traffic to safely pull over. During power loss there was lots of smoke pouring out of the car. Timing chain failures are a known issue with mini, and the subject of a recent lawsuit against mini. See info regarding a settlement due to timing chain failure: http://www.timingchaintensionersettlement.com/ the lawsuit settlement extends the engine warranty to 7yrs/100,000mi. My mini is at 86k mi, and a few days over 7 years. Mini usa refuses to assist me in solving this known issue.
Car went into limp gear mode on freeway, high rpm at 40 mph. Vehicle shipped to mini dealer 05/09/17 saying there was a transmission error code. Dealer said they tested vehicle and it wasn't the transmission it needed a water pump and cylinder need valve cover. 67,117 miles on odometer. Also front cv axle boot leaking. Had repairs done ($1692.58) after discount. At time of pickup, dealer asked to keep the vehicle a few more days to double check the transmission. A few days later they say yes there is a transmission error with the car going at higher highway speeds and it will need a new transmission! cost ($9000) i did not have this done.the service advisor told me the vehicle was not safe to drive! this vehicle is driven by my 16 year old daughter to and from school!
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.
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.
During light acceleration at interstate speeds, the engine lost some power and the service engine light came on. The dealer first replace the vacuum hoses. It happened again, the dealer replaced the vacuum pump. It happened again immediately, the dealer replaced the turbocharger unit because the wastegate won't close completely.the turbocharger and wastegate should last much longer than 5 years (the car was delivered in april 2009) or 70,000 miles.
Timing belt failure due to restrictor belt defect.
Since i get my until now i repair two times .the first time i was change the part of the top of the motor i don't remember the name.but this one that is the most strage i was driving and in the middle of the road the motor stop intanly.the most strange is 10 minutes after drive the car all this happen so that mean is no safe.and now whati have to do....
The contact owns a 2009 mini cooper s. The contact stated that while driving 20 mph, the clutch slipped as the rpms increased to 6000. The contact did not take the vehicle to the dealer for inspection or repairs. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 45,000.
While driving vehicle,oil started to drain in large quantities over the street. Steady stream about 2 inches wide was visible on the street once vehicle was stopped. Oil light came one approximately 5 minutes after oil spin was noted.car was moved to safe location once oil light came on.engine would not restart.notes from knauz mini service manager:found timing chain tensioner walking out of position causing oil to come out of cylinder head.cleaned oil residue and replaced timing chain tensioners.due to lack of proper tension of timing chain tensioner checked timing.
I was driving my mini cooper on i-95 when the i noticed a very strong burning smell and the clutch was giving me difficulty changing gears.as i was getting off i-95 the gears were not responding and the car began to slow down.i got off i-95 and just made it to a main blvd. When the clutch gave out and the car would not move.i could see the cars in the rear view mirror coming at full speed and honking at me to move out of the of the way.i called 911 and asked for a patrol to spot traffic and then tried to get out of the car to ask for help but almost got ran over by cars passing by.i thought i was going to get either hit or killed.two man in a van stopped and pushed my car out of the way until the truck stopped.the police car never showed up. A west palm braman mini cooper service man was driving by and told me the clutch was completely burnt out and to tow the car to his facility.i did and mini cooper refused to fix it even though they are aware of the defect and the many complaints. They tried to tell me the clutch was worn out but the car only has 13,000 miles, they also tried to blame it on aggressive driving or that i did not know how to drive a standard transmission.i told them i drive very slow and have been driving standard transmission my entire life.they just refuse to acknowledge the manufacturing defect.please make sure that someone looks into this so that no one has to face the same danger i did or even worse, be killed.
Vehicle was taken to dealership in feb 2012 for a rattling noise. Service center at braman miami said that they could not duplicate the noise, so it was assumed they found nothing wrong with the vehicle. Prior to this, the vehicle had been in the shop 2-3 times due engine malfunction light, rough idle at cold start and loss of turbo power due to leakage in turbo oil feed lines. This was repaired in early 2012/late 2011. In december of 2012, while driving the rattling noise of the complaint in feb 2012 intensified and oil light illuminated while driving. Car was pulled over to safe location. Once car was stopped, the engine malfunction light also illuminated. Driver checked oil level, which appeared low but within the marks on the dipstick. Oil splatter was observed on the hood and on engine. Rubber gasket feeding to engine was observed to be displaced where oil appeared to have leaked out. Vehicle was towed to braman miami. Service department reported that failure was caused by timing chain/tensioner issue. Service dept is charging 17k usd for repairs as it is not found to be under the scope of warranty of previous repairs to the turbo oil feed lines. Mini has been contacted to see if any relief can be provided as this seems to be a common issue with these vehicles.
I purchased a brand new mini cooper s in 2009 w/ standard 3 years of factory maintenance and i later added on an extended warranty a few years later. 2014 ientered into a 3 year lease on a bmw. Aside from maintenance, the mini was mostly garaged except for maintenance until thafter a month of driving it, i heard a ticking sound that made me think it needed oil added, despite having one about 2 months prior. I added the mini synthetic oil to the car and the ticking sound stopped for a week or two. Then it started rattling and shaking severely when driving low speeds or at an idle. I checked the on board diagnostic systems, which is supposed to check oil levels and the general health of the car. No issues came up but i stopped driving it because i saw the oil light come on, and i know that couldn't be good, especially since oil was added between changes. I had the car towed to an independent mini mechanic, they told me that the timing chain needed to be replaced, there were holes in the turbo line and some various oil leaks.their estimate was roughly $2500 to make the car drivable again. Spoke to mini corporate, urged me to take it to mini dealer for diagnostics so corporate to see what help they'd offer me on these issues because they knew the timing chain belt was an issue and they knew the car burns through oil 50% faster than their electronic system and owners manual says. They were aware of this in 2008 and it affected several mini coopers to the extent of blowing out their entire engine. A class action lawsuit was filed because mini failed to issue a recall, warn buyers, or notify current ones. They extended the timing chain belt coverage to 7 years or 80k after the suit. My car has 73k but it's 7 years going on 8. The dealer confirmed diagnosis but mini won't offer any help on the 3-4k repairs. If this happened 9 months ago, they would cover it.
The passenger seat belt sensor light stay on continuously car is started, regardless anyone in the seat.this is a safety issue and should be recalled by manufacture.
I was involved in a multiple car accident. None of the air bags deployed and the seat belt did not hold me appropriately resulting in hitting the steering wheel with my face. I had head concussion and multiple face bruises, including a deep cut in my lip. Mini (bmw) is investigating.
Was parked and went to start it and no warning chimes seat belt seat radio air bags
I have been getting the air bag warning light (in red) coming on while driving the car started in february, 2015. I've told that mini/bmw is aware of this issue, but is not making any movement on establishing a safety recall on affected cars.warning light comes on regardless of how many passengers are in the vehicle. Sometimes the light comes on and stays on, other times it cycles through on-off, with the audible warning, several times a minute.
My airbag light/seat sensor warning light came on both center console and driver's console for no apparent reason. Both lights stay illuminated.proper operation of seat sensor in passenger seat mat which activates passenger side airbag is now in question.
Passenger side airbag remains off due to a failure of the passenger seat occupancy detection system.
Was parked and went to start it and no warning chimes seat belt seat radio air bags
Passenger side airbag light on. Has been on for months
The car's electric power steering module failed (apparently shorted out), and upon attempting to evaluate the issue the unit will spark and even catch fire. It has melted several of the wiring components in my car, and has adversely affected at least my abs system and my tire pressure sensor. Mini cooper of escondido inspected the damage and deemed that i needed to replace the eps unit and the steering rack, but they are not willing to cover the costs of replacement.
I own a 09 mini s. About a year or so ago i noticed that the driver's side door was sticking whereas i had to jiggle it in order to open it. I took the door panel off to look for any obstructions and found none. I greased the door hinge and it worked better. I headed to the store one day and upon exiting the vehicle i heard a little different sound than usual at least i thought. After coming from the store i once again had to jiggle the door from the inside door latch and the outside door latch. I got the door open and decided to stop for gas on the way home. After arriving at the gas station i released my seat belt and attempted to get out but the door would not budge. After numerous failed attempts i could not open the driver's door. I headed home and in my driveway i tried for some time my usual technique along with repeated attempts with the unlock and lock toggle switch, i could not open the door. The window is too small to climb out at least for me so i exited the vehicle by climbing over to thepassenger's side and exited through that door. This could of been a bad situation and a 911 call. The 1st responders would of arrived and tried to help me get out and if i wasn't nimble as i am to climb out through the passenger's side door they would have to call the fire department to come and cut me out of my perfectly good car as far as nothing else is wrong with it. I am the second owner and there are no modifications on the doors or any known accidents. I spoke with a mechanic and he diagnosed it to be a faulty door latch module. I haven't had it fixed yet.
I own a 09 mini s. About a year or so ago i noticed that the driver's side door was sticking whereas i had to jiggle it in order to open it. I took the door panel off to look for any obstructions and found none. I greased the door hinge and it worked better. I headed to the store one day and upon exiting the vehicle i heard a little different sound than usual at least i thought. After coming from the store i once again had to jiggle the door from the inside door latch and the outside door latch. I got the door open and decided to stop for gas on the way home. After arriving at the gas station i released my seat belt and attempted to get out but the door would not budge. After numerous failed attempts i could not open the driver's door. I headed home and in my driveway i tried for some time my usual technique along with repeated attempts with the unlock and lock toggle switch, i could not open the door. The window is too small to climb out at least for me so i exited the vehicle by climbing over to thepassenger's side and exited through that door. This could of been a bad situation and a 911 call. The 1st responders would of arrived and tried to help me get out and if i wasn't nimble as i am to climb out through the passenger's side door they would have to call the fire department to come and cut me out of my perfectly good car as far as nothing else is wrong with it. I am the second owner and there are no modifications on the doors or any known accidents. I spoke with a mechanic and he diagnosed it to be a faulty door latch module. I haven't had it fixed yet.
My radio and sound system stopped working. So my safety noises like my seatbelt and any problems that may arise do not give any sound. The vehicle was working fine in the morning and then in the afternoon it stopped working all of a sudden. And it was off and stationary.
Started to hear a knocking noise coming from the engine compartment.issue with the time chain.so bent out of shape that the chain almost broke.i have always kept on top of changing my oil and getting my car serviced everytime it need it so i don't understand why this would even happen.when researching my problem i saw that its extremely common for models since 2007+ to experience this.this needs to be recalled.there's no reason for a owner to have to pay 200-2000 dollars when they have done everything right with servicing and oil changes etc.im just glad i wasn't on the highway when this happened to me because having your engine belt break in a busy highway doesn't sound safe.
Total loss of power as i was crossing a major highway, car towed to local bmw certified mechanic, shows timing chain misfire, needs total replacement with multiple components needing replaced due to timing chain problem. 3300$ worth of damage to engine. Apparent problem with timing chain on thousands of mini cooper and they have not called a recall on the piece. This was almost a major accident for me and is causing me thousands of dollars to replace and major inconvenience.
The contact owns a 2009 mini cooper s. The contact stated that while driving at 75 mph, the vehicle began to decrease in speed while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the vacuum pump failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
This is the 2nd time this happend the car started to acelerate by its self when stopped and the brakes couldn't hold the car back, i then put the car into newtral, then into park tapped the gas and the car acted normal. It was like the car had a mind of its own and just started to go without my foot on the gas pedal . The last time this happend was a year ago .i thought it was a fluke but now it happend again, i am a very good driver but after this happend again i think i might just get rid if this car ...it reminded me of the movie chritine when thecar had a mind of its own. I was stopped at a light with a car in front of me, the weather was 45 degrees and was driving for about 15 minutes already when it happend
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