I am writing to formally request reimbursement for a timing chain replacement performed on my vehicle, which was the subject of a specific safety recall issued by BMW. The timing chain defect in this vehicle represents a severe safety hazard, as a failure can cause an immediate and total engine stall while the vehicle is in motion. This loss of power in traffic creates an 100% avoidable risk of collision. Despite BMW recognizing this defect through a prior reimbursement program, they are refusing to compensate for a safety-critical repair on a low-mileage vehicle (58,XXX miles) simply based on the car's age. At the time of repair, the vehicle had approximately 58,XXX miles. Although the vehicle is older, it was in storage for several years because the previous owner was unaware of the recall and lacked the financial means to address it. Despite the period of storage, the car remained in excellent condition, with the timing chain being the only mechanical requirement at the time. The repair was completed by a local independent shop and paid for out-of-pocket. While BMW has recently honored a different recall for an electronics panel on this same VIN, my request for timing chain reimbursement was denied based on the vehicle's age. I believe this denial is inconsistent, as the safety defect identified in the recall existed regardless of the car's age or storage history. I am seeking compensation for the parts and labor costs associated with this safety-critical repair
The worst 2009 MINI Cooper S Clubman problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Engine31
- Transmission11
- Electrical8
- Airbags6
- Brakes2
- Body1
- Fuel system1
- Lights1
- Seat belts1
Specific symptoms reported on the 2009 MINI Cooper S Clubman
Recalls 2
Engine and engine cooling: engine: gasoline: turbo/supercharger
- What is wrong
- BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2011-2012 BMW 550i, 550i xDrive, 550i Gran Turismo, 550i Gran Turismo xDrive, 750i, 750Li, 750i xDrive, 750Li xDrive, 760Li, X5 xDrive50i, X5 M, X6 xDrive50i, X6 M, ActiveHybrid7, MINI Cooper S Convertible, John Cooper Works (JCW) Convertible, Cooper S Countryman, Cooper S Countryman ALL4, Cooper S, JCW, Cooper S Clubman, JCW Clubman, Cooper S Roadster, JCW Roadster, Cooper S Coupe, JCW Coupe and Rolls-Royce Ghost, 2011 BMW X6 Hybrid and 2012 BMW 650i Coupe, 650i xDrive Coupe, 650i Convertible and 650i xDrive Convertible vehicles. The electric auxiliary water pump may fail and cause the circuit board to overheat.
- Risk
- If the circuit board were to overheat, it can increase the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the electric auxiliary water pump, free of charge. Depending on the model, there are currently limited parts available, however not all parts are available at this time. Owners will be notified of the recall beginning June 11, 2018, and will receive a second notification when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact BMW customer service at BMW 1‑800‑525‑7417, MINI at 1‑866‑825‑1525, or Rolls-Royce at 1‑877‑877‑3735. Note: BMW recommends that owners park their vehicle outdoors until the recall remedy has been performed.
Recall number 18V248000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling: engine: gasoline: turbo/supercharger
- What is wrong
- Bmw is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 mini cooper s, 2008-2011 mini cooper s clubman, 2009-2011 mini cooper s convertible, 2009-2011 mini cooper jcw, 2009-2011 mini cooper jcw clubman, 2009-2011 cooper jcw convertible, and 2011 cooper s countryman passenger cars manufactured from november 14, 2006, through january 18, 2011. The electric auxiliary water pump that cools the turbocharger has an electronic circuit board that can malfunction and overheat.
- Risk
- The circuit board may smolder which could result in a vehicle fire.
- Remedy
- Bmw will notify owners, and dealers will replace the water pump free of charge. The safety recall beganduring february 2012. Owners may contact bmw at 1‑866‑275‑6464.
Recall number 12V008000 · Recall details
See all 2 recalls for the 2009 MINI Cooper S Clubman
Defect investigations
Engine compartment fire
In a January 10, 2012 letter to the federal safety agency, BMW of North America, LLC. (BMW) submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR) identifying a defect in the electric auxiliary water pump in approximately 88,911 model year (MY) 2007-2011 Mini Cooper vehicles manufactured from November 14, 2006 through January 18, 2011 (Recall 12V‑008).According to BMW, the auxiliary water pump on vehicles equipped with 4-cylinder turbocharged engines may overheat.Electro-migration can cause the pump electronic circuit board to overheat resulting in smoldering of the water pump. If smoldering occurs, it may lead to an engine compartment or vehicle fire.The pump supplier, Pierburg Pump Technology GmbH, redesigned the pump to address factors that may contribute to circuit board overheating.The redesigned pumps were completely implemented in production vehicles by January 2011.Recall 12V‑008 was the third recall initiated by BMW to address electric auxiliary water pump fires in vehicles equipped with Pierburg pumps.In two October 20, 2011 letters to the federal safety agency, BMW submitted DIRs for similar auxiliary water pump defect conditions in approximately 32,084 MY 2008-2011 BMW 5-Series, 7-Series, X5 and X6 models equipped with 8- and 12-cylinder engines and manufactured from May 2008 through December 2010 (Recall 11V‑521); and for approximately 589 MY 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost vehicles manufactured from September 2009 through September 2010 (Recall 11V‑522).In three separate April 5, 2012 letters to the federal safety agency, BMW submitted amendments to Recalls 11V‑521, 11V‑522 and 12V‑008.The amendments all described a common defect condition related to a manufacturing process deviation in a certain production range of the redesigned Pierburg water pumps that could result in cracks in the pump housing, which may allow coolant to enter and contact the pump?s circuit board.BMW indicated that further analysis identified a specific machine process error at the sub-supplier that manufactures the water pump housing.Pump housing cracks may cause the circuit board to overheat and lead to smoldering of the water pump.Recall 12V‑008 was, thus, amended to include approximately 1,457 MY 2011 Mini Cooper vehicles manufactured from March 31, 2011 through April 22, 2011, when pumps manufactured with the suspect manufacturing process may have been used in vehicle assembly.The amendment to Recall 11V‑521 was assigned a new recall number, Recall 12V‑161, and covered approximately 2,846 MY 2011-2012 BMW 5-Series, 6-Series, 7-Series, X5, and X6 vehicles manufactured from April 1, 2011 through August 1, 2011.The amendment to Recall 11V‑522 was assigned a new recall number, Recall 12V‑166, and covered approximately 69 MY 2011 Rolls-Royce Ghost vehicles manufactured from April 7, 2011 through June 2, 2011.The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) analyzed complaint data provided by BMW as well as complaints submitted to ODI from consumers. In total, there were 30 unique Mini Cooper reports indicating engine fire.In addition, BMW provided warranty data showing 493 claims for replacement of the subject component on Mini Cooper vehicles.Owners of the recalled vehicles are notified to take their vehicle to a BMW dealer, who will replace the auxiliary water pump to prevent any incidents related to this issue.This preliminary evaluation is closed.The ODI reports cited above can be viewed at www-odi.the federal safety agency.dot.gov/owners/Searchreference under the following identification numbers (ODI Nos.):10286597, 10286663, 10289793, 10310677, 10314796, 10342365, 10394808, 10394192, 10403982, 10418325, 10422646, 10429003.
PE11036
Technical service bulletins for the 2009 MINI Cooper S Clubman 94
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Customer complains of a musty odor or damp front footwell carpet.
- MINI electrical systems have continued to develop over the past few years
- New RDC wheel electronics will be introduced with future generation MINI models
- OC3 seat occupancy mat - limited warranty extension to 10 years/120,000 miles
- Class action settlement: N14 high-pressure fuel pump (HDP) service benefit class vehicles
- Cooper S with N14: Diagnosis for Misfire Faults
- Checking or Replacing the Door Sill Trim Strips
- Air Conditioning System Leak Testing
- OC3 seat occupancy mat: limited warranty extension to 10 years/120.
- Manual transmission - stiff diagonal gearshift lever movement.
What 2009 MINI Cooper S Clubman owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The contact owns a 2009 Mini Cooper S Clubman. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contacted became aware of a failure with the electrical system. The contact stated that the instrument panel failed to display as needed, and the turn signals failed to function properly. The contact also stated that while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle failed to turn off, causing the battery to become drained. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V337000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2009 Mini Cooper S Clubman. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V337000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer and local dealer were not contacted. The contact stated that the footwell area was very warm to the touch. The failure mileage was not available. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2009 Mini Cooper S Clubman. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V337000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the vehicle had failed to start. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 120,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2009 Mini Cooper S Clubman. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V337000 (Electrical System) however, the contact stated that there was a leak on the passenger’s side which caused a short circuit of the fuse box located in the passenger side foot well. The contact stated that the vehicle would not start. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who determined that the fuse box needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer should cover the cost for the repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 144,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2009 Mini Copper S Clubman. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V337000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the footwell control module needed to be replaced. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2009 Mini Cooper S Clubman. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start after several attempts. The contact later received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V337000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Passenger airbag sensor is malfunctioning. The passenger airbag sensor failure results in the airbag for the passenger side being disabled when the car is in motion/driving regardless of whether a person is sitting in the seat (an adult will be sitting in the seat and the airbag will continue to be disabled as the car is driven around). The lack of airbag for the passenger of the vehicle due to the faulty sensor is a significant safety risk that will likely result in the death or serious injury. This appears to be a problem mini had on other models of its cars which resulted in a recall.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 mini cooper s clubman. The contact stated while driving at 50 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact stated she was able to pull over to the side of the road. The contact's son had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with total engine failure. The vehicle was then towed to bmw of hudson valley (2068 south rd, poughkeepsie, ny 12601) where the diagnosis was confirmed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered to pay 50% towards the part. The failure mileage was 55,000.
Driving car to work and died as I was going through an 4 way intersection, car was in motion with multiple vehicles around me. I had to get out and push the car out of the intersection and off the road. Tried to start with no success. Car was low on fuel so suspected it to be empty. Called insurance to send someone with gas but still wouldn't start. Got the car towed home and investigated fault. Found the chain tensioner to have failed causing timing of engine to change and cause piston to hit valves and break the rocker arms.
Compare the 2009 MINI Cooper S Clubman
Other model years
Questions about the 2009 MINI Cooper S Clubman
Is the 2009 MINI Cooper S Clubman reliable?
Owners have filed 51 complaints about the 2009 MINI Cooper S Clubman, 3.9 times a typical Cooper S Clubman model year. It is one of the years we flag to avoid.
What is the 2009 MINI Cooper S Clubman year score?
The 2009 MINI Cooper S Clubman scores 26 out of 100 (poor). The score compares it with the other model years of the MINI Cooper S Clubman: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2009 MINI Cooper S Clubman?
Engine and cooling, with 31 complaints, typically around 49,000 miles. Next is transmission (11).
How many recalls does the 2009 MINI Cooper S Clubman have?
2 recalls, covering engine and engine cooling.
Was there a recall on the 2009 MINI Cooper S Clubman engine?
Yes, 2 recalls: 18V248000, 12V008000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
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