2009 MINI Cooper S: fire, smoke or burning smell

Filed Sep 20, 2016 · Transmission · 86,000 miles · MA

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.

Filed Mar 18, 2015 · Engine · 85,000 miles · CA

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.

Filed Nov 4, 2014 · Transmission · 13,000 miles · FL

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.

Filed Nov 15, 2013 · Engine · 47,000 miles · CT

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 manner with stripped bolts and improper 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 would replace turbo unit considering the fire hazard as reported.

Filed Oct 16, 2011 · Engine · 34,000 miles · WA · fire

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.

Filed Jun 9, 2010 · Electrical · 20,000 miles · 00 · fire

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.