Tl* the contact owns a 2010 mini cooper s. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled without warning and there was a failure with the auxiliary water pump and engine the contact was able to coast the vehicle over to the side of the road and, upon opening the hood, excessive smoke emitted from the engine and auxiliary water pump. The vehicle was towed to a repair shop and the mechanic stated that the engine and the auxiliary water pump needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and indicated that the vehicle was excluded from the federal safety agency campaign number: 12v008000 (engine and engine cooling), although the contact was experiencing the failure related to the recall. The failure mileage was 89,000. Updated 06/01/17*lj
2010 MINI Cooper S engine complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 43, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Leaving for work, heard a snap and lost power to engine less than a mile from home. Pulled over, then coasted (with no power steering or brakes) downhill to a safer spot. Towed to mechanic; issue is broken timing chain. This vehicle is just a few months outside the final recall dates for skeen v bmw. I believe the class was too narrowly defined; this 2010 cooper s (69k mi) has the same n14 engine and problem as described in the recall. (can't tell but from some of the early reporting on that case it sounds like this car may have been included an earlier version/draft??). Very upset that this car has the same engine and issue covered by the recall, and yet we have no recourse!
Motor has rattle was told it was timing chain by mechanic and will need to be replaced or motor will need to be replaced/ mini sold a defective car and knew about this defect. Now I am out 10k if the car breaks and have no car for family
During normal vehicle operation, vehicle lost power. Pulled to the side of the road, turned vehicle off, and vehicle would not restart. Had vehicle towed to local mechanic. Problem was diagnosed as a broken timing chain.
Timing chain evidently broke with little warning and car died in middle of road. Bmw mini has known of this and settled a class action lawsuit without ever issuing a recall or notification to owners. The car had less than 30,000 miles on it.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 mini cooper s. Upon inspecting the vehicle, a technician heard an abnormal noise and stated that the timing chain needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN and failure mileage were not available.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 mini cooper s. While driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle overheated and the temperature gauge warning light illuminated. In addition, smoke and a burning oil odor emitted from under the hood. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. After the vehicle was serviced, the turn signals and windows failed to operate. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, but the diagnosis was unavailable. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 66,568.
My daughter was driving the mini cooper on hwy 101w when the car suddenly and with out warning lost all power. She was fortunate to not have been stranded on the highway. We had the car lifted and taken to a bmw dealer. They determined that there is a hole in the #4 cylinder that is responsible for the loss of power. The car has 55k miles on it and is 5k miles outside of full warranty. We have all service records well documented that exceed bmw \mc recommendations. We have since had the car lifted and taken to the mc dealer in camarillo ca. They with out explanation as to what happened state that the car needs a new engine at our cost of $6,500+. This is crazy given the low miles and the fact that it has been well maintained. There is much more information that we can provide however the site seems to time out and this is my third attempt at writing this notification. Please advise or contact me if you can help with this matter. Bmw is fraudulently selling these vehicles as reliable and they need to be taken to task. Regards, [xxx] 'information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).'
Purchased car w/50,000 miles on it and have already had water pump replaced and now while driving down the road going about 40 MPH the timing belt broke and blew parts into the engine, so it pretty much needs a new engine already now 25,000 miles after we bought it. Lots of complaints about the timing belt/chain on these 2010 models. Seems odd to me.
The timing chain tensioner came loose causing an oil leak and the timing chain to slip/skip which in turn caused damage to the motor and now my car needs a new timing chain & new motor which is costing around $9k. This car only has 35k miles on it & this should not have happened! I was driving on the freeway when all my oil leaked out, causing lights to flash & loud noises. Once pulled over to a gas station and found all the oil was gone, a mechanic there noticed the tensioner coming out, tightened it, then refilled the oil. The car held the oil at this point but then the car would not start. After towing it to a shop, they saw that it would need a new timing chain but didn't want to do a full break down of the car since it is very involved and there could be motor issues so he suggested I contact mini USA & a mini dealership. The dealership said they had to have it there to determine the issue & see if the manufacturer would cover the costs. So I towed the car again to a mini dealership & they said it needs a new motor since the valves were damaged also. After sending this info to mini USA (the manufacturer), they reported to me that they would pay $4k of the $9k in costs (not even half). Getting advise from a lawyer, this entire issue should be covered by the manufacturer and I already paid too much just by having it towed twice when this is a flaw in the car. The car only has 35k miles & this tensioner should not have come loose in the 1st place causing all this damage. In the end, I am still fighting with mini USA (after being without my car for almost 4 weeks) to cover all costs of repair for this and asking that this be reported as a "known issue" on the tsb so other people do not have the same problem I am having!! I have attached the email I got from seattle mini for the diagnosis to give you an idea of what they see happened!
Timing chain mechanism failure at 70,000 miles. Known issue among at least 500,000 mini cooper generation 2 models
Driving on freeway when timing chain breaks and causes thousands of dollars of damage to engine. Compression to engine stops and car stalls out. One moment totally fine, the next wrecked on freeway.
Purchased car april 2014 w 46,000 miles. Warranty history showed valve gasket replaced. At 64000 miles dealer says it needs to be replaced again. Not told at purchase - at mini dlr - that car consumes a quart of oil every 700 miles which I was just told by local servicing dealer that they consider that normal. Leak at gasket contributes to air infiltration and poor oil consumption I was told. I would not have purchased the car knowing this. It adds considerably to the operating costs. After telling servicing dlr this weekend that I knew the car had already had valve cover gasket replaced, he said he would cover 75% of over $800 cost. He obviously knew that it didn't or shouldn't need that work so soon after being done. The mini dealers are thieves and withhold vital information. The strut mount apparently is also "domed" which speaks to structural integrity of this car. I would never recommend a mini to anyone and feel their practices are completely unethical and the build quality is substandard to what is considered normal. Who needs to have the valve cover gaskets replaced twice in under 65,000 miles? Who has to go and buy oil every month and a half? The last car I owned that needed that was a 20 year old 1975 pontiac with over 100k. Miles. Garbage.
I was driving my 2010 mini cooper s 50-55 MPH when I heard a loud noise come from the engine compartment. From then on, the engine was making a rattling and clacking noise and the oil light eventually came on. Pulled over to the side of the road and got out to look at the car. Oil was all over the frontside and wheelwell of the car. All the oil had came out of the engine. Towed the car to a mechanic who told me the engine was seized and that the timing chain tensioner had broken lose and somehow that allowed all the oil to pour out of the engine. Had to have the engine replaced for a cost of a little over $5,000. A bmw specialist wanted $8,500 to do the same job. Now my new engine they just installed is leaking oil from somewhere and there's a light clicking noise coming from the engine. Im so afraid it's going to happen agian, and I know that mini USA will be of no help. It's a shame that I had to find out what a terrible company they are in this way. I needed a reliable car for my new job and ended up with the exact opposite, an unreliable vehicle from a manufacturer that has no integrity whatsoever. I loved these cars, now I just hope this doesn't happen to anyone else.
My car shut down when I was driving out of a highway on a ramp. It stopped on the ramp. I noticed this because when I stepped on the gas my car didn't speed up but slowed down. I tried to restart it multiple times but it didn't work. Finally it was tolled to an mechanical shop and they told me the engine was broken.
Around 7:30pm on way home from work engine started ticking and not shifting correctly. Call my mechanic, who is certified bmw, to get car into shop next morning. Took car to shop next day at 730am for him to check out. He called later in the day to tell me timing chain guide broke off into engine. According to his research there was a recall on this for earlier models - m110212 - so called dealership to see if they would consider this under recall. Spoke to service manager and he said the recall was for minis' up to date 5/03/2009 and my production date was 11/2009. Told him it seemed odd I had same issue and last time I had issue with car my replacement part was prior to production date - this was fixed because I was still under warranty. I spoke to mini USA and they said up to dealership to consider. Dealership said I could get it tolled in and they would do diagnosistics but didn't believe it would be part of recall and that I would have to show proof of all car maintanence - made me feel like my fault. My mechanic can certify I do proper maintanence as he said he looked at my engine and it is clean. Mini dealership would not speak with my mechanic to get the professional to professional explanation, they just kept staying my production date was too late for recall. I have opted not to get vehicle towed to dealership (1 1/2 hour away) so they could diagnosis and then tell me not part of recall so charge me for diagnosis and then I pay for tow back. The reason being is last time they had my car in for an issue it took them 3 days to diagnosis, another week to get part and couple if more days to fix - they seemed to be in no hurry to fix my problem nor cared that I lived so far away and had to rent a car.
The timing chain belt broke suddenly and flew up into my engine, destroying the engine completely. I got a new engine, but this new engine is also faulty (reason unknown) and now I need another new engine.
Engine timing chain rattle.
Engine timing chain rattle.
Timing chain rattle.
Engine seized while driving on the 6-lane highway during rush hour traffic. Just a sudden complete loss of power, all vehicle operation stopped. Fortunately, I was on the outside lane, and I was at an exit that went down hill, so I coasted down the off ramp before it rolled to a complete stop. Some bystanders assisted me in pushing the vehicle off the side of the busy 4-lane road. Turns out it is the timing chain problem with many mini coopers, 2007 - 2012. There is a faulty or missing part, that if not addressed, results in "catastrophic engine failure". My vehicle had 50k miles on it; I purchased it new, so I have all vehicle records, all recommended maintenance performed; all recalls performed, and my records are 100% complete. The real kicker is - my service records clearly show that several times I reported a "rattle" from the engine (while under warranty) as far back as 2012. And the service records indicate that the dealership "could not duplicate customer complaint of rattle". The notorious "rattle" is the first symptom of this engine flaw that can result in catastrophic engine damage, and it was known by the auto industry in 2012. Cost - $8k, complete engine replacement required. Dealership and bmw deny any wrong doing, and deny any knowledge of the "engine" issue. Following the incident, I spent a month of my time trying to figure out what happened, why, had it towed to three places, lots of phone calls, research, etc. Luckily no one died. This was a very dangerous situation to be in, and the people that stopped to help me push the car were very brave. I looked pretty pathetic I am sure - lone, petite female trying to push a car on a very busy 4-lane road during rush hour, in 90 degree heat. Lucky for bmw/mini that no one died. I guess that is exactly what it will take to force them to recognize this problem.
At about 42000 miles, I started to notice a rattle coming from the engine when the engine was first started. The rattle was most noticeable between 2000 and 3000 RPM. This rattle also coincided with the weather turning colder. The rattle continued to worsen over time, an oil leak developed, and the check engine light eventually came on. After searching the internet and calling my mini dealership, I determined that the timing chain tensioner was most likely at fault. I ordered the part and replaced it myself. During the process of replacing the tensioner, I found that the old tensioner was loose in its socket. After replacing the part, the engine ran smoothly and continues to run smoothly.
We were driving the car at 20 MPH and the check engine light came on. We pulled over to the side of the road and did not note any problems. We then drove directly to the mini dealership nearby and they said the head gasket seal was broken a leaking oil. Also they said the timing chain and belt tensioner needed to be replaced as they were loose. No repairs were ever performed on these parts. It was noted that there was build up in the oil lines to the turbo causing it to seize up and needed to be replaced. Total costs were $3,000 for parts and labor.
Took my 2010 mini cooper s to a mini dealership in ann arbor mi, where they had the car for 8 days and finally came back to me saying that its the timing chain that needs replacing, which is a fix with a total cost of around $1,500. I previously had a 2007 mini cooper, which also had the same issue, where in that case the timing chain had actually broken. This issue seems to be widespread and mini na needs to issue a recall on this particular part for the model years that this design defect has affected. Prior to this issue, I had only owned the vehicle for 6 weeks and was purchased from motor city mini, which is an official mini dealer. This vehicle also went through an inspection before being sold to me.
Engine experience rapid oil loss which coated underside of vehicle including tires. When the brakes were applied the vehicle became unstable but I was able to avoid a crash. While pulling to the side of the highway the oil light came on. The vehicle was towed to a mechanic. He reported that a fastener on the cam chain tensioner had become loose which caused the leak. That part had never been modified or service. There was no leak when I began my commute. The problem occurred in only a few miles. Searching online forums indicates that this is not an isolated incident.
The car has a recall for water pump, never done until the car engine stop. Now the engine is totally lost. I think the car has a previous recall the timing chain tensor but never was done.
2010 mini cooper s. Consumer writes in regards to issues with timing chain *tgw the consumer stated the engine light illuminated one week after being serviced. The first noticeable problem started with a leak. It was repaired by replacing a seal. It was then discovered there was a recall for the water pump, which was then replaced. When the vehicle was tested, the computer noted misfire faults and it was at that point, the timing chain was replaced and all its related parts. The technician noted carbon build-up. The consumer stated the fan stays on much longer than normal.
Oil level is decreasing rapidly after each oil change. Dealer states it is normal for this car to burn one quart of oil every 800 miles. However, I disagree and believe this is due to a defect since cars should not burn this much oil, especially when new.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 mini cooper. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign id number: 12v008000 (engine and engine cooling) and took the vehicle to the dealer for repairs. Two days after the recall repair was performed on the vehicle, the contact noticed smoke coming from under the hood of the vehicle while sitting at a traffic stop. The contact turned the vehicle off but the vehicle proceeded to ignite into flames. The police and fire department were called to assist and a report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and the vehicle was pending investigation. The VIN was unavailable. The failure and the current mileage was 32,000.
The vehicle in question was being towed behind my motor home (which I do all the time) when another driver got my attention to see smoke coming from my car. I immediately pulled over grabbed my fire extinguishers and lifted the hood and put out the fire, before the fire department arrived. 6 firemen were unable to determine the cause or where it started.
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