2009 MINI Cooper: engine stalls while driving

Filed Jun 25, 2015 · Engine · 80,000 miles · VA

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 mini cooper. While driving 70 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning and came to a complete stop. The engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart on the first attempt. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the timing chain needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.

Filed Jun 20, 2015 · Engine · 37,914 miles · CA

When I was driving highway, a red warning light of "low engine pressure" came on, and the engine started to make noises. Luckily, I was able to come down from the highway, and soon after that, the engine stalled completely. It was a very scary moment. The car was towed to a repair shop, and they reported, "significant oil splash on right side of engine. Added 3 quarts of oil to try and start engine to determine if engine damage had occurred from loss of oil. Vehicle would not start. Vehicle sounded as if chain had jumped timing or engine damage had occurred. Researched vehicle and found technical service bulletin (tsb) relating to seal on timing chain tensioner failing and causing tensioner to leak and loosen. May have loosened, causing jumped timing and possible engine damage. Job requires extensive labor and special tools we do not have. Recommend seeking dealer for futther assistance. The car was towed again to a mini dealership. Their diagnosis was: found oil leaking out at the timing chain tensioner, oil level low. Crank but not start remove valve cover and found timing was off, re-adjust timing, retorqued timing chain tensioner, performed compression test, 8 cranks for each cylinders cyl 1: 60 psi cyl 2: 55 psi cyl 3: 35 psi cyl 4: 30 psi performed cylinder leak down tests, all were below 50%. Used scope and inspect inside combustion chambers and cylinder walls. Found damaged and cracked wall caused loosing compression. Need new engine required also: water pump leaking and contaminaited the pully, friction wheel and drive belt thermostat is leaking

Filed Mar 17, 2015 · Engine · PR

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 mini cooper. While making a right turn at approximately 5 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. After several attempts, the vehicle was able to be restarted and resumed normal operation. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure recurred on several occasions. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was unavailable.

Filed Apr 20, 2014 · Electrical, Engine · 40,000 miles · TX

I purchased a 2009 mini cooper with 16,000 miles in december 2011 through a dealership. In the spring of 2012 the car sat in my driveway overnight. The next morning both windows were completely down. It had rained 5 inches during the night and the pie was an aquarium. I had just had an oil change at a mini dealership so I called the dealership and was told I had to have it towed to them. The dealer refused to take responsibility for the water damage. The computer was replaced and paid for through a claim on my insurance policy. I told my insurance company to not pay the claim because there was a malfunction of the car. After the computer was replaced the windows again lowered on their own accord but this time they only went down half way. The dealer then said they reinitialized the computer. Since then the car has randomly stalled while driving in houston, merging onto the freeways, while driving in stop and go traffic and while driving at slow speeds. I took the car to another mini dealer in houston and they kept the car but claimed it never stalled when they drove it. The car continued to stall randomly. Each time the car stalled I took it to the dealer and after numerous times of being told there were no codes shown by reading the fob I quit taking the car to them. The car continued to randomly stall. In march 2014 the car stalled in 4:00pm traffic while I topped an overpass on a friday. After a wrecker towed the car to a mechanic the diagnosis is a blown head gasket. I have not gotten a second opinion and have not had it fixed yet. This mini cooper truly has serious problems and is a hazard to be on the road. I no longer drive the mini, will never drive another mini and I no longer have to say a prayer before I get in my car. I hope the federal safety agency can provide some assistance with this situation .

Filed Mar 31, 2014 · Engine · 65,000 miles · LA

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 mini cooper. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 MPH, a loud popping noise was heard from the engine before the vehicle suddenly stalled. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the timing belt had malfunctioned. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 65,000.

Filed Dec 5, 2013 · Engine · 68,000 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 mini cooper. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled while driving approximately 45 MPH with the illumination of the check engine warning light. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. The technician stated that the water pump would need to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 68,000. The VIN was not available.