NHTSA Complaint #10383100 — 2006 MINI COOPER

I PURCHASED A REBUILT LEFT HALF SHAFT FROM BESTSOURCE AUTO PARTS ON LINE FOR A 2006 MINI COOPER S. THE RE-BUILDER NAME ON THE BOX WAS FEQ. THE OUTER CV JOINT HOUSING EXPLODED INTO PCS AFTER ABOUT 3000 MILES. I WAS LUCKY IT HAPPENED DRIVING OFF FROM A STOP. IF IT HAPPENED ON THE HIGHWAY THE DAMAGE WOULD HAVE HUGE AND THE CAR MAY HAVE GONE OUT OF CONTROL. THIS FAILURE SHOULD HAVE NEVER HAPPENED. THE THICK STEEL HOUSING EXPLODED THEN RELEASING THE HALF SHAFT TO FLY IN A BIG ARC.SINCE I WAS DRIVING OFF FROM A A STOP IT WAS A LOUD BANG AND THEN CLANGING OF THE HALF SHAFT SMACKING THE WHEEL ETC. I WAS LUCKY BUT SOMEONE ELSE MAY NOT BE SO LUCKY. I WAS IN LAS VEGAS SO I TOOK THE CAR TO DESERT MINI AND THEY SAW IT FIRST HAND, I TOOK PHOTO'S I CAN SEND TO YOU. BESTSOURCE TELLS ME FEQ IS A QUALITY RATING "FIRST EQUIPMENT QUALITY" AND THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND THEM EITHER. FEQ HAS A SIMPLE ONE PAGE WEBSITE WITH NO CONTACT INFORMATION. I UNDERSTAND METALLURGY, THIS PART WAS FLAWED. YOU CAN TELL BY THE WAY THE BRAKE LOOKS.. DESERT MINI KEPT THE PART AND SENT IT BACK TO BMW LAST WEEK. WE CAN TRACK IT DOWN I AM SURE OF IT. I HAVE TRIED TO FIND THE VENDOR BUT NO LUCK. THIS IS WRONG. THEY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS AND THEY SHOULD COVER MY REPLACEMENT EXPENSE. THE EXPENSE IS NOT AS IMPORTANT TO ME AS SAFETY TO OTHERS RIGHT NOW. THE PHOTOS I HAVE WILL MAKE ANY OF YOUR SAFETY ENGINEERS CONCERNED. *TR