NHTSA Complaint #10408797 — 2007 MINI COOPER S

HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH MY MINI SINCE IT WAS NEW. IN NOV. OF 2010 THE CHAIN TENSIONER WAS FINALLY CHANGED AFTER MANY COMPLAINTS OF THE NOISE. ON MON.6-6-11 MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. CALLED THE DEALER & SET UP AN APPOINTMENT FOR THAT SAT 6-11. ON WED. 6-8 MY CAR DIED WITH NO WARNING. NO COMPUTER LIGHTS CAME ON. HAD TO TOW IT TO THE MINI DEALER ON SAT.6-11. THEY TOLD ME IT WAS THE VACUUM PUMP CAUSING MAJOR CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. MY ENGINE ONLY HAD A QUART OF OIL AND THAT WAS WHY IT WENT OUT. I HAD DOCUMENTATION OF MY OIL CHANGE. IT STILL HAD 3,000M TO GO BEFORE IT NEEDED TO BE CHANGED. WAS ALSO CHECKED 2 WKS BEFORE THIS INCIDENT AND IT WAS FINE. I AM NOW NEEDING A NEW ENGINE AT A COST OF 6,087. THE REGIONAL TEAM AT MINI CUSTOMER SERVICE DECIDED THERE WOULD BE NO ASSISTANCE BECAUSE I LET IT RUN OUT OF OIL, WHICH IS NOT TRUE. THEY SAID THERE WAS NO APPEAL PROCESS, THEIR DECISION WAS FINAL. MY CAR HAS 64K MILES ON IT. THE CHAIN TENSIONERS AND VACUUM PUMPS ARE KNOWN FAILURES BUT MINI REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM. EASIER TO BLAME THE CONSUMER. A VEHICLE THAT COSTS NEARLY 30K DOLLARS SHOULD NOT HAVE AN ENGINE FAILURE AT 64K MILES. THERE ARE COUNTLESS COMPLAINTS OUT THERE. ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS CHECK THE WEB. MINI SHOULD STEP UP AND DO THE RIGHT THING. THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED A MAJOR CRASH WITH FATALITIES IF I HAD BEEN TRAVELING ON THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY WHICH I DO EVERY DAY. *TR