NHTSA Complaint #10471626 — 2007 MINI COOPER S

THE ENGINE QUIT WHILE PREPARING TO ENTER A HIGHWAY. THE CAR WAS ACCELERATING TO TURN ONTO THE HIGHWAY AND IT JUST QUIT AND PARTIALLY BLOCKED THE HIGHWAY. LUCKILY THE HIGHWAY WAS ON A SLOPE AND TO PREVENT FROM BLOCKING THE HIGHWAY AND RISK INJURY, I WAS ABLE TO COAST INTO A FIRE STATION ALONG THE HIGHWAY AND FROM THERE PUSH THE CAR OUT OF THE WAY OF TRAFFIC. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE IS A BROKEN TIMING CHAIN WHICH BROKE WITH NO WARNING. THE REPAIR WILL COST ABOUT $4000. THE FACT THAT IT BROKE AS I WAS ENTERING A HIGHWAY AND WITH NO ON-COMING TRAFFIC WAS VERY LUCKY. THERE IS NO WARNING FOR THE ENGINE TO STOP. THIS SEEMS LIKE A COMMON PROBLEM FOR 2007 MINIS AND AS THESE CARS AGE THE LIKELY HOOD OF THE PROBLEM OCCURRING INCREASES. THIS CAN HAPPEN AT ANY TIME THE ENGINE IS RUNNING AND WITHOUT WARNING. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS AN ABRUPT ENGINE FAILURE CAN HAPPEN ANYWHERE AND WITHOUT NOTICE. IT WAS OVER 100F THE DAY MY ENGINE QUIT, I WAS OVER 90MILES AWAY FROM HOME IN A SPARSELY POPULATED RURAL AREA WITH NO CELL PHONE COVERAGE. IF IT HAD HAPPENED 15 MILES IN EITHER DIRECTION IT COULD HAVE BEEN HOURS BEFORE ANYONE FOUND ME AND MY CAR. *TR