NHTSA Complaint #10550801 — 2009 MINI COOPER S

TIMING CHAIN BROKE..I WAS DRIVING ON THE ROAD ON MY WAY HOME COMING TO A STOP SIGN SLOWING MY SPEED LUCKILY TO MAKE A LEFT TURN WHEN I HEARD AN AWFUL NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. I TRIED MAKING MY LEFT TURN WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN AND IT STARTED SPUTTERING VERY SLOWLY MOVING. I MADE IT HOME SPUTTERING..LUCKILY WAS CLOSE TO HOME OTHERWISE I WOULD HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED. AFTER SOME LONG AND FRUSTRATING TROUBLESHOOTING FROM A NICE NEIGHBOR, HE FOUND OUT THAT THE TIMING CHAIN HAD BROKEN CAUSING SEVERAL OTHER PROBLEMS. HE ALSO FOUND OUT THAT IT HAD VERY LITTLE OR NO OIL. WHICH I HAD NO INDICATION FROM THE CAR COMPUTER THAT IT WAS EVEN LOW. THIS MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE TIMING CHAIN PROBLEM BUT AGAIN I HAD NO CAR INDICATION. IT WILL COST ME AT LEAST $7000.00 FOR COST AND LABOR TO FIX SINCE IT IS NOT UNDER WARRANTY OR NOT EVEN SURE IF IT'S COVERED...THIS IS MY 3RD MINI..FIRST ONE WAS A LEASED ONE AND I UPGRADED TO A MINI S WHEN THE LEASE WAS OVER AND LEASED ANOTHER ONE. I BOUGHT THIS ONE WHEN THE SECOND LEASE WAS OVER..EVER SINCE I BOUGHT THIS ONE..I HAVE HAD SO MANY PROBLEMS WITH THE ENGINE. EVERYTHING IS DOCUMENTED ON HOW MANY TIMES I HAVE TAKEN IT IN...SO VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH THIS ONE!!!! *TR