NHTSA Complaint #10862247 — 2009 MINI COOPER

I NOTED THAT AT IDLE THE ENGINE OF MY 2009 MINI COOPER WAS NOT RUNNING SMOOTH AND INSTEAD BEGINNING TO PULSATE/VIBRATE. WITHIN IN 3 DAYS I HAD MY MINI AT THE SERVICE CENTER. ON THE WAY TO THE APPOINTMENT THE ENGINE CUT OFF AT IDLE AT A STOP LIGHT BUT WAS ABLE TO RESTART. NO SENSOR LIGHT. I WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WAS A TIMING CHAIN FAILURE. AS A RESULT THERE WAS EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE. THE DAMAGE ALSO CAUSED AN OIL LEAK SO THAT THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING WITHOUT OIL, THOUGH I'D RECENTLY RECEIVED AN OIL CHANGE. ADDITIONALLY, THE VACUUM PUMP WAS ALSO LEAKING. AT NO TIME DID ANY SENSOR LIGHTS COME ON AS A WARNING, INCLUDING A CHECK ENGINE, LOW OIL, OR LOW COOLANT . I WAS INFORMED THAT REPAIRS WOULD BE UPWARDS OF $3500.00, OVER HALF OF THE VALUE OF THE VEHICLE. DESPITE THE CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT SETTLEMENT THAT I INQUIRED ABOUT, MINI FAILED TO ACKNOWLEDGE KNOWLEDGE OF THE PROBLEM. IT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE SETTLEMENT OF THE LAWSUIT RESULTED IN EXTENDING THE WARRANTY ON THESE VEHICLES FOR THE TIMING CHAIN ISSUE TO 7 YEARS/100,000MI. MY MINI ONLY HAD 64,000MILES AND WAS WITHIN THE 7 YEAR MARK. ADDITIONALLY, I LEARNED THAT MINI HAD PREVIOUSLY ISSUED A RECALL FOR THE VACUUM PUMP. HOWEVER, I WAS REPEATEDLY TOLD THAT FOR BOTH OF THESE ISSUES "[MY] VEHICLE WAS NOT ONE OF THE AFFECTED VEHICLES."