NHTSA Complaint #11362941 — 2013 MINI CLUBMAN

DRIVING DOWN 680 FROM BERKELEY, CA AT AROUND 2:30PM: I WAS HEADING HOME AND TEMPERATURE LIGHT APPEARS ON DASH. I NOTICE IT AND TRY TO PULL OFF FREEWAY TRYING TO GET TO SAFE AREA TO STOP. BEFORE I COULD PULL OVER TO SAFETY, THE CAR STOPPED RUNNING (ENGINE SHUT OFF). IMMEDIATELY STEAM WAS COMING FROM ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND I COULD NOT GET ENGINE TO START AGAIN. I CALLED TOW TRUCK AND THE CAR WAS TOWED TO PLEASANTON, CA MINI DEALERSHIP/SERVICE DEPARTMENT. I WAS UNAWARE THAT MINI HAD EXTENDED THE TEMPERATURE HOUSING PART OF ENGINE TO 10 YEAR WARRANTY DUE TO THE PART BEING FAULTY. THE FIRST AND LAST TIME THE TEMPERATURE GUAGE WARNING LIGHT APPEARED WAS THE LAST TIME I WAS ABLE TO START OR DRIVE THE CAR! NO WARNING.... NONE! THE CAR OVERHEATED AND DESTROYED THE ENGINE REQUIRING A NEW ENGINE THAT WILL COST MORE THAT THE CAR IS WORTH. THE CAR IS A 2013 MINI CLUBMAN AND THE TEMPERATURE HOUSING PART OF ENGINE IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. I WAS DRIVING IN THE SLOW LANE OF THE FREEWAY AND IF I HAD NOT BEEN, THE CAR WOULD HAVE STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF FREEWAY! I OR SOMEONE ELSE COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED. THE PART IS A KNOWN DEFECT YET THE ONLY REMEDY FROM MINI CORPORATION WAS TO EXTEND WARRANTY FROM 3 YEARS TO 10 YEARS. THAT DID NOTHING FOR ME. I HAD NO WARNING, NO LIGHT, NO NOTHING TO MAKE ME AWARE THAT THE CAR WAS GOING TO GET SO HOT THAT THE ENGINE WOULD FAIL NEARLY IMMEDIATELY. THE FAULTY TEMPERATURE HOUSING PART SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED RATHER THAN EXTEND WARRANTY. AGAIN, I WAS ON FREEWAY AND NO WARNING INDICATING THE ENGINE WAS GETTING DANGEROUSLY HOT. NOT ONLY A SAFETY ISSUE BUT CLEARLY AN ISSUE FOR THE ENGINE AND CAR BEING WORTHLESS DUE TO ENGINE FAILURE. WE REGULARLY GET THE CAR SERVICED AND HAVE TAKEN CARE OF THE ENGINE AND CAR. THE LAST TIME IT WAS SERVICED WAS MARCH 2020 AND THIS OCCURRED OCTOBER 2020.