Fire did not occur, but there is a risk. Many MINIcooper models with turbochargers are experiencing a leaky oil feed line to the turbo after approximately 25,000 miles. Due to a poorly insulated rubber gasket. It is a manufacturing flaw, but MINIhas failed to acknowledge the issue. This is a fire risk. The oil is allowed to leak into the engine bay, and it can destroy the engine because MINIcoopers do not have an oil sensor.

- Studio City, CA, USA

Was told by mechanic at dealership timing chain tensioner had been replaced while in for service in past but now it needs replaced another employee 2 days later says no record of it. I need to pay full amount. Too early for timing chain replacement to be required in a decent car. Defect. Needs recall.

- Bartlett, TN, USA

The contact owns a 2009 MINICooper. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled while driving approximately 45 mph with the illumination of the check engine warning light. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. The technician stated that the water pump would need to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 68,000. The VIN was not available.

- Hacienda Heights, CA, USA

I started the car and a loud rattling noise came from the engine. I drove about 5 miles and the oil check light came on. I decided to take it to a jiffy lube that was within 2 miles and then the engine light came on. By the time I got to jiffy lube the car didn't have any oil left. The car was serviced by the MINIdealer only 4 months prior. Had the car towed 1 1/2 hours to the nearest MINIdealer. Most of the damage was caused by the timing tensioner chain. The dealer said MINIwould cover those repairs but the turbo oil feed line was leaking too and I would have to pay for that. It cost me $900. I asked if the car had a heat on it and he said no but that I don't really need one. I thought there had been a service bulletin put out specifically because of the heat from the turbo causing this issue but he said it had nothing to do with it.

- Mechanicsburg, PA, USA

I was driving home from work on 21 November 2013 when the check engine light on my MINIcame on. I called the dealer to schedule the appointment. By the time I got off the phone with the dealer, the light turned off. Around 5 miles further down the road the light came back on and then the car erupted in flames. I am unsure where else to file a complaint but I thought I would begin here.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

Fuel leak A/P MINIservice; not covered by extended warranty; after extensive research advised service representative of the reported design flaw in crimp device holding oil line connecting to turbo. Advised by independent mechanic turbo unit defective, needs replacement. MINIof fairfield returned vehicle in an unsafe manner with stripped bolts and improper placement of oil pan. After calling BMW of North America MINIof fairfield decided to change oil lines without changing turbo unit. On driving vehicle noticed smoke coming from hood; vehicle revving in park, and a metallic sound coming from under vehicle; returned to MINIservice and after further evaluation (diagnostic fee $100)I was advised that car is safe to drive; I tried 2 different MINIservice departments neither would replace turbo unit considering the fire hazard as reported.

- Stamford, CT, USA

Check engine light came on....excessive carbon build up. Happened again at 68K miles....

- Fountain Hills, AZ, USA

I purchased this car with 24K miles on it. It now has a little over 28K miles. It has been starting and running just fine, until the weather turned colder. Now if the car sits outside for a few hours with the temp below about 45 degrees, the engine rattles and sounds horrible when I first start it. This is a very loud rattle coming from the passenger side of the engine. The noise is so bad that I am afraid to drive the car until it warms up and the sound goes away. After a little research online, I am shocked to see how many people have this problem and that it is the timing chain tensioner and guide system. I wish I had researched these cars before making a purchase because now I own an expensive problem.

- Lexington, KY, USA

The vacuum pump (attached to exhaust cam shaft) on my 2009 MINICooper jcw seized on the highway in moving traffic (luckily in the right hand lane) - vacuum pump seizer led to exhaust cam shaft failure, which led to multiple engine part failure / engine puncture (destroyed engine and timing chain): Destroyed engine = no power in moving traffic = serious hazard.

- New York, NY, USA

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 for cost and labor to fix since it is not under warranty or not even sure if it's covered...this is my 3rd MINIfirst one was a leased one and I upgraded to a MINIS 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!!!!

- Kapolei, HI, USA

Just purchased used 09 MINI2nd owner, on start up car sounded rough, dieseling sound and was told by dealer that it was common. Then when driving at low speeds or when slowing down, terrible rattle sound. Took it in for an oil change, and the rattle went away, but then came back shortly before next oil change was due. Took it in for oil change again, and sound went away again, but then came back within days. Finally was able to get an appt with the closest authorized dealer, 50 miles away, but couldn't get in for two weeks in order to get a loaner. They had it for two days, replaced the timing chain, nylon parts were in the oil pan from the guides being shredded. Picked up the car on the third day, and fir almost one week it seemed fine. Just short of one week out of the shop and heard the rattle again. But then it was fine, so I thought it was an anomaly. One week to the day since picking it up from the repair, barely made it into the drive from taking my daughter to school. Called the shop and have it scheduled to go back in. Having the car towed to the shop as the repair tech treks me that it is "unsafe to drive."

- Salem, OR, USA

The contact owns a 2009 MINICooper convertible. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, it would vibrate as the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for inspection or repairs. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 23,000.

- Astoria, NY, USA

Total loss of power as I was crossing a major highway, car towed to local BMW certified mechanic, shows timing chain misfire, needs total replacement with multiple components needing replaced due to timing chain problem. 3300$ worth of damage to engine. Apparent problem with timing chain on thousands of MINIcooper and they have not called a recall on the piece. This was almost a major accident for me and is causing me thousands of dollars to replace and major inconvenience.

- St.Georges , DE, USA

I am being told by knauz MINIrepair that the timing belt needs to be fixed. It is a $2000 repair. In looking at the internet, it seems that this is a common problem that can have tragic consequences. In fact, there is one class action suit in NJ about it. MINIrefuses to take responsibility to a design failure. Something needs to be done.

- Glencoe, IL, USA

While traveling on a highway at @ 55mph, the coolant temperature warning light illuminated yellow and then red on my 2009 MINICooper. I stopped the vehicle and observed that the clips which secured the lower radiator hose in place had broken and the radiator hose was hanging horizonally across the front of the vehicle, dragging along the ground. A hole had been worn through the hose and the coolant had leaked out. After having the vehicle towed home ($285), I purchased a new radiator hose and clips from the MINIdealership ($160) and had it installed by my mechanic ($100). I also lost a 1/2 day of work. A total loss of over $600. Because of poor design and/or inferior materials internet research shows that this is a common MINICooper problem. I did not hit anything which would cause this issue, despite MINICooper's attempts to place blame on the driver's who experience this issue. If MINICooper would properly address this issue and remedy the situation, it would spare countless driver's from being stranded on the side and the expense of fixing what should have been remedied by a service bulletin or recall.

- Newton, NJ, USA

Upon startup of the engine, there is a loud noise coming from the engine. A very unhealthy sound. Sound is unusual for any gas engine, let alone one with only 57,000 miles. Searched the internet for other MINIcoopers experiencing this problem. Many complaints all over the internet for exactly this problem. Many owners reporting early engine failure, as early as 12,000 miles reported by a MINIdealer in Maine. Most owners are seeing the problem with 40-50,000+ miles. The local MINIdealer says the repair is not covered by warranty, and repairs are approx. $2,000. Timing chains usually do not need replacement even after 100,000 of use, some cars never replace timing chains until 200,000 miles. This car seems to eat timing chains around 40-50,000 miles.

- Palmyra, NJ, USA

Started to hear a knocking noise coming from the engine compartment. Issue with the time chain. So bent out of shape that the chain almost broke. I have always kept on top of changing my oil and getting my car serviced everytime it need it so I don't understand why this would even happen. When researching my problem I saw that its extremely common for models since 2007+ to experience this. This needs to be recalled. There's no reason for a owner to have to pay 200-2000 dollars when they have done everything right with servicing and oil changes etc. Im just glad I wasn't on the highway when this happened to me because having your engine belt break in a busy highway doesn't sound safe.

- Wilmington, DE, USA

Third complaint and counting..... I went to start my MINIonly to notice it was leaking oil heavily under my car. I brought it to my repair shop who told me it might be the O ring. They replaced it and told me to bring it back a week later. I returned Friday July 19th to have them look under the hood. There was oil everywhere. All over the engine. The seal was fine! it turns out the vacuum pump needs to be replaced and possibly the timing chain at a later date. The cost for the pump and labor is $574. So far I have spent almost $4000 on repairs. I don't have an estimate for the timing chain, I can only imagine. I only bought my MINIin February at 49K miles and she's been in the shop longer than she's been driven. I don't know what to do any more and wish that BMW/MINIwould acknowledge that all R56 engines are defective. If I known I would have bought another better reliable car than a MINIand that is coming from a person who loves my MINI

- Boerne, TX, USA

This is the second complaint I've made within six months of purchase: I was driving along the highway at 70mph when the reduce speed engine light came on. Before I had a chance to reduce speed the car came to a complete stop on the fast lane of the highway. The car behind me swerved as I managed to restart my 2009 MINICooper S and pull into the slow lane. I managed to avoid collision and placed hazards on. I got my MINIto brady's auto repair. The mechanic told me that the loss of engine power was due to turbocharge failure on an original MINIpart. He said that BMW done a recall for the same part which is in the 2009 MINICooper S and couldn't figure out why they hadn't done it for MINIThe turbocharge was completely replaced on my MINIat the expense of $2778.47. I contacted MINIwhich stated that there is no recourse and nothing they can do. I'm responsible for the repair. I am not happy with this at all as I had my two children in the MINIwhen this incident happened and it could have lead to loss of life if the driver behind me hadn't taken action. I hope the NHTSA does investigate this matter in all MINIcoopers.

- Boerne, TX, USA

First noticed the rattle while driving the car. Everytime subsequently after that whenever I turned the car on I would hear a loud rattling noise under the hood. Car is a 2009 MINICooper S with 38,005 miles on it. Timing chain and assembly needs to be replaced. Dealership quoted me $5,000 to repair. The car was just out of warranty and MINIusa didn't want to help out with repair cost. Seems like a lots of these fairly new cars have this issue. Dealership that quoted me said they had 5 they were working on just this week. They expected MINIto issue a recall but were surprised they hadn't. guys in the parts department were all to familiar with all the parts that were required to fix the problem. They had them readily accessible and expressed their sympathy of having to pay $$ to fix what unquestionably is a manufacture defect. Please help us give MINIa friendly nudge into issuing this recall.

- Hayward, CA, USA