10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 7
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
63,450 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2009 Mini Cooper engine problems

engine problem

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2009 Mini Cooper Owner Comments (Page 1 of 6)

problem #119

Feb 052024

Cooper

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

This has a major recall and won-??t pass inspection. Engine light is on. I-??ve called dealership and was told parts are on back order. Last year I was told the same thing before I received a letter in the mail.

- Canaan , NH, USA

problem #118

Sep 132022

Cooper

  • miles
MINI was totally destroyed by fire after driving for 15 minutes. It was parked in a parking lot and was in flames 5 minutes after my wife entered the store. This is comparable with problem requiring recall (with no remedy). No warnings

- Ada, MI, USA

problem #117

Nov 152022

Cooper

  • miles
Timing chain guides are broke into alot of pieces into the engine.

- Lincolnton , NC, USA

problem #116

Sep 082022

Cooper

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While driving the car the engine stalls due to timing chain issues. These timing chain issues were part of a safety recall but this car's vin number doesn't qualify! The car will stall at full speed

- Lake View, NY, USA

problem #115

Jan 172020

Cooper

  • 50,000 miles
There is a cooling system failure in my car that has caused cylinder head issues and head gasket issues. Even though my car is a 2009, it only has about 53,000 miles. I purchased the car in December 2019 and in January 2020 the car overheated while driving and then I noticed the coolant was leaking from the car. I replaced the hose and thermostat. Now in August/September 2020 the car overheated again and there was also leaking from the coolant. I took the car to the mechanic and they said the engine needs major repair work. I recently noticed recalls on this make and model regarding the engine and engine cooling, however based on my experience with this car, I'm thinking this may still be an issue with this car. Additionally, I reviewed the carfax report from the previous owners and there was no information about any resolved recalls. However, I spoke with the BMW dealership that the car had work done at from the previous owner and they said the recalls in 2012 (auxiliary coolant pump) and 2015 (heat shield turbo charger) were resolved. I also confirmed this with another MINIcooper dealership. Based on the carfax report, these recalls may have never been resolved.

- Silver Spring, MD, USA

problem #114

Feb 012020

Cooper

  • miles
The electric auxiliary water pump failed and caused the circuit board to overheat. If the circuit board were to overheat, it can increase the risk of a fire. Other observation: Misfire present at several cylinders. Intake ports carbonized.

- Winchester, CA, USA

problem #113

Oct 192019

Cooper

  • 120,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Hello, yesterday afternoon I started my 2009 MINICooper and noted that my gauges suddenly failed. The tach dropped to zero. Suddenly I received a tire pressure warning light. I decided I would move the car to a more favorable location to look under the hood. As I placed the car in reverse I noted that my power steering had failed. I stopped the car immediately and popped the hood. I immediately noticed the smell of burning electrical equipment. I ran down to the basement to grab a wrench to disconnect the battery. When I returned I could hear pops and cracks and noted char on the hood interior. Though the keys were out I continued to hear pops and cracks and felt heat accumulating. I finally got the battery disconnected and the popping stopped. After some investigation I found that the wiring near the power steering module was completely burnt out. The car drove fine the day prior. My wife is 38 weeks pregnant and I am shaken by the idea that this could have happened while she was driving the day before.

- Seattle, WA, USA

problem #112

Jul 222019

Cooper

  • 119,580 miles
Daily on cold starts, the car misfires and stalls 2-20 times before it starts. This has just started happening in the past 3 months.

- Lakeville, MN, USA

problem #111

Jul 152019

Cooper

  • 55,000 miles
My car I bought as a pre-own and the owner before E had leaks as well. These leaks caused electrical damage on the circuit boards that made the circuit board shoulder and heat up so hot it almost went on fire. Also the tires were the wrong size and sales person would not admit fault so I had to pay to replace them all. I was driving when I felt the car lose control on the highway and streets, then I was driving when car overheated. I paid to fix leaks more than $7000 and still leaking. Now another light bulb is out my back break light so I cannot drive it because that is unsafe to others driving behind me.

- Flushing, NY, USA

problem #110

Jul 152019

Cooper

  • 20,000 miles
Electrical failure since day one bought car as a pre-own. Prior owner history same issues as me. My car almost went on fire, poor performance, leaks and leaks with no reload from $6,000+ repairs. Still leaking. Suspected water damage causing electrical or just faulty electrical. Bulbs go out when car not even driven, canopy broke at service dept and they won't repair free of charge. Battery did not work and issues with key fob recognition.

- Flushing, NY, USA

problem #109

Mar 112019

Cooper

  • 138,247 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My car started off with a rough idle and occasionally wouldn't start. The engine light came on and the car became jerky while driving. It has sudden spurts when it wants to take off. I ran the code and got P0012. From there I have replaced multiple parts but I think I landed on the timing chain. I know there was a settlement with these years but for some reason this particular model wasn't included in the settlement

- Sedalia, MO, USA

problem #108

Jun 052019

Cooper

  • 95,200 miles
Vehicle was in motion at 55-60 mph. Vehicle cut off and would not start or turnover. 15 minutes of rest and car was started and rpms were fluttering. MINIcooper of grand rapids stated the timing chain was "most likely" "out". they also stated no goodwill assistance could be provided while acknowledging the window, for a previous lawsuit involving thee 2009 MINICooper S, was closed and the defective tensioner and guide rails (to include engine design) were still in my MINIcooper. Car has started once since but will not stay running. Other cases of fuel pumps failing on said model were acknowledged but "no recalls have been issued" said MINIthus not warranting any repair or concern for my failed MINIRepair estimate was 3,985$. after mentioning the previous lawsuit during 2015, a 'random' discount was announced of 10-15% to bring said total to est. 2,900$. my 2009 MINICooper S has had idle and RPM issues/fluctuations for a couple months after previous owner had just replaced the timing chain assembly in January of 2019 with genuine MINIreplacement parts (factory parts causing the same factory defect)

- Holland, MI, USA

problem #107

Dec 212018

Cooper

  • 78,464 miles
Issues with oil system have lead to engine head failure where oil in mixing with coolant. The coolant reservoir was full of oil. I am experiencing loss of engine power while driving and stalling when coming to a stop. I've been told that it is too dangerous to drive.

- San Francisco, CA, USA

problem #106

Oct 032018

Cooper

  • 128,500 miles
Light is coming on and transmission shifts smoothly but when you decelerate it bucks down. It happens anywhere on the roads when driving and you decelerate. The light that indicates issue with transmission, in the book it says I won't be able to shift out of park but there is no issue shifting out of park, so not sure if it is considered electrical or if it is powertrain

- Taunton, MA, USA

problem #105

Sep 102018

Cooper

  • miles
Auxiliary water pump failure. Same issue with other identical cars with a recall but this one is not listed. Recall number for this is 18V248000. The same issue is happening with my car but MINIsays it isn't listed.

- Ayer, MA, USA

problem #104

May 292018

Cooper

  • 55,000 miles
My 2009 MINICooper S made rattle noise and the whole timing chain got replaced plus the thermostat house and water pump! the engine light still keeps on after trouble-shooting by my mechanics, which might be the computer issue which has to be figured out soon! the timing chain issue should be under fully-covered by manufacturer since too many MINIcooper owner have the same problem and paid thousand of dollars to fix it! my MINIis only about 55K miles and already has timing chain issue!

- New Haven, CT, USA

problem #103

Nov 252015

Cooper 4-cyl

  • 32,000 miles
2009 MINICooper. Consumer writes in regards to defective timing chain tensioner and vehicle engine failure.

- Albuquerque, NM, USA

problem #102

Oct 252016

Cooper 4-cyl

  • miles
Recall id #167856 the vehicle was in motion on a highway and it began to smoke, heat and smoke began to arise from the engine after I just picked it up from carmax and was reassured that the car was fixed after paying +900 dollars for my vehicle from being in the shop to not be fixed. VIN number is [xxx] I believe my copper is apart of this recall that occurred in 2012 I leased the vehicle in March 2016 and not even a year later is my car able to drive as the incident described above occurred sometime in fall/winter 2016. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Atlanta, GA, USA

problem #101

Dec 152017

Cooper

  • 77,000 miles
I was driving down the highway and my car gave me a warning that my engine temp was way to high. I was lucky enough to have a good place to stop and check out whay was gong on. I open the hood, the engine is smoking and the coolant reservoir is neat empty. I look and see a pool of antifreeze coming from the thermostat. This is the third thermostat I have installed on this car and the second faulty one I have had in 3 months. This is also the second time I have had to stop on the highway due to a badly leaking thermostat.

- Richmond, VA, USA

problem #100

Nov 142017

Cooper

  • 181,000 miles
This is the 2nd time this happend the car started to acelerate by its self when stopped and the brakes couldn't hold the car back, I then put the car into newtral, then into park tapped the gas and the car acted normal. It was like the car had a mind of its own and just started to go without my foot on the gas pedal. The last time this happend was a year ago.I thought it was a fluke but now it happend again, I am a very good driver but after this happend again I think I might just get rid if this car...it reminded me of the movie chritine when the car had a mind of its own. I was stopped at a light with a car in front of me, the weather was 45 degrees and was driving for about 15 minutes already when it happend

- Manalapan, NJ, USA

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