Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||||
| SIM-17-01-10 | 02/01/2011 | 10040741 | Ready | 09/12/2011 | |
| SIM-17-01-10 | 02/01/2011 | 10040741 | Bmw: engine too hot message is displayed with stored trouble codes. the water pump doesnt power up. *rm | 09/12/2011 | |
| SIM-17-02-07 | 12/01/2007 | 10032985 | Mini: electric cooling fan runs after engine is shut off. after the engine is shut off, the electric cooling fan continues to run. due to the operating strategy of the dme, the electric cooling fan may continue to run after the engine is | 06/21/2010 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - FAN | |||||
| SIM-17-02-07 | 12/01/2007 | 10032985 | Mini: electric cooling fan runs after engine is shut off. after the engine is shut off, the electric cooling fan continues to run. due to the operating strategy of the dme, the electric cooling fan may continue to run after the engine is | 06/21/2010 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| SIM-13-06-10 | 10/01/2010 | 10035884 | Mini: teileclearing for n14/n18 engine drivability and fuel system. enhanced technical support (teileclearing) process has been developed to help identify the root causes ofcustomer complaints relating to the n14/n18 drivability and fuel | 03/07/2011 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - CATALYTIC CONVERTOR | |||||
| SI-M-18-01-09 | 04/01/2009 | 10030668 | Mini: due to a failure in the production process,the catalytic converter may deteriorate causing an increased level of vehicle emissions. the catalyst efficiency fault code (276a) will be stored in the dme memory, and the service engine s | 11/09/2009 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - CRANKCASE (PCV) | |||||
| SIM-11-07-08 | 11/01/2010 | 10037305 | Bmw: description and specifications of crankcase ventilation system. *rm | 05/18/2011 | |
| SIM-11-07-08 | 11/01/2010 | 10037305 | Ready | 05/18/2011 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE | |||
| 10/30/2012 | 62000 | 1 | |
| While driving in traffic, the engine seized and stopped abruptly due to the failure of the oil suction pump. the pump failed internally and due to the design that tied it directly to the overhead cam, it caused the camshaft to seize, stretched and broke the bolt connecting the timing gear and chain to the camshaft, which the fell into the lower engine area and caused further engine damage. fortunately, this particular incident occurred in a relatively slow traffic situation and the car was shifted to neutral and pushed off to the side. damage to the engine was substantial and consistent with multiple other reports of similar failures. this is a major design flaw (in my opinion as an engineer) in that the shear point being on the camshaft instead of the pump causes instantaneous engine failure without warning and could lead to a serious crash or injury. in addition to this failure, there was damage to the oil system that may have triggered this pump failure. mini had allegedly performed some 'valve cleaning' approximately 6,000 miles prior to this incident, however there was no evidence of any such 'cleaning' when the engine was opened. i have extensive photos of this engine as it was disassembled, showing the pump, bolt and other parts and will be happy to share those. *tr | |||
| 10/30/2012 | 62000 | ||
| While driving in traffic, the engine seized and stopped abruptly due to the failure of the oil suction pump. the pump failed internally and due to the design that tied it directly to the overhead cam, it caused the camshaft to seize, stretched and broke the bolt connecting the timing gear and chain to the camshaft, which the fell into the lower engine area and caused further engine damage. fortunately, this particular incident occurred in a relatively slow traffic situation and the car was shifted to neutral and pushed off to the side. damage to the engine was substantial and consistent with multiple other reports of similar failures. this is a major design flaw (in my opinion as an engineer) in that the shear point being on the camshaft instead of the pump causes instantaneous engine failure without warning and could lead to a serious crash or injury. in addition to this failure, there was damage to the oil system that may have triggered this pump failure. mini had allegedly performed some 'valve cleaning' approximately 6,000 miles prior to this incident, however there was no evidence of any such 'cleaning' when the engine was opened. i have extensive photos of this engine as it was disassembled, showing the pump, bolt and other parts and will be happy to share those. | |||
| 06/01/2012 | 87000 | 1 | |
| Traveling with no warning, thermometer light came on, turned yellow to red almost immediately, pulled over and called dealership, advised there was recall on water pump for overheating, had car towed immediately; dealership replaced recalled water pump (exterior), but paid $600.00 for thermostat; left dealership and engine light came on within 30 minutes,had to have it towed again; now car ran hot again, no antifreeze in car, refilled and light went off, 1.5 days later same occurrence but engine smoking,very badly, towed again to dealership, now states it is water pump #2 (interior) , and timing change which was already supposedly performed on car, now stating i must pay for water pump, tensioner on timing change, valve sensor, and valve cover gaskets another $1000.00, all of which pertain to the same occurrences over and over and over and over again. i called mini cooper call center and they only refer you back to dealership, stating they have no technical knowledge and are unable to assist me, they have no knowledge of the recall items. wow i thought this problem only belonged to a saab i previously owned and eliminated for same reasons.. ! *tr | |||
| 06/01/2012 | 87000 | ||
| Traveling with no warning, thermometer light came on, turned yellow to red almost immediately, pulled over and called dealership, advised there was recall on water pump for overheating, had car towed immediately; dealership replaced recalled water pump (exterior), but paid $600.00 for thermostat; left dealership and engine light came on within 30 minutes,had to have it towed again; now car ran hot again, no antifreeze in car, refilled and light went off, 1.5 days later same occurrence but engine smoking,very badly, towed again to dealership, now states it is water pump #2 (interior) , and timing change which was already supposedly performed on car, now statingi must pay for water pump, tensioner on timing change, valve sensor, and valve cover gaskets another $1000.00, all of which pertain to the same occurrences over and over and over and over again. i called mini cooper call center and they only refer you back to dealership, stating they have no techinical knowledge and are unable to assist me, they have no knowledge of the recall items. wow i thought this problem only belonged to a saab i previously owned and eliminated for same reasons.. ! | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 05/23/2011 | 33000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns 2007 mini cooper. the contact was driving 30 mph when the vehicle started to overheat. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer where the dealer advised the contact that the vehicle needed anti-freeze. the dealer added anti-freeze to the vehicle but the failure recurred shortly thereafter. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer numerous times before it was found that the thermostat was the cause of the failure. the thermostat was replaced. the failure mileage was 33,000. kmj | |||
| 05/23/2011 | 33000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns 2007 mini cooper. the contact stated while driving 30 mph the vehicle started to overheat. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and the dealer stated the vehicle needed anti-freeze. soon after the dealer added anti-freeze the vehicle ran out of anti-freeze again. the vehicle took the vehicle back to the dealer numerous times before having the thermostat stat replaced. the faulty thermostat stat was the cause of the anti-freeze leaking and causing the vehicle to overheat. the failure mileage was 33,000. jo | |||
| 11/26/2011 | 49025 | ||
| I had this car serviced about 4 times during the 4 yr warranty period. just after the warranty period, the car was checked for brake job and i was informed that the water pump leaks. i think the coolant provable was leaking prior to expiration of warranty but i was not informed. i bought 3 cars in 2007 (honda and lexus) and non of them has this issue. 1. engine coolant leaks. replace water pump. 2. engine hood latch won't open. failed remote latch. the mini cooper estimate will cost me $800 to replace the water pump. i also overheard from one of the mini owner last sat, 26nov2011 during my visit to the dealer that he also has the same issue leaky water pump. | |||
| 10/21/2011 | 47000 | ||
| Strang engine knocking/rubbing noise come from the engine compartment. it appeared to be the timing chain failure. the car was bought to the dealer twice first ime they replaaced the timing chain tensioner and this time they replace the timing chain. | |||
| 04/28/2011 | 81000 | ||
| Mini cooper, 2007, 81000 miles. with minimal advance warning (a rattle that began when car was started that morning) timing chain broke, leading to catastrophic engine failure. car was stopped and blocking traffic on busy two lane bridge during morning commute until it was towed away. no previous issues, warnings emerged from this vehicle. was maintained regularly and because of noise on start, i was intending to take it in immediately. in fact, i was on the way to the garage when the failure occurred. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||
| 09/15/2009 | 1 | ||
| I own a 2007 mini cooper. the tail pipe is large extends beyond the edge of the bumper. i had driven my car approximately 20 miles and parked it, then opened the back to retrieve some items from the cargo area. my leg came into contact with the tail pipe and i received a severe burn which was extremely painful and became blistered. the burn was large and in the shape of a half moon. there is still a scar on my leg from this. i contacted bmw mini north america, told them what had happened, and sent them a picture of my leg with the burn on it. they arranged for me to bring my car in to the dealership and have an engineer evaluate the car for any defects in the tailpipe. later i was told that the tailpipe was manufactured properly and i should just be careful not to touch it. i was also told that there is a warning in the owner's manual for the car regarding the tail pipe. i looked it up and it says do not touch hot exhaust tail pipes. otherwise there is a risk of burns. unfortunately, the tail pipe is in a position where a person's leg would normally be when retrieving items from the cargo area of the car. and since it protrudes past the bumper, it is difficult not to touch it. *tr | |||