Table 1 shows one common power train related problems of the 2007 Lotus Exige.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Power Train problems |
On November 15, 2015 my 2007 Lotus Exige s experienced oil cooler line failure. I was taking turn 8 at thunderhill raceway at 95 mph when the oil cooler transfer hose at the front of the car detached and dumped oil onto my passenger side tires and all along the side of my vehicle. This created an extremely unsafe environment and I could easily have crashed as a result - the fact that I was on a racetrack doing an hpde with no other cars around me helped prevent that (had I been on the highway, it most certainly would have resulted in an accident). On October 22, 2013, this car was taken to Lotus of las vegas for the NHTSA required oil cooler line recall, and the recall work was fraudulently reported as being completed. After this incident, I contacted jerry at Lotus of las vegas and he verbally admitted to me that he had employed a technician who had to be let go because he wasn't doing his job. Clearly, jerry wasn't doing his job, either. My incident was a result of this. This extreme negligence could easily have resulted in a serious accident or even death, and I am sure that there are other cars that had this recall done at Lotus of las vegas who will probably find that they were defrauded, too. I have attached the vehicle history for my car from Lotus of las vegas showing the dates and the work that was reported as complete. Lotus of las vegas clearly had zero oversight on the safety recall work they were completing, and that responsibility falls on jerry's shoulders. The fact this occurred is terrifying, appalling and completely unacceptable.
I was driving when I noticed some smoke emanating from the rear of the car. When I pulled over, I noticed that the car was smoking from the engine bay, and there was oil dripping down from the under panels. I immediately shut down the car and had it towed to a Lotus certified shop, where they discovered that the bolt holding the oil sandwich plate that connects to the front oil cooler broke, allowing the oil to spray out all over the engine bay and under panel. There was approximately two quarts of oil lost, and I was lucky that the oil did not get on the tires as it could have resulted in a catastrophic crash. The shop said that there were several Lotus cars - Exige and elise that came into the shop with identical issues. There are numerous complains being logged on Lotus specific forums as well.