Timing Tensioner problems of the 2010 Mini Cooper

Tensioner broke causing timing chain sheared the camshaft gear and destroyed engine. . . Had car 7 months. . . Bought used at Toyota of nicholasville in nicholasville ky.

The timing chain guide rail, chain tensioners,slike rail friction wheel etc all had to be replaced and it only has 13000 miles I know that BMW is being sued and habberstad said that we would be informed of the suit if our vehicle is part of the suit. Please help us with this matter.

I purchased my 2010 Mini Cooper hardtop in October of 2010 with 2,446 miles on it. This car came from a Mini dealership. I have driven this vehicle for the last four years without one mechanical issue. Today I have approximately 41,000 miles on the car. On the evening of February 16, 2015, I started my car to leave my place of employment and a low oil indicator light flashed. Living in a cold weather climate, I thought the engine needed time to warm up. After letting the car warm up, I attempted to leave the parking lot and the car failed as I was about to make a turn onto a main road. My husband had the car towed to a local Mini specialist where we were told the car was extremely low on oil due an internal leak coming from the timing chain tensioner seal. We were told the leak has been happening for a while; however, the first indication of low oil was only minutes before the car failed. The car had been to a local Mini dealership for regular service less than a year ago. In addition the mechanic found coolant in the cylinders and is unsure of how this occurred. The mechanic feels it could have been caused by a cracked engine block or cracked cylinder head. Additional testing would need to be done on these parts to confirm. At this time, my husband and I are being told that the entire engine needs to replaced on a car that only had 40,000 miles on it. The estimated cost we received was $10,315. This is a tough pill to swallow considering it is a "young car," in our minds. With all of the issues found by the mechanic it seems as if this car had a faulty engine from the start. I have contacted Mini USA regarding this issue and hope they stand behind their vehicles.

I have a relatively new Mini Cooper (2010 hatchback) with 51,000 miles. Recently, I started hearing a rattling noise coming from the passenger side of the vehicle. Upon doing a search online, I came across hundreds of other owners who experience the same exact issue - know as the death rattle, the tensioner and timing chain comes apart (a known manufacturing defect) and can cause the car to either stall while in motion and cause catastrophic damage - as the chain is metal. The issue has received significant attention and extreme frustration - leading Mini to try to silently address the issue on a one-off basis rather than issuing a voluntary recall. For customers who complain (even when the vehicle is out of warranty), Mini has been paying for having the timing chain/tensioner fixed. For the hapless consumers that do not know, either they pay thousands of dollars to have the vehicle fixed or find themselves in an accident. Mini Cooper is allowing a known manufacturing defect to continue unaddressed and for thousands of consumers who have a relatively new vehicle could be subject to extreme risk - if the timing chain/tensioner fails due to a manufacturer defect. . Read more...