Front Suspension Control Arm problems of the 2003 Mini Cooper S

Just driving along on a straight smooth road at 40 mph when the lower rear control arm broke clean in half nearly causing me to lose control of the car as the wheel rotated up into the fender well. Scottsdale Mini insists that this arm should only break if the car was crashed and therefore they will not honor the warranty. I am the original owner and have never hit any significant potholes or other road hazards. There are many similar cases of this failure reported on the internet but Mini is apparently reluctant to classify it as a design flaw.

On 1/26/06 I took my car into tuffy auto to have the tires rotated, at the time the mechanic told me that the right rear lower control arm had a crack in it. At that time I called Mini and told them that my right rear lower control arm was damaged. I was told by the service manager at Mini that my driving was the cause of this and that it wouldn't be covered under warranty. I then took pictures of the lower control arm while it was still attached to my car, these pictures show that there was a shearing effect on the rear-most part of the arm and there was no bending on the arm. I then had the car taken by flat-bed to my Mini dealership where they are replacing the lower and upper control arm. My pictures refute what they are saying about this being a drivers fault and they are refusing to warranty the work.

While pulling into the parking garage at work, the rear of my Mini Cooper S made a noise. The control arm on the right, rear suspension broke. When looking under the rear, the control arm was in two pieces, broken in the middle. The vehicle is at the dealer and I will be requesting the part back.