2006 Lotus Elise Engine cooling Problems
- Complaints
- 11about this part
- Share
- 65%of 17 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 35,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 11 complaints about the engine cooling of the 2006 Lotus Elise, 65% of the 17 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 35,000 miles. 1 a fire, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“The hose connecting the two oil coolers in the front of the car failed on the freeway. I felt the car dangerously losing traction on the left side of the driver and I also saw the oil light coming on, and pulled over immediately. I had to replace the hose, it cost me $775. Two weeks from that, the hose fitting failed again, my car is in the shop right now, who knows how much the damage is now.”
NHTSA complaint #10402119, filed 2011-05, 38,827 miles“I was driving home from work, and after about half of a mile I started to smell burning oil and thought to myself boy, I'm glad that smell isn't coming from my car! I was traveling at about 55 MPH. I looked in my rear view mirror and saw a thick trail of oil following me and looked at my oil light and saw that it was on. I immediately pulled over. There was oil covering the right rear tire, brake assembly, and suspension. The remaining two or three quarts came out while I was calling the tow truck. …”
NHTSA complaint #10421090, filed 2011-08, 30,000 miles“Was traveling at approximately 30 MPH when I noticed oil light came on. Drove car to nearby service station and noticed rear passenger side rear tire was covered in oil and there was a puddle of oil under car. Had car towed to dealer where the problem was diagnosed as a failed oil cooler line. Several sources (web forum, mechanic) have told me this is a common failure in these cars. I am concerned that this failure could result in loss of traction, or engine fire under the right circumstances.”
NHTSA complaint #10363130, filed 2010-10, 40,400 miles“Oil cooler line crimp fitting failed at the sandwich plate adapter while driving onto a highway ramp. Cloud of white smoke appeared in rearview mirror and oil pressure light illuminated. Turned vehicle engine off and repaired myself by modifying the crimp that failed.”
NHTSA complaint #10415515, filed 2011-07, 45,860 miles“Oil cooler supply line connected to the sandwich plate where the oil filter screws in, on my 06 Lotus Elise became disconnected from the coupling, spraying oil everywhere and permanently damaging my engine. The engine only has 50k miles on it, and now it needs to be replaced. New motor, and labor costing over 6000 dollars to fix. This is an issue that seriously needs to be addressed by Lotus, as numerous Lotus owners are reporting this and discussing this on the online forums. …”
NHTSA complaint #10424209, filed 2011-09Related recalls
- 11V510000Oct 14, 2011Lotus is recalling certain model year 2005-2007 elise and exige vehicles manufactured from june 1, 2004, through november 30, 2006. The oil cooler line may…Covers: Lotus Elise 2005–2007, Exige 2005–2006, Exige S 2007
Related service bulletins
- 10198785Jun 16, 2021There is often inconsistent or insufficient information received from dealers when reporting ECU and TCU related faults. This bulletin aims to standardise the information when…
- 10020370Mar 8, 2006Momentary engine power interruption.
Engine cooling: other model years
Other parts of the 2006 Lotus Elise
2 complaintsOther or unknown
2 complaintsSteering
1 complaintsSuspension
1 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2006 Lotus Elise
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology