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Engine coolingPart report

2009 MINI Cooper S Clubman Engine cooling Problems

Complaints
8about this part
Share
16%of 51 total for the year
Median mileage
41,453miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 8 complaints about the engine cooling of the 2009 MINI Cooper S Clubman, 16% of the 51 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 41,453 miles. 2 a fire, according to the filers. 2 recall campaigns on record are 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.

“Vehicle failed due to issue with the timing chain tensioner. This caused the timing chain guides to break and drop into the oil pan. Entire engine may need to be replaced. Engine failed as I was pulling out onto a very busy street (7th street in phoenix az) leaving me stranded and unable to move in traffic. The car had to be pushed onto a side street.”

NHTSA complaint #10456722, filed 2012-04, 58,000 miles

“I parked my 2009 Mini clubman after driving about 10 miles to the grocery store round trip and unloaded groceries, went back out to the car and it was smoking white smoke. Flames started shooting up from the engine over the windshield and it progressed from there. The smoke turned black all windows were blown out, front tires melted and blown and the car was declared an obvious total loss. It caught our home on fire and has caused more than $50,000 worth of damage. Please correct this problem.”

NHTSA complaint #10346542, filed 2010-08, 23,000 miles

“After driving to work for 30 minutes, I parked my car. I thought I smelled something as I walked away, so I stopped an looked, but I did not see anything. Five minutes after walking into my building, someone told me my car was on fire. The first witness to see something (a co-worker) said he saw something on fire drop from the bottom of the car. When I ran outside, the car was putting off a significant amount of smoke. We tried to use a fire extinguisher, to no end, and within minutes we were seeing flames. Five minutes later, the front of the car was engulfed in fire. It was fast and hot. …”

NHTSA complaint #10430619, filed 2011-10, 38,500 miles

“2009 Mini clubman s... Timing chain needs replaced at 51000. 1000 miles out of warranty. Mini will not take responsibility. This is poor engineering and even poorer lack of accountability from Mini for a known, documented, and very frequent problem.”

NHTSA complaint #10449005, filed 2012-02, 51,000 miles

“Tensioner failure 44,406 miles. Causing engine damage. Almost in accident because of failure. From dealer learned that and other Mini cooper s had the same failure. Mini knows of the tensioner problem and has not fixed it.”

NHTSA complaint #10371949, filed 2010-12, 44,406 miles

Related recalls

Related service bulletins

Engine cooling: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2009816%
2008327%

Other parts of the 2009 MINI Cooper S Clubman

Engine
23 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
11 complaintsElectrical system
8 complaintsAir bags
6 complaintsBrakes
2 complaintsEquipment
1 complaintsExterior lighting
1 complaintsFuel system
1 complaintsOther or unknown
1 complaintsSeat belts
1 complaintsBody and structure
1 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2009 MINI Cooper S Clubman

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 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