I have owned three coopers. I gave my 2006 to my son. I had experienced sluggish pick up between first and second gears. Lawyers believe that his car may have stalled on Jan 7 and was crashed fatally by a dump truck. Has anyone else had this issue? My lawyers have asked me to get all the information I can. Thanks... I hate that this is my introductary post.
Welcome, thanks for joining Motoring Alliance, the FUN and Friendly MINI Community. Sorry to hear of your loss. Manual or automatic? Cooper or Cooper S?
I love my Mini Coopers. The 06 was my first. I got hit and totalled out my 2010. I now have a 2013. And, I'll get another one after this one. Lawyers are just searching all angles, since the eyewitness seems to think that he either did not see the truck, or was having trouble getting out of the way. Either case, nothing will bring back my son. He leaves behind a wife, my family, a 2-yr old, one on the way... and as a high school band director, he leaves behind hundreds of hurting students.
The reason I asked is that there have been issues with the Automatic Cooper CVT transmission. The manuals on the 2006 S not so much at all. They have been pretty darn reliable. I have trouble addressing your loss, I can not fathom what you are going through. We here on M/A are a somewhat dispersed large family. Many of us know each other having met at various MINI events. We are here to help..
Welcome to M/A, but this is terrible news, indeed. I have 2 '06 MCSes, but they are automatics. Even so, I did experience a lag in the one I drive and after I had it towed to the dealer, it was found to be in need of new plugs and wires. The car had stumbled and cut out on me as I was accelerating on to the local interstate and I was just able to limp to the side of the road. I don't know if this sounds like what you were experiencing or not, but you have my most sincere sympathy.
The way the eyewitness described the incident, he either did not see the truck at all or consumed with getting the car going. We have no way of knowing. Thank you all for your responses.
First, I'm so sorry about your loss. I can't imagine what you are going through. As for your question, I've had an 06 and currently an 08 Cooper S. On occasion, when pulling out into traffic from a stop, while making a turn, the DC (dynamic stability control) has and will cut power for a second or two. Usually it only happens when accelerating aggressively, but it's also when I've needed it the most. I have no doubt that it's functioning as it's designed, but it truly has put me in a dangerous position more than once. This happens in both cars, so much so that I try to remember to turn off DSC if I'm at a stop and I know I'll need to pull out into traffic
I am truly sorry for your loss! As a father of 4 I have no idea how hard this must be. My payers are with your family.
I'm very sorry for your loss. I can't imagine what you & your family are going through. I would hire an accident investigator. Don't take the word of the authorities as to what happened. The accident investigator may be able to examine the car & find out if & why it had a mechanical issue. He can scan the car for fault codes. One more thought. If the traction control was functioning at the time due to wheel slip, either ice, snow, sand or over powering the driven wheels the power to the engine is cut. It can feel & act like the engine is stalling out.
I think Chuck has offered you some great suggestions. I am deeply sorry for your loss and wish you and your family all the best.
This is heartwrenching. I feel for your loss. My stalling experiences were fuel pump/hose related. Not quite as common on gen1s than on gen2s.
There is no way for me to know the depth of your and your family's grief. I can only say that my heart aches for you all. I don't think the lawyers will find any sort of known, chronic "smouldering gun" issue with the '06 that could be directly tied to the possible stalling. You're likely to get a sampling of responses pointing to a wide variety of normal maintenance issues that could have exacerbated a stall from a standing stop. For that matter, it could have been as simple as an inadvertent, quick engagement of the clutch, or perhaps the left foot slipped off the clutch pedal. Tough, if not impossible, to know for sure. Chuck has offered sound advice.
Sorry for your loss. The only loss of power issues I have ever experienced is what Crashton said or right when I start it on a very cold day.