2007 Lotus Exige S

ON NOVEMBER 15, 2015 MY 2007 LOTUS EXIGE S EXPERIENCED OIL COOLER LINE FAILURE. I WAS TAKING TURN 8 AT THUNDERHILL RACEWAY AT 95 MPH WHEN THE OIL COOLER TRANSFER HOSE AT THE FRONT OF THE CAR DETACHED AND DUMPED OIL ONTO MY PASSENGER SIDE TIRES AND ALL ALONG THE SIDE OF MY VEHICLE. THIS CREATED AN EXTREMELY UNSAFE ENVIRONMENT AND I COULD EASILY HAVE CRASHED AS A RESULT - THE FACT THAT I WAS ON A RACETRACK DOING AN HPDE WITH NO OTHER CARS AROUND ME HELPED PREVENT THAT (HAD I BEEN ON THE HIGHWAY, IT MOST CERTAINLY WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN AN ACCIDENT). ON OCTOBER 22, 2013, THIS CAR WAS TAKEN TO LOTUS OF LAS VEGAS FOR THE NHTSA REQUIRED OIL COOLER LINE RECALL, AND THE RECALL WORK WAS FRAUDULENTLY REPORTED AS BEING COMPLETED. AFTER THIS INCIDENT, I CONTACTED JERRY AT LOTUS OF LAS VEGAS AND HE VERBALLY ADMITTED TO ME THAT HE HAD EMPLOYED A TECHNICIAN WHO HAD TO BE LET GO BECAUSE HE WASN'T DOING HIS JOB. CLEARLY, JERRY WASN'T DOING HIS JOB, EITHER. MY INCIDENT WAS A RESULT OF THIS. THIS EXTREME NEGLIGENCE COULD EASILY HAVE RESULTED IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT OR EVEN DEATH, AND I AM SURE THAT THERE ARE OTHER CARS THAT HAD THIS RECALL DONE AT LOTUS OF LAS VEGAS WHO WILL PROBABLY FIND THAT THEY WERE DEFRAUDED, TOO. I HAVE ATTACHED THE VEHICLE HISTORY FOR MY CAR FROM LOTUS OF LAS VEGAS SHOWING THE DATES AND THE WORK THAT WAS REPORTED AS COMPLETE. LOTUS OF LAS VEGAS CLEARLY HAD ZERO OVERSIGHT ON THE SAFETY RECALL WORK THEY WERE COMPLETING, AND THAT RESPONSIBILITY FALLS ON JERRY'S SHOULDERS. THE FACT THIS OCCURRED IS TERRIFYING, APPALLING AND COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE.

THE OIL LINE LEADING TO THE FRONT OIL COOLER FAILED AT THE ENGINE SIDE, WHERE THE HOSE MEETS THE CONNECTOR. THIS CAUSED THE OIL TO LEAK ALL OVER THE ENGINE BAY AND EXHAUST. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE CAR AND THERE'S ALREADY A RECALL FOR 05&06 CARS, BUT THE SAME PROBLEM EXISTS FOR 07 CARS AS WELL. THE OIL LEAK CAUSED A SMALL FIRE IN THE ENGINE BAY IN MY CAR. I WAS ABLE TO PUT OUT THE FIRE IN TIME, BUT HAD I NOT HAD THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A TOTAL LOSS. THE REPAIR COST FOR THE OIL LINE SHOULD BE PAID FOR BY LOTUS. *JS

I WAS DRIVING WHEN I NOTICED SOME SMOKE EMANATING FROM THE REAR OF THE CAR. WHEN I PULLED OVER, I NOTICED THAT THE CAR WAS SMOKING FROM THE ENGINE BAY, AND THERE WAS OIL DRIPPING DOWN FROM THE UNDER PANELS. I IMMEDIATELY SHUT DOWN THE CAR AND HAD IT TOWED TO A LOTUS CERTIFIED SHOP, WHERE THEY DISCOVERED THAT THE BOLT HOLDING THE OIL SANDWICH PLATE THAT CONNECTS TO THE FRONT OIL COOLER BROKE, ALLOWING THE OIL TO SPRAY OUT ALL OVER THE ENGINE BAY AND UNDER PANEL. THERE WAS APPROXIMATELY TWO QUARTS OF OIL LOST, AND I WAS LUCKY THAT THE OIL DID NOT GET ON THE TIRES AS IT COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A CATASTROPHIC CRASH.THE SHOP SAID THAT THERE WERE SEVERAL LOTUS CARS - EXIGE AND ELISE THAT CAME INTO THE SHOP WITH IDENTICAL ISSUES. THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINS BEING LOGGED ON LOTUS SPECIFIC FORUMS AS WELL. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 LOTUS EXIGE S. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED HE NOTICED THAT THE OIL LINES COMING FROM THE OIL COOLER WERE VERY LOOSE. HE WAS FEARFUL THAT THE OIL LINES WOULD POSSIBLY FRACTURE WHILE DRIVING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING NOR WAS IT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 2,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. UPDATED 01/11/11*LJ