High pressure fuel rail developed a crack at a brazen joint. high pressure fuel was then been released in the vicinity of the exhaust system. strong fuel smell in cabin and near vehicle. no fire or damage resulted. vehicle repaired at owners expense.
While traveling at highway speeds the car lost the ability to accelerate and instead lurched and choked. the mechanic determined that the throttle body broke free of its housing. luckily i was able to move the car to an off-ramp that sloped downhill to get to safety.
Engine light came on so i went in for a diagnostic. i live 2.5 hours from a mini service center. the diagnostic at autozone just listed a bunch of misfires and nothing else. that explained the harsh sounding start and sputtering. as days have gone by, car will lose power in the middle of traffic, struggle up hills, fail to maintain speed limit, and struggle to start in the morning. all these events have occurred less than a month after being serviced at seattle mini. i'm sure i'm under warranty, but i'm not happy about having to drive 2.5 hours if i can make it there, for something they seem to have been having complaints about. *tr