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2016 Mini Cooper Convertible

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 5 of 13 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Exterior Lighting. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Service Brakes. Review the 2 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

0 crash reports0 fire reports1 injury reports

What owners actually said

13 reports
Mileage unknown · Nov 19, 2025
Engine

The Environmental Air Catalyst (EAC) Sensor on my 2016 MINI failed two years ago when I had only 25,000 miles on the car. (The car now has 30,200 miles on it; I do not drive it very much). NHTSA worked with MINI/BMW several years ago, and MINI extended a limited warranty for this sensor to 15 years/150,000 miles, but only for…

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The Environmental Air Catalyst (EAC) Sensor on my 2016 MINI failed two years ago when I had only 25,000 miles on the car. (The car now has 30,200 miles on it; I do not drive it very much). NHTSA worked with MINI/BMW several years ago, and MINI extended a limited warranty for this sensor to 15 years/150,000 miles, but only for Cooper "S" models. Mine is not an "S". See Recall "S1 M01 05 20" The S has a BMW "B46M PZEV/SULEV " engine, which is covered by the extended warranty. My car - not the "S" model - has the BMW "B36M" engine. This is not covered by the extended warranty noted above. I have gone online and saw lots of complaints, as this appears to be a very common problem. A MINI dealer in Richmond, VA told me the same thing: the sensor fails, and you have to replace the entire radiator because the sensor is attached to it. I was quoted more than $2,000 to fix this problem. It seems to me that this defect is as common in the non "S" MINI Cooper's as it is in the "S" versions, and that MINI should extend the same warranty to vehicles with the B36M engines. Can you help?

NHTSA ODI #11700391

Mileage unknown · Apr 25, 2018
Exterior Lighting

REAR BRAKE LIGHTS..IT COMES WITH 3 SMALL BRAKE LIGHTS ...TWO ON BUMPER & ONE ON TOP SCOOP, ALL RELATIVELY SMALL. THE MAIN TWO ARE MUCH BIGGER BUT ARE ONLY USED FOR DRIVING LIGHTS & TURN SIGNAL. 'IT MAKES NO SENSE '. THIS NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED, RIGHT ?

NHTSA ODI #11090194

9,300 miles · Nov 15, 2017
Service Brakes

BRAKE PEDAL AT SAME LEVEL AS GAS PEDAL AT TIMES ( THEY ARE CLOSE TOGETHER) MY SHOE ON THE BRAKE ALSO HITS THE GAS TO EXCELLERATE PRESSING JARRED IN A PANIC WILL STOP THE CAR AND I WILL PUT IT IN NEUTRAL CITY STREET OR HI-WAY IN MOTION

NHTSA ODI #11046196

12,800 miles · Jun 7, 2017
Power Train

DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION LIGHT FLASHES FOR A FEW SECONDS AND THEN GOES AWAY. DRIVING ON I-85 S JUNE 5, 2017 WARNING APPEARED FOR A FEW SECONDS THEN DISAPPEARED.

NHTSA ODI #10993700

Mileage unknown · Feb 23, 2017
Seat Belts

CONSTANT REPLACING OF THE SEAT BELTS. CURRENTLY BACK SEAT BELT NOT WORKING AGAIN SERIOUS SAFTEY HAZARD . NO LONGER RECEIVING A RESPONSE FROM THE DEALER. CANNOT RIDE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF PASSENGERS IN THE REAR. HAVE TAKEN THE CAR BACK MULTIPLE TIMES

NHTSA ODI #10956584

Mileage unknown · Feb 8, 2017
Unknown Or Other

BASE MODEL BLUE TOOTH TELEPHONE INTERFACE WITHOUT ON-BOARD VOICE CONTROL DISABLES PHONE HANDS FREE FUNCTION (E.G "SIRI" ON IPHONE) INVITING DISTRACTION TO USE PHONE FUNCTIONS. COMMON ALSO ON SIMILARLY EQUIPPED BMW MODELS. THIS WAS NOT THE CASE WITH EARLIER YEAR MODELS WITH SIMILAR EQUIPMENT.

NHTSA ODI #10950375

6,000 miles · Oct 23, 2016
Unknown Or Other

WE PURCHASED THIS ALL-NEW MODEL IN MARCH 2016 AND HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO ASCERTAIN A CRASHWORTHINESS RATING THROUGH YOUR ADMINISTRATION OR THE IIHS. I ONCE ASSUMED THAT THESE TESTS WERE CONDUCTED PRIOR TO THE PUBLIC SALE OF AUTOMOBILES. HOW LONG MUST A CONSUMER WAIT FOR A TEST TO BE CONDUCTED? THE INSURANCE COMPANIES SEEM TO DEPEND…

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WE PURCHASED THIS ALL-NEW MODEL IN MARCH 2016 AND HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO ASCERTAIN A CRASHWORTHINESS RATING THROUGH YOUR ADMINISTRATION OR THE IIHS. I ONCE ASSUMED THAT THESE TESTS WERE CONDUCTED PRIOR TO THE PUBLIC SALE OF AUTOMOBILES. HOW LONG MUST A CONSUMER WAIT FOR A TEST TO BE CONDUCTED? THE INSURANCE COMPANIES SEEM TO DEPEND HEAVILY ON THESE EVALUATIONS WHEN DETERMINING THEIR RATES.

NHTSA ODI #10918101

Mileage unknown · Oct 18, 2016
EquipmentStructure

AFTER MY CAR WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT I WAS MADE AWARE THAT THE MINI VIN NUMBER INDICATES THAT MY MINI IS A 2 DOOR MODEL IN MOST DATA RESOURCES FOR EVALUATION PURPOSES. BUT I HAVE THE MINI 4 DOOR HARDTOP MODEL! HOW COULD THAT NOT BE INDICATED WITH A 4D INSTEAD OF THE 2D IN THIS MODELS VIN #? *TR

NHTSA ODI #10916810

850 miles · Jul 31, 2016
Unknown Or OtherInjury

TWICE SINCE BUYING MY CAR IN MAY IF 2016 I HAVE BADLY BURNED MY LEG ON THE TAILPIPE WHILE GETTING BAGS OUT OF THE TRUNK. I WAS NOT EVEN REACHING INTO THE TRUNK PARTICULARLY DEEPLY. THE TAILPIPE PROTRUDES BEYOND THE BUMPER AND IT IS VERY EASY TO INADVERTENTLY BUMP IT WITH ONE'S LEG IF WEARING SHORTS. THIS IS DANGEROUS TO ADULTS, …

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TWICE SINCE BUYING MY CAR IN MAY IF 2016 I HAVE BADLY BURNED MY LEG ON THE TAILPIPE WHILE GETTING BAGS OUT OF THE TRUNK. I WAS NOT EVEN REACHING INTO THE TRUNK PARTICULARLY DEEPLY. THE TAILPIPE PROTRUDES BEYOND THE BUMPER AND IT IS VERY EASY TO INADVERTENTLY BUMP IT WITH ONE'S LEG IF WEARING SHORTS. THIS IS DANGEROUS TO ADULTS, BUT ALSO ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS FOR CHILDREN HELPING THEIR PARENTS GET THINGS OUT OF THE CAR. I HAVE PHOTOS OF THE BURNS IF YOU NEED THEM.

NHTSA ODI #10891929

Mileage unknown · Jul 3, 2016
Exterior Lighting

PLEASE CHECK THE REAR BRAKE LIGHT PHOTOS (HALFWAY DOWN, THIS PAGE: HTTP://WWW.NORTHAMERICANMOTORING.COM/FORUMS/R55-CLUBMAN-TALK-2008/293675-2016-CLUBMAN-13.HTML). I WAS FOLLOWING ONE OF THESE CARS THE OTHER DAY AND IN STOP-AND-GO TRAFFIC THE LOWER BRAKE LIGHTS ARE SIMPLY NOT VISIBLE! THE LARGE (TURN SIGNAL) LIGHTS JUST BELOW THE…

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PLEASE CHECK THE REAR BRAKE LIGHT PHOTOS (HALFWAY DOWN, THIS PAGE: HTTP://WWW.NORTHAMERICANMOTORING.COM/FORUMS/R55-CLUBMAN-TALK-2008/293675-2016-CLUBMAN-13.HTML). I WAS FOLLOWING ONE OF THESE CARS THE OTHER DAY AND IN STOP-AND-GO TRAFFIC THE LOWER BRAKE LIGHTS ARE SIMPLY NOT VISIBLE! THE LARGE (TURN SIGNAL) LIGHTS JUST BELOW THE REAR WINDOW "LOOK" THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE BRAKE LIGHTS BUT, OBVIOUSLY, DON'T COME ON WITH BRAKING. NO QUESTION, THIS WILL RESULT IN COLLISIONS, SOME SERIOUS. NHTSA NEEDS TO BE PROACTIVE AND FORCE A CORRECTIVE REPAIR; THIS IS TRULY A PUBLIC HEALTH.SAFETY ISSUE!!!

NHTSA ODI #10882328

Official recalls

3

17V222000 · Exterior Lighting:brake Lights

Mar 31, 2017

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2016-2017 MINI Cooper Clubman, Cooper S Clubman and JCW Clubman vehicles. When the affected vehicles are braking and the turn signals are on, the inner, bumper-mounted, brake light will go out. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the brake light does not illuminate when a turn signal is activated, other drivers may be confused, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: MINI will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the vehicle to correct the brake lighting, free of charge. The recall began May 22, 2017. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525.

16V747000 · Seat Belts:front:retractor

Oct 17, 2016

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i, MINI Hardtop 4 Door Cooper, Mini Hardtop 4 Door Cooper S, MINI Cooper Clubman, and Cooper S Clubman, 2017 Rolls-Royce Ghost, and 2016 528i vehicles. The vehicle-sensitive locking mechanism of the seat belt Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) for the driver's seat may not lock as designed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 209, "Seat Belt Assemblies."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: In the event of a crash where heavy braking is applied, the Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) may activate when the occupant is more forward in the seat, possibly increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's seat belt assembly, free of charge. The recall began July 3, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

15V887000 · Steering:gear Box (other Than Rack And Pinion)

Dec 30, 2015

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling one model year 2016 MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 Door vehicle manufactured November 24, 2015, and one BMW X1 Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) manufactured October, 19 2015. The steering gearbox may have been manufactured with incorrect parts.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A gearbox malfunction may cause a loss of vehicle control and increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: BMW will replace the steering gearbox, free of charge. Affected vehicles are located in dealer inventory and will be remedied before customer retail. The recall began on December 28, 2015. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.