Engine. Review the 65 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Air Bags. Review the 17 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Power Train. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

2 crash reports4 fire reports1 injury reports

What owners actually said

119 reports

96,000 miles · Jul 16, 2018

Air Bags

TAKATA RECALL. PASSENGER AIRBAG LIGHT PERMANENTLY ON. MECHANIC DIAGNOSED AND SAY IT WILL BE $1400 TO REPLACE.

NHTSA ODI #11111783

77,000 miles · Dec 16, 2017

Engine

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I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND MY CAR GAVE ME A WARNING THAT MY ENGINE TEMP WAS WAY TO HIGH. I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE A GOOD PLACE TO STOP AND CHECK OUT WHAY WAS GONG ON. I OPEN THE HOOD, THE ENGINE IS SMOKING AND THE COOLANT RESERVOIR IS NEAT EMPTY. I LOOK AND SEE A POOL OF ANTIFREEZE COMING FROM THE THERMOSTAT. THIS IS THE THIRD THERMOSTAT I HAVE INSTALLED ON THIS CAR AND THE SECOND FAULTY ONE I HAVE HAD IN 3 MONTHS. THIS IS ALSO THE SECOND TIME I HAVE HAD TO STOP ON THE HIGHWAY DUE TO A BADLY LEAKING THERMOSTAT.

NHTSA ODI #11055075

181,000 miles · Nov 14, 2017

EngineVehicle Speed Control

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THIS IS THE 2ND TIME THIS HAPPEND THE CAR STARTED TO ACELERATE BY ITS SELF WHEN STOPPED AND THE BRAKES COULDN'T HOLD THE CAR BACK, I THEN PUT THE CAR INTO NEWTRAL, THEN INTO PARK TAPPED THE GAS AND THE CAR ACTED NORMAL. IT WAS LIKE THE CAR HAD A MIND OF ITS OWN AND JUST STARTED TO GO WITHOUT MY FOOT ON THE GAS PEDAL . THE LAST TIME THIS HAPPEND WAS A YEAR AGO .I THOUGHT IT WAS A FLUKE BUT NOW IT HAPPEND AGAIN, I AM A VERY GOOD DRIVER BUT AFTER THIS HAPPEND AGAIN I THINK I MIGHT JUST GET RID IF THIS CAR ...IT REMINDED ME OF THE MOVIE CHRITINE WHEN THE CAR HAD A MIND OF ITS OWN. I WAS STOPPED AT A LIGHT WITH A CAR IN FRONT OF ME, THE WEATHER WAS 45 DEGREES AND WAS DRIVING FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES ALREADY WHEN IT HAPPEND

NHTSA ODI #11045943

65,000 miles · Oct 4, 2017

Air Bags

I OWN A 2009 MINI COOPER AND THE AIRBAG AND SEATBELT WARNING LIGHTS COME ON WHENEVER I GET IN THE CAR. THE LIGHT CAME ON RECENTLY WHEN I STARTED THE CAR AND IT NOW OCCURS EVERY TIME I TURN THE MOTOR ON. I'VE BEEN ONLINE RESEARCHING THE PROBLEM AND DISCOVERED THAT THIS MAY MEAN THAT THE AIRBAGS WILL NOT DEPLOY IF I HAVE AN ACCIDE…

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NHTSA ODI #11031812

67,117 miles · May 22, 2017

EnginePower Train

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CAR WENT INTO LIMP GEAR MODE ON FREEWAY, HIGH RPM AT 40 MPH. VEHICLE SHIPPED TO MINI DEALER 05/09/17 SAYING THERE WAS A TRANSMISSION ERROR CODE. DEALER SAID THEY TESTED VEHICLE AND IT WASN'T THE TRANSMISSION IT NEEDED A WATER PUMP AND CYLINDER NEED VALVE COVER. 67,117 MILES ON ODOMETER. ALSO FRONT CV AXLE BOOT LEAKING. HAD REPAIRS DONE ($1692.58) AFTER DISCOUNT. AT TIME OF PICKUP, DEALER ASKED TO KEEP THE VEHICLE A FEW MORE DAYS TO DOUBLE CHECK THE TRANSMISSION. A FEW DAYS LATER THEY SAY YES THERE IS A TRANSMISSION ERROR WITH THE CAR GOING AT HIGHER HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND IT WILL NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION! COST ($9000) I DID NOT HAVE THIS DONE.THE SERVICE ADVISOR TOLD ME THE VEHICLE WAS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE! THIS VEHICLE IS DRIVEN BY MY 16 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER TO AND FROM SCHOOL!

NHTSA ODI #10990880

73,000 miles · May 19, 2017

EngineFuel/propulsion SystemPower Train

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I PURCHASED A BRAND NEW MINI COOPER S IN 2009 W/ STANDARD 3 YEARS OF FACTORY MAINTENANCE AND I LATER ADDED ON AN EXTENDED WARRANTY A FEW YEARS LATER. 2014 I ENTERED INTO A 3 YEAR LEASE ON A BMW. ASIDE FROM MAINTENANCE, THE MINI WAS MOSTLY GARAGED EXCEPT FOR MAINTENANCE UNTIL TH AFTER A MONTH OF DRIVING IT, I HEARD A TICKING SOUND THAT MADE ME THINK IT NEEDED OIL ADDED, DESPITE HAVING ONE ABOUT 2 MONTHS PRIOR. I ADDED THE MINI SYNTHETIC OIL TO THE CAR AND THE TICKING SOUND STOPPED FOR A WEEK OR TWO. THEN IT STARTED RATTLING AND SHAKING SEVERELY WHEN DRIVING LOW SPEEDS OR AT AN IDLE. I CHECKED THE ON BOARD DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEMS, WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO CHECK OIL LEVELS AND THE GENERAL HEALTH OF THE CAR. NO ISSUES CAME UP BUT I STOPPED DRIVING IT BECAUSE I SAW THE OIL LIGHT COME ON, AND I KNOW THAT COULDN'T BE GOOD, ESPECIALLY SINCE OIL WAS ADDED BETWEEN CHANGES. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MINI MECHANIC, THEY TOLD ME THAT THE TIMING CHAIN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, THERE WERE HOLES IN THE TURBO LINE AND SOME VARIOUS OIL LEAKS. THEIR ESTIMATE WAS ROUGHLY $2500 TO MAKE THE CAR DRIVABLE AGAIN. SPOKE TO MINI CORPORATE, URGED ME TO TAKE IT TO MINI DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTICS SO CORPORATE TO SEE WHAT HELP THEY'D OFFER ME ON THESE ISSUES BECAUSE THEY KNEW THE TIMING CHAIN BELT WAS AN ISSUE AND THEY KNEW THE CAR BURNS THROUGH OIL 50% FASTER THAN THEIR ELECTRONIC SYSTEM AND OWNERS MANUAL SAYS. THEY WERE AWARE OF THIS IN 2008 AND IT AFFECTED SEVERAL MINI COOPERS TO THE EXTENT OF BLOWING OUT THEIR ENTIRE ENGINE. A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT WAS FILED BECAUSE MINI FAILED TO ISSUE A RECALL, WARN BUYERS, OR NOTIFY CURRENT ONES. THEY EXTENDED THE TIMING CHAIN BELT COVERAGE TO 7 YEARS OR 80K AFTER THE SUIT. MY CAR HAS 73K BUT IT'S 7 YEARS GOING ON 8. THE DEALER CONFIRMED DIAGNOSIS BUT MINI WON'T OFFER ANY HELP ON THE 3-4K REPAIRS. IF THIS HAPPENED 9 MONTHS AGO, THEY WOULD COVER IT.

NHTSA ODI #10990672

Mileage unknown · Apr 27, 2017

Engine

TURBO LEAKING OIL - GASKETS - MAJOR COMPLAINTS ALL OVER THE INTERNET. MAYBE THIS IS SOMETHING THEY NEED TO REVIEW FOR DESIGN ERROR.

NHTSA ODI #10981063

45,000 miles · Mar 6, 2017

Air BagsSeats

PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG REMAINS OFF DUE TO A FAILURE OF THE PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY DETECTION SYSTEM.

NHTSA ODI #10958926

55,000 miles · Mar 2, 2017

Air Bags

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2009 MINI COOPER PASSENGER AIR BAG SENSOR LIGHT USE TO COME ON FREQUENTLY WHILE STATIONARY AND IN MOTION, WITH OR WITHOUT PASSENGER, AND NOW STAYS ON ALL THE TIME. THE ALARM LIGHT COMES ON AS SOON AS THE CAR IS STARTED. THE WARNING LIGHT IS ILLUMINATED ON THE TACHOMETER GAUGE AND CENTER SPEEDOMETER GAUGE AND AN OVERHEAD LIGHT WARNED THAT "PASSENGER AIRBAG IS OFF" THE ALARM TAKES OVER THE DISPLAY ABOVE THE STEERING WHEEL AND MAKES IT SO YOU CAN NO LONGER SEE YOUR SPEED OR ANY OTHER INFORMATION. STARTED AT ~ 55,000 MILES ON THE CAR. MY MECHANIC DIAGNOSED IT AS PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG SENSOR MAT PROBLEM. THIS IS THE SAME PROBLEM THAT RESULTED IN A RECALL FOR 2005-2008 MODELS IN THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 15V205000. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD, AS NONE OF THE AIRBAGS WILL DEPLOY IN CASE OF IMPACT. THIS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS ON THE SAME ISSUE ARE AVAILABLE ALL OVER THE INTERNET.

NHTSA ODI #10958248

25,000 miles · Mar 1, 2017

Engine

TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER BROKE CAUSING TIMING CHAIN TO BREAK AND RUINING VALVE TRAIN AND PISTONS. SINCE IT IS AN INTERFERENCE ENGINE. COMPLETE ENGINE TO BE REPLACED, WITH ONLY 25,000 ORGINIAL MILES ON VEHICLE.

NHTSA ODI #10957892

Official recalls

23V337000 · Electrical System

May 11, 2023

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2008-2014 MINI Clubman Cooper, Clubman Cooper S, Clubman John Cooper Works, and 2007-2013 MINI Hardtop 2-Door Cooper, Cooper S, and John Cooper Works vehicles sold, or ever registered, in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington D.C., and Wisconsin. The electronic control module in the driver's side footwell area may short-circuit, due to corrosion from water and road salt.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An electrical short-circuit can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect the sunroof drains, interior footwell area, and FRM and, depending upon the results of the inspection, certain components will be replaced. Owner notification letters were mailed May 13, 2024. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-866-825-1525.

18V248000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine; Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:gasoline:turbo/supercharger

Apr 18, 2018

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2011-2012 BMW 550i, 550i xDrive, 550i Gran Turismo, 550i Gran Turismo xDrive, 750i, 750Li, 750i xDrive, 750Li xDrive, 760Li, X5 xDrive50i, X5 M, X6 xDrive50i, X6 M, ActiveHybrid7, MINI Cooper S Convertible, John Cooper Works (JCW) Convertible, Cooper S Countryman, Cooper S Countryman ALL4, Cooper S, JCW, Cooper S Clubman, JCW Clubman, Cooper S Roadster, JCW Roadster, Cooper S Coupe, JCW Coupe and Rolls-Royce Ghost, 2011 BMW X6 Hybrid and 2012 BMW 650i Coupe, 650i xDrive Coupe, 650i Convertible and 650i xDrive Convertible vehicles. The electric auxiliary water pump may fail and cause the circuit board to overheat.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the circuit board were to overheat, it can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the electric auxiliary water pump, free of charge. Depending on the model, there are currently limited parts available, however not all parts are available at this time. Owners will be notified of the recall beginning June 11, 2018, and will receive a second notification when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact BMW customer service at BMW 1-800-525-7417, MINI at 1-866-825-1525, or Rolls-Royce at 1-877-877-3735. Note: BMW recommends that owners park their vehicle outdoors until the recall remedy has been performed.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:gasoline:turbo/supercharger

Consequence: If the circuit board were to overheat, it can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the electric auxiliary water pump, free of charge. Depending on the model, there are currently limited parts available, however not all parts are available at this time. Owners will be notified of the recall beginning June 11, 2018, and will receive a second notification when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact BMW customer service at BMW 1-800-525-7417, MINI at 1-866-825-1525, or Rolls-Royce at 1-877-877-3735. Note: BMW recommends that owners park their vehicle outdoors until the recall remedy has been performed.

Engine And Engine Cooling:engine

Consequence: If the circuit board were to overheat, it can increase the risk of a fire.

12V008000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:gasoline:turbo/supercharger

Jan 11, 2012

BMW IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2007-2011 MINI COOPER S, 2008-2011 MINI COOPER S CLUBMAN, 2009-2011 MINI COOPER S CONVERTIBLE, 2009-2011 MINI COOPER JCW, 2009-2011 MINI COOPER JCW CLUBMAN, 2009-2011 COOPER JCW CONVERTIBLE, AND 2011 COOPER S COUNTRYMAN PASSENGER CARS MANUFACTURED FROM NOVEMBER 14, 2006, THROUGH JANUARY 18, 2011. THE ELECTRIC AUXILIARY WATER PUMP THAT COOLS THE TURBOCHARGER HAS AN ELECTRONIC CIRCUIT BOARD THAT CAN MALFUNCTION AND OVERHEAT.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: THE CIRCUIT BOARD MAY SMOLDER WHICH COULD RESULT IN A VEHICLE FIRE.

Remedy: BMW WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE WATER PUMP FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGANDURING FEBRUARY 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BMW AT 1-866-275-6464.

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

PE11036 · Engine Compartment Fire

Opened Oct 11, 2011 · Closed Jun 11, 2012

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine And Engine Cooling

In a January 10, 2012 letter to NHTSA, BMW of North America, LLC. (BMW) submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR) identifying a defect in the electric auxiliary water pump in approximately 88,911 model year (MY) 2007-2011 Mini Cooper vehicles manufactured from November 14, 2006 through January 18, 2011 (Recall 12V-008).According to BMW, the auxiliary water pump on vehicles equipped with 4-cylinder turbocharged engines may overheat.Electro-migration can cause the pump electronic circuit board to overheat resulting in smoldering of the water pump. If smoldering occurs, it may lead to an engine compartment or vehicle fire.The pump supplier, Pierburg Pump Technology GmbH, redesigned the pump to address factors that may contribute to circuit board overheating.The redesigned pumps were completely implemented in production vehicles by January 2011.Recall 12V-008 was the third recall initiated by BMW to address electric auxiliary water pump fires in vehicles equipped with Pierburg pumps.In two October 20, 2011 letters to NHTSA, BMW submitted DIRs for similar auxiliary water pump defect conditions in approximately 32,084 MY 2008-2011 BMW 5-Series, 7-Series, X5 and X6 models equipped with 8- and 12-cylinder engines and manufactured from May 2008 through December 2010 (Recall 11V-521); and for approximately 589 MY 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost vehicles manufactured from September 2009 through September 2010 (Recall 11V-522).In three separate April 5, 2012 letters to NHTSA, BMW submitted amendments to Recalls 11V-521, 11V-522 and 12V-008.The amendments all described a common defect condition related to a manufacturing process deviation in a certain production range of the redesigned Pierburg water pumps that could result in cracks in the pump housing, which may allow coolant to enter and contact the pump?s circuit board.BMW indicated that further analysis identified a specific machine process error at the sub-supplier that manufactures the water pump housing.Pump housing cracks may cause the circuit board to overheat and lead to smoldering of the water pump.Recall 12V-008 was, thus, amended to include approximately 1,457 MY 2011 Mini Cooper vehicles manufactured from March 31, 2011 through April 22, 2011, when pumps manufactured with the suspect manufacturing process may have been used in vehicle assembly.The amendment to Recall 11V-521 was assigned a new recall number, Recall 12V-161, and covered approximately 2,846 MY 2011-2012 BMW 5-Series, 6-Series, 7-Series, X5, and X6 vehicles manufactured from April 1, 2011 through August 1, 2011.The amendment to Recall 11V-522 was assigned a new recall number, Recall 12V-166, and covered approximately 69 MY 2011 Rolls-Royce Ghost vehicles manufactured from April 7, 2011 through June 2, 2011.The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) analyzed complaint data provided by BMW as well as complaints submitted to ODI from consumers. In total, there were 30 unique Mini Cooper reports indicating engine fire.In addition, BMW provided warranty data showing 493 claims for replacement of the subject component on Mini Cooper vehicles.Owners of the recalled vehicles are notified to take their vehicle to a BMW dealer, who will replace the auxiliary water pump to prevent any incidents related to this issue.This preliminary evaluation is closed.The ODI reports cited above can be viewed at www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following identification numbers (ODI Nos.):10286597, 10286663, 10289793, 10310677, 10314796, 10342365, 10394808, 10394192, 10403982, 10418325, 10422646, 10429003.

Additional source detail variants (3)

Engine And Engine Cooling