NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
151 reports53,900 miles · May 14, 2013
Engine
I HAD MY OIL CHANGED AND AUTOMATIC SHIFTER REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY RITE AROUND 49500 ON ODOMETER. I HAVE A 100K MAINTENANCE CARE PLAN THAT COVERS ALL ENGINE OIL CHANGES, BRAKES AND ROTORS. BUT RIGHT AROUND 53000 I KEPT GETTING THE SERVICE IN 1700 MILES LIGHT WHEN EVER I START THE CAR AND GOES AWAY. THE MILES STARTED REDUCING SOO…
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I HAD MY OIL CHANGED AND AUTOMATIC SHIFTER REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY RITE AROUND 49500 ON ODOMETER. I HAVE A 100K MAINTENANCE CARE PLAN THAT COVERS ALL ENGINE OIL CHANGES, BRAKES AND ROTORS. BUT RIGHT AROUND 53000 I KEPT GETTING THE SERVICE IN 1700 MILES LIGHT WHEN EVER I START THE CAR AND GOES AWAY. THE MILES STARTED REDUCING SOONER THAN THE ACTUAL MILES DRIVEN. I WENT TO MINI SHOWROOM TO CHECK WHAT WAS GOING ON AND THEY SAID I NEED A OIL CHANGE ACCORDING TO KEY FOB (THEY CHANGED MY ENGINE OIL JUST 3K MILES BACK) . I GOT THE CALL THAT AFTERNOON SAYING MY TIMING CHAIN TENSOR WAS BAD AND LEAKING OIL. IT'S A CAR LESS THAN 4 YEARS OLD WITH 50K MILES, THIS SHOULDN'T HAPPEN. THEY SAID IT CAN GRENADE THE CAR IF I DRIVING WITHOUT FIXING. THE PARTS WAS $33 BUT LABOR WAS $400. WTH MINI. PEOPLE ARE NOT BUYING WARRANTY FOR THIS. IN THE MORNING I WAS PROUD OF HAVING A MINI THAT COVERED ENGINE OIL CHANGE UNDER MY 100K WARRANTY. BUT EVENING $450 RIPPED OFF MY BANK ACCOUNT. CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE. HAPPY I DID NOT GRENADE MY ENGINE. BUT NOT HAPPY TAKING THE $450 CHARGE. SOME PEOPLE HERE GET THE SAME PROBLEM EVEN AFTER FIXING THIS ISSUE IN 20K MILES AND MINI DOESN'T SEEM TO KEEP UP THEIR WORD ON THERE 2 YEAR WARRANTY ON THEIR REPAIRS. I THINK I'M GOING TO CHANGE MY CAR IN A YEAR. I LIKE THE DRIVE BUT CAN'T TAKE THIS REPAIR BILLS. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10511997
70,000 miles · Mar 19, 2013
Air Bags
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SRS WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG SEAT SENSOR WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. TH…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SRS WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG SEAT SENSOR WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 90,000. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10503598
Mileage unknown · Mar 18, 2013
Air BagsSeats
MY CAR IS 2009 MINI. BOUGHT NEW. AIR BAG SENSOR IN PASSENGER SEAT WENT OUT @ 70,000 MI. PASSENGER AIR BAG WONT WORK. DEALER IN BIRMINGHAM, AL. GAVE A QUOTE FOR $1300 FOR A PASSENGER SEAT. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE, MINI MUST STEP UP TO THE PLATE FOR RECALLS LIKE CHEVY, FORD, HONDA, NISSAN FOR RECALLS. I WONT GIVE YOU SHARKS $1300 F…
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MY CAR IS 2009 MINI. BOUGHT NEW. AIR BAG SENSOR IN PASSENGER SEAT WENT OUT @ 70,000 MI. PASSENGER AIR BAG WONT WORK. DEALER IN BIRMINGHAM, AL. GAVE A QUOTE FOR $1300 FOR A PASSENGER SEAT. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE, MINI MUST STEP UP TO THE PLATE FOR RECALLS LIKE CHEVY, FORD, HONDA, NISSAN FOR RECALLS. I WONT GIVE YOU SHARKS $1300 FOR A NEW SEAT. MY WIFE DIES, MY ATTORNEY'S WILL BE IN TOUCH. GIVE ME A RECALL I CAN LIVE WITH. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10503527
68,000 miles · Mar 14, 2013
Engine
TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER FAILURE. NO WARNING WHATSOEVER. TIMING CHAIN BROKE, CAUSING COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE. OUT OF WARRANTY SO MINI WON'T TOUCH IT. WILL COST $7500+. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10503010
29,000 miles · Feb 20, 2013
EnginePower Train
THE TIMING TENSIONER ON MY MINI COOPER S BACKED OUT, RESULTING IN A MASSIVE OIL LOSS WHILE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THIS IS APPARENTLY A KNOWN ISSUE BY MINI, BUT NO KNOWN RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED AT THIS POINT. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10499379
21,300 miles · Nov 13, 2012
Electrical System
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER INSTALLING A GPS SYSTEM IN THE VEHICLE HE BECAME AWARE THAT THE VEHICLE SPEEDOMETER WAS GIVEN THE INCORRECT READING. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE GPS READ 51MPH AND THE VEHICLE SPEEDOMETER READ 60 MPH, BUT VEHICLE WAS GOING SLOWER. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER INSTALLING A GPS SYSTEM IN THE VEHICLE HE BECAME AWARE THAT THE VEHICLE SPEEDOMETER WAS GIVEN THE INCORRECT READING. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE GPS READ 51MPH AND THE VEHICLE SPEEDOMETER READ 60 MPH, BUT VEHICLE WAS GOING SLOWER. THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY WERE NOT PROVIDING ANY ASSISTANCE GIVEN THAT THE VEHICLE SPEEDOMETER WAS IN TOLERANCE SINCE THE MARGIN OF ERROR ALLOWED WAS TEN PERCENT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 21,300 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 22,000. UPDATED 11/29/12 *BF UPDATED 12/4/2012 *JS
NHTSA ODI #10484119
72,120 miles · Oct 17, 2012
Engine
I WAS TRAVELING ON NJ TURNPIKE AND MY VEHICLE BLEW UP. CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. WATER PUMP ALSO BROKE. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10480806
54,385 miles · Oct 1, 2012
Engine
DURING MY COMMUTE TO WORK ON 9/27/12, MY CAR COMPLETELY DIED WHILE I WAS DRIVING IN THE MIDDLE LANE OF THE FREEWAY. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO A GARAGE, WHERE IT WAS FOUND TO BE LEAKING AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF OIL. DURING INSPECTION, IT WAS ASSESSED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN "JUMPED" AND CAUSED A CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. AT THE TIME OF…
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DURING MY COMMUTE TO WORK ON 9/27/12, MY CAR COMPLETELY DIED WHILE I WAS DRIVING IN THE MIDDLE LANE OF THE FREEWAY. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO A GARAGE, WHERE IT WAS FOUND TO BE LEAKING AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF OIL. DURING INSPECTION, IT WAS ASSESSED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN "JUMPED" AND CAUSED A CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. AT THE TIME OF THIS INCIDENT THE CAR HAD 54K MILES ON IT AND THERE WERE ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING SIGNS PRIOR TO THE FAILURE (I.E. LEAKING OIL, ENGINE RATTLE, ETC...). FURTHERMORE, SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR IN FEBRUARY 2012, I HAVE PERFORMED REGULAR MAINTENANCE ON THIS CAR (NEW BRAKES, TIRES, ALIGNMENT, REGULAR SYNTHETIC OIL CHANGES) TO ENSURE IT STAYS IN GOOD DRIVING CONDITION. APPARENTLY, THIS HAS BEEN A FREQUENTLY REPORTED ISSUE WITH MINI COOPER AND THE PROBLEM COULD HAVE EASILY RESULTED IN A FATAL CAR ACCIDENT WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY! THE ESTIMATED REPAIR COST (WITH LABOR) FOR THIS FAILURE IS APPROX 10K!!! MINI SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS FAULTY CRAFTSMANSHIP. A 3 YR CAR WITH 54K MILES SHOULD ABSOLUTELY NOT NEED TO HAVE A NEW ENGINE REPLACED!!! *TR
NHTSA ODI #10478062
34,000 miles · Aug 7, 2012
Electrical SystemEngineFire
ON JULY 25TH, APROX 9:00PM. MY DAUGHTER (DRIVER) HAVE JUST ARRIVED FROM COLLEGE INTERNSHIP AND ARRIVED BOYFRIEND FAMILY HOME (12-15MI TRIP). UPON TURNING OFF THE ENGINE AND GETTING OUT OF THE CAR SHE SMELL BURNT AND SAW SPARKS AND FIRE THROUGH THE CAR FRONT GRILL. BOYFRIEND CAME AND OPEN THE HOOD AND NOTICED THE FIRE. THE BO…
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ON JULY 25TH, APROX 9:00PM. MY DAUGHTER (DRIVER) HAVE JUST ARRIVED FROM COLLEGE INTERNSHIP AND ARRIVED BOYFRIEND FAMILY HOME (12-15MI TRIP). UPON TURNING OFF THE ENGINE AND GETTING OUT OF THE CAR SHE SMELL BURNT AND SAW SPARKS AND FIRE THROUGH THE CAR FRONT GRILL. BOYFRIEND CAME AND OPEN THE HOOD AND NOTICED THE FIRE. THE BOYFRIEND'S FATHER CAME AND USED DRY CHEMICAL EXTINGUISHER TO PUT FIRE OUT. REPORT WAS MADE TO MINI COOPER. I CAME LATER AND NOTICE SEVERAL WIRES BURNT. THE CAR WAS TOWED (7/25, 7/26 EARLY MORNING) AND IS TODAY (8/7/2012) AT MONTGOMERY COUNTY MINI COOPER ROCKVILLE, MD, AWAITING INSPECTION BY BMW ENGINEERING. THE CAR STILL PENDING REPAIR. I TOOK PICTURES LAST SATURDAY (8/4). THESE PICTURES ARE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10469472
18,794 miles · Jun 26, 2012
Electrical SystemStructureFire
I STOPPED AT A GROCERY STORE ON THE WAY HOME FROM WORK AT APPROX. 6:30 PM ON 11/17/11. I PARKED THE CAR, TURNED OFF THE IGNITION AND LOCKED IT. WHEN I EXITED THE STORE APPROXIMATELY 13-15 MINUTES LATER, I FOUND THE CAR A SMOLDERING SHELL SURROUNDED BY FIREFIGHTERS. IT APPEARED TO HAVE SPONTANEOUSLY GONE UP IN FLAMES. FIREFI…
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I STOPPED AT A GROCERY STORE ON THE WAY HOME FROM WORK AT APPROX. 6:30 PM ON 11/17/11. I PARKED THE CAR, TURNED OFF THE IGNITION AND LOCKED IT. WHEN I EXITED THE STORE APPROXIMATELY 13-15 MINUTES LATER, I FOUND THE CAR A SMOLDERING SHELL SURROUNDED BY FIREFIGHTERS. IT APPEARED TO HAVE SPONTANEOUSLY GONE UP IN FLAMES. FIREFIGHTERS COULD NOT DETERMINE A CAUSE. THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT (CAR PERFORMED "NORMALLY" AND THERE WERE NO ALARM OR FLASH INDICATORS ON THE CONSOLE SUGGESTING A PROBLEM.) *JB
NHTSA ODI #10463217
Official recalls
1May 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.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗