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2006 Mini Cooper S 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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Compare all Cooper S Convertible years →

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

34 reports with mileage · 2 unknown

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.

  • Air Bags. Review the 18 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Seats. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 5 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 reports2 fire reports0 injury reports

Air Bags complaints

18 reports
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46,500 miles · Apr 13, 2013
Air BagsSeats

IN 2010 MY CAR'S PASSENGER AIR BAG SYSTEM WARNING CAME ON AND I TOOK TO THE DEALER TO HAVE REPAIRED UNDER WARRANTY. THE DEALER REPLACED THE SEAT BECAUSE THE SEAT MAT OCCUPANCY DETECTOR HAD FAILED. IN 2013, THE LIGHTS CAME ON AGAIN. I TOOK BACK TO THE DEALER AND ASKED THEM TO FIX AT NO CHARGE, AS TO HAVE THE SAME SYSTEM FAIL TWIC…

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IN 2010 MY CAR'S PASSENGER AIR BAG SYSTEM WARNING CAME ON AND I TOOK TO THE DEALER TO HAVE REPAIRED UNDER WARRANTY. THE DEALER REPLACED THE SEAT BECAUSE THE SEAT MAT OCCUPANCY DETECTOR HAD FAILED. IN 2013, THE LIGHTS CAME ON AGAIN. I TOOK BACK TO THE DEALER AND ASKED THEM TO FIX AT NO CHARGE, AS TO HAVE THE SAME SYSTEM FAIL TWICE ON A CAR WITH LESS THAN 50,000 MILES ON IT SIGNALED A DEFECTIVE DESIGN. MINI REFUSED TO REPAIR AT NO COST AND INSTEAD PROVIDED ME WITH A $1,700 ESTIMATE TO REPLACE THE SEAT AND SYSTEM. I HAVE FILED A FORMAL COMPLAINT WITH MINI USA AND AM AWAITING A RESPONSE. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS THE PASSENGER AIRBAG IS EFFECTIVELY PERMANENTLY OFF. I HAVE READ ON THIS WEBSITE AND ELSEWHERE THAT MANY OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCING SIMILAR ISSUES WITH THIS CAR. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10508113

46,230 miles · Apr 13, 2013
Air BagsSeat Belts

PASSENGER SEAT BELT LIGHT COMES ON INTERMITTENTLY. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10508106

107,000 miles · Mar 18, 2013
Air Bags

PASS AIR BAG LIGHT STAYS ON. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10503510

85,000 miles · Mar 29, 2012
Air Bags

MY 2006 MINI COOPER S HAS A DEFECTIVE PASSENGER SEAT AIR BAG SENSOR, I WAS QUOTED $1200 TO REPLACE IT. THIS IS THE EXACT SAME PART THAT BMW RECALLED IN 2008. BMW RECALLED AROUND 150,000 VEHICLES IN NORTH AMERICA TO FIX A POSSIBLE DEFECT THAT MAY KEEP THE FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG FROM OPENING IN A CRASH, THE RECALLED CARS INCLUDE 2…

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MY 2006 MINI COOPER S HAS A DEFECTIVE PASSENGER SEAT AIR BAG SENSOR, I WAS QUOTED $1200 TO REPLACE IT. THIS IS THE EXACT SAME PART THAT BMW RECALLED IN 2008. BMW RECALLED AROUND 150,000 VEHICLES IN NORTH AMERICA TO FIX A POSSIBLE DEFECT THAT MAY KEEP THE FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG FROM OPENING IN A CRASH, THE RECALLED CARS INCLUDE 2006 3-SERIES, 2004-06 5-SERIES AND 2004-06 X3 VEHICLES. MINI USES THIS SAME RECALLED PART BEING MADE BY BMW, YET HAS NOT RECALLED THE PART. I KNOW MANY PEOPLE THAT HAVE HAD THIS PART REPLACED AT THERE OWN EXPENSE SEVERAL TIMES. IT IS A HUGE SAFETY HAZARD. *JS BMW RECALL INFORMATION... MANUFACTURER: BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC, MODEL YEAR: 2004, 2005,2006, MODELS AFFECTED:3 SERIES, 5 SERIES, X3, NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 08V384000, POTENTIAL UNITS AFFECTED: 200000,

NHTSA ODI #10453479

62,000 miles · Mar 8, 2012
Air BagsSeat Belts

THE PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF LIGHT CAME ON WITH NO ONE IN THE SEAT, WHEN ADULT SAT DOWN THE LIGHT DID NOT GO OFF. ALSO THE AIRBAG FAULT LIGHT CAME ON. THE SEAT BELT WARNING LIGHT DOES NOT COME ON WHEN PASSENGER DOES NOT BUCKLE SEAT BELT. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10450809

53,650 miles · Jan 31, 2012
Air BagsSteering

WHILE DRIVING MY 2006 MINI COOPER CONVERTIBLE THE POWER STEERING FAILED WHILE MAKING A TURN ON THE OFF RAMP OF THE HIGHWAY. THE PASSENGER AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT STAYS ON INDICATION THAT THE AIRBAG IS NOT TURNED ON. *TT

NHTSA ODI #10446011

40,000 miles · Jan 30, 2012
Air Bags

PASSENGER AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON EVEN IF LESS THEN 25 LBS IS ON THE PASSENGER SEAT. *TT

NHTSA ODI #10445955

60,000 miles · Nov 14, 2011
Air Bags

THE PASSENGER SEAT AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT IS ON ALL THE TIME, INDICATING LESS THAN 25 LBS IS ON THE SEAT, EVEN THOUGH THERE IS NOTHING ON THE SEAT. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10435626

Official recalls

1

15V205000 · Air Bags:frontal

Apr 6, 2015

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2005-2006 MINI Cooper and Cooper S vehicles manufactured January 5, 2005, to November 28, 2006, and 2005-2008 MINI Cooper Convertible and Cooper S Convertible vehicles manufactured January 5, 2005, to July 31, 2008. Due to manufacturing, installation, and exposure issues, the front passenger seat occupant detection mat may not function properly and, as a result, the front passenger air bag may not deploy in a crash.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An improperly functioning mat may cause the passenger frontal air bag to be inactive when the seat is occupied, and in the event of a crash, the air bag will not deploy, increasing the passenger's risk of injury.

Remedy: MINI will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger seat occupant detection mat, free of charge. The recall began on October 12, 2015. Owners may contact MINI 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 ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.