IllustrationTRAVELING ON HIGHWAY AT 70MPH AND INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS UP, SPEEDS DROPS TO MAXIMUM 30MPH CREATING UNSAFE DRIVING CONDITION. FIRST OCCURRENCE MARCH 2012 WAS DIAGNOSED AS FAILED "THROTTLE BODY", SECOND OCCURRENCE IN JULY 2012 WAS DIAGNOSED AS FAILED "WIRING HARNESS". *TR
2006 Mini Cooper S
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Cooper S years
Owner complaints for the 2006 Mini Cooper S are substantially higher than the model-year median of 23.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Cooper S 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
270–25K
3825–50K
5350–75K
2475–100K
17100–150K
2150K+
161 reports with mileage · 25 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 67 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Steering. Review the 48 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 23 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
4 crash reports9 fire reports6 injury reports
Vehicle Speed Control complaints
3 reportsBRAND NEW MINI COOPER CONVERTIBLE (1 WEEK OLD). I WAS DRIVING ON A FREEWAY IN THE LEFT MOST LANE. WHILE I WAS CHECKING THE POSSIBILITY TO CHANGE TO THE RIGHT LANE, THE FREEWAY CURVED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. THE CAR ENTERED SLIGHTLY INTO THE SHOULDER LANE ON THE LEFT. THE SPEED WAS 65 MPH. THE MOMENT PART OF THE CAR ENTERED …
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BRAND NEW MINI COOPER CONVERTIBLE (1 WEEK OLD). I WAS DRIVING ON A FREEWAY IN THE LEFT MOST LANE. WHILE I WAS CHECKING THE POSSIBILITY TO CHANGE TO THE RIGHT LANE, THE FREEWAY CURVED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. THE CAR ENTERED SLIGHTLY INTO THE SHOULDER LANE ON THE LEFT. THE SPEED WAS 65 MPH. THE MOMENT PART OF THE CAR ENTERED THE SHOULDER LANE, IT LOST CONTROL AND HIT THE SHOULDER. AS A RESULT, THE CAR FLIPPED OVER AND DRAGGED FOR ABOUT 5 SECONDS BEFORE COMING TO A STOP. AS A RESULT OF THIS CRASH, I INCURRED SEVERE EYE INJURY AND SIGNIFICANT HEAD INJURY IN ADDITION TO ROAD RASHES ON HEAD, HANDS AND FACE. THE CAR WAS TOTALED. *NM
DT*: THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MINI COOPER MODEL S. THREE DAYS AFTER PURCHASE AT 130 MILES THE VEHICLE STALLED AND OPERATED AT A REDUCED SPEED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE. ALTHOUGH THE VEHICLE DID NOT STALL OUT COMPLETELY, THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER REPROGRAMMED THE COMPUTER SOFTWARE. AFTERWARDS, THE CO…
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DT*: THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MINI COOPER MODEL S. THREE DAYS AFTER PURCHASE AT 130 MILES THE VEHICLE STALLED AND OPERATED AT A REDUCED SPEED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE. ALTHOUGH THE VEHICLE DID NOT STALL OUT COMPLETELY, THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER REPROGRAMMED THE COMPUTER SOFTWARE. AFTERWARDS, THE CONTACT WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE WITH BRAKE PRESSURE APPLIED, THE ENGINE ROARED AND THE VEHICLE LURCHED FORWARD AND STRUCK A TREE. THE POLICE WERE ON THE SCENE AND A REPORT WAS TAKEN. THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE, BUT NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER. THE DEALER PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC TEST AND WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT SUGGESTED REPLACING THE ENGINE. *AK UPDATED 3/3/2006 - *NM
Official recalls
115V205000 · 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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.