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: 11 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.
Power Train. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Engine. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Air Bags. Review the 2 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
1 crash reports0 fire reports0 injury reports
What owners actually said
13 reports
48,000 miles · Dec 3, 2020
Air BagsVisibility/wiper
PASSENGER AIRBAG SENSOR ISSUE, I HAVE SEEN THIS REPORTED IN OTHER MINI COOPERS THAT WERE RECALLED BUT MY SPECIFIC MODEL WAS NOT. I WANT TO BE SURE ALL APPLICABLE VEHICLES ARE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL FOR THE SAFETY OF MYSELF AND OTHER MINI OWNERS. I HAVE NO AIRBAG FUNCTION RIGHT NOW AND BOTH MY DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG LIG…
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PASSENGER AIRBAG SENSOR ISSUE, I HAVE SEEN THIS REPORTED IN OTHER MINI COOPERS THAT WERE RECALLED BUT MY SPECIFIC MODEL WAS NOT. I WANT TO BE SURE ALL APPLICABLE VEHICLES ARE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL FOR THE SAFETY OF MYSELF AND OTHER MINI OWNERS. I HAVE NO AIRBAG FUNCTION RIGHT NOW AND BOTH MY DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG LIGHTS ARE ON. MY MECHANIC STATED THAT I WOULD NEED TO REPLACE THE PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR AT THE LEAST.
NHTSA ODI #11377693
Mileage unknown · Nov 15, 2020
Power Train
FIRST GEAR POPS OUT RANDOMLY, WHEN IT'S BEGINNING TO MOVE OR AFTER IT STARTED MOVING. IT CAN GO DAYS WITHOUT HAPPENING THEN IT WILL HAPPEN MULTIPLE TIMES IN ONE DAY.
NHTSA ODI #11374754
46,000 miles · Feb 15, 2019
Fuel/propulsion System
BAD SENDING UNIT ON FUEL PUMP ASSEMBLY; THIS CAUSED THE GAS LIGHTS TO STOP WORKING INSIDE THE VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING.
NHTSA ODI #11180415
39,000 miles · Dec 24, 2018
Suspension
I WAS DRIVING, MAKING A RIGHT TURN WHEN I HIT A ROCK ON THE ROAD WITH MY FRONT RIGHT TIRE. AFTER THIS, I WOULD HEAR A THUMPING SOUND WHILE TURNING. THEN WE LEARNED THAT THE MOUNTING KIT OF THE FRONT STRUT CRACKED; THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT OUR DEALERSHIP MENTIONED THAT IT'S A COMMON ISSUE AMONG MY MAKE AND MODEL OF CAR.
NHTSA ODI #11163304
Mileage unknown · Nov 14, 2018
Power Train
DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION APPEAR WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY
NHTSA ODI #11151538
35,000 miles · Aug 17, 2018
EnginePower TrainVehicle Speed Control
DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION WARNING - APPEARS AND REDUCES SPEED AT ANY TIME OF DRIVING - THIS COULD CAUSE SEVERE ACCIDENTS DUE TO LOSS OF POWER/PERFORMANCE. THIS WARNING IS ENGAGED AT ANYTIME W/O WARNING. SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR VEHICLE SHOULD BE FREE OF CHARGE AS THIS IMPACTS LOSS OF POWER. WHEN TAKING IT TO AUTO MECHANIC, NO CODES A…
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DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION WARNING - APPEARS AND REDUCES SPEED AT ANY TIME OF DRIVING - THIS COULD CAUSE SEVERE ACCIDENTS DUE TO LOSS OF POWER/PERFORMANCE. THIS WARNING IS ENGAGED AT ANYTIME W/O WARNING. SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR VEHICLE SHOULD BE FREE OF CHARGE AS THIS IMPACTS LOSS OF POWER. WHEN TAKING IT TO AUTO MECHANIC, NO CODES ARE FOUND AND NO ENGINE LIGHT OR FAULT CODE. RESEARCHING ALL F56 FORUM, SEEMS LIKE THIS HAS BEEN COMMON COMPLAINT. EVEN THOUGH THE WARNING COMES ON AND TELLS YOU TO DRIVE CAREFULLY (SLOW DOWN). YOU ARE STILL IN A HIGH DENSITY TRAFFIC OR FREEWAY THAT DOES NOT ALLOW YOU ENOUGH TIME TO PULL ON THE SIDE. THE SOFTWARE SHOULD BE AVAILABLE TO CONSUMER AS THIS IMPACTS THE SPEED OF THE CURRENT DRIVING CONDITION (WHICH IS NOT OBVIOUS TO OTHER DRIVERS). IF IT WAS A FLAT TIRE, OR SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE HOOD.. THIS IS VISIBLE. MECHANICS CANNOT FIGURE OUT THE ISSUE DUE TO A "GENERAL / NO DETAILS" TO THE SPECIFIC ISSUE. THEREFORE, THE OLDER SOFTWARE FOR THIS MODEL AND YEAR SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A RECALL FOR HAZARDOUS DRIVING. FURTHERMORE, SOFTWARE UPDATES SHOULD BE NOTIFIED TO ALL CONSUMERS AND DETAILING THE ITEMS THAT THE SOFTWARE WILL BE CHANGING. THERE IS NO COMMUNICATION OR EVEN ON THEIR WEBSITE TO SHOW UPDATES AND NEEDS FOR IT. THIS IS A PROBLEM IF IT HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH ENGINE AND POWERTRAIN.
NHTSA ODI #11120569
12,000 miles · Jun 23, 2018
Unknown Or Other
THE F56 HORN IS NOT SENSITIVE, AND REQUIRES AGGRESSIVE PUSHING TO SOUND, CREATING A SAFETY HAZARD.
NHTSA ODI #11103580
40,000 miles · Sep 18, 2017
Power Train
OTHER MINI COPPERS FROM THIS YEAR WITH DIFFERENT MODELS HAVE BEEN RECALLED FOR AN ISSUE THAT ALLOWS THE CAR TO THE EXITED WHEN THE CAR IS NOT IN PARK. MY CAR CAN GET SHUT DOWN, THIS IS PURPOSEFULLY STOPPED LIKE AT A PARKING SPACE. WHILE STILL IN DRIVE MODE, I CAN EXIT THE CAR, THE CAR STARTS TO ROLL AWAY. THIS HAS HAPPENED T…
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OTHER MINI COPPERS FROM THIS YEAR WITH DIFFERENT MODELS HAVE BEEN RECALLED FOR AN ISSUE THAT ALLOWS THE CAR TO THE EXITED WHEN THE CAR IS NOT IN PARK. MY CAR CAN GET SHUT DOWN, THIS IS PURPOSEFULLY STOPPED LIKE AT A PARKING SPACE. WHILE STILL IN DRIVE MODE, I CAN EXIT THE CAR, THE CAR STARTS TO ROLL AWAY. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME NUMBERS TIMES. HAVING HAD TO JUMP BACK IN MY CAR TO STOP IT. ONCE ON A HILL AND IT ALMOST CAUSED A CRASH. SCARY. BOUGHT THE CAR IN 2015 SPRING AND THE STARTED FALL OF 2016 AND HAS CONTINUED TO HAPPEN. CAR BOOT TO BONNET WARRANTY WAS EXPIRED AT THE TIME THIS STARTED. THEY WERE CALLED THE AROUND FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED, I WAS UNABLE TO GET MY KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION WHILE IN PARK. THEN I WAS ABLE TO GET IT OUT WHILE IN DRIVE AND NOW, I CAN OFTEN RUN MY CAR WITHOUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION. THIS IS NOT A KEYLESS START CAR. ALL INCIDENTS TRANSPIRED ON PARKING LOTS OR PARKING SPACES ON A STREET.
NHTSA ODI #11023971
25,000 miles · Feb 28, 2017
Air BagsCrash
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 MINI COOPER S. WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A STOP LIGHT, THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE PRECEDING VEHICLE. THE DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED. THE CONTACT BLACKED OUT DUE TO THE DEPLOYMENT AND WAS NOT ABLE TO PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 MINI COOPER S. WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A STOP LIGHT, THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE PRECEDING VEHICLE. THE DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED. THE CONTACT BLACKED OUT DUE TO THE DEPLOYMENT AND WAS NOT ABLE TO PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTO BODY REPAIR SHOP WHERE THE BODY DAMAGES WERE REPAIRED, BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,000.
NHTSA ODI #10957644
3,400 miles · Jan 26, 2016
Unknown Or Other
EXPERIENCED A LOUD RATTLE IN THE CAR, TOOK IT TO THE DEALER, THEY REPLACED THE REAR SHOCKS, BUT THE RATTLE STILL HAS NOT BEEN ILLUMINATED. I EMAILED THE DEALER AND TOLD HIM THAT REPLACING THE SHOCKS DID NOT ILLUMINATE THE PROBLEM, HE SAID THAT MINI ENGINEERING IS GOING TO WORK ON THIS PROBLEM, THAT EVIDENTLY IS OCCURRING IN THIS…
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EXPERIENCED A LOUD RATTLE IN THE CAR, TOOK IT TO THE DEALER, THEY REPLACED THE REAR SHOCKS, BUT THE RATTLE STILL HAS NOT BEEN ILLUMINATED. I EMAILED THE DEALER AND TOLD HIM THAT REPLACING THE SHOCKS DID NOT ILLUMINATE THE PROBLEM, HE SAID THAT MINI ENGINEERING IS GOING TO WORK ON THIS PROBLEM, THAT EVIDENTLY IS OCCURRING IN THIS YEAR AND MODEL.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 door vehicles manufactured February 25, 2014, to May 16, 2015, 2014-2015 MINI Cooper S Hardtop 2 door vehicles manufactured March 28, 2014, to May 9, 2015, 2015 MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 door vehicles manufactured October 17, 2014, to June 2, 2015, and 2015 MINI Cooper S Hardtop 4 door vehicles manufactured November 24, 2014, to June 11, 2015. During a service appointment, the affected vehicles received replacement front passenger seat cushions (which contain integral Capacitive Interior Sensing (CIS) functions). The CIS functions may have been incorrectly calibrated, and if so, would cause impaired occupant classification and thus inappropriate air bag activation/deactivation.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Inappropriate air bag activation/deactivation can increase the risk of occupant injury in the event of a vehicle crash.
Remedy: MINI will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the front passenger seat cushion, free of charge. The recall began on December 28, 2015. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525 .
Additional source detail variants (2)
Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 door vehicles manufactured February 25, 2014, to May 16, 2015, 2014-2015 MINI Cooper S Hardtop 2 door vehicles manufactured March 28, 2014, to May 9, 2015, 2015 MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 door vehicles manufactured October 17, 2014, to June 2, 2015, and 2015 MINI Cooper S Hardtop 4 door vehicles manufactured November 24, 2014, to June 11, 2015. During a service appointment, the affected vehicles received replacement front passenger seat cushions (which contain integral Capacitive Interior Sensing (CIS) functions). The CIS functions may have been incorrectly calibrated, and if so, would cause impaired occupant classification and thus inappropriate air bag activation/deactivation.
Consequence: Inappropriate air bag activation/deactivation can increase the risk of occupant injury in the event of a vehicle crash.
Remedy: MINI will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the front passenger seat cushion, free of charge. The recall began on December 28, 2015. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525 .
Seats
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 door vehicles manufactured February 25, 2014, to May 16, 2015, 2014-2015 MINI Cooper S Hardtop 2 door vehicles manufactured March 28, 2014, to May 9, 2015, 2015 MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 door vehicles manufactured October 17, 2014, to June 2, 2015, and 2015 MINI Cooper S Hardtop 4 door vehicles manufactured November 24, 2014, to June 11, 2015. During a service appointment, the affected vehicles received replacement front passenger seat cushions (which contain integral Capacitive Interior Sensing (CIS) functions). The CIS functions may have been incorrectly calibrated, and if so, would cause impaired occupant classification and thus inappropriate air bag activation/deactivation.
Consequence: Inappropriate air bag activation/deactivation can increase the risk of occupant injury in the event of a vehicle crash.
Remedy: MINI will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the front passenger seat cushion, free of charge. The recall began on December 28, 2015. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525 .
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 MINI Cooper S and MINI Cooper two-door vehicles, 2015-2016 MINI John Cooper Works and MINI Cooper S and MINI Cooper four-door vehicles and 2014-2015 BMW i3 vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the passenger frontal air bag may not deploy properly in a low speed crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: In the event of a vehicle crash, an air bag that does not deploy properly increases the risk of injury to the front seat passenger.
Remedy: MINI and BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began on November 25, 2015. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525 and BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S Hardtop 2 Door vehicles and 2015 MINI John Cooper Works Hardtop 2 Door vehicles. The affected vehicles do not meet the side impact performance requirements for the rear seat passengers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 214, "Side Impact Protection."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the side impact performance requirements are not met, rear seat passengers may be at a higher risk of injury during a crash.
Remedy: MINI will notify owners, and dealers will install additional energy absorption material between the rear interior side panels and the exterior vehicle body, free of charge. The recall began on September 4, 2015. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525. Note: this recall supersedes 14V-815.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 Door, and Cooper S Hardtop 2 Door vehicles manufactured January 6, 2014, to October 17, 2014. During service appointments, dealers may have inadvertently reprogrammed the transmission control unit with software that may allow drivers to exit the vehicle when the transmission is not in Park. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the driver exits the vehicle without the transmission being in Park, the vehicle could roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.
Remedy: MINI will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the transmission control module with the correct software, free of charge. The recall February 4, 2015. Owners can 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
1
AQ15004 · BMW Safety Act Violations
Opened Sep 24, 2015 · Closed Oct 2, 2017
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Structure
In a Consent Order executed on December 17, 2015, BMW of North America, LLC (BMW NA) admitted that it violated the Safety Act by: failing to conduct a timely recall for Recall No. 15V-450; failing to file certain quarterly recall reports in a timely manner; failing to timely notify vehicle owners of the existence of a defect or noncompliance; failing to promptly advise NHTSA of delays with the beginning or completion dates for mailing owner or dealer notifications; and failing to timely submit copies to NHTSA of communications relating to recalls.As part of the Consent Order, NHTSA imposed a total civil penalty of $40 million against BMW NA for its violations of the Safety Act.The civil penalty consists of a cash payment, monetary performance obligations, and stipulated penalties.BMW NA paid the $10 million cash penalty on February 12, 2016.Failure to comply with the terms of the Consent Order or the Safety Act will result in portions of the stipulated penalties coming due.The Consent Order required BMW NA to appoint an independent safety consultant to assist BMW NA in developing best practices for complying with the Safety Act and evaluating safety issues under consideration by BMW NA.BMW NA was also required to develop a program to train dealers on the importance of complying with the prohibition on selling unremedied vehicles under recall, improve dealers' access to information necessary to maximize completion of open recalls, and invest in a pilot program to determine whether BMW NA can use data analytics to detect emerging safety defect trends.The population listed in this closing resume is based on BMW NA's untimely recall and does not include other issues addressed by the Consent Order, which relate to BMW NA's safety processes.Based on the Consent Order, BMW NA's admissions that it violated the law, and its ongoing performance obligations, this audit query investigation, AQ15-004, is closed. Closure of this AQ has no bearing on the terms of the Consent Order, including BMW NA's ongoing performance obligations or legal obligations, and does not represent a determination by NHTSA as to BMW NA's performance under the Consent Order to date.
2014 Mini Cooper S Problems, Complaints & Recalls | Skip That Year
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