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2006 Mini Cooper

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Cooper years

Owner complaints for the 2006 Mini Cooper are substantially higher than the model-year median of 40.5.

About this comparison →
200Owner complaints

Model-year median: 40.5

1Recall campaigns

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0Investigations

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
320
2003282
2004372
2005200
2006117
2007115
2008151
2009
Compare all Cooper years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Air Bags
111Steering
53Power Train
20Seats
13Electrical System
10
All reported categories
Engine
10Engine And Engine Cooling
9Seat Belts
5Unknown Or Other
3Vehicle Speed Control
2Equipment
1Equipment Adaptive/mobility
1Exterior Lighting
1Service Brakes
1Structure
1Suspension
1Visibility/wiper
1Wheels
1

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

166 reports with mileage · 34 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 111 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Steering. Review the 53 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 20 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

9 crash reports8 fire reports8 injury reports

Exterior Lighting complaints

1 reports
Clear category filter
36,363 miles · Jan 29, 2014
Air BagsExterior LightingSeats

THE SEAT SENSOR IS FAULTY. IT READS THAT SOMEONE UNDER 30LBS IS IN IT (DISABLING THE AIRBAG) THE DASH LIGHT VERIFIES IT IS OFF. THIS PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT TO THIS DAY. SO IF A CRASH OCCURS THE SENSOR WON'T READ CORRECTLY IF ANYONE IS IN THE SEAT OR NOT, THE AIRBAG MAY NOT DEPLOY AND IF IT DOES WILL DO SO POSSIBLY WITH TOO MUCH…

Read full complaint

THE SEAT SENSOR IS FAULTY. IT READS THAT SOMEONE UNDER 30LBS IS IN IT (DISABLING THE AIRBAG) THE DASH LIGHT VERIFIES IT IS OFF. THIS PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT TO THIS DAY. SO IF A CRASH OCCURS THE SENSOR WON'T READ CORRECTLY IF ANYONE IS IN THE SEAT OR NOT, THE AIRBAG MAY NOT DEPLOY AND IF IT DOES WILL DO SO POSSIBLY WITH TOO MUCH FORCE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10562140

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.