SEAT BACK MECHANISM FAILED. COULD NOT LATCH IN PLACE. FAILED WITH NO WARNING WHILE DRIVING. MOTOR MOUNT BROKEN WITH MILAGE ONLY AT 56,000 MILES.
2016 Mini Cooper
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2016 Mini Cooper do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 40.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Cooper 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
Limited mileage data: 2 of 28 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.
- Engine. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Exterior Lighting. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
28 reportsLeft side headlight has needed to be replaced three different times at a cost of $1400 each time.
Car only has 48000,00 miles and tie rods need replaced This is not normal ware for a car. My Ford Fusion has 98000.00 and just now needs tie rods. This has to be a defect
The harmonic balancer aka crank damper went on my 2016 4dr hardtop 1.5L Mini Cooper. Has 73,000 miles on it. It has been sitting at a garage now for almost a month waiting for bmw to have the part in stock (tentative date avail. Sept.20, making it 2months wait time) tried every possible 3rd party parts dealer & not 1 harmonic ba…
Read full complaint
The harmonic balancer aka crank damper went on my 2016 4dr hardtop 1.5L Mini Cooper. Has 73,000 miles on it. It has been sitting at a garage now for almost a month waiting for bmw to have the part in stock (tentative date avail. Sept.20, making it 2months wait time) tried every possible 3rd party parts dealer & not 1 harmonic balancer is to be found. I was told this part had already needed to be upgraded & modified making it a faulty part to begin with. Was told by garage it’s a common part to go on these cars. 1st my warning light came on saying the battery wasn’t holding a charge. Beings that I was 2 blocks from my house I drove there & as I was getting to my house another warning came on saying “carefully pull over & let engine cool” so I parked it & had it towed to garage to avoid any other issues.
Check engine light comes on. The vehicle is giving code 1b8302. This code is for environmental air sensor BUS communication error. There is an extended warranty issued by Mini for other models for the exact same issue. Dealership/Mini will not cover the cost to repair my vehicle as it has been excluded from the extended warranty…
Read full complaint
Check engine light comes on. The vehicle is giving code 1b8302. This code is for environmental air sensor BUS communication error. There is an extended warranty issued by Mini for other models for the exact same issue. Dealership/Mini will not cover the cost to repair my vehicle as it has been excluded from the extended warranty. I would like to highlight again that the warranty was issued for the same issue I am experiencing. I have the same engine and the vehicle was manufactured during the same years the warranty was issued for. My vehicle has less than 44,0000 miles on it. There is clearly a defect. I would greatly appreciate any assistance you can provide in holding Mini accountable.
TL* THE CONTACT CALLED ON BEHALF OF HER SON WHO OWNED A 2016 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE HER SON WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, ANOTHER VEHICLE RAN A STOP SIGN AND CRASHED INTO THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR SENDING THE VEHICLE 10-15 FEET HEAD-ON INTO A TREE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE…
Read full complaint
TL* THE CONTACT CALLED ON BEHALF OF HER SON WHO OWNED A 2016 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE HER SON WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, ANOTHER VEHICLE RAN A STOP SIGN AND CRASHED INTO THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR SENDING THE VEHICLE 10-15 FEET HEAD-ON INTO A TREE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HER SON SUSTAINED A DISLOCATED RIGHT ANKLE, THE RIGHT HEEL WAS FRACTURED IN 5 PLACES, THE L3 AND L5 VERTEBRAE WERE FRACTURED, HIS LEFT COLLAR BONE WAS FRACTURED REQUIRING EXTENSIVE MEDICAL ATTENTION AND SURGERY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO FROM THE SCENE TO A TOW LOT. THE VEHICLE WAS DEEMED A TOTAL LOSS BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED OF THE FAILURE AND A CASE WAS FILED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 43,500. ## VIN PASSED ## MINI 2016 ##
REAR LIGHT CONNECTOR OVER HEATING, MELTING AND SHORTING.
WAS IN A SIGNIFICANT MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT ON 2.18.20. DRIVING ON US-98WEST 2016 MINI COOPER 4DOOR WHEN LARGE CHEVY2500 PICKUP TRUCK STOPPED SUDDENLY IN FRONT OF ME. I WAS TRAVELING AT ABOUT 45-50MPH. I WAS WEARING MY SEATBELT. I SLAMMED ON BRAKES BUT MADE FULL CONTACT WITH BACK OF TRUCK, I WAS SLAMMED INTO THE WINDSHIELD A…
Read full complaint
WAS IN A SIGNIFICANT MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT ON 2.18.20. DRIVING ON US-98WEST 2016 MINI COOPER 4DOOR WHEN LARGE CHEVY2500 PICKUP TRUCK STOPPED SUDDENLY IN FRONT OF ME. I WAS TRAVELING AT ABOUT 45-50MPH. I WAS WEARING MY SEATBELT. I SLAMMED ON BRAKES BUT MADE FULL CONTACT WITH BACK OF TRUCK, I WAS SLAMMED INTO THE WINDSHIELD AND STEERING COLUMN. SEATBELT FAILED- AIRBAG FAILED! MINI COOPER WAS DETERMINED A TOTAL LOSS BY INSURANCE COMPANY. I SUFFERED A CONCUSSION, FRACTURED STERNUM, TWO FRACTURED VERTEBRAE IN MY NECK - C7 AND T1.
Official recalls
115V628000 · Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module
Oct 7, 2015
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.
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.
Illustration