MINI Complaints

Spontaneous engine fire of 2015 Mini Cooper S Countryman while parked and not used for 48 hours prior. The fire department guessed it was an electrical issue. It was put out with water and a fire extinguisher but the engine was severely damaged, melted plastic everywhere, electrical wiring burned completely and more. The engine appears unfixable, the front window was cracked by the heat and the hood with paint was burnt.

The contact owned a 2010 Mini Cooper S Hartop. The contact stated that while driving at 25 MPH with the two sunroofs open, the vehicle caught fire. There were flames underneath the rear of the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact opened the hood and threw baking soda on the flames but sustained burns to her hands and face, and medical attention was provided. The neighbors had used a fire extinguisher to put out the fire. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. The airbags did not deploy. A police report was filed. There was no crash. The vehicle was previously taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the footwell control module. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V337000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. Parts distribution disconnect. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000. The insurance deemed the vehicle a total loss.

My father has the same year mini cooper and has a recall on the foot control module. He actually just got it fixed even though he hadn't had any issues with it yet. My mini has had the foot control module go bad. My car is unusable. I have no interior lights, no dash lights, no turn signals, no blowers, the windows controls don't work. I had to drive it once because I hit a deer with my other vehicle and nearly got rear ended because they didn't know I was turning and it over heated............ I do not understand why my dad got a recall and I haven't. Please HELP

Lower Engine Support and Passenger Engine Mount damaged as per routine inspection by dealer in Feb2025. Never diagnosed before. Repair done by independent service center in Feb2025 and I have receipt of approximately 1K. Also, since 22feb2025, I am not able to add fuel to the tank because the pump stops constantly and causes spill of fuel. This can cause fire. Never happened before. Tried at least 4 different gas station and same result. Dealer charges over $200 to perform inspection/diagnostics. Not done yet. Repairs to fuel tank are in the thousands. No warning in the car dashboard for none of the issues. Car with less than 80k miles.

My husband and I own a 2010 Mini Cooper Clubman, which we bought from a used car dealer in September 2022. The control module failed this summer, resulting in the high beams not functioning. A safety recall was issued by MINI a few weeks after we made repairs for that same problem. We are writing to request assistance in securing reimbursement from MINI for the cost of parts and labor to replace the control module. Because the NY State Inspection was due soon for our car, we needed to have a new control module installed in the car as quickly as possible. The control module was installed by East End Garage in Jefferson in mid-August. This Garage is close to our home and has competent mechanics who are able to work on Mini Coopers without difficulty. Shortly after the work was ·completed, the mechanic at East End Garage told us that a recall had been issued for Footwell Control Modules (FRM) in 2007-2014 Mini Clubman models, and he gave us a State of New York Supplementary Information sheet regarding the recall. We also received an Important Safety Recall sheet from MINI in November, which is included in the packet of documents we are sending you. It stated that the FRM could become corroded, "potentially resulting in a short circuit, resulting in a potential thermal event which could increase the risk of fire or injury". The mechanic told us our control module failed because of corrosion. due to where the control module is placed in the car, which he felt was a design flaw. When we became aware of the recall, we contacted the closest MINI car dealer, Keeler Motors in Latham, NY, to seek reimbursement for the control module replacement. This began a long series of being sent to different places to seek reimbursement (the dealer would not help us). I have enclosed all the receipts and correspondence I have had with these places for your review. The last place we contacted was MINI USA. They responded in mid-November, stating that "the repair performed is not included in this warranty extension" and does not meet

Transmission not reporting vehicle in park. Taken to mechanic and ran diagnostics. They said this is a safety issue. Needs shifter repair.

Electronic power steering pump issue/failure. The steering wheel was so stiff when I tried to go right that I physically could not turn the wheel. This is extremely dangerous & it happens without warning. No lights come on. You are left in a moving vehicle, without much of a way to control the direction you need it to travel in. From what I have learned, it seems an extended warranty was initially offered, & then a forced recall was issued on the, 1st Gen, 2002-2005 Mini Coopers. Only part of the vehicles with these issues were included in the recall. I have the same size 1.6 engine, & the exact same electronic power steering pump that comes with the issues & failures that I have in my 06. I have seen it on vehicles up to 08. This is absolutely unacceptable. This is a documented manufacturing defect & design flaw that has been continually allowed to endanger people’s lives. I am unsure how BMW managed to only recall part of the vehicles with these electronic power steering pump issues. I contacted BMW who told me there were no extended warranties or recalls on my vehicle.

Component/System That Failed: The oil filter housing cracked, causing a coolant leak. This part was made of plastic, which appears to be a weak point in the design and should ideally be aluminum for durability. Unfortunately, I no longer have the failed part for inspection. Safety Risk: The coolant loss resulted in a sudden loss of heat in freezing temperatures, which could be dangerous for drivers and passengers in winter conditions. While the engine did not overheat, the loss of coolant could have eventually led to engine overheating and failure, posing a safety risk if left undetected. Problem Confirmation: The issue was confirmed by an independent service center, which verified that the plastic oil filter housing cracked, leading to a coolant leak. The technician noted that this type of failure should not occur at such low mileage and suggested that the part’s material may be a design flaw. Inspection by Manufacturer or Others: At this time, the vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. However, reports from other Mini owners suggest similar failures, indicating a potential widespread defect. Warning Signs Before Failure: There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms prior to the failure. The first noticeable sign was a loss of cabin heat in extremely cold weather. Upon checking, I discovered that the coolant level had dropped due to the leak.

Manual transmission had an issue with 2nd gear not fully engaging and popping out under light acceleration. Transmission was replaced under warranty in December 2022. In April of 2024 the same issue occurred again where 2nd gear would not stay in gear after 18 months of having transmission replaced. The replaced transmission is no longer under warranty. This indicates a part defect of their 6-speed manual transmissions.

Oil filter housing failure. MINI issued a recall for this part in 2014 when the third generation MINI Cooper S/JCW first launched. Unfortunately they did not fix the part and now as time goes on, the issue is occurring with high frequency on every BMW/MINI and Toyota Supra with the BMW B46/B48 2.0L turbocharged engine. The plastic oil filter housings crack causing oil and coolant to leak. In my case oil poured down the front of the hot engine which could have caused a fire. BMW/MINI dealers charge nearly $2500 to repair this failure. The ODI should investigate this concern as it has been reported dozens of times on each model with this engine including the BMW X1 28i/M35, BMW X2 28i/M35, BMW X3 30i, BMW X4 30i, BMW 328i/330i, BMW 528i/530i, BMW 330e hybrid, BMW 530e hybrid, BMW Z4, Toyota Supra 2.0T, MINI Cooper S/JCW 3-door and 5-door, MINI Countryman, MINI Cooper S/JCW Convertible, etc. BMW is aware of this common failure. Thus far BMW has refused to issue a service campaign or recall for this problem which causes owners of these affected vehicles to be out of pocket thousands of dollars. If oil drips onto hot exhaust or into a wiring harness, it could easily cause a fire.