What breaks most · 2002 to 2019 model years
MINI Cooper S problems by year
Owners have filed 1,634 safety complaints with NHTSA about the MINI Cooper S across model years 2002 to 2019. Three years stand out: 2005 for steering complaints, 2007 for engine complaints and 2004 for steering complaints. The quietest years are 2016, 2015 and 2012.
- Years to check closely: 2005, 2007, 2004
- Fewest complaints: 2016, 2015, 2012
- Complaints on file
- 16342002 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 2005307 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 3996 fires · 45 injuries · 2 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 61kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 44Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 82 | 3 | 1 | Steering (56) | |
| 212 | 10 | 2 | Steering (126) | |
| 242 | 7 | 2 | Steering (206) | |
| 307 | 6 | 2 | Steering (205) | |
| 181 | 4 | 1 | Air bags (65) | |
| 243 | 2 | 4 | Engine (93) | |
| 160 | 1 | 4 | Engine (76) | |
| 103 | 2 | 3 | Engine (61) | |
| 50 | 1 | 4 | Engine (33) | |
| 17 | 0 | 3 | Engine (15) | |
| 8 | 0 | 2 | Electrical system (3) | |
| 9 | 1 | 1 | Engine (3) | |
| 11 | 1 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (5) | |
| 4 | 0 | 4 | Unknown or other (1) | |
| 3 | 0 | 3 | Engine (1) | |
| 1 | 1 | 3 | Air bags (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (1) |
What fails on the 2005 MINI Cooper S
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 67% |
205 | 4 | Shop steering parts for the 2005 MINI Cooper S |
| Air bags | 23% |
71 | 2 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 7% |
22 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2005 MINI Cooper S |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 4% |
13 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 3% |
8 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2005 MINI Cooper S |
| Seats | 3% |
8 | 0 | — |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 2% |
7 | 1 | Shop engine parts for the 2005 MINI Cooper S |
| Unknown or other | 2% |
6 | 0 | — |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Takata recall. Dealership wanted to charge me $1000 to fix this airbag. Steering also stiff and at time unresponsive. Number three misfire is a design flaw. Horn does not work. Lens on headlights make light very dim.
-
The turbocharger had to be replaced, new turbo got hot and melted the valve cover. Then the turbocharger caught fire while in motion in a rural neighborhood. All within 6 months.
-
The vehicle was hard to steer and smoke was coming from the engine. Took the car home, did not see flames, parked car in the driveway switched cars and left. Received a call from the fire department that my mini was on fire and i needed to return to my house.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which MINI Cooper S years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2005, 2007, 2004 carry the most filings on the MINI Cooper S. The 2005 alone has 307 complaints, led by steering.
What is the most common MINI Cooper S problem?
On the 2005 model year, the most-reported component is steering with 205 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do MINI Cooper S problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all MINI Cooper S complaints that include mileage is about 61,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.