Mini Cooper Coupe

Where it stands out against its peers

• Electrical system: more complaints than 93% of 2012 cars — 43% of its 357 complaints, where an ordinary 2012 car has 16%.

Same model year only, at least 30 peer cars, zeros included. Every car has a worst part; this shows which, and how far from ordinary it is. A high share means more to check, not a verdict.

Before you buy one

Built from what this car fails on, not from general knowledge of the model.

• ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — 89 owners reported this, 6 involving a fire
• ENGINE — 53 owners reported this, 4 involving a crash, 8 involving a fire
• AIR BAGS — 34 owners reported this
• POWER TRAIN — 15 owners reported this
• AIR BAGS,SEATS — 11 owners reported this
• ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING — 11 owners reported this, 1 involving a crash
• ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE — 8 owners reported this
• EXTERIOR LIGHTING — 8 owners reported this
• SEAT BELTS — 8 owners reported this
• ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING — 6 owners reported this, 1 involving a fire
• FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — 6 owners reported this
• VISIBILITY/WIPER — 6 owners reported this
• ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — 5 owners reported this
• SERVICE BRAKES — 5 owners reported this

Crash test

Crash-tested by NHTSA, the American road safety agency.

Specification

Recalls

Filed by the manufacturer with a regulator. A recall is repaired free of charge, whoever owns the car now.

17% of 2015 cars have more recall campaigns than this one, and an ordinary one has 3. More of them means more to check the service record for, not a worse car.

• 14V721000

  If the seatback adjustment mechanism is not fully engaged, the seatback may fold during a rear impact collision, increasing the risk of injury to the seat occupant.

  MINI will notify owners, and dealers will re-align and re-tighten the seatback adjustment mechanisms, free of charge. The recall began December 29, 2014. Owners can contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525.

• 14V789000

  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.

  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.

• 15V034000

  The maximum weight listed on the label is incorrect (too low) and therefore does not comply with Federal Regulations.

  MINI will notify owners, and dealers will replace the incorrect labels with corrected labels, free of charge. Owners were mailed interim notification on March 18, 2015. The recall began on October 15, 2015. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525.

• 15V450000

  If the side impact performance requirements are not met, rear seat passengers may be at a higher risk of injury during a crash.

  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.

• 15V628000

  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.

  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.

• 15V739000

  Inappropriate air bag activation/deactivation can increase the risk of occupant injury in the event of a vehicle crash.

  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 .

• 23V337000

  An electrical short-circuit can increase the risk of a fire.

  Dealers will inspect the sunroof drains, interior footwell area, and FRM and, depending upon the results of the inspection, certain components will be replaced. Owner notification letters were mailed May 13, 2024. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-866-825-1525.

Regulator investigations

Opened by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation is a question the regulator asked about a possible defect, not a fault it found — most end without a recall.

• BMW Safety Act Violations

  Audit query, opened September 2015, closed October 2017.

• International Autos, Inc. / Mini Recall

  Audit query, opened August 2015, closed August 2016.

What the maker told its dealers

Service bulletins are the manufacturer's own repair guidance to dealers, filed with NHTSA. A bulletin is not a defect finding; the count rises with how many things a maker writes down, not only with how many go wrong.

Mini filed 395 bulletins about the 2015 Cooper Coupe.

• Electrical system: 81
• Equipment: 79
• Engine and engine cooling: 63
• Equipment adaptive/mobility: 30
• Power train: 24
• Engine: 23
• Structure: 23
• Visibility: 18
• Suspension: 13
• Steering: 9
• Other: 32

• The automatic transmission limited warranty for the vehicle Selector Lever Magnetic Shift Interlock Mechanism (Gearshift lug assembly portion) has been extended to 10 years/120,000 miles, as… · July 2025
• For the eligible vehicles listed above, the limited warranty for the vehicle’s Selector Lever Magnetic Shift Interlock Mechanism (Gearshift lug assembly portion) has been extended to: 10… · September 2024
• Cavity protection applied to underside of the hood is leaking out onto the wheel arch trim and grille. · December 2023
• MINI electrical systems have continued to develop over the past few years. As a result, the demand on the batteries has increased. Breakdowns due to an empty battery or problems in the vehicles… · November 2023
• ?The panoramic roof sunblind does not close, or jams while closing. · September 2023
• ?BMW AG has issued a Delivery Stop: REPLACE CHARGE AIR LINE. · September 2023
• The 3G network in the US has been shut down. This means that only the 4G network will be available. In the 4G network, voice calls will be transferred via Voice over LTE (VoLTE) function. For this… · April 2023
• The buttons on the gear selector switch (GWS) do not work, or the function indicator lighting has failed. · April 2023

387 more.

Grouped by NHTSA's top-level system; a bulletin filed under a sub-heading counts toward its system.