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What 49 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Mini Cooper S Countryman

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (49)Crash / fire / injury (6)Electrical system (16)Engine (16)Fuel system (5)Airbags (4)Body & structure (3)Seats (3)Transmission & drivetrain (3)Brakes (1)Engine & cooling (1)Latches & locks (1)

1 of 49 complaints match · Engine & cooling · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Sep 20, 2018EngineEngine & coolingFire

TURBO COOLANT PUMP - LAST YEAR MY CAR SMELLED LIKE BURNT RUBBER AND SMOKE BEGAN COMING OUT OF THE TAILPIPES. THE SMOKE WAS SO BAD, THE CAR LOOKED LIKE IT WAS ON FIRE. I TOOK IT TO A BODY SHOP TO GET IT FIXED AND THE SMOKE STOPPED. ABOUT 9 MONTHS LATER, I WAS PARKED WITH THE CAR ON. THE RUBBER SMELL AND SMOKE APPEARED AGAIN. I TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC WHO SAID IT WAS THE COOLANT PUMP FOR THE TURBO. HE SAID THERE HAD BEEN A RECALL FOR IT. I LOOKED UP THE RECALL, BUT MY VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. MY CAR IS HAVING THIS EXACT PROBLEM AND MINI WILL NOT FIX IT. IT COSTS $3300 FOR ME TO FIX, WHEN CLEARLY, IT IS A MINI MANUFACTURING PROBLEM.

NHTSA ODI 11130503

Working with the data? Download all 49 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 27, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2012 Mini Cooper S Countryman verdict →