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What 33 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 Mini Cooper Paceman

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 (33)Crash / fire / injury (5)Electrical system (8)Engine (8)Transmission & drivetrain (8)Body & structure (4)Airbags (2)Engine & cooling (2)Fuel system (2)Seat belts (2)Seats (2)Steering (2)

8 of 33 complaints match · Transmission & drivetrain · clear filters

Oct 10, 2023SuspensionTransmission & drivetrain

Engine motor mount sheared, allowing motor to interact with and bounce directly on the frame, and stressing the other connections and components. Dealer indicated this is a very common problem for this car model and is likely a design issue, and even had another example of a sheared mount on display in order to show others with the same issue.

NHTSA ODI 11549149

Jul 13, 2019Transmission & drivetrain

HELLO, I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF A 2014 MINI COOPER COUNTRYMAN PURCHASED NEW FROM IRVINE MINI, IRVINE CALIFORNIA, ON MY WAY HOME TO SAN DIEGO FROM THE PURCHASE THE REAR PASSENGER WINDOW STOPPED WORKING, I PULLED OVER CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD TO GO IN THE NEXT DAY FOR REPAIR, IT WAS REPAIRED THE NEXT DAY, ELECTRICAL FAILURE. 2014, NEXT WAS THE ENGINE WOULD STAY ON WHEN THE KEY WAS REMOVED, DEALERSHIP X 3 BUT THEY COULD FIND NOTHING, 2ND YEAR WAS DRIVING UPHILL CITY STREETS AND CAR LOST POWER, STARTING SMOKING, PULLED OVER AFTER RESTING CAR WAS DRIVABLE, DEALERSHIPS COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG, WE NEVER RECEIVED ANY NOTICE FROM OUR DEALERSHIP INFORMING US OF FAULTY TRANSMISSION. MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT NEVER CAME ON BUT CAR STARTED LOSING POWER A FEW WEEKS AGO. I RECENTLY TOOK IT TO DEALER WHO TOLD ME THE TRANSMISSION HAS TO BE REPLACED, IT WASN'T A COMPUTER GLITCH AND THESE TRANSMISSIONS CANNOT BE SERVICED. WHAT DO I DO NOW?

NHTSA ODI 11231603

Jul 13, 2015Transmission & drivetrain

I WAS DRIVING ON AN INTERSTATE AND A WARNING READING "DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION. DRIVE MODERATELY" CAME ON. POWER WAS LOW (COULDN'T GET THE CAR OVER ABOUT 60 MPH, NOT SAFE ON AN INTERSTATE WITH STEADY TRAFFIC) AND CAR WAS SOMEWHAT CHUGGY. THIS CAR HAS THREE TIMES IN UNDER 8000 MILES TOLD ME THE OIL WAS LOW AND IT WAS CRITICALLY NECESSARY FOR ME TO ADD A QUART, WHICH SEEMS RELATED. AFTER STOPPING AND CALLING MINI (WHO TOLD ME THEY WOULD SEND A TOW TRUCK IF THE LIGHT HAD BEEN RED, RATHER THAN YELLOW) AND STARTING THE CAR BACK UP SOME 20ISH MINUTES LATER, NO WARNING. UNSURE WHEN THE NEXT WARNING IN THIS NEW CAR WILL COME UP, BUT MINI SAYS THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH OIL FILTER HOUSINGS.

NHTSA ODI 10733782

May 12, 2015Transmission & drivetrainEngine

DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY, CAR LOST OIL PRESSURE SUDDENLY, OIL POURED OUT OF VEHICLE, SMOKING AS WARNING LIGHTS INDICATED "DRIVE TRAIN MALFUNCTION" AND THEN, "LOSS OF OIL PRESSURE: STOP VEHICLE". DIAGNOSED AS A FAILURE OF A WELDING ON THE OIL PUMP HOUSING. MINI REPLACED PART AND RETURNED CAR TO ME. WITHIN 1 MILE, "DRIVE TRAIN MALFUNCTION" IGNITED AGAIN. A WEEK LATER, THEY REPORTED THAT THERE WERE METAL SHAVINGS IN THE OIL AND THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACE. I SOLD IT BACK TO MINI AS A LEMON.

NHTSA ODI 10715824

Apr 6, 2015Transmission & drivetrainEngine

WHILE DRIVING IN THE HIGHWAY, THE CAR SUDDENLY STARTED SHAKING AND HAVING LOUD CLUNKING RATTLING NOISE. THE EXHAUST WAS SPEWING HEAVY WHITE SMOKE. THE CAR SUDDENLY SLOWED AND THEN STOPPED WITH " DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION." WE ALSO GOT INTO AN ACCIDENT! *TR

NHTSA ODI 10704005

Nov 22, 2014Transmission & drivetrain

2014 MINI COOPER S HARDTOP MANUAL TRANSMISSION FAIL. THE VEHICLE ABRUPTLY DROPS OUT OF 1ST GEAR WHEN STARTING FROM A STOP, CAUSING THE CAR TO SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL. THIS FIRST OCCURRED ON NOV 17 AND HAS OCCURRED WITH INCREASING FREQUENCY TO NOW HAPPENING ABOUT 9/10 TIMES THE CAR IS STARTING FROM A STOP. THIS MAKES THE VEHICLE UNSAFE TO DRIVE IN TRAFFIC, MERGES, AND ON HILLS. NOTE, THIS CAR HAD A DEALER REQUIRED PROGRAMMING UPDATE ON OCTOBER 26 2014. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10660274

Jun 22, 2014Transmission & drivetrainElectrical system

ON TWO OCCASIONS WHEN DRIVING, THE AUTO START AND STOP FUNCTION SHUT THE ENGINE OFF, WHERE I HAD TO PUT THE CAR IN PARK & RESTART IT. HAPPENED ONCE ON A FLAT SURFACE AND ONCE ON A DOWNHILL SLOP AT A STOP. ALSO, I'VE ONLY HAD THE CAR ONE MONTH AND THE DRIVETRAIN LIGHT CAME AND THE MINI SERVICE REPAIR SAYS IT WAS FAULT #20A503 WITH THE WATER PUMP. PLEASE ADVISE! *TR

NHTSA ODI 10605086

Jun 17, 2014Transmission & drivetrain

GEAR SHIFT COMPLETELY BECAME DETACHED AT SPEED. TWO MAGAZINES HAVE HAD SAME ISSUE. THIS COULD EASILY CAUSE A FATAL ACCIDENT IF IT HAPPENED TO SOMEONE THAT ISN'T AS CALM AS MYSELF. CONSUMER REPORTS JUST HAD THIS SAME ISSUE HAPPEN. AFFECTS 2014 MINI COOPER HARDTOP MODELS, CHASSIS CODE F56. HTTP://WWW.CONSUMERREPORTS.ORG/CRO/NEWS/2014/06/2014-MINI-COOPER-S-SHIFTER-COMES-OFF-WHILE-DRIVING/INDEX.HTM. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10598798

Working with the data? Download all 33 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 2014 Mini Cooper Paceman verdict →