What 62 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 Mini Cooper S Countryman

On or around 6/20/26, I went to drive my 2014 mini countryman. When I got inside, I quickly realized that there was mold growing throughout the vehicle, on the carpet, and in the trunk. The vehicle started, but I was unable to use the drivers side window. I sent the vehicle in for service and was informed that a massive leak after a storm had clogged the drain tubes to the moon roof allowing water to leak into the driver side floor. The water damaged the electrical box which caused the window to stop worked. I found out later that this electrical component failure can cause several other issues most alarmingly, increased potential for an electrical fire. I have filed a claim with my insurance company due to the water damage and mold. I’ve been quoted between $5,000-8,000 for repairs to the electric panel, cleaning the mold, replacing the carpet etc. other models of the mini for 2014 were recalled due to sunroof issues. It appears my mini countryman has the same moonroof and same problems as the other mini models that were recalled. Clearing of the drains on the moonroof should at least be a requirement under typical maintenance and communicated to buyers before they purchase these vehicles.

NHTSA ODI 11752251

1- Component and system failed. Mini Copper, Contryman S : The key entry stopped responding. We managed to enter into the car, by removed the fob and using the key to open car. One inside, we noticed water dripping off the cd area and the dashboard. A further look reveled more water. 2- How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk?. Mini Copper, Countryman S: We made a short stop into the local Target. After back in the road noticed a sudden change around the central console. Most the electronic data was now gone or blinked. Stopped the car. After 10 minutes, tried to start the card but did no started right away. Now battery has some issued. The Central panel displayed a yellow/orange background. All functions gone or blinking. The temperature displayed a ghost image. Last, while inside the car we notice a funny smell. 3- Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? A local Indi shop - Checo Auto Repair- said that at rain water came in contact with the electrical system and they replaced the inside real-view miror. After, all car's funtions restaurated. Key fob works. The dashboard data came back. The battery remain with some issue 4- Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Mini Copper Countryman S: No 5- Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Mini copper Countryman S: No, that I now . Then, 30 t0 45 day later, the car has

NHTSA ODI 11707492

The contact owns a 2014 Mini Cooper. The contact stated that the front driver's side and passenger’s side doors and windows failed to properly close. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the failure was caused by a faulty foot well module which caused the electrical power windows to malfunction and the doors to not properly close. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V337000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 80,000.

NHTSA ODI 11645104

Footwell module is bad. My safety is at risk everyday that I drive the vehicle. The high beams don't work, turn signals don't work, inside dash lights don't work,windows don't roll down, side mirror's don't work,inside lights don't work, doors don't lock.My car was in the shop for another issue and the mechanic said my floor boards were wet up front,( Hurricaine Helene) my car was at the shop during the hurricaine.I have never had an issue with my sunroof leaking. No the car wasn't inspected by any of the representatives.I have no clue why my car wasn't included in the recall. The clubman and the mini hardtop was in the recall for the foot well module. The car had a car up on a lift meaning needs serviced. The car stated having problems on 09/30/2024 the light came on.

NHTSA ODI 11622774

The JBE (junction box electronics) has failed. This has caused the fuel pump to stop responding. I'm not sure if my mechanic still has the original part. It did this in the street after backing out of the driveway. It could have been deadly had it happened on the interstate at 70mph. The unit has been inspected by a third party electronics repair shop and cannot be repaired. There were no warnings until it stopped working in the street. Vehicle has not been repaired, because available parts are diverted first to warrantied vehicles.

NHTSA ODI 11605365

The fuse box is defective and we are not able to find one anywhere on the globe that has this part. The lights will not go off and wears down the brand new battery we purchased. The car will not start & leaves us with a defective car. It’s a 2014 & only has 59,000 miles on it. The car came from Germany and only had one previous owner. How can you help us? We have an appointment with the BMW dealership on Maui, [XXX]. We just spent $400.00 to have the problem diagnosed. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11583958

The fuse box JBE module has a Quality Assurance problem with a solder connection to the NEC low pressure fuel relay. This is a known issue with BMW/Mini. The car suddenly stalls without warning. If the driver is not keen or if traffic patterns do not allow, the car can be left in very dangerous situations on the highway or in the middle of intersection. The repair for this problem is widely distributed online via blogs and YouTube, but replacement modules are $1500 (part only) and these modules are not available until at least October 2023. There are no warning lights or other warnings prior to the incident. While I am not aware of any serious injuries, it is only a matter of time before someone is t-boned at an intersections. This part MUST be immediately recalled due to the safety risk. The images below show the JBE fuse box housing as well as the PCB where the cold solder joint can be seen. I have circled the cold solder joint in the close up picture.

NHTSA ODI 11537267

The contact owned a 2014 Mini Countryman. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle in his driveway, approximately two hours later the neighbor who noticed the windshield wipers were activated and that the interior of the vehicle was foggy, alerted the contact of their observance. The contact opened the door of the vehicle and discovered smoke and a burning amber-colored dashboard. The fire department was called to the scene but no extinguisher was needed since the fire was only in the interior of the vehicle and had extinguished on its own. A fire report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was towed away. During the incident, the vehicle was destroyed. The cause of the failure was not determined. The failure mileage was 90,000.

NHTSA ODI 11524389

The drains that funnel rain water from sun roof and doors become dislodge causing water to flood inside the passenger floor and cause electrical short.. my main computer shorted out and my car died while i was doing 65 mph on the freeway i was almost killed the mini dealer checked it out and said the water inside was the cause it ran me $4000 to repair it I looked on line and there's hundreds of people that have gone thru similar issues

NHTSA ODI 11497837

WATER INTRUSION AT THE FRONT SEAT FOOT WELLS WHICH CAUSED ELECTRICAL ISSUES AND A BATTERY PROBLEM.

NHTSA ODI 11308014

FOR THE PAST YEAR, ALL EXTERNAL LIGHT WIRING HAS MELTED. FIRST INSTANCE 5/24/18 BOTH LICENSE PLATE BULBS SHORTED, SECOND INSTANCE 10/26/18 DRIVERS SIDE HEADLIGHT BULB CONNECTOR INSIDE LIGHT MELTED, THIRD INSTANCE 5/21/19 PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT BULB WIRING HARNESS MELTED, FOURTH INSTANCE AND CURRENT 5/30/19 RIGHT TAILLIGHT BULB WIRING MELTED.

NHTSA ODI 11210887

YOUTUBE LINK: HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=QWXHFEKSZ0W MINI COOPER S ROADSTER 6 SPEED MANUAL WHILE DRIVING SMELLED ODOR OF RUBBER BURNING, THEN ABOUT 10 SECONDS LATER SAW SMOKE COMING FROM THE DEFROSTER VENTS AND THEN SOME SORT OF WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND I IMMEDIATELY TURNED OFF THE ENGINE AND COASTED TO A STOP BELIEVING THE ENGINE HAD OVERHEATED. I GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND THE SMOKE GOT WORSE AND WHEN THE PLASTIC IN THE DASHBOARD HAD MELTED AWAY I SAW FLAMES AND CALLED 911. THIS ALL HAPPENED IN LESS THAN 2 MINUTES FROM THE START TO CALLING 911. THE ENGINE WAS NOT DAMAGED AND THIS WAS FROM THE WIRING I BELIEVE. I PURCHASED THE CAR NEW ON MAY 28, 2014. THE CAR WAS TOTALED.

NHTSA ODI 10758960

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 MINI COOPER. WHILE DRIVING AT A LOW SPEED, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. A "VEHICLE NOT IN PARK, PLEASE PUT IN PARK AND RESTART" MESSAGE WAS DISPLAYED ACROSS THE MESSAGE BOARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE SOFTWARE NEEDED TO BE UPDATED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 7,000.

NHTSA ODI 10693827

THERE WAS NO ONE SITTING IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT, BUT MY IPOD WAS ON THE SEAT. A "FASTEN SEAT BELT" WARNING WENT OFF WHILE I WAS DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. I HAD BEEN DRIVING FOR OVER 30 MINUTES WHEN THIS HAPPENED. WHILE DRIVING, I REMOVED THE IPOD FROM THE SEAT, BUT THE WARNING DID NOT STOP. BECAUSE IT WAS NOT IMMEDIATELY POSSIBLE TO PULL OVER, I HAD TO IGNORE SAFETY LIGHTS AND CHIMES UNTIL I COULD PULL OVER. ALTHOUGH THIS FALSE WARNING HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES WITH LIGHT OBJECTS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, IT DOES NOT HAPPEN CONSISTENTLY. THE DEALER INSISTS THE CAR IS FUNCTIONING PROPERLY, AND SUGGESTED I LEAVE THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT FASTENED. I THINK THIS BEHAVIOR IS A SAFETY CONCERN BECAUSE (1) IT IS A SOURCE OF UNPREDICTABLE DRIVER DISTRACTION; (2) IT ENCOURAGES DRIVERS TO DEFEAT A SAFETY WARNING BY LEAVING THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT FASTENED; AND (3) IF THE SEAT SENSOR CAN'T DISTINGUISH BETWEEN AN IPOD AND A PERSON, HOW CAN IT GIVE THE PROPER READINGS TO THE AIR BAG SYSTEM IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10632960

ON TWO OCCASIONS (7/19/14 AND 7/29/14), THE ENGINE CUT-OFF, PUTTING THE CAR IN "ACCESSORY MODE." ON BOTH OCCASIONS, I WAS DRIVING ON A FLAT ROAD, AT LOW SPEED. THERE WAS NO ABILITY TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE WITHOUT COMPLETELY STOPPING, PUTTING THE CAR IN PARK, AND RESTARTING THE CAR. AS A RESULT OF BEING IN ACCESSORY MODE, I HAD NO POWER STEERING AND WAS ONLY ABLE TO GLIDE OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. A MESSAGE APPEARED ON THE CAR'S SCREEN: "TRANSMISSION NOT IN PARK, VEHICLE MAY ROLL." I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE 3 MONTHS AGO. I AM VERY CONCERNED, AND I DON'T FEEL SAFE DRIVING THIS CAR. IF THIS WERE TO HAPPEN ON A HIGHWAY, THERE WOULD CERTAINLY BE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT, AS I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO GET THE CAR TO THE SHOULDER. AS EVIDENCED IN THE GM IGNITION SWITCH CASES, WHEN A CAR IS SWITCHED INTO ACCESSORY MODE WHILE DRIVING, THE AIRBAGS ARE DEACTIVATED AS WELL. SHOULD THIS HAPPEN ON A BUSY ROADWAY/HIGHWAY, AND THERE IS AN ACCIDENT, THERE IS THE POTENTIAL THAT IT COULD BE FATAL. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10617503

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