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What 71 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 Mini Cooper S

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 (71)Crash / fire / injury (5)Engine (17)Fuel system (14)Electrical system (11)Transmission & drivetrain (10)Brakes (8)Airbags (3)Body & structure (3)Lights (3)Suspension (3)Visibility & wipers (3)

3 of 71 complaints match · Engine · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Oct 28, 2019EngineFire

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2015 MINI COOPER S. WHILE PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY, THE VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE WITH A WATER HOSE, BUT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED AND EXTINGUISHED THE FLAMES. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. FIRE REPORT NUMBER: 1900355515 WAS FILED. THE CONTACT'S INSURANCE COMPANY SCHEDULED A VEHICLE INSPECTION AT THE CONTACT'S HOME. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT DEEMED THE VEHICLE TOTALED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 53,000.

NHTSA ODI 11271653

Dec 13, 2016Speed controlBrakesEngineCrash

I MADE A RIGHT TURN FROM THE MAIN STREET, INTO THE PARKING LOT OF A STRIP MALL, THEN AN IMMEDIATE LEFT TURN, AND ANOTHER RIGHT TURN INTO THE RIGHT ANGLE PARKING SLOT. ALL THE WHILE HAVING MY FOOT ON THE BRAKES, I STARTED TO SHIFT INTO PARK, WHEN IT WAS IN THE RIGHT SPOT. THE MINI INSTEAD COMING TO A STOP, REVVED UP, JUMPED THE CURB AND HIT THE STORE IN THE FRONT. THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. I HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKES REALLY HARD, ALL THE TIME BUT THE BRAKE PEDALS WERE LOCKED UP. IT WOULD NOT MOVE UP OR DOWN. SAT HARD ON THE FLOOR! WHEN THE TOW TRUCK CAME, THE BRAKES WERE STILL LOCKED UP AND THE GEAR WAS IN PARK AND COULDN'T BE MOVED FROM THERE. THE SEAT BELTS COULDN'T BE RETRACTED EITHER. MINI ENGINEER CLAIMS THAT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR AND I CAN SAFELY DRIVE IT AFTER THE BODY IS REPAIRED. I AM HAVING A DIFFICULT TIME WITH THIS CONCLUSION. THE CAR'S BRAKES AND GEAR WERE LOCKED UP, AND HAD TO BE LIFTED ON A FLATBED AND TAKEN TO THE REPAIR SHOP; I STILL MAINTAIN SOMETHING WITHIN THE CAR MALFUNCTIONED. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10935157

Dec 1, 2015Electrical systemEngineCrash1 injury

MY 2015 MINI COOPER 4 DOOR HARDTOP WAS PARKED IN MY GARAGE. I STARTED IT BUT HAD NOT PUT IT INTO GEAR YET. I OPENED THE DOOR AND GOT OUT (CAR DIDN'T BUDGE) AND AS I WALKED BACK TOWARDS THE REAR, THE CAR LURCHED OUT OF PARK AND REVERSED WHICH CAUSED IT TO PIN ME IN BETWEEN THE CAR AND THE GARAGE BEAM AS IT CONTINUED TO ROLL QUICKLY BACKWARDS AS IF SOMEONE WAS ACCELERATING. WHEN CONTACTING MINI, THEY HAD ONE OF THEIR INSPECTORS COME (NO DOCUMENTATION PROVIDED TO ME). I WAS CALLED (AGAIN NO DOCUMENTATION) AND TOLD THAT THE ENGINEER FOUND NO FAULT IN THE TRANSMISSION OR ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND THAT THIS WAS NOT A DEFECT. THEY HAVE SINCE BEEN UNRESPONSIVE WITH PROVIDING DOCUMENTATION, HAVEN'T BEEN ALE TO ACQUIRE PARTS TO FIX MY DAMAGED VEHICLE AND REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH SELLING A CAR THAT CAN KILL PEOPLE AND TO NOT HAVE PARTS FOR 4 MONTHS! I HAD MY CAR FOR A TOTAL OF 2 MONTHS TOTAL DRIVE TIME. IT'S BEEN IN THE SHOP FOR 4 MONTHS WITH NO RESOLUTION IN SIGHT.

NHTSA ODI 10807750

Working with the data? Download all 71 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 11, 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 2015 Mini Cooper S verdict →