2015 and 2016 Hard top Mini Coopers, Standard (F55) are prone to their environmental air catalyst sensor breaking, causing a check engine light and emissions issues. The remedy is replacing the entire radiator. This occurred on my vehicle at only 40,000 miles. MINI is aware of the issue, but only issued an extended warranty for "S" (or 4-cylinder) models, despite the 3-cylinder base model containing the same radiator sensors with the same defects. [[redacted]] This extended warranty should cover base models with the same parts. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Engine & cooling
Mini Cooper Countryman Engine problems by year
95 complaints filed with NHTSA about the Mini Cooper Countryman's engine & cooling. Stalling, loss of power, oil consumption, overheating, head gaskets, timing chains and engine failure.
Engine complaints by model year
Latest Cooper Countryman engine complaints
The contact owns a 2011 Mini Cooper Countryman. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, there was an abnormal burning odor inside and outside the vehicle. The vehicle then stalled. The vehicle was able to be restarted after several hours. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a cracked water pump, which caused the engine to overheat. The contact was informed that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
The malfunction indicator lamp light is on (MIL) with the following fault code stored in the DME: Fault code Control module Fault code text 1B8302 DME LIN bus, communication (EAC sensor): missing Problem verified. Don't know if car will quit on the highway. Mini recall for exact problem and extended warranty to solve the problem only on the "S" model with the exact same engine.
The contact owns a 2011 Mini Cooper Countryman. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked in the driveway while both the contact and his wife were in another vehicle parked in the garage. The contact noticed white smoke coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that upon opening the hood of the vehicle, the contact noticed an electrical burning smell and fire. The contact was able to extinguish the fire with a fire extinguisher. The contact then noticed that a blue plug had melted and was smoking. A police...
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report was not filed. There was no injury sustained. Upon investigating the failure online, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V008000(Engine and Engine Cooling). The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The vehicle remained at the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure, and the contact was informed that he would receive a call back. The failure mileage was 111,019.
Lower Engine Support and Passenger Engine Mount damaged as per routine inspection by dealer in Feb2025. Never diagnosed before. Repair done by independent service center in Feb2025 and I have receipt of approximately 1K. Also, since 22feb2025, I am not able to add fuel to the tank because the pump stops constantly and causes spill of fuel. This can cause fire. Never happened before. Tried at least 4 different gas station and same result. Dealer charges over $200 to perform inspection/diagnostics. Not done yet. Repairs to fuel tank are in the thousands. No warning in the car dashboard for none of the issues. Car with less than 80k miles.
The contact owns a 2012 Mini Cooper Countryman. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle stalled. The fuel tank was a third of the way full. The trunk was locking and unlocking continuously while driving or while the vehicle was parked. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V337000 (Electrical system). The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was...
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taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that there was a short in the footwell module due to water intrusion. The drain was also clogged in the sunroof. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 161,818.
Freeze plug randomly popped out while driving causing vehicle to stall in the middle of traffic almost causing a major accident and or death. Research indicates there has been numerous complaints by Mini Cooper owners experiencing the same issue of a premature unexplained failure with no action taken from Mini to mitigate this safety issue. I'm lucky to be alive.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? HEAD GASKETS BLEW ON THE ENGINE SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASING IN JANUARY 2022. THE ENGINE WAS REPLACED AROUND MARCH 2022. NOW THE REPLACEMENT ENGINE IS SHOWING THE SAME SIGNS THAT THE HEAD GASKETS ARE AGAIN BLOWN. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? THIS CAUSE THE ENGINE TO SHUT DOWN INITIALLY WHEN THEY BLEW. THE ENGINE IS NOW AGAIN MISFIRING AS IF THE HEAD GASKETS HAVE BLOWN AGAIN. Has the problem...
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been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? NOT BEEN TO A SERVICE CENTER YET, BUT IT IS ACTING THE SAME AS THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? NOT BEEN INSPECTED CURRENTLY. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN AROUND MAY 2023.
When the vehicle computer detects low voltage all turn signals, lights and instrument cluster immediately fail and do not turn back on. The Foot Well Module (FWM) or Foot Rest Module (FRM) computer becomes corrupt and deletes data from the module. This becomes a major safety hazard as a nighttime failure occurred causing several near accidents due to inability to signal to other vehicles. This is a known issue with Mini and they released an extended service bulletin knowing the factory footrest modules were manufactured incorrectly. Vehicles falling outside the initial warranty period are prone to safety risks when this occurs.
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...
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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.
Mini coopers have faulty transmission problems, and well mine today it's transmission went out when I had my AC on, the car stalled in the middle of the highway in the middle of the road with oncoming traffic and refused to budge, like seriously this is highly dangerous on the interstate
2014 Mini Cooper Countryman - Engine Low Oil Failure and yes the vehicle is available for inspection. Had an engine oil pressure electronic message come up on the car: Engine Oil pressure too low. Possible Engine damage. Swith off engine. Continued driving is not possible. Please contact mini dealership. Had the car towed to dealer. Was told there is an engine oil leak somewhere. The provided one possible fix, but not for sure fix for 2k. Was told to put oil in engine every 750 miles to help prevent any engine...
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failures. Started looking into the potential recall or class action lawsuits and found this: BMW Class Action Lawsuit Says Mini Cooper Engines Leak, The BMW Mini Cooper Leaky Engine Class Action Lawsuit is Borkman v. BMW of North America LLC, Case No. 2:16-cv-02225. Was told to contact NHTSA for potential law suits that may help us with the issue. The car is not safe and should not be having problems like this. Please let us know if we can get any assitance with this. Thank You!
Mini cooper keeps leaking oil which can be dangerous for road safety. There are Lawsuits going on but company has not recalled their vehicles to fix oil leak issue. It has cost consumers thousands of dollars in repair, time loss & mental harassment. Company is aware of the issues and has not done anything. These cars are not safe to be driven & sold in the USA.
The contact owns a 2011 Mini Cooper Countryman. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the contact noticed an abnormal sound. The contact stated that after the vehicle warmed up, the abnormal sound stopped. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The dealer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was out of warranty. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 108,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Mini Cooper. The contact stated that after the vehicle was taken to a local dealer for a routine oil change, the mechanic also determined that the valve cover gasket needed to be replaced and an unknown engine software needed to be updated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and the contact was advised to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 78,000.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked daily. Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data