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Vehicle safety record

2006 Mini Cooper Problems, complaints & recalls

Owners have filed 413 complaints about the 2006 Mini Cooper with NHTSA, most often about the airbags (192) and the steering (111). Those complaints describe 13 crashes, 17 fires and 16 injuries. It is covered by 1 recall, the latest in April 2015 for the frontal. For comparison, the 2005 has 843 and the 2007 has 384.

NHTSA data checked

FFar more problems than a typical Cooper year, for its age

#40 most complained-about 2006 vehicle

Complaints
413
Recalls
1
Crashes
13
Fires
17
Injuries
16
Deaths
0

Most common 2006 Mini Cooper problems

Share of all 413 complaints. One complaint can name more than one area. Tap an area for its complaints and recalls.

2006 Mini Cooper recalls 1

Recall repairs are free. Your dealer fixes them whether or not you bought the car there - check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see if yours is done. What to do

Air bags: frontal

15V20500091,800 vehicles affected

The problem
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2005-2006 MINI Cooper and Cooper S vehicles manufactured January 5, 2005, to November 28, 2006, and 2005-2008 MINI Cooper Convertible and Cooper S Convertible vehicles manufactured January 5, 2005, to July 31, 2008. Due to manufacturing, installation, and exposure issues, the front passenger seat occupant detection mat may not function properly and, as a result, the front passenger air bag may not deploy in a crash.
The risk
An improperly functioning mat may cause the passenger frontal air bag to be inactive when the seat is occupied, and in the event of a crash, the air bag will not deploy, increasing the passenger's risk of injury.
The fix
MINI will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger seat occupant detection mat, free of charge. The recall began on October 12, 2015. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525.

What owners say

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413 complaints about the 2006 Mini Cooper

Newest first, as filed with NHTSA by owners. Page 1 of 17.

Steering

Electronic power steering pump issue/failure. The steering wheel was so stiff when I tried to go right that I physically could not turn the wheel. This is extremely dangerous & it happens without warning. No lights come on. You are left in a moving vehicle, without much of a way to control the direction you need it to travel in. From what I have learned, it seems an extended warranty was initially offered, & then a forced recall was issued on the, 1st Gen, 2002-2005 Mini Coopers. Only part of the vehicles with...

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these issues were included in the recall. I have the same size 1.6 engine, & the exact same electronic power steering pump that comes with the issues & failures that I have in my 06. I have seen it on vehicles up to 08. This is absolutely unacceptable. This is a documented manufacturing defect & design flaw that has been continually allowed to endanger people's lives. I am unsure how BMW managed to only recall part of the vehicles with these electronic power steering pump issues. I contacted BMW who told me there were no extended warranties or recalls on my vehicle.

Filed Incident SteeringNHTSA 11640971
Steering

Power steering pump grinding. This was a recall on the 2002-2005 model but not the 2006. The same issue is happening with this car that happened with the recall vehicles and I would expect bmw to fix this problem. Thanks

Filed Incident SteeringNHTSA 11613786
Steering

The contact owns a 2006 Mini Cooper. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel was significantly difficult to turn. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 139,000.

Filed Incident SteeringNHTSA 11563551
Electrical systemAirbagsSeats & seat belts

BMW issued a Recall 15V-205 Safety Recall, to cover the Airbag sensor in the passenger seat of my vehicle, a 2006 Mini Cooper S. The failure error was in the airbag sensor in the passenger seat, and the system warned of potential hazard with the passenger airbag. My car had a recall fix in 2018 for this fault. Now some 4 years later the same fault has arisen in the same sensor and system. I returned to BMW Mini who carried out the previous recall to have this fixed again. They said that while their repairs and...

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parts generally carry an 8-year warranty, they do not warrant Recall repairs. They wanted over $2,000 to fix this issue. As this is a repeat of the original fault, and the car has under 100,000 miles I believe it should be covered, as their repair and or part has again failed. The date below is when I took it for the recall and was refused the warrenty repair.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Air bags · SeatsNHTSA 11514006
Steering

Power Steering pump leaking failure

Filed Incident SteeringNHTSA 11493125
Steering

Power steering pump went out while driving the car. Car was extremely hard to steer. Almost hit a guard rail. Had the car towed home and then to a garage. This is a known problem with Mini Coopers from year 2002 to 2006. Websites and Mini Cooper Forums are loaded with Power Steering Pumps failing. No warning. Pump was confirmed to be the problem by an independent garage that only services high end german cars. Power Steering Pump was diagnosed to be bad on 8/04/2022. Car has a little over 60,000 miles on it.

Filed Incident SteeringNHTSA 11480699
Airbags

The contact owns a 2006 Mini Coop S. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the passenger's side seat occupancy mat had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist since the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V205000 (Air Bags). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 90,350.

Filed Incident Air bagsNHTSA 11460503
Airbags

The contact owns a 2006 Mini Cooper Convertible. The contact stated that the front passenger's seat occupant detection mat was replaced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V205000 (Air Bags) three years ago; however, the front passenger's side air bag warning light had been illuminating intermittently. The contact stated that the front passenger's side air bag warning light would illuminate whenever a lightweight passenger or a heavier passenger would sit in the front passenger's seat. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not provide any assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.

Filed Incident Air bagsNHTSA 11457645
AirbagsCrashFire1 injury

Blindsided Drive side impact car ignited I was cut from my car suffering emence Injuries due to the malfunction of the airbags . No air bags deployed.

Filed Incident Air bagsNHTSA 11453963
Steering

It is very difficult to turn my steering wheel. It takes more energy than any other car I have ever driven

Filed Incident SteeringNHTSA 11436050
Steering

The electro-hydraulic power steering system stopped working on my 2005 Mini Cooper. The was a recall for 2002 to 2005 mini power steering pump failures but the problem continued thru 2011 because the fix that mini Cooper came up with was inadequate. The essentially put a band-aid on the problem and left car owners holding the bag. I, in fact, had the auxiliary pump that mini came up with replaced and the power steering problem continued because their fix was no good. I have an appointment with the Mini Cooper...

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dealership to look at my car in about 2 weeks. They've told me that I'm not covered by the recall even though they ordered a recall of 86,000 cars for the problem in 2015. Not having power steering in any vehicle is very dangerous. The problem first occurred and remains after 2 years. The problem was reproduced by an independent repair service that I have used for years.

Filed Incident SteeringNHTSA 11423628
Airbags

Passenger air bag light went on and i took it to Mini dealer who diagnosed that ht passenger seat matt sensor failed and recommendedreplacement of seatmatt sensor I called Mini about safetyrecall NHTSA15V20500 of 4/6/2015, and they informed me my VIN/vehicle was not part of thatrecall

Filed Incident Air bagsNHTSA 11417687
Steering

I drove the car earlier and it was fine. I returned home and then hours later tried to pull out of my driveway to find I couldn't turn the steering wheel. Thank goodness I wasn't driving when it went or I wouldn't have been able to turn the wheel. Apparently after reading online quite a bit this is a problem and there is no recall or even a campaign or bulletin. This is going to be a very expensive repair. Due to the safety issue alone I'm frankly shocked. Apparently bmw dealers are cleaning up due to the expense of the repair. I'm looking at a minimum of $1500. Apporx 60% of vehicles have had this issue.

Filed Incident SteeringNHTSA 11375864
SteeringFire

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 mini cooper. The contact stated that the while driving approximately 50 mph, the power steering suddenly malfunctioned and the steering wheel became difficult to turn in either direction. After stopping the vehicle, the contact noticed smoke billowing from under the hood. After opening the hood, flames were present coming from the engine compartment. The neighbor assisted in extinguishing the flames. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vin was not available. The failure mileage was 186,000.

Filed Incident SteeringNHTSA 11363558
SteeringTransmission & drivetrain

The air conditioning had stopped blowing cool air. Then when I was parked, and idled, my power steering stopped working while trying to back out. After wrestling with the wheel for a minute to get out of a parking lot area, the power steering came back on. The mechanic said one of my coolant fans does not work. This may be part of a recall that affect 2005 minis with coolant fan/power steering, however my car was made just a few months past the recall.

Filed Incident Steering · Power trainNHTSA 11337932
Airbags

AIR BAG SERVICE LIGHT ON. *TR

Filed Incident Air bagsNHTSA 11330686
Airbags

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 mini cooper s. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag sensor light illuminated and remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the front passenger side air bag system was defective and needed to be replaced. South bay mini located at (18800 hawthorne blvd, torrance ca) was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 79,000.

Filed Incident Air bagsNHTSA 11319039
Steering

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 mini cooper s. The contact stated that while attempting to make a right turn, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The seat belt and check-engine warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the brown motor works (803-551-0991, located at 4041 broad river rd, columbia, sc 29210) and it was diagnosed that the power steering needed to be services. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure was intermittent. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not subjected to a recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160.000.

Filed Incident SteeringNHTSA 11299254
AirbagsBody, doors & structureCrash1 injury

Car accident cause problems , having problems with clutch / flywheel was repaired one time drive slow won't move fast. Not steering , has leakage , damage dents on right side front end paint damages, not right color. Back bumper damage scratches , hatchback lock needs be replaced. Wheels damage lt rt . Abs symptom light on, airbag light on, front rear hood light on problems not closing. In motion street .

Filed Incident Air bags · Structure · Unknown or otherNHTSA 11269812
Steering

Power steering is malfunctioning. It come and goes for a couple of days while in a winding road. Took it to the dealer and they replace some lines. A few moths later it started having issues with at the beginning of the driving after the car has been idle for more than 2 hours. Now the power steering is totally not working at all.

Filed Incident SteeringNHTSA 11269288
Fuel system

There is a constant fuel / gasoline smell in my car and outside the vehicle. No visible leaks. The smell is constant.

Filed Incident Fuel / propulsion systemNHTSA 11256017
Steering

Intermittent power steering failiure during driving, stiff steering wheel can cause a serious accident

Filed Incident SteeringNHTSA 11254162
Airbags

The seat sensor for the passenger airbag was replaced once under a recall. After 2 years, it has failed again. The dealer stated that there is only a two year warranty on teh part. It is a safety issue that makes the care unsafe and unusable.

Filed Incident Air bagsNHTSA 11218906
Steering

Power steering pump problem for mini cooper r50 bought my r50 pre-owned 125000 kms on the odo from a dealership(not a mini dealership) as a present for my daughter in march 2019. I already knew there was something wrong. Observed a leak in the power steering reservoir. Dealer supposedly fixed the problem by replacing some hoses. After a month, I tried starting the car up and the car would not start. I was lucky to still be at home that time. Recharged the battery and started the car. Turned the engine off and...

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noticed a sound. Traced the sound to the power steering pump not turning off even if the engine is turned off. Disconnected the battery so it will not do a full discharge. Bought it back to the dealership that I purchased it from and they confirmed that the issue was with the ps pump. Did research and found that there was a common issue related to this pump already and bmw has offered extended warranty on the pump and peripherals like hoses and reservoir covering 2003 to 2005 models due to the number of complaints and potential catastrophic issues a failed pump can bring. I asked the local bmw service center if I could avail but they said my vin was not part of the coverage. I needed the car to work and I wanted it done right so I had them replace the pump. This costed me 1500 cad++ I believe that this should still be covered by the extended warranty because the symptoms are the same and that the pump is confirmed to be an original by the mini service and may very well still be the same one from the previous models and bmw should own up to this.

Filed Incident SteeringNHTSA 11207325
SteeringTransmission & drivetrain

Steering pump transmission weening not wanting to change gears right

Filed Incident Steering · Power train · Unknown or otherNHTSA 11190280

Mini Cooper: every year compared

YearComplaintsRecallsCrashesFiresTop problemGrade
2010102238Engine & coolingF
20091521111AirbagsF
20082841414Engine & coolingF
20073841524Engine & coolingF
200641311317AirbagsF
200584341736SteeringF
200452941214SteeringF
200353741448SteeringF
20022695713SteeringF
All Cooper years

2006 Mini Cooper vs rivals

VehicleComplaintsRecallsCrashesGrade
2006 Mini Cooper413113F
2006 Kia Rio74112DCompare
2006 Hyundai Accent4332BCompare
2006 Toyota Yaris050DCompare
2006 Mini Cooper S Convertible3610FCompare

More sales usually means more complaints, so compare similar vehicles of the same year. The grade compares each vehicle with its own model's other years.

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Questions about the 2006 Mini Cooper

Does the 2006 Mini Cooper have any recalls?

Yes - NHTSA lists 1 recall for the 2006 Mini Cooper: frontal (April 2015). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether yours has been fixed.

What are the most common problems with the 2006 Mini Cooper?

By the complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most common problem areas are the airbags (192), steering (111), transmission & drivetrain (45).

How many complaints has the 2006 Mini Cooper had?

413 complaints have been filed with NHTSA, the first on January 30, 2006 and the latest on February 5, 2025. Of these, 13 describe a crash and 17 a fire, and together they report 16 injuries and 0 deaths.

Is the 2006 Mini Cooper a reliable vehicle?

Its Safety Index is 2 out of 100 (grade F: far more problems than a typical Mini Cooper year, for its age). The index weighs complaints, crashes, fires, injuries, deaths and recalls against how long the vehicle has been on the road, compared with the same model's other years. It is not a measure of every repair - read the complaints and owner experiences, and have any used vehicle inspected before you buy.

Which Mini Cooper years have the most complaints?

2005 (843), 2003 (537), 2004 (529). See every Mini Cooper year compared.

What should I do if my 2006 Mini Cooper has a problem?

If it is a safety problem, stop driving it if it is unsafe and contact your dealer. Report it to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem - enough reports start investigations and recalls - and share your experience here so other owners know what to look for.

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data

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