MINI · NHTSA safety record

2012 MINI Cooper Countryman

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 53 safety complaints about the 2012 MINI Cooper Countryman with the US government. Of those, 2 describe a crash, 8 mention a fire and no death is recorded. No recall campaign has been matched to this year, make and model.

The most complained-about system is the engine, named in 27 complaints, 51% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 44,000 miles, the median across the 33 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers August 2012 to June 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

53 complaints on file

Complaints

Describe a crash

Mention fire

People injured

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

No recall campaign was matched to this year, make and model. That is not the same as a clean vehicle: recalls are issued against production ranges, and the only reliable check is your own VIN.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system

ENGINE 27 · 51% 27 51%

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 14 · 26% 14 26%

POWER TRAIN 6 · 11% 6 11%

AIR BAGS 5 · 9% 5 9%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 5 · 9% 5 9%

EXTERIOR LIGHTING 4 · 8% 4 8%

SEAT BELTS 4 · 8% 4 8%

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 3 · 6% 3 6%

VISIBILITY/WIPER 3 · 6% 3 6%

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 2 · 4% 2 4%

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 · 2% 1 2%

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 1 · 2% 1 2%

0 12 23

One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 53.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2018 at 10.

12 9 6 3

12 2012 13 2013 14 2014 15 2015 16 2016 17 2017 18 2018 19 2019 21 2021 22 2022 23 2023 24 2024 26 2026

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2012 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA has not crash tested the 2012 MINI Cooper Countryman. Its New Car Assessment Program tests a selection of each year's vehicles and does not reach motorcycles, heavy trucks, motorhomes or most low-volume models, so an absence here says nothing about how the vehicle would perform. It is not a low score.

What owners have reported about this vehicle is below, and it is a different question: a crash test measures what happens to the people inside in a controlled impact, while a complaint records what broke during ordinary use.

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Filed August 1, 2012

fire · crash · 400 miles

MY MINI WAS STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT BEHIND A TOYOTA 4 RUNNER WHEN I WAS STRUCK FROM THE BACK BY A CARELESS DRIVER IN A MIDSIZE SEDAN WHO HAD FAILED TO SEE THE CARS IN FRONT OF HER STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT. THE DAMAGE DONE TO BOTH THE CAR THAT STRUCK MINE FROM BEHIND AS WELL AS THE DAMAGE DONE TO THE 4 RUNNER WERE MINIMAL BY COMPARISON. THE MINI INCURRED IRREPARABLE DAMAGE TO THE FRONT END OF THE CAR. MY CONCERN IS THAT THE AIRBAGS NEVER DEPLOYED AND THE DRIVER OF THE 4 RUNNER PULLED ME OUT OF THE CAR DUE TO FIRE HE SAW COMING FROM UNDER THE ENGINE OF THE MINI, BEFORE LONG THE WHOLE FRONT END WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THE CAR WAS DECLARED A TOTAL LOSS. SHOULD THE VEHICLE HAVE CAUGHT ON FIRE?

NHTSA complaint 10468763, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE Filed May 9, 2018

fire · towed · 76,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MINI COOPER COUNTRYMAN. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, SMOKE APPEARED UNDER THE HOOD. THE CONTACT UNLATCHED THE HOOD AND FLAMES APPEARED FROM THE ENGINE. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO MINI OF BALTIMORE COUNTY (720 KENILWORTH DR., TOWSON, MD 21204, (443) 798-3461) WHERE IT WAS AWAITING DIAGNOSTIC TESTING AND REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 76,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. *TT NO VIN NUMBER UPDATED 8/30/18*JB

NHTSA complaint 11092683. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING Filed June 28, 2018

fire · towed · 50,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2012 MINI COOPER COUNTRYMAN. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY, IT CAUGHT FIRE WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT NOTICED SMOKE UNDER THE HOOD OF THE VEHICLE NEAR THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE BECAME ENGULFED IN FLAMES IMMEDIATELY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES SUSTAINED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND TOWED. MINI OF MT. LAUREL (1311 NJ-73, MT. LAUREL, NEW JERSEY) WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FIRE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V248000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) A YEAR AND A HALF AFTER THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY

NHTSA complaint 11104541, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE Filed November 17, 2021

fire · towed · 180,000 miles

The contact owned a 2012 Mini Cooper S Countryman. The contact stated while she was at a standstill in traffic, she saw smoke exiting from under the hood. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to park on the emergency lane and exit the vehicle before the vehicle was engulfed in flames. The contact did not sustain any injuries nor seek medical attention. A police report was filed. The insurance company deemed the vehicle a total loss. The vehicle was towed to a towing lot. The contact spoke to the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign

NHTSA complaint 11440756, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Filed June 23, 2026

My 2012 MINI Countryman (R60) experienced a complete electrical shutdown and engine failure while operating due to a severe manufacturing defect. Authorized dealership Jackie Cooper MINI of Edmond diagnosed the vehicle under RO# [XXX] and confirmed in writing that the "JBE electronic connectors are heavily corroded" and "The FRM has water/corrosion damage," providing a repair estimate of $4,700 (including a specific $1,055.84 charge to replace the FRM and clean the sunroof drains). Water entering the footwell area through defective, shrinking sunroof drainage structures is the exact identical failure mechanism, component (FRM3 Module), and extreme safety/fire hazard covered under mandatory

NHTSA complaint 11745835, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY/WIPER Filed October 28, 2024

My front windshield wipers stopped working suddenly while driving in the rain

NHTSA complaint 11622283. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES Filed October 21, 2024

No warning lights have come on and the car is braking on its own. I try to push the gas and it doesn't want to go. The car has around 42k miles on it. I took it to tom bush mini last week, the said the front axle was leaking some fluid, they ordererd the axle, changed all brake pads, changed the brake fluid and said it was good to go, cost about $2300. Got the car back, doing the same thing. Now they said all calipers need to be replaced and the hydro unit dsc needs to be replaced which will cost around $6400 and they can't get the hyro unit dsc or 2 months. If this was the problem why didn't they know last week? It doesn't seem like the car has enough miles to have such a big issues and no

NHTSA complaint 11621018, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Filed August 16, 2024

161,818 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 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

NHTSA complaint 11609036, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Filed March 13, 2024

fire

On the evening of [XXX] at approximately [XXX] my 2012 Mini Cooper S all 4 burst into flames. The car was parked in front of my building for 6 days (we don't use the car very much) in front of my building when the all of a sudden the head lights started flashing followed by the car cabin filling with grey smoke then followed by black smoke then there was a flash (spark?) and the entire cabin the became engulfed in flames. All of this has been captured by our building security camera. I reported the incident the following day to Mini/BMW customer care. I've been sharing emails with Thomas Lula who is investigating the "thermal event" INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF

NHTSA complaint 11577096, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Filed March 8, 2024

There is a recall existing for my car, by VIN mine is not included, however I have the exact same problem. Water in the driver side foot well electrical panel which has caused a fault in the lighting, hazard lights, and battery issue. The car cannot be driven because the hazard lights and daytime running lights will not turn off even with the key out. Running out the battery in the process. The mechanic found water and corrosion inside the electrical housing.

NHTSA complaint 11576223. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other 2012 MINI models

Cooper 66 Cooper S Countryman 26 Cooper S 23

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every MINI on this site — 29 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

Complaints: NHTSA's ODI complaint file, published October 2, 2026. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall campaign API, no campaign on file for this vehicle.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI investigation file, published October 2, 2026.

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by guarledes
Independent developer and analyst