CSR

MINI · NHTSA safety record

2013 MINI Cooper S

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

24

Complaints

1

Crashes

0

Fires

3

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2013 MINI Cooper S have filed 24 safety complaints with NHTSA between October 2013 and October 2025. The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 9 of them (38%). The typical failure was reported at 49,400 miles, the median across the 13 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 1 recall covering this vehicle.

Recalls (1)

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

23V337000 · May 11, 2023

The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2008-2014 MINI Clubman Cooper, Clubman Cooper S, Clubman John Cooper Works, and 2007-2013 MINI Hardtop 2-Door Cooper, Cooper S, and John Cooper Works vehicles sold, or ever registered, in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington D.C., and Wisconsin. The electronic control module in the driver's side footwell area may short-circuit, due to corrosion from water and road salt.
The risk
An electrical short-circuit can increase the risk of a fire.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect the sunroof drains, interior footwell area, and FRM and, depending upon the results of the inspection, certain components will be replaced. Owner notification letters were mailed May 13, 2024. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-866-825-1525.

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 97,933 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 24.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 9 38%
ENGINE 7 29%
AIR BAGS 4 17%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 4 17%
POWER TRAIN 2 8%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 4%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 4%
SEATS 1 4%
SERVICE BRAKES 1 4%
SUSPENSION 1 4%
WHEELS 1 4%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2025 at 5.

2013 2025
2013 to 2025

In owners' own words

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

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

2 injured · 45,000 miles

MY CAR HAS PROTRUDING TAILPIPES, IT CAUSED ME AND MY HUSBAND 3RD-DEGREE BURNS AFTER A SHORT DRIVE TO COSTCO.

NHTSA complaint 11342154. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed · 22,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2013 MINI COOPER S. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH ON A HILL, THE DRIVER DROVE DOWN A SMALL EMBANKMENT, CRASHED INTO A BARBED WIRE FENCE, DROVE INTO A PASTURE, AND CRASHED INTO A TREE. THE TREE FELL ON TOP OF THE VEHICLE. THE SIDE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED MULTIPLE INJURIES TO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE BODY AND BRAIN INJURIES, WHICH REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A BODY SHOP WHERE IT WAS DEEMED DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 22,000... UPDATED 10/13/16 *BF *TR

NHTSA complaint 10896383. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I purchased a vehicle 2013 mini Cooper hardtop S r56 from Chevy Nissan of Walla Walla on [XXX]. During the transaction, I was misled and not provided truthful information regarding the vehicle’s condition and terms of sale. 1. I was charged for services and items I explicitly did not want or agree to. When I first was looking at the car before purchasing, the salesman, Coby, informed me that the tires were filled with nitrogen. I had no clue what that meant and I asked him if I was required to keep that in the tires do I ?” Coby told me no I was relieved since I knew nothing of nitrogen in tires nor do I know where to get it. Despite my objections, a $299 membership charge was added and

NHTSA complaint 11693871, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Water apparantly was going thru the sunroof and clogging the drains-- No water seeped into the car or from the roof-- It went through the interior of the car nor did it ever get into the vehicle floor so no way to even be aware of car accumlating water- This interior water damage nd destroyed the electronic system of the vehicle- Insured driver - my daughter was driving when car alarm and back door released while driving-- Windshield wipers stopped working and beeping noises continuelly came on! Damage to car 8K-- The same two door model and same year was in fact recalled for the same issue this year-

NHTSA complaint 11659572. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

62,137 miles

The contact called on behalf of the owner of the 2013 Mini Cooper S. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the passenger’s side window was inoperative. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed and determined that the body control module and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired under an unknown recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 62,137.

NHTSA complaint 11657794. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Water leakage from the sunroof drains corroded the FRM module. Car is not driveable as the doors will not latch, lighting issues, windows don't function etc.. There is a recall for this but not for this vin #?

NHTSA complaint 11656329. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2013 Mini Cooper S. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V337000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA complaint 11634416. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Yes my Mini Cooper 2013 I was just driving normal speed 35 to 40 miles per hour and all the sudden my engine has just quit and stopped running I was not in any danger or in a crash I was able to move my car off to the side of the road and unfortunately this was only the first time the second time was actually on the highway I was scared to death because I was actually came to a halt on the freeway but I was able to push my car off to the side and be out of Harm's Way my car is now parked in front of my house due to engine failure and I don't know what else to do but I saw this recall and I thought I would give you guys a shout and tell you what's wrong and the only thing I replace so far

NHTSA complaint 11619586, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the MINI Cooper S

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2016 9 3
2015 18 4
2014 13 4
2012 23 2
2011 31 3
2010 59 4

Other 2013 MINI models

Every MINI on this site — 29 vehicles, 45 recall campaigns and 0 open investigation s.

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. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

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.

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