CSR

MINI · NHTSA safety record

2015 MINI Cooper

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

56

Complaints

3

Crashes

0

Fires

1

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2015 MINI Cooper have filed 56 safety complaints with NHTSA between July 2015 and August 2026. The most complained-about system is the engine, named in 14 of them (25%). The typical failure was reported at 23,500 miles, the median across the 26 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 6 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (6)

SEATS

15V739000 · November 9, 2015

The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 door vehicles manufactured February 25, 2014, to May 16, 2015, 2014-2015 MINI Cooper S Hardtop 2 door vehicles manufactured March 28, 2014, to May 9, 2015, 2015 MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 door vehicles manufactured October 17, 2014, to June 2, 2015, and 2015 MINI Cooper S Hardtop 4 door vehicles manufactured November 24, 2014, to June 11, 2015. During a service appointment, the affected vehicles received replacement front passenger seat cushions (which contain integral Capacitive Interior Sensing (CIS) functions). The CIS functions may have been incorrectly calibrated, and if so, would cause impaired occupant classification and thus inappropriate air bag activation/deactivation.
The risk
Inappropriate air bag activation/deactivation can increase the risk of occupant injury in the event of a vehicle crash.
The remedy
MINI will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the front passenger seat cushion, free of charge. The recall began on December 28, 2015. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525 .

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 38 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

15V628000 · October 7, 2015

The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 MINI Cooper S and MINI Cooper two-door vehicles, 2015-2016 MINI John Cooper Works and MINI Cooper S and MINI Cooper four-door vehicles and 2014-2015 BMW i3 vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the passenger frontal air bag may not deploy properly in a low speed crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
The risk
In the event of a vehicle crash, an air bag that does not deploy properly increases the risk of injury to the front seat passenger.
The remedy
MINI and BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began on November 25, 2015. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525 and BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 6,073 vehicles across all model years covered

STRUCTURE:BODY

15V450000 · July 17, 2015

The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S Hardtop 2 Door vehicles and 2015 MINI John Cooper Works Hardtop 2 Door vehicles. The affected vehicles do not meet the side impact performance requirements for the rear seat passengers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 214, "Side Impact Protection."
The risk
If the side impact performance requirements are not met, rear seat passengers may be at a higher risk of injury during a crash.
The remedy
MINI will notify owners, and dealers will install additional energy absorption material between the rear interior side panels and the exterior vehicle body, free of charge. The recall began on September 4, 2015. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525. Note: this recall supersedes 14V-815.

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 30,456 vehicles across all model years covered

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

15V034000 · January 26, 2015

The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 MINI Cooper Hardtop two door vehicles manufactured December 1, 2013, to December 14, 2014. The affected vehicles may have been manufactured with an incorrect maximum capacity weight stated on the Tire Information Placard. Thus, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 110, "Tire Selection and Rims and Motor Home/Recreation Vehicle Trailer Load Carrying Capacity Information for Motor Vehicles with a GVWR of 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds) or less."
The risk
The maximum weight listed on the label is incorrect (too low) and therefore does not comply with Federal Regulations.
The remedy
MINI will notify owners, and dealers will replace the incorrect labels with corrected labels, free of charge. Owners were mailed interim notification on March 18, 2015. The recall began on October 15, 2015. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525.

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 13,130 vehicles across all model years covered

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)

14V789000 · December 15, 2014

The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 Door, and Cooper S Hardtop 2 Door vehicles manufactured January 6, 2014, to October 17, 2014. During service appointments, dealers may have inadvertently reprogrammed the transmission control unit with software that may allow drivers to exit the vehicle when the transmission is not in Park. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
The risk
If the driver exits the vehicle without the transmission being in Park, the vehicle could roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.
The remedy
MINI will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the transmission control module with the correct software, free of charge. The recall February 4, 2015. Owners can contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525.

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 1,928 vehicles across all model years covered

SEATS

14V721000 · November 10, 2014

The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2015 MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 Door vehicles manufactured August 12, 2014, to September 2, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the driver and front passenger seatback adjustment mechanism may not be fully engaged.
The risk
If the seatback adjustment mechanism is not fully engaged, the seatback may fold during a rear impact collision, increasing the risk of injury to the seat occupant.
The remedy
MINI will notify owners, and dealers will re-align and re-tighten the seatback adjustment mechanisms, free of charge. The recall began December 29, 2014. Owners can contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525.

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 846 vehicles across all model years covered

Defect investigations (2)

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

BMW Safety Act Violations

AQ15004

Closed audit query · opened September 24, 2015 · closed October 2, 2017

the body structure

In a Consent Order executed on December 17, 2015, BMW of North America, LLC (BMW NA) admitted that it violated the Safety Act by: failing to conduct a timely recall for Recall No. 15V-450; failing to file certain quarterly recall reports in a timely manner; failing to timely notify vehicle owners of the existence of a defect or noncompliance; failing to promptly advise NHTSA of delays with the beginning or completion dates for mailing owner or dealer notifications; and failing to timely submit copies to NHTSA of communications relating to recalls.As part of the Consent Order, NHTSA imposed a total civil penalty of $40 million against BMW NA for its violations of the Safety Act.The civil penalty consists of a cash payment, monetary performance obligations, and stipulated penalties.BMW NA paid the $10 million cash penalty on February 12, 2016.Failure to comply with the terms of the Consent Order or the Safety Act will result in portions of the stipulated penalties coming due.The Consent Order required BMW NA to appoint an independent safety consultant to assist BMW NA in developing best practices for complying with the Safety Act and evaluating safety issues under consideration by BMW NA.BMW NA was also required to develop a program to train dealers on the importance of complying with the prohibition on selling unremedied vehicles under recall, improve dealers' access to information necessary to maximize completion of open recalls, and invest in a pilot program to determine whether BMW NA can use data analytics to detect emerging safety defect trends.The population listed in this closing resume is based on BMW NA's untimely recall and does not include other issues addressed by the Consent Order, which relate to BMW NA's safety processes.Based on the Consent Order, BMW NA's admissions that it violated the law, and its ongoing performance obligations, this audit query investigation, AQ15-004, is closed. Closure of this AQ has no bearing on the terms of the Consent Order, including BMW NA's ongoing performance obligations or legal obligations, and does not represent a determination by NHTSA as to BMW NA's performance under the Consent Order to date.

International Autos, Inc. / Mini Recall

AQ15003

Closed audit query · opened August 18, 2015 · closed August 23, 2016

equipment

The Safety Act requires, among other things, that a manufacturer notify its dealers of defects related to motor vehicle safety and non-compliances with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and, in turn, that a dealer not sell and deliver a new vehicle subject to a recall unless the recall remedy has been performed (49 U.S.C. ?? 30112(a), 30120(i)).NHTSA opened AQ15-003 to determine whether International Autos, Inc. of West Allis, Wisconsin complied with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, 49 U.S.C. Chapter 301 (Safety Act). NHTSA received information that International Autos sold and delivered at least one new model year (MY) 2015 Mini Cooper 2-door hardtop vehicle to a customer without having had all required safety recall repairs performed on that vehicle. NHTSA opened this investigation and then issued an information request (IR) to International Autos on August 20, 2015.A copy is of this request is in this investigation's file, together with a public copy of International Autos' response.A careful review of the information supplied confirm that International Autos sold and delivered at least eleven new vehicles with outstanding safety recalls on them. Under a Settlement Agreement dated April 26, 2016, International Autos committed to take concrete actions to improve its processes for verifying that prior to sale and delivery of any new vehicle International Autos has confirmed that the vehicle is not subject to an un-remedied recall. International Autos confirmed that it had engaged in these processes since June 25, 2015.International Autos also committed that it now also checks for open recalls on every customer vehicle brought in for service, and that it checks for open recalls on every used trade-in vehicle, regardless of make or model, and takes steps to have all used trade-in vehicles repaired prior to retail sale. International Autos admitted to violating the prohibition on sales of new vehicles with open recalls, and agreed to pay civil penalties in the amount of $40,000.This Audit Query is closed.

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 56.

ENGINE 14 25%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 11 20%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 10 18%
POWER TRAIN 10 18%
SERVICE BRAKES 8 14%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 4 7%
SUSPENSION 3 5%
EQUIPMENT 2 4%
STEERING 2 4%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2 4%
VISIBILITY 2 4%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 2 4%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2022 at 9.

2015 2022 2026
2015 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

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

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

1 injured · crash · towed · 800 miles

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

NHTSA complaint 10807750, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

crash · towed · 4,000 miles

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

NHTSA complaint 10935157, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

crash · 14,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 MINI COOPER. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO UNLOCK THE TRUNK WITH KEY FOB, THE TRUNK FAILED TO UNLOCK. THE CONTACT STARTED THE VEHICLE IN THE HOPE THAT IT WOULD UNLOCK THE TRUNK. WHEN THE CONTACT BEGAN TO WALK TOWARDS THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE, IT BEGAN TO ROLL DESPITE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE BEING ACTIVATED. THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ROLL OVER A LARGE CURB AND LANDED INTO THE FOUNDATION OF A NEIGHBORING HOME. THE VEHICLE RECEIVED DAMAGE TO THE REAR BUMPER AND UNDERCARRIAGE. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE BACK HOME. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE AND DRIVE TRAIN WARNING INDICATORS WERE ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT NOTIFIED THE INSURANCE COMPANY AND DEALER. THE DEALER WAS

NHTSA complaint 10965860, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

towed · 37,816 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 MINI COOPER. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE CONTACT STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND THE ENGINE SHUT OFF. THE CONTACT STATED THAT UNKNOWN WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED AFTER THE FAILURE OCCURRED. AFTER MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS, THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND DRIVE HOME. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO BMW OF SAN ANTONIO (LOCATED AT 15507 W IH 10, SAN ANTONIO, TX 78249, (210) 732-7121) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ALTERNATOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED THREE TIMES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 37,816.

NHTSA complaint 11233051. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
Anytime the wipers are on and the speed is above 50 mph, this car periodically applies the brakes to keep the rotors dry. It's an automated system that BMW's and Mini's have. However, for some reason, the vehicle now pulls hard to the right, which veers the car into the other lane. The brake pads and rotors are all new. The tires are new and the alignment is good. The brake fluid was just changed and bled. There is literally nothing wrong except for this bizarre system which is now only applying some brake pressure to the front right rotor. The car slows and pulls right suddenly without applying the brake lights. I'm worried I will get rear ended or side swipe somebody. I've resorted to

NHTSA complaint 11756726, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY/WIPER
On my 2015 MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (VIN: [XXX]), the driver's side halogen headlight suddenly stopped working. When I attempted to replace the bulb, I discovered that the headlight connector/pig tail had melted on one side, one of the electrical wires had burned completely through, and there was a strong odor coming from the rear of the headlight assembly. This was not simply a burned-out bulb. The connector and wiring sustained heat damage that appears to have resulted from an electrical failure. Because of the melted connector, burned wiring, and strong burning small, I believe this created a potential fire hazard. It must be noted that there have not been any changes to the lighting

NHTSA complaint 11749756, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
Selector lever wrongly not locked in park. Put up a code for transmission (egs). I believe it falls under the transmission control unit recall on mini coopers 2 door hardtop.

NHTSA complaint 11691302. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
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.

NHTSA complaint 11644422. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES:INTERIOR
While driving the rear view mirror suddenly tilted downward (drooped). What happened, was that the tension ring popped off. As it turns out, this is a known issue per internet Mini Cooper pages. On hot days the ring loosens and, since the design does not include anything to prevent the ring from sliding off, it does slide off, resulting in the rear view mirror drooping. I reinstalled the ring. This occurred again the next day. I ended up uninstalling the rear view mirror, reinstalling the ring and gluing it in place. Thus far this has held.

NHTSA complaint 11606822. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY

62,000 miles

The contact owns a 2015 Mini Cooper. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the rear convertible glass suddenly separated from the convertible compartment and fell on the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or local dealer. The contact stated that while searching online, he became aware that the failure had been a very well-known failure since 2017 with similar vehicles. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure; however, no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000.

NHTSA complaint 11594817. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the MINI Cooper

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2019 12 2
2017 28 3
2016 28 4
2014 34 7
2013 47 1
2012 66 1
2011 83 1
2010 92 2

Other 2015 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.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst