Your vehicle report
2002 MINI Cooper
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 187
- Received Aug 2002 to Feb 2025
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Power steering cuts out while driving28 complaints · 15% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Glass shatters or cracks without impact25 complaints · 13% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Airbag warning light stays on16 complaints · 8.6% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #15V660000BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2002-2005 MINI Cooper and Cooper S vehicles and 2005 Cooper and Cooper S Convertible vehicles. The affected vehicles may experience temporary or permanent loss of the electro-hydraulic steering assistance.
- Recall #05V470000Certain passenger vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, 'tire selection and rims.' the standard requires that the relationship between the tire size and maximum tire pressure be indicated on the vehicle's tire information label. This relationship is not present.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 4 crashes, 8 fires, 8 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 14 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2002 | 2 |
| 2003 | 38 |
| 2004 | 11 |
| 2005 | 11 |
| 2006 | 6 |
| 2007 | 16 |
| 2008 | 18 |
| 2009 | 10 |
| 2010 | 9 |
| 2011 | 15 |
| 2012 | 19 |
| 2013 | 10 |
| 2014 | 6 |
| 2015 | 3 |
| 2016 | 6 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 187 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power steering cuts out while driving | 28 | 15% | – | NHTSA recall #15V660000 |
| Glass shatters or cracks without impact | 25 | 13% | – | |
| Airbag warning light stays on | 16 | 8.6% | – | |
| Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly | 14 | 7.5% | – | NHTSA recall #15V660000 |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 13 | 7.0% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 9 | 4.8% | – | |
| CVT transmission fails or loses power | 9 | 4.8% | – | |
| Transmission fails or loses power while driving | 7 | 3.7% | – | |
| Manual clutch wears out or fails early | 5 | 2.7% | – | |
| Rear door latch fails to open or close | 4 | 2.1% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 4 | 2.1% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 4 | 2.1% | – | |
| Headlights dim or fail at night | 3 | 1.6% | – | |
| Vehicle suddenly loses engine power at speed | 3 | 1.6% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #15V660000October 15, 201586,018 vehicles affected
steering: electric power assist system
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2002-2005 MINI Cooper and Cooper S vehicles and 2005 Cooper and Cooper S Convertible vehicles. The affected vehicles may experience temporary or permanent loss of the electro-hydraulic steering assistance.
If the vehicle experiences a loss of power steering assist, extra steering effort will be required at lower speeds, potentially increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Remedy
MINI will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the electro-hydraulic power steering system, replacing the components and wiring, as necessary, free of charge. Interim notices were mailed to owners on December 10, 2015. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525.
NHTSA recall #05V470000October 12, 2005960 vehicles affected
equipment: other: labels
Certain passenger vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, 'tire selection and rims.' the standard requires that the relationship between the tire size and maximum tire pressure be indicated on the vehicle's tire information label. This relationship is not present.
Too low or too high tire pressure Can cause premature wear and/or tire damage, and could lead to unfavorable driving conditions.
Remedy
Owners will be provided with new tire information placards and installation instructions. At the customer's option, a dealer Can perform the installation for them. The recall began on november 30, 2005. Owners may contact Mini at 1-866-275-6464.
NHTSA recall #02V201000July 25, 20023,531 vehicles affected
power train: manual transmission: floor shift assembly
On certain passenger vehicles equipped with manual transmissions, the transmission shift cable connects the gearshift lever in the vehicle interior to the shift linkage on the transmission. It is possible for the shift cable to detach from the transmission shift linkage while the driver is attempting to change gears. If the cable detaches from the shift linkage, gear changes will no longer be possible and the transmission will remain in the last gear selected.
If shift cable detachment occurs and the transmission remains in any forward gear, the vehicle Can still be driven in that gear only. However, if the transmission moves into neutral and remains there, the ability to accelerate or maintain speed will be lost, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the shift cable and, if necessary, install a retaining clip over the end of the shift cable to prevent it from detaching from the transmission. Owner notification began august 6, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact Bmw at 1-866-ASK-MINI (1-866-275-6464).
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2002 MINI Cooper.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN