Most common 2003 Mini Cooper S problems
Share of the 217 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Mini Cooper S complaints by model year
Best Cooper S years: 2017, 2016, 2021. Years to avoid: 2005, 2007, 2004, 2006, 2003. Compare all years →
2003 Mini Cooper S recalls (2)
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.
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.
Suspension › Rear › Shock absorber
On certain vehicles, the lower screw connection of the rear struts to the chassis May fail. The head (top) of the screw securing this connection May break. The remaining portion of the screw will still hold the strut in place.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the lower screw connection of the rear struts. Owner notification began April 7, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the…
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 5 possible defects involving the 2003 Mini Cooper S:
Engine compartment fire
In response to an information request (ir) letter sent by the office of defects investigation (odi), BMW stated that the cause of the alleged defect is an insufficient seal of the ground cable of the power steering pump at its attachment to the chassis.water ingress can occur and the water can travel along the power steering pump power cable and come in contact with the power steering pump power cable connector.the…
Air bag warning lamp illumination
In March 2006, BMW reissued a service bulletin first issued in September 2003, to Mini dealers regarding the repair procedure for improper wire crimps in approximately 31,500 model year 2002 and 2003 Mini cooper vehicles produced up to January 2003.the new service bulletin states that the warranty coverage for the issue (I.e., air bag warning lamp illumination with fault code for high resistance in side air bag/seat…
Loss of power steering assist
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) originally opened the investigation of loss of power steering assist in model year (MY) 2004 and 2005 Mini Cooper as Preliminary Evaluation PE10-038.The investigation was upgraded to Engineering Analysis EA11-005 in May, 2011.During EA11-005 the scope was expanded to include MY 2002 and 2003 vehicles that use the same steering system.The subject vehicles now include MY 2002,…
Engine compartment fire
The office of defects investigation (odi) analyzed consumer complaints to BMW of north America, llc (BMW)and to odi that alleged failures of the electrohydraulic power steering (ehps) used in model year 2002 through 2003 Mini cooper vehicles.the analysis determined that 43 of the 52 (83%) reports were related to allegations of power steering loss and 9 (17%) were related to allegations of engine compartment fires.
Air bag warning lamp illumination
Odi has granted the petition and has opened a preliminary evaluation (pe05-053) on illumination of air bag warning lamp on model year 2002 and 2003 Mini cooper vehicles.
What 2003 Mini Cooper S owners say
Steering all 129 →
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Mini Cooper s. While driving 40 MPH and attempting to make a turn, the power steering failed. As a result, the contact crashed into the rear of another vehicle. A police report was filed. The contact sustained contusions to the face and lost a tooth. The occupants of the other vehicle sustained unknown injuries. Medical attention was not required. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 213,000.
Power steering went out without warning, causing loss of control while vehicle was in motion; Mini USA advised it was still driveable, but to be cautious due to lack of control/power steering; when parked, smoke began to plume from under hood where a fire was noticed in back of engine. Called Mini USA back and they advised us to not drive vehicle, as it was a safety hazard. Contacted Mini to set up recalled part (hydraulic power steering), but they were not willing to have car towed to dealer (120 miles from my residence).
Windows, wipers & sunroof all 33 →
2003 Mini Cooper s. My wiper motor died in a heavy rainstorm, or so I thought. Driving without the wipers in hilo, hi where I live with 140" a year of rain can be deadly when wipers don't work. It is a well documented defect affecting all original 02-06 minis. See here for details. I repaired mine simply by grounding the wiper motor to anywhere else on the car. I had to drive 3 weeks without wipers before I could fix this. Dealers charge $600 to fix it and it is a design defect and the motor is not actually dead. It is a poor, and potentially deadly design. I guess I could have spent a couple thousand renting a car for that time, or just spent $600 right away and another $500 on the car to get it fixed. I took my chances, so will many others. There were plenty of times I couldn't see well and hoped for the best. Here is the site with lots of info about it. …
Cracked windhsield on Mini Cooper s. One of probably thousands suffered by min owners owing to the glass being too thin and the windshield too upright. This ia a design and safety issue. My windshield cracked Monday April 14. A small stone May have hit it, but the crack did no begin until the next morning. Random cracks due to stones and rocks are to be expected from time to time. But the occurrence of cracks on the miji Cooper s is epidemic and widely known. The company denies this is a design or manufacturing issue, but the frequency of these cracks, admitted by the Mini Cooper dealer network, is widely known to br a problem with the car, and there is no policy to remedy it, other than having the windhsiled replaced at a cost exceeding $600. …
Engine & cooling
8/13/2014- I was stopped at a stop sign in a mall parking lot and smoke started billowing out from under the right front side of the car and at the same time started coming through the vents into the cabin of the car. I tried to shut off the car, but it would not turn off. A bystander came running and opened the hood, smoke poured out, told me to call roadside assistance as he was opening hood and then told me to hang up and call 911 that my car was on fire. Flames were coming out of the engine area but there was too much smoke. The engine fan was still running. Another passerby had an commercial extinguisher and emptied it on my vehicle. The fire dept. Was pulling up as they were trying to push it aside, the car re-ignited and it took the fire department approx. 15 to make douse the fire without it re-igniting. …
Steering fluid continuously leaks - replace hydraulic hose twice - known defect - Mini refused to fix for free engine cooling - fan runs after shutoff continuously - known defect - Mini refused to fix for free electrical - doors, windows, sunroof fire off on their own while car is moving and when is parked. Will do this at highway speed or when sitting outside (rain or shine) - car unlocks itself and windows all open up -known defect - kind of distracting at highway speed -Mini refused to fix for free. Dealers will not fix these issues unless you make them recall vehicles with multiple small problems ( not just one big problem) - this model has 73 tsbs that dealers charge you to fix even though the problems are known and dangerous issues. In my mind, many small problems can be more dangerous than a few big ones - steering, door locks, cooling - not good. …
2003 Mini Cooper S engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.6L 4-cyl supercharged | 6-speed manual | FWD | 22 / 31 / 25 |
EPA ratings. Class: Subcompact car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2003 Mini Cooper S a good car?
Based on 217 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2003 Cooper S rates avoid: 3.7× as many complaints as a typical year of the Cooper S at the same age. It is one of the Cooper S years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2003 Mini Cooper S?
The steering — 129 complaints, 59% of all complaints for this model year, most often about hydraulic power assist › pump. Next are the windows, wipers & sunroof (33) and engine & cooling (15).
How many recalls does the 2003 Mini Cooper S have?
There are 2 recalls for the 2003 Mini Cooper S, the most recent from October 15, 2015 (electric power assist system). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Mini Cooper S?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2017, 2016 and 2021. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2005, 2007, 2004, 2006 and 2003. See the full Mini Cooper S years comparison.
At what mileage do 2003 Mini Cooper S problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 70,000 miles; 32% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.