Mini Cooper S Engine Problems

Engine complaints by model year

Which parts fail

• Engine
  29
• Exhaust system
  11
• Exhaust system › Manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe
  4
• Cooling system
  4
• Cooling system › Fan
  2
• Engine › Gasoline › Turbo/supercharger
  2
• Cooling system › Radiator assembly
  1
• Exhaust system › Emission control
  1

Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  6112%
• 25k–50k
  14730%
• 50k–75k
  17535%
• 75k–100k
  7415%
• 100k–150k
  326%
• 150k+
  51%

What owners report

Front passenger side motor mount failed pretty terribly, the rubber completely slipped off the engine side mount leaving a severe engine vibration. The mount is very under engineered. Ours failed at 27,0000 miles.

Tl* the contact owned 2016 Mini Cooper s. Contact stated that while his wife was driving at 40 MPH, without warning an smoke appeared on the front passenger side under the hood. The contact stated his wife pulled to the side of the road and exited the vehicle before the whole vehicle was engulfed in flames. The fire department extinguished the flames and a fire department report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a salvage lot and deemed a totaled lost. The manufacturer was contacted and sent a field inspector whom could not determine the cause of the failure. The dealer motor city Mini (29929 telegraph rd. Southfield, mi 48034) was contacted and informed the contact that fire was not covered under the warranty. The dealer did not inspect the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximant 41,000.

Tl* the contact owned a 2015 Mini Cooper s. While parked in the driveway, the vehicle caught fire. The contact attempted to extinguish the fire with a water hose, but was unsuccessful. The fire department arrived and extinguished the flames. There were no injuries. Fire report number: 1900355515 was filed. The contact's insurance company scheduled a vehicle inspection at the contact's home. The fire department deemed the vehicle totaled. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The cause of the failure was not determined. The failure mileage was approximately 53,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2015 Mini Cooper s. While driving approximately 25 MPH, the rear driver's side turn signal and brake lights did not work and the 'malfunction rear light cluster' message illuminated. The vehicle was taken to braman motorcars [phone], located at 2901 okeechobee blvd, west palm beach, fl 33409) where the rear brake cluster and the turn signals were replaced. The technician also diagnosed and replaced the engine mount due to an oil leak. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failures. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 42,621.

Drivetrain malfunction warning - appears and reduces speed at any time of driving - this could cause severe accidents due to loss of power/performance. This warning is engaged at anytime w/o warning. Software update for vehicle should be free of charge as this impacts loss of power. When taking it to auto mechanic, no codes are found and no engine light or fault code. Researching all f56 forum, seems like this has been common complaint. Even though the warning comes on and tells you to drive carefully (slow down). You are still in a high density traffic or freeway that does not allow you enough time to pull on the side. The software should be available to consumer as this impacts the speed of the current driving condition (which is not obvious to other drivers). If it was a flat tire, or smoke coming out of the hood.. This is visible. …

Oil filter housing failed during commute and lost all oil. Needed to have the car towed for repair. Received the car back next day. Failed part is currently subject of recall, but my car did not fall into the scope of the recall so I never received a notice. Two days after repair for the oil filter housing, the vanos system failed. Entire vanos system needed to be replaced, took a total of 6 days for repair.

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 not yet available. The contact stated that the engine was running rough while idling. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle would not exceed 65 MPH and 4,000 RPM while driving. The message "Reduced Engine Power" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that cylinder #1 was misfiring because it was not receiving proper communication from the ECU. The vehicle was then taken to another independent mechanic and was informed that the ECU was operating as needed. Additionally, the contact stated that he replaced the spark plugs and the coils; however, the failure persisted. The check engine warning light was illuminated. …

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.

Related recalls (4)

NHTSA investigations