2013 MINI Cooper Roadster Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2013 MINI Cooper Roadster, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Airbags266.7%
- Interior & seats133.3%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
The passenger side air bag seat sensor has failed rendering the air bags in the car inoperable. This is a common complaint that many Mini Cooper and BMW owners are having. This problem has been known about by the manufacturer for many years and at one point they were repairing this issue at no charge for most models. I have and many other Mini Cooper and BMW owners have tried to have this issue repaired by the manufacturer and they are refusing. I filled out one of these forms a while ago and have seen no response from you about the status of this issue. This is a life safety system that is failing in many cars due to a design flaw that needs to be fixed.
The passenger side air bag seat sensor has failed. I don't know if that means the passenger air bag will not work or if it will activate incorrectly injuring a passenger due to air bag detonation. This sensor failure is common. Yes this vehicle can be inspected. The air bag warning light periodically turns on and off. I contacted mini cooper customer relations and they informed me that there was a time that they would repair this issue if reported to a dealer free of charge but that offer expired when the car turns 10 years old. Our mini is a little over 10 years old. Mini has been aware of this problem for many years and claims to have sent notification of warranty extension to all owners. I am unable to find any correspondence regarding this issue. Our vehicle has not been inspected by mini or anyone else. Mini knew what I was talking about without a question as they are familiar with this issue. The air bag warning light started coming on maybe a year ago and has become more common in the past approximately 6 months. We are not exactly sure the first time the wanrng light illuminated as it wil turn off after a while. This issue is not speed dependent, It seems to be activated when someone is sitting on the seat but not 100% sure that is the only time.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
The passenger side air bag seat sensor has failed. I don't know if that means the passenger air bag will not work or if it will activate incorrectly injuring a passenger due to air bag detonation. This sensor failure is common. Yes this vehicle can be inspected. The air bag warning light periodically turns on and off. I contacted mini cooper customer relations and they informed me that there was a time that they would repair this issue if reported to a dealer free of charge but that offer expired when the car turns 10 years old. Our mini is a little over 10 years old. Mini has been aware of this problem for many years and claims to have sent notification of warranty extension to all owners. I am unable to find any correspondence regarding this issue. Our vehicle has not been inspected by mini or anyone else. Mini knew what I was talking about without a question as they are familiar with this issue. The air bag warning light started coming on maybe a year ago and has become more common in the past approximately 6 months. We are not exactly sure the first time the wanrng light illuminated as it wil turn off after a while. This issue is not speed dependent, It seems to be activated when someone is sitting on the seat but not 100% sure that is the only time.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .