Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full
Data refreshed
Our database holds 66 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2012 MINI Cooper. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Showing 1–25 of 66 · page 1 of 3
This vin waa not included in a recall however had recall issues it obtained water in the footwell which mini has a recall issue for this and the car was caught on fire it is at the dealership in [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
ELECTRIC SHORT CIRCUIT. The electronic module in the driver side footwell area may short circuit. when I unlock the car or try to start, I hear loud electrical SHORT CIRCUIT noises coming out of the seating area. I am afraid to even unlock the car, and fear car might catch fire.
The electronic control module in the driver’s side footwell short-circuit, battery and electrical in the car are being drained and car does not work properly and completely drains battery.
My 2012 mini cooper has a Footwell Module recall and I took it to the dealer and they refused to replace it but they said i could pay to have it replaced even though it was a recall
Mini BMW is fully aware of an issue with their OC3 detection mat on the passengers side and offered a extended warranty of 10 years/ 100k miles. This is insufficient coverage for a crucial saftey part and has led to a grey market production of occupancy detection mats "emulators" which are being sold online as the only way to have your airbag system "functional".
I went to have my 2012 mini coopers footwell control module replaced because it was recalled. They did not replace it because they said they found no corrosion and then marked my vehicle as the recall being fixed. When I left the dealership my blinkers or highbeans would not turn on as well as my four way flashers either. And that is dangerous. When I got home I took the cover off the footwell control module and found corrosion on the plug for it. There was also 9 codes for that when I scanned the vehicle and now is trying to charge me for a recalled part that they did not replace!
We purchased this vehicle used. It is a 2012 Mini Cooper hardtop and was owned by several owners in the Canada, NY and NJ area before being brought to FL and ultimately sold to us. This defect has been known since May, 2023, yet BMW/Mini has done nothing to rectify the problem. The FRM module failed immediately after we got the car which rendered it undriveable because the power windows, power door locks, turn signals and key fob were inoperable. We called BMW/Mini about the vehicle being inoperable and unsafe to drive and were told to take it to a repair facility to get the module replaced, which we did. We had to tow it there because it was not safe to drive. We were told we would be reimbursed for the repairs, since this was in fact a documented safety recall #23V-337 Footwell Control Module-FRM. After paying $759.18 for the repairs, I submitted the invoice and the requested information to BMW/Mini just to have them deny my request for reimbursement because they say after an entire year since the notice that there is no remedy available. This is unacceptable!! I could not drive this car without having this module replaced and I am sure I'm not alone in this situation. BMW/Mini should reimburse me for the repairs they instructed me to get done. They point blank LIED to me by stating the repairs would be reimbursed due to this being a safety recall. This is going to turn into a class action lawsuit because BMW/Mini refuses to accept responsibility for their faulty vehicles! This will be just another lawsuit to add to their collection.
The clutch has been a problem. The clutch wears out prematurely, causing loss of acceleration, which caused loss of power trying to merge into freeway traffic, which nearly resulted in a collision with a semi. Looking up repair or replacement information, it appears this is a common problem that Mini has, some people were replacing the clutch 3 times before 50,000 miles, and also refusing to honor their warranty, claiming it’s the user fault. I got a quote from Mini Cooper in Tacoma, to replace the clutch, and I was quoted $3400. I paid $12,000 for my Mini Cooper. To change it myself is about impossible due to ‘special’ tools required. I think this is scam set up to get money. It is very unsafe to lose acceleration in places where it’s vital like freeway merging. If people cannot afford to get these these fixed then that’s another safety issue. I’m now stuck figuring out how to get this fixed. Please look into this.
The contact owns a 2012 Mini Cooper. 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 manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that whenever it rained, several unknown warning lights illuminated, and the power windows failed to function as needed. The contact stated that after turning off the vehicle and attempting to restart the vehicle, the vehicle failed to restart. The contact stated that occasionally the battery would become drained and required the vehicle to be jumpstarted. The contact had spoken to a service manager at the local dealer; however, the contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 142,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2012 Mini Cooper. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V337000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
started with lights not going off once i cut car off, then windshield wipers would come on it's on, then check engine warning lights, check fuel pump and check rear bulbs lights and several other warning lights would stay on, finally it got to it wouldn't crack until after three or four tries, then it started cutting off while driving, then I would have to wait for 30 min. or more, then it would crank back up. now it won't crack at all. I've been waiting on this recall since 5/12/23 recall #23V337. Please advise and Help!!
i bought the car in august 2023 from carmax they were aware of recall , my car has no headlight, brake lights, door states open when not , windows do not roll down, cannot use alarm, will not lock, smells hot , i spoke with mini cooper and there is no remedy this is my only car i transport my grandchildren to and from school , i lost house due to a fire a yr ago , and lost everything , and see that a fire is at risk. mini cooper says nothing they can do because no remedy, carmax should not of sold this car with a recall .
The contact owns a 2012 Mini Cooper. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V337000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
My car is affected by this recall and I have no turn signals, dash lights, high beams, working windows, security system, or backup sensors. There are also codes thrown which prevents me from renewing my registration due to DEQ test failure. The dealership can’t do anything and BMW North America has done nothing to remedy things.
The contact owns a 2012 Mini Cooper. 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 manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while attempting to drive the vehicle, the electrical system warning light illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 54,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Mini Cooper. 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 manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2012 Mini Cooper. 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 manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. Additionally, the display screen was black. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 137,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2012 Mini Cooper. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start up after several attempts. There was no warning light illuminated. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a dealer where a diagnostic test was performed. The contact was informed that water had entered the vehicle from the front passenger’s side footwell, causing damages to the junction box electronics and the footwell module. The contact was also informed that the VIN was not covered under NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V337000 (Electrical System). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 72,308.
The contact owns a 2012 Mini Cooper. 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 manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
NHTSA recall 15V-205: OC3 Seat Occupancy Mat is missing other model years. my 2012 R56 was just diagnosed by a garage as having exactly this error. Why isn't NHTSA also recalling the other model years impacted by this safety issue? As the NHTSA must know, this safety issue is impacting many Mini Cooper model years, to the extent that a secondary market for bypass devices has emerged [XXX] ). Additionally, people have reported this safety issue to NHTSA since at least 2019 [XXX] and [XXX] ). Consider this communication as a formal report to the NHTSA of this instance of a safety issue and of the NHTSA inaction in face of this board and well-documented Mini Copper safety issue. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The car just randomly caught on fire while off in my driveway. Noticed a weird sound outside looked out and noticed the windshield wipers were going even though the car was off and I hadn't driven it. Opened the door to bellows of smoke coming out. fire department was called and had to rip it apart to get to the fire which was under the steering wheel in the left side
Footwell module is not working due to rear left blinker is not signaling only the front light does work when turning left.
Passenger side airbag light on with no one in seat, had it checked, the repair shop stated that there is a seat sensor fault, the code is 93c3(passenger seat occupancy detector). I have done some research on this and it seems that this a common problem, but there hasn't been any recalls by Mini, and if there is an accident the airbag may not deploy. I was told to by the dealer that it will cost $2300 for parts and labor.
The failed component is the "Footwell Relay Module" (FRM) which enables communication between the instrument panel in the passenger compartment and the engine control components in the engine compartment. When this component fails the following essential controls become inoperable: emergency flashers, turn signals, door locks, and windows. Most other "convenience features controlled by the car instrument panel become inoperable as well. This problem was confirmed by an independent technician, a technician at Mini of Stevens Creek in San Jose, CA, and the owner. No inspections of the part were ever done and the FRM failed without warning. This is a common failure in Minis due to a faulty design. The part is insufficiently protected from inrush current surge when a fully-charged battery is reconnected following service. It is also not sufficiently protected from induced voltage surges from EMI such as C, K or Ka band radar or electrical storms. One or more integrated circuits in the part are destroyed when exposed to current or voltage spikes rendering the part inoperable. The cost to replace the FRM (parts & labor) exceeds $1000.
This car was maintained, by Mini and BMW authorized mechanics and only had OEM parts installed and followed management of vehicle as directed by manufacturer, throughout its history. It was always driven and kept in moderate weather conditions, no extreme heat, cold, wet, or speeds. Used almost daily for 30-60 minute commutes. Just after 100K miles, total engine failure was suddenly experienced on the freeway, due to combustion in two valves, damaging two cylinders and sudden leaking of the exhaust system under the hood. The manufacturer, BWM, has been shown evidence of malfunctioning of the four cylinder engine and will not show evidence of their grounds for why they will not take responsibility.
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.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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