2014 MINI Cooper Owner Complaints

The "Passenger Airbag Off" light is illuminated, meaning the primary safety restraint system is disabled. The failed component is the "Occupancy Classification System (OCS) / OC3 Sensor Mat." I purchased a very well-maintained 2014 MINI in March 2026 and the failure occurred shortly after the 10-year warranty window expired. BMW Group has similar BMW models using the very same technology, and they received 15-year extensions, not 10. BMW Coverage: Has extended the warranty for the OC3 mat to 15 years/Unlimited miles for specific "eligible US-specification" models like the 3 Series, 5 Series, and Z4. MINI Coverage: Currently caps the warranty extension at 10 years/120,000 miles for its eligible vehicles.

NHTSA ID

11734671

Incident

Apr 2, 2026

The contact owns a 2014 Mini Cooper. The contact stated that the front driver's side and passenger’s side doors and windows failed to properly close. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the failure was caused by a faulty foot well module which caused the electrical power windows to malfunction and the doors to not properly close. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V337000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 80,000.

NHTSA ID

11645104

Incident

Jan 1, 2025

Mileage

80,000 mi

Engine motor mount sheared, allowing motor to interact with and bounce directly on the frame, and stressing the other connections and components. Dealer indicated this is a very common problem for this car model and is likely a design issue, and even had another example of a sheared mount on display in order to show others with the same issue.

NHTSA ID

11549149

Incident

Sep 1, 2022

The fuse box JBE module has a Quality Assurance problem with a solder connection to the NEC low pressure fuel relay. This is a known issue with BMW/Mini. The car suddenly stalls without warning. If the driver is not keen or if traffic patterns do not allow, the car can be left in very dangerous situations on the highway or in the middle of intersection. The repair for this problem is widely distributed online via blogs and YouTube, but replacement modules are $1500 (part only) and these modules are not available until at least October 2023. There are no warning lights or other warnings prior to the incident. While I am not aware of any serious injuries, it is only a matter of time before someone is t-boned at an intersections. This part MUST be immediately recalled due to the safety risk. The images below show the JBE fuse box housing as well as the PCB where the cold solder joint can be seen. I have circled the cold solder joint in the close up picture.

NHTSA ID

11537267

Incident

Aug 2, 2023

The contact owns a 2014 Mini Cooper. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 mph, there was smoke detected from the vehicle. The vehicle caught fire without warning. There were no reported injuries, air bag deployment, or crash. The fire department distinguished the fire. A police report was filed. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was towed to a lot. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 84,700.

NHTSA ID

11473561

Incident

Jul 11, 2022

Mileage

84,700 mi

TURBO CHARGER HAS SYSTEMATICALLY FAILED OVER THE LAST YEAR, WITH WORSENING EFFECTS. THIS CAUSES THE CAR TO AUTOMATICALLY GO INTO "LIMP MODE" AND CUTS POWER. THIS IS DANGEROUS FOR DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. THIS IS A COMMON COMPLAINT WITH MINI COOPERS WITH MANY, BUT NOT ALL YEARS RECALLED.

NHTSA ID

11233525

Incident

Jul 20, 2019

Mileage

68,000 mi

HELLO, I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF A 2014 MINI COOPER COUNTRYMAN PURCHASED NEW FROM IRVINE MINI, IRVINE CALIFORNIA, ON MY WAY HOME TO SAN DIEGO FROM THE PURCHASE THE REAR PASSENGER WINDOW STOPPED WORKING, I PULLED OVER CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD TO GO IN THE NEXT DAY FOR REPAIR, IT WAS REPAIRED THE NEXT DAY, ELECTRICAL FAILURE. 2014, NEXT WAS THE ENGINE WOULD STAY ON WHEN THE KEY WAS REMOVED, DEALERSHIP X 3 BUT THEY COULD FIND NOTHING, 2ND YEAR WAS DRIVING UPHILL CITY STREETS AND CAR LOST POWER, STARTING SMOKING, PULLED OVER AFTER RESTING CAR WAS DRIVABLE, DEALERSHIPS COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG, WE NEVER RECEIVED ANY NOTICE FROM OUR DEALERSHIP INFORMING US OF FAULTY TRANSMISSION. MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT NEVER CAME ON BUT CAR STARTED LOSING POWER A FEW WEEKS AGO. I RECENTLY TOOK IT TO DEALER WHO TOLD ME THE TRANSMISSION HAS TO BE REPLACED, IT WASN'T A COMPUTER GLITCH AND THESE TRANSMISSIONS CANNOT BE SERVICED. WHAT DO I DO NOW?

NHTSA ID

11231603

Incident

Jul 1, 2019

Mileage

80,000 mi

FOR THE PAST YEAR, ALL EXTERNAL LIGHT WIRING HAS MELTED. FIRST INSTANCE 5/24/18 BOTH LICENSE PLATE BULBS SHORTED, SECOND INSTANCE 10/26/18 DRIVERS SIDE HEADLIGHT BULB CONNECTOR INSIDE LIGHT MELTED, THIRD INSTANCE 5/21/19 PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT BULB WIRING HARNESS MELTED, FOURTH INSTANCE AND CURRENT 5/30/19 RIGHT TAILLIGHT BULB WIRING MELTED.

NHTSA ID

11210887

Incident

May 24, 2018

Mileage

57,457 mi

THERMOSTAT HOUSING FAULT CODE CAME ON WHILE DRIVING. 2014 MINI COOPER HARDTOP MODELS HAVE A RECALL. MY VIN # DOES NOT. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS AND INITIATE A RECALL FOR MY VIN.

NHTSA ID

11192704

Incident

Mar 21, 2019

Mileage

50,344 mi

MY INSURANCE HAS ASKED ME TO FILE THIS COMPLAINT AS MY VEHICLE'SAIRBAGS DEPLOYED AT AN IMPACT UNDER 5 MPH LEADING TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THE AIRBAG SENSOR IN MY CAR IS FAULTY.ON FRIDAY, JULY 6TH AT 10:15 AM I WAS DRIVING ON THE 405 N IN BUMPER TO BUMPER FREEWAY TRAFFIC, IT WAS A CLEAR DAY WITH GOOD VISIBILITY AND ROAD CONDITIONS. THE TWO VEHICLE'S INVOLVED IN THE MINOR COLLISIONWERE MY 2014 MINI COUNTRYMAN AND A 2017 INFINITY. MANYCARS WERE CUTTING OVER TO THE RIGHT TO GET ONTO THE UPCOMING 55 NORTH AND SOUTHBOUND INTERCHANGE HIGHWAY. ASI WAS MERGING TO THE LEFT A GREY CAR SPED BY TO MERGE RIGHT CAUSING ME TO MERGE BACK INTO MY LANE. HOWEVER, THE WHITE INFINITY AHEADHAD HIT THE BRAKES CAUSING ME TOTAP HER REAR BUMPER AT AN IMPACT UNDER 5 MPH. THEN THE THREE DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED 911 AND THEY TRANSFERRED ME TO THE CHP. AFTER HANGING UP, I GOT OUT OF MY CAR AND THE OTHER DRIVER AND IEXCHANGED INFORMATION. THE OTHER DRIVER LEFT WITHIN 5 MINUTES AS HERBUMPER WAS LEFT WITH ONLY A MINOR SCRATCH, AND NO DENTS OR BUMPS.I GOT BACK IN MY VEHICLE AND WAITED FOR THE CHP. WHEN THE OFFICER ARRIVED, HE PUSHED MY CAR TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD. WE WAITED FOR THE AAA TOW TRUCK. NO ACCIDENT REPORT WAS TAKEN AS THERE WAS NO ACCUSATIONS OR INJURY. THE TOW TRUCK DROVE MY VEHICLE TO THE NEAREST MINI DEALERSHIP.MY INSURANCE COMPANY WANTS TO MOVE FORWARD AND FIX BOTH CARS' MINOR DAMAGE AND REPAIR MY VEHICLE'S AIRBAGS. THECOST PER AIRBAG RANGES FROM $1000 TO $2000.HOW VERY UNFORTUNATE GIVEN THE EXTREMELY MINOR DAMAGE INVOLVED.FROM WHAT I HAVE GATHERED, I'VE FOUND THAT AIRBAGSARE TO DEPLOY AT AN ABSOLUTE MINIMUM SPEED OF 10 MPH. GIVEN THE FACT THAT THE AFOREMENTIONED COLLISION OCCURRED BELOW 10 MPH, IT IS THEREFORE TO BE ASSUMED THAT SOME SORT OF ERROR OCCURRED CAUSING THE DEPLOYMENT OF MY VEHICLE'S AIRBAGS.

NHTSA ID

11112041

Incident

Jul 6, 2018

Mileage

26,475 mi

MY CAR WAS PARKED AND I WENT TO START IT UP IN THE MORNING TO GO TO WORK. A LIGHT CAME ON WHICH LOOKED LIKE AN AIRBAG/SEATBELT LIGHT. IN MY VEHICLE IT WAS NOT ONE OF THE REGULAR SERVICE LIGHTS THAT THEY HAVE HIGHLIGHTED IN THE MANUAL SO I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP THAT AFTERNOON. THEY MADE AN APPOINTMENT FOR ME TO BRING MY CAR IN TO BE CHECKED OUT ON 4/5/16 WHICH I DID. BEFORE I GOT THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP THE LIGHT HAD TURNED OFF BUT I TOOK IT IN ANYWAY. THEY SAID THEY WOULD CHECK IT OUT AND GET BACK TO ME. THE NEXT DAY THEY CALLED ME TO TELL ME THAT IT WAS AN AIRBAG ISSUE AND THEY HAD TO SPECIAL ORDER THE PARTS FROM GERMANY WHICH WOULD BE IN ON 4/22/16. LATER THAT MONTH THEY CALLED ME BACK AND ASKED ME TO BRING THE LOANER CAR THEY HAD SUPPLIED TO ME BACK BECAUSE THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE AND BEING BACKORDERED NATIONALLY. THEY HAD THEIR PARENT COMPANY PAY FOR A RENTAL VEHICLE BUT THERE WERE ISSUES WITH A COUPLE OF THOSE CARS TOO. IT IS NOW MAY 5, 2016 AND I HADN'T HEARD ANYTHING MORE SO I CALLED THEM AND THEY SAID THEY MAY HAVE PARTS TOMORROW AND BECAUSE MY CAR HAS BEEN THERE SO LONG THEY WOULD TRY AND PUT MINE FIRST TO BE SERVICED. IT'S BEEN VERY DISAPPOINTING AND AN INCONVENIENCE SINCE THEY HAVE PUT ME IN 4 DIFFERENT CARS IN THE LAST MONTH. NOW I AM UNEASY ABOUT HOW SAFE MY VEHICLE ACTUALLY IS. IT IS A 2014 AND HAS LOW MILES AND IS IN GOOD SHAPE AND I'VE HAD IT LESS THAN A YEAR AND QUESTIONING MY DECISION TO PURCHASE THIS VEHICLE AT ALL.

NHTSA ID

10863472

Incident

Apr 4, 2016

Mileage

12,150 mi

DRIVER'S DOOR HANDLE LOCK COVER (PLASTIC) FELT UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE DRIVING.

NHTSA ID

10838742

Incident

Feb 22, 2016

Mileage

15,000 mi

TWO TIRES THAT CAME WITH MY MINI COOPER 2014 WENT FLAT IN LESS THAN 7,500 MILES, ONE ON NOV 7, 2015 AND THE OTHER ON JAN 3, 2016. THE TIRES ARE VERY EXPENSIVE (ABOUT $200 PER TIRE) AND OF VERY LOW QUALITY. AS A CUSTOMER I FEEL BEING CHEATED ON.

NHTSA ID

10821813

Incident

Nov 7, 2015

Mileage

7,000 mi

I HAVE A 2014 MINI COOPER HARDTOP. I HAVE HAD THIS CAR SERVICED AT LEAST 4 SEPARATE TIMES FOR A RECURRING ISSUE. TODAY WAS VERY DIFFERENT AND UNEXPLAINABLE. I WAS DRIVING TO WORK ON THE FREEWAY, MY CAR REACHES SPEEDS OF 80 AT LEAST, BUT I HAD SLOWED TO A CRAWL BEFORE THE TOLL PLAZA. TRAFFIC WAS THE USUAL HEAVY TRAFFIC. I MUST HAVE BEEN GOING 5-10 MPH IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC. SUDDENLY, TH CAR STARTED BUCKING , LIKE IT WAS HAVING TROUBLE DOWNSHIFTING . THIS IS THE TYPICAL BUCKING IT MAKES RIGHT BEFORE THE "DRIVE TRAIN MALFUNCTION: DRIVE MODERATELY." WARNING COMES ON. THE ENGINE STARTED TICKING (TO ME THAT IS INDICATING LACK OR NO OIL). "DRIVE TRAIN MALFUNCTION: DRIVE MODERATELY." AND "DROP IN OIL PRESSURE. SLOW TO A STOP " WARNINGS BOTH CAME ON. I PULLED OVER 3 LANES QUICKLY TO THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY , SHUT THE CAR OFF AND HOPED I WAS IN A SAFE SPOT. WHEN THE TOW TRUCK OPERATOR CAME, HE TOLD ME OIL WAS UNDERNEATH MY CAR. WHY WOULD A CAR JUST SPILL OIL OUT WHILE DRIVING ? IM PRETTY SCARED OF WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO MY ENGINE. CAR IS AT THE DEALER, AND I'M REALLY NOT CONFIDENT IN THIS CAR. I HAVE NOT BEEN CONFIDENT SINCE ALL OF THE PROBLEMS I HAVE HAD SINCE PURCHASE.

NHTSA ID

10783527

Incident

Oct 19, 2015

Mileage

20,800 mi

YOUTUBE LINK: HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=QWXHFEKSZ0W MINI COOPER S ROADSTER 6 SPEED MANUAL WHILE DRIVING SMELLED ODOR OF RUBBER BURNING, THEN ABOUT 10 SECONDS LATER SAW SMOKE COMING FROM THE DEFROSTER VENTS AND THEN SOME SORT OF WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND I IMMEDIATELY TURNED OFF THE ENGINE AND COASTED TO A STOP BELIEVING THE ENGINE HAD OVERHEATED. I GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND THE SMOKE GOT WORSE AND WHEN THE PLASTIC IN THE DASHBOARD HAD MELTED AWAY I SAW FLAMES AND CALLED 911. THIS ALL HAPPENED IN LESS THAN 2 MINUTES FROM THE START TO CALLING 911. THE ENGINE WAS NOT DAMAGED AND THIS WAS FROM THE WIRING I BELIEVE. I PURCHASED THE CAR NEW ON MAY 28, 2014. THE CAR WAS TOTALED.

NHTSA ID

10758960

Incident

Aug 23, 2015

Mileage

25,471 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE RECALL NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V815000 (STRUCTURE) WAS RECEIVED IN FEBRUARY OF 2015. AFTER CONTACTING THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS, THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE PARTS NEEDED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE WERE STILL NOT AVAILABLE AND NO ESTIMATED TIME FOR RECEIVING THE PARTS COULD BE PROVIDED. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.

NHTSA ID

10733953

Incident

Feb 2, 2015

I WAS DRIVING ON AN INTERSTATE AND A WARNING READING "DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION. DRIVE MODERATELY" CAME ON. POWER WAS LOW (COULDN'T GET THE CAR OVER ABOUT 60 MPH, NOT SAFE ON AN INTERSTATE WITH STEADY TRAFFIC) AND CAR WAS SOMEWHAT CHUGGY. THIS CAR HAS THREE TIMES IN UNDER 8000 MILES TOLD ME THE OIL WAS LOW AND IT WAS CRITICALLY NECESSARY FOR ME TO ADD A QUART, WHICH SEEMS RELATED. AFTER STOPPING AND CALLING MINI (WHO TOLD ME THEY WOULD SEND A TOW TRUCK IF THE LIGHT HAD BEEN RED, RATHER THAN YELLOW) AND STARTING THE CAR BACK UP SOME 20ISH MINUTES LATER, NO WARNING. UNSURE WHEN THE NEXT WARNING IN THIS NEW CAR WILL COME UP, BUT MINI SAYS THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH OIL FILTER HOUSINGS.

NHTSA ID

10733782

Incident

Jun 26, 2015

Mileage

8,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V815000 (STRUCTURE). THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PART NEEDED TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.

NHTSA ID

10731217

Incident

Feb 11, 2015

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 MINI COOPER. WHILE DRIVING AT 80 MPH, THE VEHICLE STARTED TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY. THE FAILURE RECURRED THREE TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER, BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBERS: 14V815000 (STRUCTURE) AND 14V154000, (EQUIPMENT); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 7,600.

NHTSA ID

10723675

Incident

Feb 10, 2015

Mileage

7,600 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V815000 (STRUCTURE) HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED TO DO THE REPAIRS WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. UPDATED 8/10/15*CN

NHTSA ID

10716741

Incident

Feb 11, 2015

DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY, CAR LOST OIL PRESSURE SUDDENLY, OIL POURED OUT OF VEHICLE, SMOKING AS WARNING LIGHTS INDICATED "DRIVE TRAIN MALFUNCTION" AND THEN, "LOSS OF OIL PRESSURE: STOP VEHICLE". DIAGNOSED AS A FAILURE OF A WELDING ON THE OIL PUMP HOUSING. MINI REPLACED PART AND RETURNED CAR TO ME. WITHIN 1 MILE, "DRIVE TRAIN MALFUNCTION" IGNITED AGAIN. A WEEK LATER, THEY REPORTED THAT THERE WERE METAL SHAVINGS IN THE OIL AND THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACE. I SOLD IT BACK TO MINI AS A LEMON.

NHTSA ID

10715824

Incident

Dec 1, 2014

Mileage

9,200 mi

WHILE DRIVING IN THE HIGHWAY, THE CAR SUDDENLY STARTED SHAKING AND HAVING LOUD CLUNKING RATTLING NOISE. THE EXHAUST WAS SPEWING HEAVY WHITE SMOKE. THE CAR SUDDENLY SLOWED AND THEN STOPPED WITH " DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION." WE ALSO GOT INTO AN ACCIDENT! *TR

NHTSA ID

10704005

Incident

Apr 3, 2015

Mileage

6,500 mi

DRIVING TO SHOPPING CENTER, I HAD MY HEATED SEAT TURNED TO THE HIGHEST SETTING. IT SEEMED AS THOUGH THE SEAT WAS UNUSUALLY WARM SO I TURNED THE SEAT DOWN TO THE MEDIUM SETTING AND CONTINUED DRIVING. THE SEAT CONTINUED TO FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE AS I DROVE, SO I TURNED IT DOWN TO LOW, BUT IT STILL DID NOT COOL DOWN. IT BECAME ALARMINGLY HOT SO I TURNED IT OFF COMPLETELY BUT IT DID NOT COOL DOWN. AT THIS POINT I WOULD HAVE EXITED THE CAR, BUT I WAS IN HEAVY TRAFFIC IN FRONT OF THE MALL. AFTER PARKING I DID MY SHOPPING AND DID NOT TURN THE SEAT ON FOR THE DRIVE HOME. THE NEXT MORNING I DISCOVERED A 13 INCH BURN IN THE CONFIGURATION OF A WIRE ON MY LEFT BUTTOCK AND THIGH. (PICTURE TAKEN) BMW REPORT STATED THAT THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE SEAT AND THAT IT "PERFORMED AS IT WAS DESIGNED." THEY ACCEPTED NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR MY BODILY INJURY. *TR

NHTSA ID

10694167

Incident

Dec 9, 2014

Mileage

6,200 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 MINI COOPER. WHILE DRIVING AT A LOW SPEED, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. A "VEHICLE NOT IN PARK, PLEASE PUT IN PARK AND RESTART" MESSAGE WAS DISPLAYED ACROSS THE MESSAGE BOARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE SOFTWARE NEEDED TO BE UPDATED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 7,000.

NHTSA ID

10693827

Incident

Mar 3, 2015

Mileage

7,000 mi

AFTER UNLATCHING THE DRIVER SIDE SEATBELT, THE BELT FOLD INTO THE RETRACTION MECHANISM SUCH THAT IT GOT STUCK AND COULD NOT BE USED UNTIL IT WAS MANUALLY UNSPOOLED, WHICH IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO DO. THIS HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES IN THIS CAR AND PRESENTS AND SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE SINCE IT RENDERS THE SEATBELT POTENTIALLY UNUSABLE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10692918

Incident

Nov 2, 2014

Mileage

7,000 mi