2020 MINI Cooper Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
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What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2020 MINI Cooper, 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
- Airbags327.3%
- Electrical218.2%
- Driver assistance19.1%
- Fuel system19.1%
- Powertrain (other)19.1%
- Steering19.1%
- Visibility19.1%
- Brakes19.1%
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
A driver drove head on into my drivers seat door hard enough that his front bumper completely detached from his car and my door could not open, close, or lock, and my car was not drivable. My car has side airbags. No airbag deployed. I had to go to the hospital immediately after the accident. There is no open recall on my 2020 Mini 2 door hardtop. Shouldn't an airbag have deployed?
Run out of lane over raised median hit 2 road signs head on they flew over the car into opposite side of traffic and into a ditch at 45mph. Airbags did not deploy despite broken frame, collapsed suspension, all 4 no flat tires were flat and front end damage.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
Originally problem started with a about five warning messages, a brake system one, a chassis stabilization one, Collision warning one, pedestrian warning one, and a drive train message. They were would appear while drive at any speed but, would go away after the car was shut off and restarted. A couple of months later the car started to shut off and put itself in park while driving, this problem has occurred multiple times and at speeds around 30mph. I started trying to get this fixed by a dealership in December of 2023. It went in and out a couple of times before they were able to replicate the problem. First they replaced the EME module and that worked for about 2000 miles before it started acting up again. Took it back to the same dealership in April when it started acting up. They updated the EME software and replaced a high voltage connector that was corroded. This repair took them until July 2nd. I went to pick up the car and made it about 3 blocks from the dealership it shut itself off on me. Took it back right away. They have had the car since then. Lastly I informed them about the most recent recall back on august 29th and it still shows as incomplete.
When I plugged my phone cord into the USB port on the Click and Drive while the car was on but stationary, the screen indicated that the stabilization system was resetting. I promptly unplugged the cord and notifications started popping up on the screen. There were 4: steering assist not working, drive with care; stability control not working, drive with care; front collision detector not working; I do not recall the fourth notice. I was parked at a Starbucks 2+ hours from home so decided to try driving around parking lot hoping to continue journey. The steering was inoperable and all I could do was pull straight out of parking space and go straight back in. Turned car off, waited about 5 minutes and turned car back on, no change, no steering. Waited 3 hours for AAA tow and finally impatient, tried turning car on again. All notices cleared and I drove car home without incident (150 miles). My local Mini dealer said it was a wiring issue and they fixed it. Salesman at same dealer, who sold me the car 9 days before the incident, admitted he had heard of similar incident with Click and Drive once before, about a year ago. If I had plugged the cord in while I was driving I would likely have been unable to control the car in motion.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
When I plugged my phone cord into the USB port on the Click and Drive while the car was on but stationary, the screen indicated that the stabilization system was resetting. I promptly unplugged the cord and notifications started popping up on the screen. There were 4: steering assist not working, drive with care; stability control not working, drive with care; front collision detector not working; I do not recall the fourth notice. I was parked at a Starbucks 2+ hours from home so decided to try driving around parking lot hoping to continue journey. The steering was inoperable and all I could do was pull straight out of parking space and go straight back in. Turned car off, waited about 5 minutes and turned car back on, no change, no steering. Waited 3 hours for AAA tow and finally impatient, tried turning car on again. All notices cleared and I drove car home without incident (150 miles). My local Mini dealer said it was a wiring issue and they fixed it. Salesman at same dealer, who sold me the car 9 days before the incident, admitted he had heard of similar incident with Click and Drive once before, about a year ago. If I had plugged the cord in while I was driving I would likely have been unable to control the car in motion.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
Originally problem started with a about five warning messages, a brake system one, a chassis stabilization one, Collision warning one, pedestrian warning one, and a drive train message. They were would appear while drive at any speed but, would go away after the car was shut off and restarted. A couple of months later the car started to shut off and put itself in park while driving, this problem has occurred multiple times and at speeds around 30mph. I started trying to get this fixed by a dealership in December of 2023. It went in and out a couple of times before they were able to replicate the problem. First they replaced the EME module and that worked for about 2000 miles before it started acting up again. Took it back to the same dealership in April when it started acting up. They updated the EME software and replaced a high voltage connector that was corroded. This repair took them until July 2nd. I went to pick up the car and made it about 3 blocks from the dealership it shut itself off on me. Took it back right away. They have had the car since then. Lastly I informed them about the most recent recall back on august 29th and it still shows as incomplete.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
Originally problem started with a about five warning messages, a brake system one, a chassis stabilization one, Collision warning one, pedestrian warning one, and a drive train message. They were would appear while drive at any speed but, would go away after the car was shut off and restarted. A couple of months later the car started to shut off and put itself in park while driving, this problem has occurred multiple times and at speeds around 30mph. I started trying to get this fixed by a dealership in December of 2023. It went in and out a couple of times before they were able to replicate the problem. First they replaced the EME module and that worked for about 2000 miles before it started acting up again. Took it back to the same dealership in April when it started acting up. They updated the EME software and replaced a high voltage connector that was corroded. This repair took them until July 2nd. I went to pick up the car and made it about 3 blocks from the dealership it shut itself off on me. Took it back right away. They have had the car since then. Lastly I informed them about the most recent recall back on august 29th and it still shows as incomplete.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
When I plugged my phone cord into the USB port on the Click and Drive while the car was on but stationary, the screen indicated that the stabilization system was resetting. I promptly unplugged the cord and notifications started popping up on the screen. There were 4: steering assist not working, drive with care; stability control not working, drive with care; front collision detector not working; I do not recall the fourth notice. I was parked at a Starbucks 2+ hours from home so decided to try driving around parking lot hoping to continue journey. The steering was inoperable and all I could do was pull straight out of parking space and go straight back in. Turned car off, waited about 5 minutes and turned car back on, no change, no steering. Waited 3 hours for AAA tow and finally impatient, tried turning car on again. All notices cleared and I drove car home without incident (150 miles). My local Mini dealer said it was a wiring issue and they fixed it. Salesman at same dealer, who sold me the car 9 days before the incident, admitted he had heard of similar incident with Click and Drive once before, about a year ago. If I had plugged the cord in while I was driving I would likely have been unable to control the car in motion.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THE WHILE DRIVING AT 55 TO 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUNROOF GLASS EXPLODED WITHOUT IMPACT. NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED. THE CONTACT DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE RESIDENCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER TO BE INSPECTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
At 15,000 miles, front brake pads and rotors were badly worn and rear brake pads. Replaced brake pads front and rear.
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 .