2020 MINI Countryman 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 2020 MINI Countryman, 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
- Engine225.0%
- Electrical112.5%
- Body & structure112.5%
- Other / unspecified112.5%
- Steering112.5%
- Tires & wheels112.5%
- Fuel system112.5%
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
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
use of USB on steering coulomb causes short and disables power steering while driving. Known issue yet customers still paying for repair. Motor mount, trans mission mount break, torn, causing potential fatal condition.
WHILE DRIVING IN 10 DEGREE F WEATHER, THE MINI COUNTRYMAN OVERHEATED WITHIN 3 MILES OF DRIVING FROM ORIGINALLY TURNING THE CAR ON (10 MINUTES OF RUN TIME). THE DEALERSHIP NOTED THAT A ROCK PASSED THROUGH THE GRILL THAT PROTECTS THE AUXILLARY COOLING RADIATOR AND DAMAGED THE RADIATOR, CAUSING A LEAK. THE NEW 2021 MINI COUNTRYMAN CARS CONTAIN A ROCK GUARD OVER THE GRILL BECAUSE THEY RECOGNIZE THIS AS A DANGEROUS PROBLEM, BUT THEY HAVE NOT FIXED THE PROBLEM WITH ANY CAR FROM A PREVIOUS YEAR. A SIMPLE ROCK GUARD HAVING BEEN INSTALLED IS A VERY INEXPENSIVE AND CHEAP SOLUTION THAT MINI DOES NOT TELL CUSTOMERS ABOUT UNTIL THEIR CAR OVERHEATS AND THE BILL IS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THIS SITUATION WAS DANGEROUS BECAUSE IT LEFT THE VEHICLE OCCUPANTS STRANDED IN FREEZING WEATHER, WHERE ONE PERSON BECAME BORDERLINE HYPOTHERMIC (95F BODY TEMPERATURE).
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
At 11,336 my vehicle started shutting down when I was stopped at intersections, red lights, and in stopped traffic. The vehicle continued to do this until 40,817 when if finally shut down and would not restart and had to be towed back to the dealership. I began reporting the issue at 11,336 and continued to report it to the dealership and finally forced them to do a complete diagnostics at 12,667 to figure out why the vehicle was shutting down. The vehicle was extremely dangerous to operate and I had many near misses with my children in the car every time I had to start my dead car in traffic. Mini/BMW could not identify the problem and sent me on my way. Even at 40,917 miles and tsar engineers could not identify why it shut down so they began swapping out the EME (twice), the high voltage lines, black box and several other components. 5 months of repairing my vehicle they were able to get it running and returned it to me. Since BMW has agreed to buy the car back at a loss to me. I'd make more money trading in but the car is unsafe and I do not want another owner or drivers to be put in danger.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
TRUNK/REAR HATCH POWER LIFT WILL ENAGE IF KEY FOB HAS HATCH BUTTON PRESSED WHILE CAR IS IN DRIVE OR IN MOTION. HATCH WILL RAISE CREATING SITUATION WHERE OBJECTS CAN FALL OUT OF THE VEHICLE. DISCUSSION WITH DEALER REVEALED OTHERS HAVE SAME ISSUE ONLY ON THE COUNTRYMAN MODELS AND DEALER DOES NOT HAVE ACCESS TO FIX THE SOFTWARE.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Other / unspecified
Reports whose component NHTSA recorded as unknown, or that do not map to one of the categories above.
From owner reports, verbatim
MY 2020 AWD MINI COOPER COUNTRYMAN WAS SOLD TO ME WITH "PERFORMANCE" TIRES; NO DISCLOSURE OF THIS FACT WAS PROVIDED DURING THE SALES PROCESS. SOON AFTER TAKING POSSESSION OF THE VEHICLE, ONE TIRE PICKED UP A NAIL CAUSING LOSS OF PRESSURE. DURING THE PROCESS OF FIXING THE PROBLEM, I LEARNED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD PERFORMANCE TIRES AS EVIDENCED BY THE SMOOTH TREAD AND LATER VERIFICATION FROM MY MINI SALES PERSON. BECAUSE I LIVE IN MARYLAND, A STATE WITH A DISTINCTIVE WINTER SEASON, MY RESEARCH CONFIRMED THAT PERFORMANCE TIRES (ALSO KNOW AS SUMMER TIRES) ARE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS IN COLD WEATHER. IT BECAME APPARENT THAT THE TIRES NEEDED REPLACED FOR MY SAFETY. I COMPLETED THIS AT MY OWN EXPENSE. I BELIEVE THAT MINI COOPER, WITHOUT COMPUNCTION, PUT MY LIFE IN DANGER. I QUESTION HOW MANY ACCIDENTS HAVE OCCURRED IN THESE CARS DURING COLD WEATHER WITHOUT RECOGNITION THAT THE TIRES MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE SOURCE. IT WOULD APPEAR THAT IT IS A STANDARD PRACTICE IN "MINI WORLD" TO SELL MANY CARS THIS WAY. I REPORTED THE PROBLEM TO MINI AND WAS ASSURED THAT A COMPLAINT REPORT WOULD BE SUBMITTED. I REQUESTED A FOLLOW UP CONCERNING MINI'S RESPONSE TO MY COMPLAINT AND WAS TOLD THAT I WOULD RECEIVE NONE AND SHOULD NOT EXPECT IT. SUBMITTING A "REPORT" WAS THE END OF THE ISSUE AS FAR AS MINI CUSTOMER SERVICE WAS CONCERNED. IT IS MY FIRM BELIEF THAT ANY CAR SOLD WITH PERFORMANCE TIRES SHOULD COME WITH A CLEAR DISCLOSURE SIGNED BY THE BUYER FOR SAFETY REASONS. IDEALLY, MINI COOPER SHOULD STOP THE PRACTICE ALL TOGETHER. PLEASE INVESTIGATE; SAVE A LIFE!
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
use of USB on steering coulomb causes short and disables power steering while driving. Known issue yet customers still paying for repair. Motor mount, trans mission mount break, torn, causing potential fatal condition.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
225 /45 R19 Uneven wear of the tires. Excessive wear inspite of brand new vehicle, 2 wheel alignments done on the vehicle in an attempt to stop the excessive wear of the tires. The Front right side tire collapsed causing my car to veer into a curb. The other three tires have less than 20% thread and the mileage in the vehicle is only 9000 miles. The vehicle was purchased new In June 2020 and came equipped with the tires. This malfunction and poor manufactured caused not only a financial problem In having to replace all four tires prematurely, but also place my safety and others are risk.
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
At 11,336 my vehicle started shutting down when I was stopped at intersections, red lights, and in stopped traffic. The vehicle continued to do this until 40,817 when if finally shut down and would not restart and had to be towed back to the dealership. I began reporting the issue at 11,336 and continued to report it to the dealership and finally forced them to do a complete diagnostics at 12,667 to figure out why the vehicle was shutting down. The vehicle was extremely dangerous to operate and I had many near misses with my children in the car every time I had to start my dead car in traffic. Mini/BMW could not identify the problem and sent me on my way. Even at 40,917 miles and tsar engineers could not identify why it shut down so they began swapping out the EME (twice), the high voltage lines, black box and several other components. 5 months of repairing my vehicle they were able to get it running and returned it to me. Since BMW has agreed to buy the car back at a loss to me. I'd make more money trading in but the car is unsafe and I do not want another owner or drivers to be put in danger.
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 .