RoadVitals

2021 MINI Countryman

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
2
Latest Oct 2, 2025
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
2
Latest Jul 21, 2021
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

Overview

Our database contains 2 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2021 MINI Countryman, most frequently naming the driver assistance and fuel system categories. 2 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; and 9 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Driver assistance150.0%
  • Fuel system150.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

2 campaigns cover this model year

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov
21V554000

SEAT BELTS

Jul 21, 2021
21,537 units potentially affected
The defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2021 2 Series (230i, 230i xDrive, M240i, M240i xDrive), 330e, 330e Xdrive, 4 Series Coupe (430i, 430i xDrive, M440i xDrive) M4 Coupe, M4 Competition Coupe, BMW 4 Series Convertible (430i, M440i), BMW X1 sDrive28i, xDrive28i, 2 Series Gran Coupe (228i, 228i xDrive, M235i xDrive), M2 Competition Coupe, 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, M340i xDrive, M3, M3 Competition, 530i, 530i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive, MINI Hardtop 2 Door (Cooper, CooperS, JCW), X2 sDrive28i, X2 xDrive28i, X2 M35i, Z4 sDrive30i, Z4 M40i, MINI Hardtop 2 Door (Cooper SE), MINI Convertible (Cooper, Cooper S, JCW), MINI Clubman (Cooper S, Cooper S All4, JCW), MINI Countryman (Cooper, Cooper All4, Cooper S, Cooper S All4, JCW All4), Rolls Royce Ghost, MINI Countryman (Cooper S E All4), Rolls Royce Phantom, Rolls Royce Cullinan, and Toyota Supra vehicles. The passenger seat belt Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) may deactivate early, before the webbing fully retracts. As such, these assemblies fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
The risk: During a crash, a seat belt retractor that does not function as intended increases the risk of injury.
The remedy: Dealers will inspect the seat belt retractors (including the seat belts) and, if necessary, replace the retractors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 3, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417; 1-866-825-1525 (MINI); 1-877-877-3735 (Rolls Royce); and 1-888-270-9371 (Toyota).
BMW of North America, LLCView on NHTSA.gov
20V601000

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY

Sep 30, 2020
4,509 units potentially affected
The defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020-2021 530e, 530e xDrive, 530e iPerformance and X3 xDrive30e and MINI Cooper Countryman All4 SE, 2020 BMW i8, and 2021 330e, 330e xDrive, 745Le xDrive and X5 xDrive45e vehicles. Debris may have entered one or more of the hybrid battery cells during their production.
The risk: The debris could result in a short-circuit, increasing the risk of fire or injury.
The remedy: BMW will inspect and, if necessary, replace the battery module free of charge. The remedy is currently being developed. Until the remedy is completed, drivers are instructed to not charge their vehicles. Drivers are instructed to not drive in manual mode, sport mode, and to not use the shift paddles. Owners were notified of the safety risk October 23, 2020. The recall began November 24, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLCView on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Fuel system
Filed Oct 2, 2025

My 2021 MINI Cooper Countryman S model with John Cooper Works had to have a part replaced, a valve part, that allows the fuel tank to release air from the fuel tank. I had a message or symbol on the dash with an alert that would come on but then go away. I took it to the Sewell BMW MINI dealership in Plano, TX, on Spring Creek Parkway, and they diagnosed it and fixed it. The buildup of the air in the gas tank could have caused an explosion. Luckily, it was covered under my OEM warranty.

NHTSA ID
11691003
Incident
Jul 10, 2025
Driver assistance
Filed Oct 26, 2021

The vehicle brakes during turns in the road when it is inappropriate. Has led to braking almost to a stop on the highway in one incident and could possibly cause a rear end collision. It has done this around 30 times in the past year of owning the vehicle and has begun to cause anxiety on the road due to not knowing when it will activate. It also has not warned during near front end collisions when it should have. The software is faulty and I have brought it to the Mini of Dallas’ attention as well as the Mini of Arlington and the Mini/BMW N. America executive customer relations team which set up an appointment once for it to be inspected but then they said they couldn’t ‘recreate the road conditions’ and thus couldn’t do anything for me. Mini of Dallas said the same thing as well. No resolution even when having talked with the highest customer sales reps. Not really sure how to get this issue fixed. The mini of Dallas said it was the ‘computer just seeing ghosts in the screen’ and even though they recalibrated it or turned the sensitivity down it continues to do this random braking in bends of roads with no one on the road, oncoming traffic on the opposite side of the road, and other situations.

NHTSA ID
11438163
Incident
May 10, 2021

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

M840226

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Once the Telematics Module (TCB2) enters sleep mode, a MINI Data Services trigger for Remote Services(remote engine start, lock/unlock/climate conditioning) will not be able to reactivate the TCB2. Due to this issue, Remote Services will not function in the vehicle when parked and locked.

M010324

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

EVAP PURGE (VENT) VALVE EXT LTD WTY (ELW) 15 YRS/150,000 MLS

M010126

ENGINE

EVAP PURGE (VENT) VALVE EXT LTD WTY (ELW) 15 YEARS/150,000 MILES

M010124

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

EVAP PURGE (VENT) VALVE EXT LTD WTY (ELW) 15 YEARS/150,000 MILES

M640116

STRUCTURE

Customer complains of a musty odor or damp front footwell carpet.

M511616

STRUCTURE

Cavity protection applied to underside of the hood is leaking out onto the wheel arch trim and grille.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

MINI Countryman by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2025172058.2
2024100—
2023100—
2022200—
2021Viewing220—
2020620—
2019102054.5
2018112042.6
2017720—
2016151058.6
2015130038.2
2014160053.3

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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.