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Recalls are issued for a make, model and model year. Whether the repair has already been done on one specific car is known only to its manufacturer and dealers. Check your vehicle's official status at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a dealer.
US recalls (2)
Steering: electric power assist system
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2002-2005 MINI Cooper and Cooper S vehicles and 2005 Cooper and Cooper S Convertible vehicles. The affected vehicles may experience temporary or permanent loss of the electro-hydraulic steering assistance.
Risk and remedy
Risk: If the vehicle experiences a loss of power steering assist, extra steering effort will be required at lower speeds, potentially increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Remedy: MINI will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the electro-hydraulic power steering system, replacing the components and wiring, as necessary, free of charge. Interim notices were mailed to owners on December 10, 2015. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525.
Air bags: frontal
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2005-2006 MINI Cooper and Cooper S vehicles manufactured January 5, 2005, to November 28, 2006, and 2005-2008 MINI Cooper Convertible and Cooper S Convertible vehicles manufactured January 5, 2005, to July 31, 2008. Due to manufacturing, installation, and exposure issues, the front passenger seat occupant detection mat may not function properly and, as a result, the front passenger air bag may not deploy in a crash.
Risk and remedy
Risk: An improperly functioning mat may cause the passenger frontal air bag to be inactive when the seat is occupied, and in the event of a crash, the air bag will not deploy, increasing the passenger's risk of injury.
Remedy: MINI will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger seat occupant detection mat, free of charge. The recall began on October 12, 2015. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525.
Canadian recalls (2)
Show 2 Canadian recalls
Seats and restraints
2015-04-07 · campaign 2015-147
On certain vehicles, the front passenger seat occupant detection mat can fatigue over time. As a result, the passenger airbag could deactivate, illuminating the airbag warning lamp and the passenger airbag ON/OFF lamp. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of personal injury to the seat occupant. Correction: Dealers will replace the occupant detection mat. Note: This recall is an expansion of recalls 2008-307 and 2013-238.
Steering
2012-01-30 · campaign 2012-029
On certain vehicles, the electro-hydraulic power steering pump could fail temporarily or permanently due to problems with the electronics that control the function of the pump, a failure of the pump cooling fan, or a loss of power to the pump. A vehicle experiencing a loss of steering power assist would revert to a manual steering mode which would require greater driver effort, especially at low vehicle speeds. Nevertheless, a loss of steering power assist could ultimately result in a crash causing property damage and/or personal injury. Correction: The electro-hydraulic power steering pump, as well as the pump cooling fan, will be subject to special extended warranty coverage of 12 years or 200,000 km from first in-service date of the vehicle.
Owner complaints (372)
Owners filed 372 complaints with NHTSA about the 2005 MINI Cooper (8 crashes, 10 fires, 1 injuries reported). Among 26 model years of this model, it ranks #1 for the most complaints (median 47).
| Most-reported problem | Complaints | |
|---|
| Steering | 276 | |
| Air bags | 41 | |
| Electrical system | 30 | |
| Power train | 25 | |
| Unknown or other | 11 | |
| Engine and engine cooling | 8 | |
| Seats | 7 | |
| Engine | 6 | |
Crash test ratings
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2005 MINI Cooper.
| Version | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover |
|---|
| 2005 MINI Cooper w/SAB | – | – | – | – |
Fuel economy
EPA ratings for each 2005 MINI Cooper version.
| Version | City MPG | Highway MPG | Combined | Yearly fuel cost |
|---|
| Cooper 1.6 L Automatic (variable gear ratios) | 23 | 31 | 26 | $3,150 |
| Cooper 1.6 L Manual 5-spd | 24 | 33 | 28 | $2,950 |
| Cooper Convertible 1.6 L Automatic (variable gear ratios) | 23 | 30 | 25 | $3,300 |
| Cooper Convertible 1.6 L Manual 5-spd | 24 | 32 | 27 | $3,050 |
| Cooper S 1.6 L Manual 6-spd | 22 | 29 | 24 | $3,400 |
| Cooper S 1.6 L Automatic (S6) | 21 | 29 | 24 | $3,400 |
| Cooper S Convertible 1.6 L Manual 6-spd | 22 | 29 | 24 | $3,400 |
| Cooper S Convertible 1.6 L Automatic (S6) | 21 | 29 | 24 | $3,400 |
Need this data in your app?
Recalls, complaints, crash ratings and fuel economy as a JSON API. Decode up to 50 VINs per call and get a daily feed of new recalls.
Explore the API →Sources: NHTSA recalls, complaints and 5-Star Safety Ratings, US EPA fuel economy and Transport
Canada's Vehicle Recalls Database (contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada).
Recalls updated 2026-10-30.