10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
56,749 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2010 Mini Cooper electrical problems

electrical problem

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2010 Mini Cooper Owner Comments

problem #14

Jul 122021

Cooper

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While driving home one night the following items failed to work: Head lights; turn signals, front windows (so no hand signals); Hazard lights; interior lights; and speedometer dash light. This occurred shortly after a battery change. I am not sure if tail of brake lights function at this time. Driving the vehicle in this condition presents a unacceptable safety concern. During daily light hours I had already noticed the turn signal issue and just thought maybe a relay was bad and had not had time to investigate. Investigation revealed the failed part is the FOOTWELL MODULE, and that this is a KNOWN ISSUE by Mini Cooper. Rather than issue a recall and fix the parts, they offered an extended warranty that lasted 10 years (which expired 13 months ago for my car). As a safety issue, this should have been a recall for all vehicles, not a wait til people have a fail to fix. This issue affects newer models as well.

- Nolensville, TN, USA

problem #13

Jun 022021

Cooper

  • miles
I purchased a vehicle from a used car dealership and about two weeks after I purchased the vehicle I took it in to get the oil and all the fluids checked I washed the vehicle filled the tank up with gas and took it into them when I went to pick it up I noticed that there was some thing that appeared to be a programmer underneath the dash that was missing that was there before I took it to them as well as a little black box that was connected to the OBD two reader there was also missing carpet from the gas pedal was missing there were 200 more miles on my car than there were when I dropped it off so the whole tank of gas was gone down to 14 miles left when I I asked the service man where the performance chip was that they took out he told me that they didn-€™t take anything out and that there is no chip in the next time that I asked him he said that was I sure it wasn-€™t one of their tools and then the next time that I asked him he said to me that they don-€™t sell cars with modified parts on them not sure if he was trying to justify him stealing the chip out of the vehicle but the vehicleIs now overheating and with warped heads and running like crap so I am paying $400 a month for a vehicle that I cannot even drive. Also the vehicle has bad shocks. Sounds like crap the alignment is off it shakes going down the road feels like it is going to fall apart and there is a tear in the convertible top that was not there before I dropped it off with the service man also they needed it for two weeks for a job that was one hour for a serpentine belt that he claimed he had to wait three days for from Napa.

- Mesa, AZ, USA

problem #12

Jul 312020

Cooper

  • 41,000 miles
While driving, cars around me were beeping when I switched lanes after signaling and stepped on the brakes. I was nearly rear ended! come to find out all of my lighting systems were inoperable. I had: Brake lights turn signals hazard lights headlights tail lights *windows were inoperable. The list goes on. This is terrifying to have happen while driving, and even worse, I didn't realize what was happening until I had nearly been hit by two different cars. This would have been even worse had it failed at night. I had my car towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The issue is that the footwell module (aka frm) had failed. This happened at only 41,000 miles. Apparently this is extremely common and a long-known defect on MINICoopers. In my opinion there needs to be an immediate recall on all affected frms. I learned that MINIissued a "silent recall" of extended warranties, from 4 years to 8 years, and now to 10 years/156,000 miles. I am outside of warranty 6 months by time, but within warranty by 115,000 miles. I contacted MINIusa to request that they cover the part repair, as this is a known defective part in my car's model and year and a critical safety issue. They have refused, despite me getting in touch three times. I also notified customer relations at MINIusa that I never received notification of the warranty extension on this part, or on any other part. Additionally, I have not received any notification of recalls that apply to my vehicle, though through my recent research I have found that some have been issued. A quick google search as well as discussions with MINItechs will reveal widespread frm failure. Many other complainants on this page are regarding the same issue. Has any investigation taken place? if not, I hope there will be one.

- Boston, MA, USA

problem #11

May 152020

Cooper 4-cyl

  • 65,915 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Air bag passenger light came on and stayed on. Windows down go up or down. Turn signals don't work. Ac stop working. It blows out hot air in the front. A loud thud noise happens once in a while from the back. Sometimes won't start like if the battery was dead. Sometimes engine won't turn off and will run without the key in the ignition. I've only had it since Oct 2019.

- Greensboro, NC, USA

problem #10

Feb 182020

Cooper

  • 64,000 miles
Mi vehculo MINICooper S 2010, estando estacionado en el garage por ms de 12 horas Y sin prender el motor en ningn momento comenz a incendiarse sin ningn motivo. Por fortuna haba personas que alertaran de lo ocurrido Y pude apagar el fuego en el vehculo, aunque ya haba consumido partes elctrica, de motor Y cofre, etc. Cabe mencionar que esto sucedi en la ciudad de mxico, no en eua, pero ustedes tienen mejor informacin al respecto. Saludos.

- Santa Fe, CA, USA

problem #9

Oct 032019

Cooper

  • 45,000 miles
MINIcooper seat occupation sensor OC3 is faulty causing airbag not to work properly.

- Boise, ID, USA

problem #8

Sep 062019

Cooper

  • 109,008 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

After receiving roadside assistance for a battery issue I was driving home at highway speeds at night when the interior lighting of my dashboard went out and my instrument cluster, turn signals, fog lights, high beams, and windows ceased to function. When I made it home I scanned my vehicle via obd2 and a plethora of codes had appeared almost all related to safety features such as lighting, airbags, dynamic stability control, suspension, ABS, and speed sensing devices. After several hours of research and diagnostic work I determined the problem to be the driver side footwell module which has long been known to be a defective item to MINIBMW so much so that it's been given a warranty extension of 10 years/ 156,000 miles that remains active, but only to eligible vehicle warranty holders. After my experience of losing practically all vehicle lighting which included both turn and hazard signaling ability while driving at night and at highway speeds I implore the NHTSA to issue a safety recall on these faulty footwell modules given the ease and suddenness at which they cease to function for reasons that range from moisture intolerance, routine maintenance practices, and emergency roadside assistance as was my particular case. The problem has already been acknowledged by the manufacturer and I feel it is now time that the government address this known safety issue in order to protect America's roads and highways as well as the citizenry at large.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

problem #7

Jul 142017

Cooper

  • 70,000 miles
I have MINIcooper R56 S models and I have spent almost 5K in just repair the timing chain is broke every 2 or 3 weeks this car is piece of crack every 2 or 3 weeks has something new !! never would buy again this piece of crack and wouldn't recommend to anyone get this piece of crack!!

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #6

Sep 262016

Cooper

  • 36,000 miles
While on a recent road trip, passenger airbag warning lamps began to come on intermittently while the seat was occupied. At first, the system seemed to reset when the engine was switched off, but over the course of 2 days, it stopped resetting and the warning lights, as well as the warning tones, would just go on and off spontaneously with the seat occupied. Now the "passenger airbag off" indicator lamp above the rearview mirror, warning lamp near tachometer (area 1 as indicated by MINIowner's manual), and airbag system failure lamp (area 2) are continuously lit when passenger seat is unoccupied. I have not had the system checked by a mechanic yet; currently, the nearest MINIdealership/service center is 202 miles from me. I have noticed that this is very common issue reported here and on several online forums. The timing chain tensioner also failed and had to be replaced in spring of 2015.

- Lafayette, LA, USA

problem #5

Nov 302015

Cooper

  • 66,568 miles
The contact owns a 2010 MINICooper S. while driving approximately 70 mph, the vehicle overheated and the temperature gauge warning light illuminated. In addition, smoke and a burning oil odor emitted from under the hood. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. After the vehicle was serviced, the turn signals and windows failed to operate. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, but the diagnosis was unavailable. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 66,568.

- West Palm Beach, FL, USA

problem #4

Sep 092015

Cooper

  • 61,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was driving the car for a 300 miles trip, never had an issue before. After stopping in san antonio the fans kept running for at least 15min. Stopped at a conveinience store and topped off coolant which wasnt missing any and checked the oil level and added one quart of oil. Taking on the trip to austin tx, the car was running fine at 70mph when my low oil light came on. Ten seconds later pulled to the side and smoke started coming from the engine. Less than a minute later on the side of the road and fire started blazing throughout the car burning all our belongings.

- Brownsville, TX, USA

problem #3

Jul 082015

Cooper

  • 143,000 miles
Our 2010 MINICooper drivers side door lock actuator has malfunctioned making it impossible to open the door. This is the second time this has happened to this car (previous was the passenger side). It seems to be a common occurrence in MINIs. this is an extremely serious possibly deadly condition if we were in an accident as rescue/medical personnel could not get us out of the door. Something needs to be done to have BMW/MINIown up to the problem and have a second, mechanical, way to open the door.

- Henderson, MN, USA

problem #2

May 012014

Cooper

  • 45,000 miles
Radio not working, first the cd player stopped working approximately one month previously. Then the radio started to go in and out of service. Sometimes working and then not working. It has a mind of its own, the replacement cost is $1000. When the incident first started was at about 41,000 miles and when I took it in was 45,000 miles.

- Beaver Falls, PA, USA

problem #1

Jan 292014

Cooper 4-cyl

  • 48,000 miles
MINICooper 2010. Starting/stalling issues. Car doesn't start. It happened a couple of months ago as well. Car has been towed 1 and brought to prestige MINIin NJ (car dealer) for service 3 times. After replacing battery and an engine sensor, the problem persist. The car will be towed again today (Jan 30, 2014) for further costly repairs. I have extended warranty and maintenance on this car but even with that, the cost of repairs and towing are not covered. This is a very poor, unreliable car (MINICooper 2010). Responsiveness from prestige MINIis also very poor. Service manager doesn't respond to calls or return voice mails. Very poor service.

- Metuchen, NJ, USA

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