Problem: 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: 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.
Fix: 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.
Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. A recall listed here may already have been fixed on a particular car: enter its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls.
Crash test ratings
2006 MINI Cooper 2-DR. w/SAB
Overall
Not Rated
Frontal crash
Not Rated
Side crash
Not Rated
Rollover
Not Rated
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (New Car Assessment Program). Ratings are comparable only between vehicles of similar size and weight, and ratings from 2011 on use tougher tests than earlier years. Photos: NHTSA.
Fuel economy
Cooper
28mpg combined
City / highway
24 / 33 mpg
Fuel
Premium Gasoline
1.6 L · 4 cyl · Manual 5-spd · Front-Wheel Drive · about $2,950/year to fuel
Cooper
26mpg combined
City / highway
23 / 31 mpg
Fuel
Premium Gasoline
1.6 L · 4 cyl · Automatic (variable gear ratios) · Front-Wheel Drive · about $3,150/year to fuel
EPA estimates from fueleconomy.gov for each engine and transmission sold. Annual cost is the EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year at its current fuel and electricity price assumptions. Your results will vary.
What owners report
Problem area
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Typical mileage*
Air bags Frontal; Frontal › Sensor/control module
114
5
1
5
64,650 mi
Steering
53
3
3
2
76,602 mi
Power train Automatic transmission; Clutch assembly
20
0
1
0
72,500 mi
Seats Front assembly › Recliner
13
1
0
1
64,300 mi
Engine
10
0
3
0
73,000 mi
Electrical system
10
0
3
0
88,170 mi
Engine and engine cooling Cooling system; Exhaust system › Manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe
9
0
1
1
47,000 mi
Seat belts
5
0
0
0
90,000 mi
Unknown or other
3
1
0
1
82,000 mi
Vehicle speed control
2
0
0
0
—
Equipment
1
0
0
0
—
Equipment adaptive/mobility
1
1
0
0
—
*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.
Recent owner complaints
Feb 5, 2025Steering Electronic power steering pump issue/failure. The steering wheel was so stiff when I tried to go right that I physically could not turn the wheel. This is extremely dangerous & it happens without warning. No lights come on. You are left in a moving vehicle, without much of a way to control the direction you need it to travel in. From what I have learned, it seems an extended warranty was initially offered, & then a forced recall was issued on the, 1st Gen, 2002-2005 Mini Coopers. Only part of the vehicles with these issues were included in the recall. I have the same size 1.6 engine, & the exact same electronic power steering pump that comes with the issues & failures that I have in my 06.…
Dec 5, 2023 · 139,000 milesSteering The contact owns a 2006 Mini Cooper. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel was significantly difficult to turn. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 139,000.
Mar 18, 2023Air bags BMW issued a Recall 15V-205 Safety Recall, to cover the Airbag sensor in the passenger seat of my vehicle, a 2006 Mini Cooper S. The failure error was in the airbag sensor in the passenger seat, and the system warned of potential hazard with the passenger airbag. My car had a recall fix in 2018 for this fault. Now some 4 years later the same fault has arisen in the same sensor and system. I returned to BMW Mini who carried out the previous recall to have this fixed again. They said that while their repairs and parts generally carry an 8-year warranty, they do not warrant Recall repairs. They wanted over $2,000 to fix this issue. As this is a repeat of the original fault, and the car has…
Nov 9, 2014Steering Power Steering pump leaking failure
Nov 5, 1984 · crash · fire · 1 injuryAir bags Blindsided Drive side impact car ignited I was cut from my car suffering emence Injuries due to the malfunction of the airbags . No air bags deployed.
Jun 20, 2020Steering It is very difficult to turn my steering wheel. It takes more energy than any other car I have ever driven
Jul 6, 2021Steering The electro-hydraulic power steering system stopped working on my 2005 Mini Cooper. The was a recall for 2002 to 2005 mini power steering pump failures but the problem continued thru 2011 because the fix that mini Cooper came up with was inadequate. The essentially put a band-aid on the problem and left car owners holding the bag. I, in fact, had the auxiliary pump that mini came up with replaced and the power steering problem continued because their fix was no good. I have an appointment with the Mini Cooper dealership to look at my car in about 2 weeks. They've told me that I'm not covered by the recall even though they ordered a recall of 86,000 cars for the problem in 2015. Not having…
Oct 8, 2020 · 186,000 miles · fireSteering TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE POWER STEERING SUDDENLY MALFUNCTIONED AND THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO TURN IN EITHER DIRECTION. AFTER STOPPING THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT NOTICED SMOKE BILLOWING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. AFTER OPENING THE HOOD, FLAMES WERE PRESENT COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE NEIGHBOR ASSISTED IN EXTINGUISHING THE FLAMES. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE LOCAL DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 186,000.
Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.