2016 MINI Cooper S Recalls, Complaints & Specs
3 safety recalls list the 2016 MINI Cooper S, and owners have filed 9 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.
3 safety recalls for the 2016 MINI Cooper S
Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.
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Brake lights (exterior lighting)
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2016-2017 MINI Cooper Clubman, Cooper S Clubman and JCW Clubman vehicles. When the affected vehicles are braking and the turn signals are on, the inner, bumper-mounted, brake light will go out. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle…
Remedy: MINI will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the vehicle to correct the brake lighting, free of charge. The recall began May 22, 2017. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525.
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Retractor (seat belts)
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i, MINI Hardtop 4 Door Cooper, Mini Hardtop 4 Door Cooper S, MINI Cooper Clubman, and Cooper S Clubman, 2017 Rolls-Royce Ghost, and 2016 528i vehicles. The vehicle-sensitive locking mechanism of the seat belt Emergency Locking Retractor…
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's seat belt assembly, free of charge. The recall began July 3, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
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Inflator module (air bags)
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 MINI Cooper S and MINI Cooper two-door vehicles, 2015-2016 MINI John Cooper Works and MINI Cooper S and MINI Cooper four-door vehicles and 2014-2015 BMW i3 vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the passenger frontal air bag may not deploy properly in a low speed…
Remedy: MINI and BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began on November 25, 2015. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525 and BMW…
9 owner complaints filed with NHTSA
Owners of the 2016 MINI Cooper S have filed 9 complaints with NHTSA; 1 describe a crash and 2 describe a fire. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 43,348 miles. Complaints peaked in 2017 with 2 filed that year.
Most-reported components
What owners are reporting
“Front passenger side motor mount failed pretty terribly, the rubber completely slipped off the engine side mount leaving a severe engine vibration. The mount is very under engineered. Ours failed at 2”
Owner complaint to NHTSA, July 22, 2025 · Engine
“The contact owns a 2016 Mini Cooper S. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the message "Left brake lamp and Tailgate light malfunction" was displayed and while depressing the brake pe”
Owner complaint to NHTSA, April 1, 2025 · Exterior lighting
Fuel economy and specs
EPA ratings for the 2016 MINI Cooper (Cooper Convertible, Cooper Hardtop 2 door, Cooper Hardtop 4 door, Cooper S Convertible, …). Ranges cover every tested configuration.
| Combined | 26–32 mpg |
|---|---|
| City / Highway | 23–28 / 32–38 |
| Fuel | Premium |
| EPA class | Minicompact Cars, Subcompact Cars |
| Engine | 3/4 cyl, 1.5/2 L |
| Transmission | Automatic (S6); Manual 6-spd |
Compare MINI Cooper S model years
Recall and complaint counts for every MINI Cooper S model year in NHTSA's database.
| Model year | Recalls | Complaints |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 MINI Cooper S | 1 | 83 |
| 2003 MINI Cooper S | 2 | 217 |
| 2004 MINI Cooper S | 2 | 247 |
| 2005 MINI Cooper S | 2 | 314 |
| 2006 MINI Cooper S | 1 | 186 |
| 2007 MINI Cooper S | 4 | 249 |
| 2008 MINI Cooper S | 4 | 168 |
| 2009 MINI Cooper S | 3 | 119 |
| 2010 MINI Cooper S | 4 | 59 |
| 2011 MINI Cooper S | 3 | 31 |
| 2012 MINI Cooper S | 2 | 23 |
| 2013 MINI Cooper S | 1 | 24 |
| 2014 MINI Cooper S | 4 | 13 |
| 2015 MINI Cooper S | 4 | 18 |
| 2016 MINI Cooper S | 3 | 9 |
| 2017 MINI Cooper S | 3 | 6 |
| 2019 MINI Cooper S | 1 | 5 |
| 2020 MINI Cooper S | 2 | 5 |
| 2021 MINI Cooper S | 2 | 0 |
| 2022 MINI Cooper S | 0 | 1 |
| 2024 MINI Cooper S | 0 | 1 |
| 2025 MINI Cooper S | 3 | 4 |
Checking a specific 2016 MINI Cooper S
How do I know if my 2016 MINI Cooper S has an open recall?
Enter your 17-character VIN above. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard (visible through the windshield), the driver's door jamb sticker, and your registration or insurance card. The check runs against NHTSA's live database and tells you which campaigns list your vehicle. 3 campaigns currently list the 2016 MINI Cooper S; your car may already have been repaired under some of them.
Is the recall repair free?
Yes. Under federal law, manufacturers must fix safety recalls at no charge for vehicles up to 15 years old from the date of sale to the first owner. Contact any authorised MINI dealer with your VIN and the NHTSA campaign number (for example 15V628000).
What is the difference between a recall and a complaint?
A recall is a safety campaign filed by the manufacturer or ordered by NHTSA, with a defined defect and remedy. A complaint is a report an owner sent to NHTSA; it is not verified, but patterns of complaints are what trigger NHTSA investigations and, eventually, recalls.
Other MINI models
- Cooper2,235 complaints
- Cooper Convertible173 complaints
- Cooper S Convertible138 complaints
- Cooper Clubman116 complaints
- Cooper Countryman107 complaints
- Countryman104 complaints
- Cooper S Clubman90 complaints
- Clubman80 complaints
Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.