RecallRadar

HomeMiniCooper → 2016

2016 Mini Cooper Recalls & Complaints

4

open safety recalls on record

Serious

43 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.70 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Serious16V747000

Seat Belts:Front:Retractor

In the event of a crash where heavy braking is applied, the Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) may activate when the occupant is more forward in the seat, possibly raises the risk of injury.

Remedy & full details

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.

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 (ELR) for the driver's seat may not lock as designed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 209, "Seat Belt Assemblies."

Serious17V222000

Exterior Lighting:Brake Lights

If the brake light does not illuminate when a turn signal is activated, other drivers may be confused, raises the risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

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.

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 Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

Serious15V887000

Steering:Gear Box (Other Than Rack And Pinion)

gearbox malfunction may cause a loss of vehicle control and raises the risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

BMW will replace the steering gearbox, free of charge. Affected vehicles are located in dealer inventory and will be remedied before customer retail. The recall began on December 28, 2015. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling one model year 2016 MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 Door vehicle manufactured November 24, 2015, and one BMW X1 Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) manufactured October, 19 2015. The steering gearbox may have been manufactured with incorrect parts.

Serious15V628000

Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator Module

In the event of a vehicle crash, an air bag that does not deploy properly raises the risk of injury to the front seat passenger.

Remedy & full details

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 customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

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 crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Complaint volume

43 this model-year 7 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

3Crashes
0Fires
6Injuries
0Deaths

Across 43 complaints. Severity Index 0.70.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Engine10 · 23%Electrical System8 · 19%Exterior Lighting8 · 19%Power Train6 · 14%Air Bags2 · 5%Seat Belts1Steering1Suspension1
  1. Engine — 10 reports
  2. Electrical System — 8 reports
  3. Exterior Lighting — 8 reports
  4. Power Train — 6 reports
  5. Air Bags — 2 reports
  6. Seat Belts — 1 reports
  7. Steering — 1 reports
  8. Suspension — 1 reports
  9. Structure:Body — 1 reports
  10. Seats — 1 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

2001 · 2002 (5) · 2003 (4) · 2004 (4) · 2005 (4) · 2006 (1) · 2007 (1) · 2008 (1) · 2009 (1) · 2010 (2) · 2011 (1) · 2012 (1) · 2013 (1) · 2014 (7) · 2015 (6) · 2016 · 2017 (3) · 2018 · 2019 (2) · 2020 (2) · 2021 (2) · 2022 · 2023 · 2025 (3) · 2026 (1)

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.