2005 Mini Cooper S
This year had 30% to 100% more complaints than this model's typical year.
This verdict reflects complaint volume compared to this model's typical year. Recalls and safety issues below apply regardless of the verdict — always check them.
- Complaints
- 314
- Recalls
- 2
- Investigations
- 2
- Top problem
- Steering
Campaigns on file for 2005
Opened by NHTSA
68% of complaints
Complaints per year
2005: 314 complaints
View as data table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2002 | 83 |
| 2003 | 217 |
| 2004 | 247 |
| 2005 | 314 |
| 2006 | 186 |
| 2007 | 249 |
| 2008 | 168 |
| 2009 | 119 |
| 2010 | 59 |
| 2011 | 31 |
| 2012 | 23 |
| 2013 | 24 |
| 2014 | 13 |
| 2015 | 18 |
| 2016 | 9 |
| 2017 | 6 |
| 2019 | 5 |
| 2020 | 5 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 |
Known problem areas
Percentages can add to more than 100% — a complaint can name more than one system.
Steering
68% · 215 reportsMost commonly citing pump and electric power assist system.
Show complaint excerpts
Vehicle fire 5/2/2012. Car parked for 4 hrs. Returned to car & drove it <50 yards for ~2 minutes (Moved it from street to parking lot). Turned it off and went in store.
NHTSA ODI report, 2012-05-04
Also filed under Electrical system and engine and engine cooling
Auto was parked in driveway after a 30 mile drive, turned off and keys removed. After some time being parked, car started billowing smoke from under the hood. Dash lights came on, parking lights came on spontaneously. No keys present in the vehicle.
NHTSA ODI report, 2008-11-03
Also filed under Electrical system
The contact owns a 2005 Mini Cooper S. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The contact stated that the vehicle had lost power steering assist. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired.
NHTSA ODI report, 2025-04-16
Air bags
25% · 78 reportsMost commonly citing frontal and side/window.
Show complaint excerpts
2005 Mini Cooper S was traveling 50MPH when it hit icy bridge spun around and rolled 3 times driver was wearing a seatbelt and passenger was not and got ejected and died.no airbags deployed. Hwy 299.
NHTSA ODI report, 2018-11-30
Also filed under Engine
Electrical system
8% · 24 reportsMost commonly citing ignition and 12v/24v/48v battery.
Show complaint excerpts
I got home from work parked car and heard a whining noise under hood I could see smoke and buring smell coming from steering cooling fan the fan stayed on and went into extreme high speed and continued to smoke and wiring burning ,I was fortunate...
NHTSA ODI report, 2017-12-10
2005 Mini Cooper S. Approximately 63,000 miles. October 22, 2009. I had just gotten home from work and parked in the garage. Going in the house I smelled something burning.
NHTSA ODI report, 2009-10-23
Power train
4% · 13 reportsMost commonly citing manual transmission and driveline.
Seats
3% · 8 reportsSafety timeline
2 recalls · 2 investigations · oldest first
To check one car, enter its VIN on the NHTSA recall page. Check a VIN →
-
▮
2005Complaint volume 314 complaints filed for this model year.
-
I
2010-09-24Preliminary evaluationClosed 2011-05-10 Loss of Power Steering Assist
-
I
2011-05-04Engineering analysisClosed 2016-01-05 Loss of power steering assist
-
R
2015-10-12Air bags15V205000 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...
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.
-
R
2016-03-04Steering15V660000 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.
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.
Buy-smart checklist
2005 Mini Cooper S — pre-purchase inspection
Inspect
- Steering: 215 reports on file for this year.
- Air bags: 78 reports on file for this year.
- Electrical system: 24 reports on file for this year.
Verify these recalls were completed
- Recall 15V205000 · Air bags
- Recall 15V660000 · Steering
Other years of this model
See all years ranked →FAQ
- Is the 2005 Mini Cooper S reliable?
- Based on NHTSA complaint volume compared to this model's typical year, the 2005 Mini Cooper S is rated "worse than typical".
- What are the most common problems with the 2005 Mini Cooper S?
- The most-reported component is steering, accounting for 68% of complaints on file.
- How many recalls does the 2005 Mini Cooper S have?
- 2 recalls on file for this model year.
Data updated 2026-10-09 · Complaints are unverified owner reports filed with NHTSA, not independently verified defects. Methodology.