2016 MINI Cooper S Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Cooper S years
- Not enough data 15th of 22 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 3 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 9 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 MINI Cooper S. That ranks 15th out of 22 Cooper S model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is engine (4 complaints, 44%), typically at around 42,000 miles. Complaints mention 1 crash, 2 fires. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year.
- 9owner complaints
- 3safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 1complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2016 MINI Cooper S problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 4 | 44% | 42,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 2 | 22% | 50,500 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 1 | 11% | 67,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 1 | 11% | 18,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 11% | — | — | — |
| Steering | 1 | 11% | 57,085 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2016 MINI Cooper S recalls (3)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Exterior lighting:brake lights
Problem: 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."
Risk: If the brake light does not illuminate when a turn signal is activated, other drivers may be confused, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Seat belts:front:retractor
Problem: 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."
Risk: 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 increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: 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.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Problem: 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."
Risk: In the event of a vehicle crash, an air bag that does not deploy properly increases the risk of injury to the front seat passenger.
Fix: 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.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
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 27,0000 miles.
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 pedal the driverâs side rear brake light failed to illuminate. Additionally, the left turn signal…
There have been thousands upon thousands of failures of the oil cooler/oil filter housing on all BMW/MINI B46/B48 2.0T engines. This problem dates back to 2014 when BMW issued a stop sale order and recall on the 2014 MINI Cooper with both the 1.5L I3 (B38) and 2.0L I4 (B48) engines. Since 2014, the…
While driving home thursday night i received left tail light malfunction waring on my dash panel with the turn signal blinking extremely fast. After arriving home i checked the light and found that the tail light inoperative and the turn signals were extremely dim. The next morning i called tucson…
Tl* the contact owned 2016 mini cooper s. Contact stated that while his wife was driving at 40 mph, without warning an smoke appeared on the front passenger side under the hood. The contact stated his wife pulled to the side of the road and exited the vehicle before the whole vehicle was engulfed…
Other MINI Cooper S years
← 2015 Cooper S · 2017 Cooper S →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Cooper S | 4 | 3 |
| 2024 Cooper S | 1 | 0 |
| 2022 Cooper S | 1 | 0 |
| 2021 Cooper S | 0 | 2 |
| 2020 Cooper S | 5 | 2 |
| 2019 Cooper S | 5 | 1 |
| 2017 Cooper S | 6 | 3 |
| 2016 | 9 | 3 |
| 2015 Cooper S | 18 | 4 |
| 2014 Cooper S | 13 | 4 |
| 2013 Cooper S | 24 | 1 |
| 2012 Cooper S | 23 | 2 |
| 2011 Cooper S | 31 | 3 |
| 2010 Cooper S | 59 | 4 |
| 2009 Cooper S | 119 | 3 |
| 2008 Cooper S | 168 | 4 |
| 2007 Cooper S | 249 | 4 |
| 2006 Cooper S | 186 | 1 |
| 2005 Cooper S | 314 | 2 |
| 2004 Cooper S | 247 | 2 |
| 2003 Cooper S | 217 | 2 |
| 2002 Cooper S | 83 | 1 |
See all MINI Cooper S problems by year, every MINI model, or the MINI VIN decoder.
Similar MINI models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2016 MINI Cooper S?
Owners most often report engine, exterior lighting, electrical system problems. The top one, engine, accounts for 4 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2016 MINI Cooper S?
Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2016 MINI Cooper S a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Cooper S model years, the 2016 has too little data to compare. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.