2002 MINI Cooper Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Cooper years
- Far more complaints than other years 5th of 26 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 3 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 187 complaints with NHTSA about the 2002 MINI Cooper. That ranks 5th out of 26 Cooper model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is steering (61 complaints, 33%), typically at around 74,000 miles. Complaints mention 4 crashes, 8 fires, 8 injuries. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 5 defect investigations involving it.
- 187owner complaints
- 3safety recalls
- 5NHTSA investigations
- 4complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2002 MINI Cooper 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steering problems | 61 | 33% | 74,000 | “steering pump” (41%) | $1,600 |
| Power Train | 43 | 23% | 60,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 29 | 16% | 15,800 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 26 | 14% | 53,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 13 | 7% | 60,500 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 11 | 6% | 16,601 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 6 | 3% | 35,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 4 | 2% | 135,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 3 | 2% | 86,156 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 3 | 2% | 6,640 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 2 | 1% | 83,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 2 | 1% | 6,475 | — | — |
| Structure | 2 | 1% | 159,175 | — | — |
| Engine | 1 | 1% | 118,457 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 1% | 20,000 | — | — |
| Interior Lighting | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 1 | 1% | 62,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 1 | 1% | 140,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 1 | 1% | 56,344 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 1% | 110,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 1 | 1% | 68,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 1 | 1% | 47,160 | — | — |
| Wheels | 1 | 1% | 140,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2002 MINI Cooper recalls (3)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Steering:electric power assist system
Problem: 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. The affected vehicles may experience temporary or permanent loss of the electro-hydraulic steering assistance.
Risk: If the vehicle experiences a loss of power steering assist, extra steering effort will be required at lower speeds, potentially increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Fix: 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. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525.
Equipment:other:labels
Problem: Certain passenger vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, 'tire selection and rims.' the standard requires that the relationship between the tire size and maximum tire pressure be indicated on the vehicle's tire information label. This relationship is not present.
Risk: Too low or too high tire pressure can cause premature wear and/or tire damage, and could lead to unfavorable driving conditions.
Fix: Owners will be provided with new tire information placards and installation instructions. At the customer's option, a dealer can perform the installation for them. The recall began on november 30, 2005. Owners may contact mini at 1-866-275-6464.
Power train:manual transmission:floor shift assembly
Problem: On certain passenger vehicles equipped with manual transmissions, the transmission shift cable connects the gearshift lever in the vehicle interior to the shift linkage on the transmission. It is possible for the shift cable to detach from the transmission shift linkage while the driver is attempting to change gears. If the cable detaches from the shift linkage, gear changes will no longer be possible and the transmission will remain in the last gear selected.
Risk: If shift cable detachment occurs and the transmission remains in any forward gear, the vehicle can still be driven in that gear only. However, if the transmission moves into neutral and remains there, the ability to accelerate or maintain speed will be lost, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the shift cable and, if necessary, install a retaining clip over the end of the shift cable to prevent it from detaching from the transmission. Owner notification began august 6, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact bmw at 1-866-ask-mini (1-866-275-6464).
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.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Loss of power steering assist (EA11005) — opened May 4, 2011, closed Jan 5, 2016, led to recall 15V660000.
- Engine compartment fire (EA07011) — opened Aug 14, 2007, closed Aug 13, 2008.
- Engine compartment fire (PE07022) — opened Apr 19, 2007, closed Aug 15, 2007.
- Air bag warning lamp illumination (PE05053) — opened Sep 27, 2005, closed Mar 1, 2006.
- Air bag warning lamp illumination (DP05006) — opened Sep 19, 2005, closed Oct 6, 2005.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
I purchased the vehicle used with airbag light showing on the speedometer gauge cluster. Searched with vin for recalls but showed 0 unrepaired recalls. Tried clearing the light with my Launch CREADER BMW V2 scan tool. Light flashes a few times and goes away but immediately appears on the…
Driverside headlight assembly flickers everytime when you turn the key to position 1 with selector on off or auto. Flickers multiple times but doesn'tturn on unless I cycle the key on off until headlight does. This annoyance would reoccur the very next morning. Passenger headlight assembly doesn't…
Unoccupied passenger side airbags; all front & backseat bags deployed after passenger side tires hit pothole on road. Pieces of interior, including decorative plastic, interior light covers were projected across cabin & hit me. I had no idea what had happened. Car shut off shortly after incident…
MY MINI COOPER NEEDS RECALL WORK DONE. I AM IN BILLINGS, MT AND 392 MILES FROM THE CLOSEST CERTIFIED PLACE TO GET IT REPAIRED. I CAN'T TRAVEL THAT FAR IN A 2002 VEHICLE WITH HIGH MILES DURING A PANDEMIC. I AM A SENIOR CITIZEN AND HAVE ISSUES THAT DO NOT ALLOW ME TO TRAVEL THAT FAR. I AM STUCK WITH…
So i bought a 2002 mini cooper less than a year ago and it currently has 74k miles and attempting to pull into a parking spot at the grocery my steering goes completely out while i was trying to turn into my spot and ripped off a black molding that goes over the front passenger wheel and a…
Other MINI Cooper years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Cooper | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 Cooper | 1 | 3 |
| 2024 Cooper | 1 | 0 |
| 2023 Cooper | 7 | 0 |
| 2022 Cooper | 6 | 0 |
| 2021 Cooper | 7 | 2 |
| 2020 Cooper | 7 | 2 |
| 2019 Cooper | 12 | 2 |
| 2018 Cooper | 8 | 0 |
| 2017 Cooper | 28 | 3 |
| 2016 Cooper | 28 | 1 |
| 2015 Cooper | 56 | 6 |
| 2014 Cooper | 34 | 7 |
| 2013 Cooper | 47 | 1 |
| 2012 Cooper | 66 | 1 |
| 2011 Cooper | 83 | 1 |
| 2010 Cooper | 92 | 2 |
| 2009 Cooper | 151 | 1 |
| 2008 Cooper | 116 | 1 |
| 2007 Cooper | 117 | 1 |
| 2006 Cooper | 200 | 1 |
| 2005 Cooper | 372 | 2 |
| 2004 Cooper | 282 | 2 |
| 2003 Cooper | 320 | 2 |
| 2002 | 187 | 3 |
| 2001 Cooper | 6 | 0 |
See all MINI Cooper problems by year, every MINI model, or the MINI VIN decoder.
Similar MINI models
Embed this 2002 MINI Cooper badge on your site
Copy this code into your blog or forum post. It shows live complaint and recall counts and links back here.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2002 MINI Cooper?
Owners most often report steering, power train, visibility problems. The top one, steering, accounts for 61 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2002 MINI Cooper?
Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2002 MINI Cooper a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Cooper model years, the 2002 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.