2016 MINI Cooper Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Cooper years
- Fewer complaints than other years 15th of 26 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 1 recall: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 28 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 MINI Cooper. That ranks 15th out of 26 Cooper model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is engine (10 complaints, 36%). Complaints mention 2 crashes, 4 injuries. There is 1 safety recall covering this model year.
- 28owner complaints
- 1safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 2complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2016 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 10 | 36% | — | — | — |
| Electrical System | 8 | 29% | — | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 8 | 29% | — | — | — |
| Power Train | 6 | 21% | — | — | — |
| Air Bags | 2 | 7% | 70,430 | — | — |
| Equipment | 1 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 4% | 97,359 | — | — |
| Seats | 1 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 1 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Steering | 1 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Structure | 1 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Suspension | 1 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 1 | 4% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2016 MINI Cooper recalls (1)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
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.
2015 and 2016 Hard top Mini Coopers, Standard (F55) are prone to their environmental air catalyst sensor breaking, causing a check engine light and emissions issues. The remedy is replacing the entire radiator. This occurred on my vehicle at only 40,000 miles. MINI is aware of the issue, but only…
The malfunction indicator lamp light is on (MIL) with the following fault code stored in the DME: Fault code Control module Fault code text 1B8302 DME LIN bus, communication (EAC sensor): missing Problem verified. Don't know if car will quit on the highway. Mini recall for exact problem and…
The rear brake lights and rear signal indicator lights keep going in and out arbitrarily. It's dangerous because it will work fine and then just randomly stop working and then work again. People can't tell if I'm stopping or turning when this randomly occurs. This is currently not a recall on my…
Oil filter housing failure. MINI issued a recall for this part in 2014 when the third generation MINI Cooper S/JCW first launched. Unfortunately they did not fix the part and now as time goes on, the issue is occurring with high frequency on every BMW/MINI and Toyota Supra with the BMW B46/B48 2.0L…
Drivetrain error occurred. I pulled codes and found P0015. I added oil, cleared code. The next day the drivetrain error popped back up. Pulled codes and found P0366. I took the vehicle to mechanic for diagnostics and to find the issue. They found faults: 130F11 and 120408. When replacing engine oil…
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 | 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 Cooper | 187 | 3 |
| 2001 Cooper | 6 | 0 |
See all MINI Cooper 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?
Owners most often report engine, electrical system, exterior lighting problems. The top one, engine, accounts for 10 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2016 MINI Cooper?
Yes, 1 safety recall. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2016 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 2016 has fewer complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.