2007 Mini COOPER S problems and owner complaints
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
249 owner complaints analyzed
4 distinct recall campaigns
52,000 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2007 model year. Data snapshot: . 236 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Most common problems
Engine is the most frequently named component, appearing in 94 of 249 complaints (37.8%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Engine operation | 21 | 8.4% |
| Electrical and battery issues | 13 | 5.2% |
| Fuel system concerns | 13 | 5.2% |
| Transmission and shifting | 11 | 4.4% |
| Steering behavior | 8 | 3.2% |
| Braking behavior | 7 | 2.8% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Engine | 94 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 52 |
| Air Bags | 25 |
| Power Train | 21 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine | 15 |
| Electrical System | 13 |
| Unknown Or Other | 11 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Exhaust System | 8 |
Engine: 94; Engine And Engine Cooling: 52; Air Bags: 25; Power Train: 21; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine: 15; Electrical System: 13; Unknown Or Other: 11; Engine And Engine Cooling:Exhaust System: 8
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 42 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 67 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 73 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 34 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 18 |
| 150,000 and above | 2 |
Under 25,000: 42; 25,000 to 49,999: 67; 50,000 to 74,999: 73; 75,000 to 99,999: 34; 100,000 to 149,999: 18; 150,000 and above: 2
50,000 to 74,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (73). 13 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2007 | 1 |
| 2008 | 29 |
| 2009 | 11 |
| 2010 | 16 |
| 2011 | 35 |
| 2012 | 54 |
| 2013 | 36 |
| 2014 | 24 |
| 2015 | 13 |
| 2016 | 11 |
| 2017 | 6 |
| 2018 | 6 |
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 |
2007: 1; 2008: 29; 2009: 11; 2010: 16; 2011: 35; 2012: 54; 2013: 36; 2014: 24; 2015: 13; 2016: 11; 2017: 6; 2018: 6; 2019: 3; 2020: 1; 2023: 1; 2024: 1; 2025: 1
Pattern summary
Engine leads the component reports. Engine operation appears in 21 complaint narratives. Electrical and battery issues appears in 13 complaint narratives. Fuel system concerns appears in 13 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Complaint evidence
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 10319372 · 2010-03-12 (March 12, 2010)
THE CAR HAS BEEN AT THE DEALER EVERY OTHER WEEK FOR THE LAST 6 WEEKS. ON COLD STARTS THE CAR WOULD RUN ROUGH, HESITATE ALMOST STALL AND THE HEAT WASN'T WORKING UNLESS YOU WERE DRIVING OR HAD YOUR FOOT ON THE GAS. THEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER THEY REPLACED THE TIMING CHAIN CHANGED THE OIL AND BLED THE COOLANT. A FEW DAYS LATER IT STALLED ON A COLD START AND THE HEAT STILL WASN'T WORKING. THE DEALER THIS TIME FOUND EXCESSIVE CARBON IN ENGINE AND A LEAK AT WATER PUMP. COMPUTER DID NOT THROUGHOUT A CODE FOR EITHER. D…
Owner-reported narrative. 26,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10319372 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10353692 · 2010-09-03 (September 3, 2010)
DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE, I APPROACH MY EXIT AND AS I COME TO A STOP ON THE EXIT RAMP, THE CAR STALLS AND DIES. CAR WILL NOT RESTART. VEHICLE IS TOWED TO THE CLOSEST DEALERSHIP. AFTER INSPECTION AT THE DEALERSHIP, I AM TOLD THE VACUUM PUMP HAS FAILED CAUSING CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. SUGGESTED REPAIR IS ENGINE REPLACEMENT. *TR
Owner-reported narrative. 60,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10353692 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10394808 · 2011-04-02 (April 2, 2011)
MY MINT CONDITION 2007 MINI COOPER S WAS DESTROYED BY FIRE ON 3/31/11. I HAD JUST DRIVEN IT 4.5 MILES TO WORK, PARKED IT, WHEN APPROXIMATELY 12-15 MINUTES LATER I WAS ALERTED BY THE COMPANY SECURITY DEPARTMENT THAT MY CAR WAS ON FIRE. THE TOWNSHIP POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENT WERE ALREADY ON THE SCENE PUTTING OUT THE BLAZE. THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE APPEARS TO BE ELECTRICAL AND STARTED IN THE ENGINE. MY PRISTINE CAR WITHOUT A SCRATCH OR DENT ON IT, HAD ONLY BEEN DRIVEN 15,000 MILES -- AND IT WAS DESTROYED. THE CAR HAD BEEN FAITHFULLY MAINTAINED AND …
Owner-reported narrative. 15,200 miles reported. Look up ODI 10394808 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10242751 · 2008-09-18 (September 18, 2008)
I HAVE EXPERIENCED MULTIPLE FAILURES OF THE FUEL PUMP ON MY 2007 MINI COOPER 7. IT IS NOW EXPERIENCING THE EARLY SYMPTOMS FOR A THIRD TIME. THE DEALERSHIP FAILED TO FIX THE PROBLEM ON 4 OCCASIONS PRIOR TO THE FUEL PUMP SEIZING. THEY RETURNED THE "REPAIRED" VEHICLE, AND THE REPLACEMENT FUEL PUMP WAS LEAKING (WAS OVERCOME BY THE FUMES TRYING TO DRIVE IT HOME FROM WORK THE SAME DAY IT WAS RETURNED). THEY REPAIRED IT A SECOND TIME, AND I HAD IT CHECKED BY A SECOND DEALER. WHAT ARE MY RIGHTS IN THIS SITUATION? I AM CONCERNED THERE IS A SERIOUS DEFEC…
Owner-reported narrative. 10,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10242751 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10374755 · 2011-01-05 (January 5, 2011)
THE VEHICLE IS CONSTANTLY SPUTTERING AND LOOSING POWER. IT HESITATES ON TAKING OFF AND THE PERFORMANCE IS DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY FROM WHEN IT WAS ORIGINALLY PURCHASED. I HAVE BROUGHT THE CAR TO THE DEALERS SEVERAL TIMES AND THE STATED THAT THIS WAS DUE TO THE FACT THAT I WAS USING POOR QUALITY GAS. SINCE THEN I HAVE CHANGED TO PREMIUM GAS AND THE PROBLEMS STILL PERSIST. I FINALLY BROUGHT THE CAR TO A RENOWNED MINI MECHANIC AND HE EXPLAINED TO ME THAT THIS IS A RECURRING PROBLEM WITH THE FUEL PUMP. *TR
Owner-reported narrative. 44,071 miles reported. Look up ODI 10374755 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10254199 · 2009-01-07 (January 7, 2009)
CAR CLUNKS WHILE GOING OVER ROUGH ROADS. AS PER DIAGNOSIS FROM MINI DEALERSHIP, THE "TRANSMISSION MOTOR MOUNT IS TOO SMALL AND DOES NOT DAMPEN SHOCK FROM ROAD BUMPS OR ACCELERATION TORQUE" AND WAS REPLACED. *TR
Owner-reported narrative. 8,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10254199 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10281248 · 2009-08-20 (August 20, 2009)
2007 MINI COOPER S - MANUAL TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT ALLOW GEARSHIFTS AND COULD ONLY BE DRIVEN IN FIRST GEAR. DEALERSHIP STATED CLUTCH CAME APART AFTER 8 MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP. DEALERSHIP REPLACED WITH REMANUFACTURED CLUTCH, FLYWHEEL, GEARBOX OIL AND CLIP UNDER WARRANTY. IN JULY OF 2009 I NOTICED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS SHIFTING ROUGH AND THE CLUTCH WAS MAKING A SQUEAKING SOUND WHEN APPLIED. DEALERSHIP GOT A WORK ORDER FROM MINI USA TO REMOVE THE CLUTCH/TRANSMISSION. ON AUGUST 12, 2009 THE DEALERSHIP REMOVED THE CLUTCH/TRANSMISSION AND REPLAC…
Owner-reported narrative. 31,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10281248 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10373638 · 2010-12-31 (December 31, 2010)
MINI COOPER ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK SYSTEM CRITICAL MALFUNCTION - CAR WITH ONLY 57,000 MILES RECEIVES CRITICAL MESSAGE ON NAVIGATION SCREEN TELLIING DRIVER "TO DRIVE TO A SAFE LOCATION AND TURN OFF IGNITION AND BE AWARE THAT CAR IS UNLIKELY TO BE ABLE TO BE RESTARTED." DRIVER IS LEFT TO COPE WITH THIS CRITICAL SITUATION AND REPAIR EVEN THOUGH MINI COOPER HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THE EXISTENCE OF THIS CRITICAL PROBLEM BY DISCONTINUING THE INSTALLATION OF THE ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK ON ITS LATER MODELS AS THEY COULD NOT CORRECT PROBLEM. MINI REFUSES …
Owner-reported narrative. 57,010 miles reported. Look up ODI 10373638 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10405710 · 2011-06-09 (June 9, 2011)
POWER STEERING FAILURE, UNABLE TO STEER THE VEHICLE, SINGLE OCCURRENCE. BROUGHT THE CAR IN FOR REPAIR AT THE LOCAL DEALER, WAITING FOR DIAGNOSIS OF PROBLEM. *TR
Owner-reported narrative. 61,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10405710 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10348919 · 2010-08-12 (August 12, 2010)
AFTER DRIVING MY 2007 MINI COPPER S, FOR SEVERAL MINUTES THE "BRAKE" AND DSC WARNING ICONS ILLUMINATE YELLOW. ONCE ILLUMINATED THE SIGNAL CANCEL FUNCTION STOPS WORKING AND WIPERS TURN ON AUTONOMOUSLY WHEN ENGINE IS STOPPED. *TR
Owner-reported narrative. 29,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10348919 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10484862 · 2012-11-15 (November 15, 2012)
A CAR STOPPED SHORT IN MY PATH CAUSING ME TO BRAKE HARD AND STALL. SINCE I DIDN'T APPLY THE CLUTCH DURING THE EMERGENCY STOP I PRESSED THE CLUTCH PEDAL TO THE FLOOR IN AN ATTEMPT TO RESTART THE ENGINE. WHEN IT FAILED AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS I HAD IT TOWED TO MINI OF BALTIMORE. THEY TOLD ME IT HAD NO COMPRESSION AND THAT THE EXHAUST CAM HAD JUMPED 180 DEGREES OUT OF TIMING. THIS SOUNDS LIKE A TIMING BELT TENSIONER PROBLEM THE SERVICE MANAGER GAVE ME AN ESTIMATE OF $2800. AFTER FURTHER RESEARCH I FOUND THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM BUT MINI WON'T ISSU…
Owner-reported narrative. 48,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10484862 at NHTSA ↗