2006 Mini Cooper S Convertible problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Air Bags (7) · Seats (6) · Steering (5)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Mini Cooper S Convertible model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
34 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (1)
Air Bags:frontal 2015-04-06 · campaign 15V205000 · 91,800 vehicles
Defect: 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 January 5, 2005, to July 31, 2008. Due to manufacturing, installation, and exposure issues, the front passenger seat occupant detection mat may not function properly and, as a result, the front passenger air bag may not deploy in a crash.
Risk: An improperly functioning mat may cause the passenger frontal air bag to be inactive when the seat is occupied, and in the event of a crash, the air bag will not deploy, increasing the passenger's risk of injury.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (24)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Electrical System 2023-10-25 · M610607 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
mini electrical systems have continued to develop over the past few years. as a result, the demand on the batteries has increased. breakdowns due to an empty battery or problems in the vehicles electrical system can have various causes, most of which are not due to the battery itself. for this rea
Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (Tcm/Pcm/Tecm) 2019-07-12 · M240112 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
programming a replacement egs module with ista/p. programming a replacement electronic transmission control module (egs) with ista/p requires the manual entry of the correct target basic and programmed part numbers. programming concept.
Equipment 2016-07-29 · BMWJUL1316 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
mini water pump class action settlement
Steering 2016-03-01 · M320214 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this service information bulletin supersedes si 32 02 14 dated august 2014. subject installation of right-hand drive steering spindle in left-hand drive vehicle is no longer required. left-hand drive steering spindles are currently available.
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:other Fuel Types:turbo/Supercharger 2014-12-01 · SIM-11-10-14 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
mini: some vehicles have turbocharger noise and a lack or loss of performance, due to restriction of turbocharger oil supply, resulting in oil starvation and seizing of turbocharger assembly. model all. *pe
Steering 2014-11-01 · M010113 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
electro-hydraulic power-assist steering pump (ehps) and cooling fan: limited warranty extension to 13 years/150,000 miles. on affected vehicles, the electro-hydraulic power steering (ehps) pump can fail.
Showing the 6 most recent of 24 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2019-08-27 · Steering · 52,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2006 mini cooper s convertible. while driving 30 mph, the vehicle became extremely difficult to steer without warning. the contact managed to drive home. mini of st. louis (40 sunnen dr, maplewood, mo 63143, (314) 644-6464) stated that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed and referenced nhtsa campaign number: 15v660000 (steerin…”
2018-04-30 · Seats · 80,000 mi“passenger side seat airbag sensor (recall 15v-205, oc3 seat occupancy mat) in my 2006 mini cooper s convertible has failed. the passenger side airbag light on dash and overhead stay lit at all times. recall issued by mini in 2015 covering exact problem described for same make and model for years 2005 - 2008. dealer ship and mini usa both say the vi…”
2017-04-22 · Engine · 68,000 mi“i bought my 2006 mini cooper s convertible for $9,393 in november 2016 . when driving it home from the dealership i heard some noise, so i stopped at a foreign auto service and was told the clutch and transmission was going out. i called the dealership, but they refused to help, so i had them replaced at a transmission repair shop for $2,500 . the…”
2017-03-14 · Power Train · 82,000 mi“6 speed automatic transmission failed catastrophically after 82,000 miles. this in spite of proper dealer recommended mainainance. cost to repair was the same as the value of the vehicle.…”
2016-01-27 · Seats · 49,000 mi · 🔥 fire“i put the heated seat on while driving, and the driver's seat caught fire. this with less then 50,000 miles and a cost of almost $1000. i had to pull into a gas station and put out the smoking seat with water. i've complained to mini cooper usa, with no results.…”
2016-01-04 · Seats · 122,000 mi · 🔥 fire“while driving with the driver seat heater on a burning smell and smoke began to fill the car. additionally, began feeling extreme heat on my back. immediately pulled over and found a small fire on the seat back which i had to pat out. no injury was sustained. the seat heater had been in operation roughly 5 minutes. this is a significant safety…”
2015-12-14 · Steering · 82,500 mi“the power steering in the car has stopped working, very hard to turn the wheel. i just replaced the alternator and battery due to the battery not charging correctly, now the electric power steering pump has failed and the battery light on the console has turned on. i noticed that there is a recall for 2002 - 2005 cars of the same type for this re…”
2015-10-19 · Air Bags“tl* the contact owns a 2006 mini cooper s convertible. after the vehicle was started, the air bag warning light illuminated. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. in addition, the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v205000 (air bags) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufact…”
2015-10-05 · Air Bags“tl* the contact owns a 2006 mini cooper s convertible. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v205000 (air bags); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was notified. the contact had not experienc…”
2015-08-05 · Steering · 32,000 mi“this historical issue has plagued many drivers of mini usa and many have reported accidents. is it going to take the loss of innocent lives to have you force mini usa do the right thing and include all of these known defects fixed?…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.