2020 Mini Cooper S problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Wheels (1) · Visibility/Wiper (1) · Vehicle Speed Control (1)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Mini Cooper S model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (2)
Air Bags:side/Window:curtain 2020-05-20 · campaign 20V283000 · 76 vehicles
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020 X1 xDrive28i, X1 sDrive28i, X2 xDrive28i and X2 sDrive28i, 2020 MINI Clubman Cooper S All4, 2021 MINI Hardtop 2 Door (Cooper, Cooper S, John Cooper Works and Cooper S E) and MINI Hardtop 4 Door (Cooper and Cooper S) vehicles. Due to a problem with the rollover sensor within the air bag control unit, in the event of a rollover crash, the head air bag, seat belt pretensioners and other safety systems, may not activate.
Risk: If the safety systems do not deploy as intended in a roll over crash, it may increase the risk of injury.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag control unit, free of charge. The recall began July 17, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525.
Structure 2019-08-28 · campaign 19V634000 · 683 vehicles
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020 MINI Hardtop 2-Door Cooper, Cooper S, and JCW vehicles. The rear side trim panels may have been assembled without a crash pad. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 214, "Side Impact Protection."
Risk: Without a crash pad, rear seat passengers would have an increased risk of injury in the event of a side impact crash.
Fix: MINI will notify owners, and MINI dealers will install crash pads, free of charge. The recall began October 11, 2019. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525.
Service bulletins (68)
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.
Suspension 2024-03-04 · M310424 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
during inspection and/or diagnosis there is noticeable dirt/grease buildup on the axles near the inner and/or outer cv boots.
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
Structure:body:roof And Pillars 2023-08-01 · M540123 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
?the panoramic roof sunblind does not close, or jams while closing.
Communication:manufacturer Telematics 2023-08-01 · M110323 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
?bmw ag has issued a delivery stop: replace charge air line.
Structure:body:tailgate 2023-05-01 · M510123 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
upon opening and closing the tailgate, a creaking/groaning sound can be heard from tailgate actuator.
Electrical System 2023-03-01 · M840322 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the 3g network in the us has been shut down. this means that only the 4g network will be available. in the 4g network, voice calls will be transferred via voice over lte (volte) function. for this purpose, the sim card must perform an ims registration in the mobile communication network. due to a pr
Showing the 6 most recent of 68 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-06-25 · Vehicle Speed Control · 💥 crash“i was pulling into a parking spot slowly and all of the sudden the car took off and took off and i couldn’t stop and when i tried to sped hard on the break it wouldn’t work and i lost control and my car wouldn’t stop until it crashed into another vehicle that was sitting in another parking spot.…”
2025-03-13 · Steering · 25,500 mi“the contact owns a 2020 mini cooper s. the contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the power steering feature malfunctioned, causing the steering wheel to become difficult to turn in either direction. the vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the steering pump had failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not yet…”
2021-03-18 · Wheels · 8,028 mi“the tires on this vehicle have blown out 3 times in the 9 months we have owned this car. another tire (a fourth incident) had a bubble that was replaced before it blew out. all incidents were separate times. the dealer and bmw will do nothing. all blow outs were on the highway traveling about 60 mph.…”
2020-06-23 · Engine · 1,400 mi“during a rain shower, drove at about 15mph into roughly 4" of water gathered on the shoulder of an access road adjacent to the highway and the engine stalled. would not restart. puddle of water was not high enough to breach the cabin - running boards were still above water and the curb adjacent to the street was not submerged. car would not start …”
2019-12-19 · Visibility/Wiper · 10 mi“when sitting in drivers seat ( i am 5ft. 1 in tall) and the convertible top is open, i can not see through the rear view mira because the convertible top folded is blocking my vision. my seat is at highest position. just as point of reference i had a 2012 mini conv. and this was not a problem. because of this i had to take the car back to the d…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.