NHTSA vehicle safety data

2017 Mini Cooper S Recalls & Complaints

The 2017 Mini Cooper S has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns and 4 owner complaints on file as of November 3, 2026. Recall repairs are usually free at an authorized Mini dealer.

NHTSA recall and complaint data for the 2017 Mini Cooper S. Recall data is refreshed daily from NHTSA.

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2017 Mini Cooper S owner complaints

Owners have filed 4 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 Mini Cooper S, describing incidents dated January 9, 2018 to March 15, 2025.

Most-cited components

Air Bags 1 complaint
Electrical System 1 complaint
Engine 1 complaint
Forward Collision Avoidance 1 complaint
Service Brakes 1 complaint
Unknown or Other 1 complaint

Of the 4 complaints on file, 1 reports a crash; across all 4 complaints, owners report 1 injury (owner-reported, not verified by NHTSA).

Newest complaints

ODI #11651162 · Filed March 27, 2025
Hi, the component is the water seals around the trunk lid of the rear boot; this results in water intrusion. Yes, it is available for inspection upon request. Water has been collecting on the interior car body, including electrical components related to rear lights (brakes, turn signal, reverse) as…
ODI #11615276 · Filed September 18, 2024
While driving in the rain, the ABS engages, slowing the front right tire dramatically causing the car to skid and lurch to the right. After some internet research, it appears that this is not an isolated incident. Mini Cooper owners also discovered that when driving in dry conditions and the…
ODI #11209703 · Filed May 24, 2019
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 MINI COOPER S. WHILE DRIVING AND ATTEMPTING TO STOP, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO FREEPORT MINI COOPER (280 SUNRISE HWY, FREEPORT, NY 11520, (516) 665-1246) TO BE DIAGNOSED, BUT THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE…

Read all 4 complaints

Turn Signal Deactivates Inner Brake Lamp/FMVSS 108

NHTSA #17V222000 · Exterior Lighting — Brake Lights · NHTSA notice

Reported March 31, 2017 · BMW of North America, LLC

Potentially affected: 16,883 vehicles

Repair completion: 98.19% (latest rate the manufacturer reported to NHTSA; dataset updated November 3, 2026)

Owners notified May 19, 2017 · Vehicles built September 1, 2015 – March 23, 2017 (per NHTSA)

Defect description

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2016-2017 MINI Cooper Clubman, Cooper S Clubman and JCW Clubman vehicles. When the affected vehicles are braking and the turn signals are on, the inner, bumper-mounted, brake light will go out. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

Safety consequence

If the brake light does not illuminate when a turn signal is activated, other drivers may be confused, increasing the risk of a crash.

Manufacturer remedy

MINI will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the vehicle to correct the brake lighting, free of charge. The recall began May 22, 2017. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525.

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

Seat Mounted Air Bags may not Deploy

NHTSA #16V914000 · Air Bags · NHTSA notice

Reported December 20, 2016 · BMW of North America, LLC

Potentially affected: 3,506 vehicles

Repair completion: 88.46% (latest rate the manufacturer reported to NHTSA; dataset updated November 3, 2026)

Owners notified February 10, 2017 · Vehicles built August 23, 2016 – September 16, 2016 (per NHTSA)

Defect description

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2017 BMW 640i, 640i xDrive, 650i, 650i xDrive, M6, 535i, 535i xDrive, 430i, 430i xDrive, 440i, 440i xDrive, M4, X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i, i3, i8, Rolls-Royce Dawn, Mini Clubman Cooper, Clubman Cooper S, Cooper All4, Cooper S All4, Mini 4-Door Cooper, Cooper S, Mini 2-Door Cooper, Cooper S, John Cooper Works and 2016 BMW 528i, 528i xDrive, 535i, 535i xDrive, 550i, 550i xDrive, M5 and 535d vehicles. The affected vehicles have seat- mounted side air bag inflator initiators that may fail to ignite during a crash.

Safety consequence

If the air bag inflator initiator fails to ignite, the seat-mounted air bag will not deploy, increasing the risk of injury.

Manufacturer remedy

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began February 6, 2017. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

Seat Belt may Not Lock/FMVSS 209

NHTSA #16V747000 · Seat Belts — Front — Retractor · NHTSA notice

Reported October 17, 2016 · BMW of North America, LLC

Potentially affected: 15,455 vehicles

Repair completion: 89.71% (latest rate the manufacturer reported to NHTSA; dataset updated November 3, 2026)

Owners notified July 3, 2019 · Vehicles built May 9, 2016 – September 21, 2016 (per NHTSA)

Defect description

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i, MINI Hardtop 4 Door Cooper, Mini Hardtop 4 Door Cooper S, MINI Cooper Clubman, and Cooper S Clubman, 2017 Rolls-Royce Ghost, and 2016 528i vehicles. The vehicle-sensitive locking mechanism of the seat belt Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) for the driver's seat may not lock as designed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 209, "Seat Belt Assemblies."

Safety consequence

In the event of a crash where heavy braking is applied, the Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) may activate when the occupant is more forward in the seat, possibly increasing the risk of injury.

Manufacturer remedy

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's seat belt assembly, free of charge. The recall began July 3, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

try.vin has no NCAP crash-test rating on file for the 2017 Mini Cooper S. NHTSA rates some vehicles by body style — pickups by cab, vans by roof height — so check nhtsa.gov/ratings.

4 owner complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2017 Mini Cooper S.

Unknown or Other

ODI #11651162

Incident: March 15, 2025 · Filed: March 27, 2025

Hi, the component is the water seals around the trunk lid of the rear boot; this results in water intrusion. Yes, it is available for inspection upon request. Water has been collecting on the interior car body, including electrical components related to rear lights (brakes, turn signal, reverse) as well as resulting mold growth. Yes, the problem has been confirmed by Weatherford BMW, and despite there being a service bulletin open (MINI TSB SI M51 05 16) for a design flaw, BMW/MINI is refusing to fix the issue outside of warranty. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Only by the manufacturer. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Water intrusion caused the left taillight to short, and I received a warning light for this.

Electrical System; Service Brakes; Forward Collision Avoidance

ODI #11615276

Incident: May 17, 2024 · Filed: September 18, 2024

While driving in the rain, the ABS engages, slowing the front right tire dramatically causing the car to skid and lurch to the right. After some internet research, it appears that this is not an isolated incident. Mini Cooper owners also discovered that when driving in dry conditions and the windshield wiper is turned on, the front right tire slows, causing the car to skid and lurch to the right. European Automotive verified that this was the case on my vehicle. This started without any warning and was terrifying. I told both the local mechanic and the dealer that I would not drive the car until it was repaired. There were no warning lights. The local mechanic and the dealer were unable to find any fault codes. The dealer is 3 hours away. Before we knew what the problem was, I towed the car to the dealership and they were unable to replicate the problem. All test drives were done in dry conditions. They replaced the cruise control sensor and the steering wheel and then delivered the car to me saying it was repaired. While driving the car back from out of town, it began to rain, when the windshield wipers came on, the front tire slowed dramatically, lurching the car to the right. This is a terrifying experience, especially in the rain. It seems this is not an isolated incident and may have already caused serious accidents. The car is less than 50,000 miles old and has been used for work only. I have not driven the car out of fear of an accident and have parked it in my driveway waiting for some type of resolution with the dealer.

Vehicle Speed Control; Engine

ODI #11209703

Incident: May 23, 2019 · Filed: May 24, 2019

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 MINI COOPER S. WHILE DRIVING AND ATTEMPTING TO STOP, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO FREEPORT MINI COOPER (280 SUNRISE HWY, FREEPORT, NY 11520, (516) 665-1246) TO BE DIAGNOSED, BUT THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND HAD A SPECIALIST EXAMINE THE VEHICLE; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 15,000.

Air Bags

ODI #11061571

Crash 1 injury

Incident: January 9, 2018 · Filed: January 10, 2018

I WAS HIT HEAD ON LAST NIGHT AND AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. I HAD SLOWED TO APPROX 10 MPH WHILE VEHICLE THAT HIT ME WAS TRAVELING APPROX 20-30MPH. VEHICLE THE HIT ME WAS A MID 200'S TRAIL BLAZER. *BF *TR

Other Mini Cooper S model years

Check your 2017 Mini Cooper S VIN

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