NHTSA vehicle safety data

2020 Mini Cooper S Recalls & Complaints

The 2020 Mini Cooper S has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns and 5 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 2020 Mini Cooper S. Recall data is refreshed daily from NHTSA.

2020 Mini Cooper S owner complaints

Owners have filed 5 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 Mini Cooper S, describing incidents dated December 16, 2019 to June 18, 2025.

Most-cited components

Engine 2 complaints
Electrical System 1 complaint
Service Brakes 1 complaint
Steering 1 complaint
Vehicle Speed Control 1 complaint
Visibility/Wiper 1 complaint

Of the 5 complaints on file, 1 reports a crash; across all 5 complaints, owners report 1 injury (owner-reported, not verified by NHTSA).

Newest complaints

ODI #11669081 · Filed June 25, 2025
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.
ODI #11648130 · Filed March 13, 2025
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…
ODI #11403655 · Filed March 18, 2021
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…

Read all 5 complaints

Air Bags May Not Deploy in Rollover

NHTSA #20V283000 · Air Bags — Air Bag/Restraint Control Module · NHTSA notice

Reported May 20, 2020 · BMW of North America, LLC

Potentially affected: 76 vehicles

Repair completion: 100% (latest rate the manufacturer reported to NHTSA; dataset updated November 3, 2026)

Owners notified July 17, 2020

Defect description

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.

Safety consequence

If the safety systems do not deploy as intended in a roll over crash, it may increase the risk of injury.

Manufacturer remedy

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.

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.

Crash Pads Missing from Rear Side Trim Panels

NHTSA #19V634000 · Structure · NHTSA notice

Reported August 28, 2019 · BMW of North America, LLC

Potentially affected: 683 vehicles

Repair completion: 99.71% (latest rate the manufacturer reported to NHTSA; dataset updated November 3, 2026)

Owners notified October 11, 2019 · Vehicles built June 11, 2019 – August 14, 2019 (per NHTSA)

Defect description

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."

Safety consequence

Without a crash pad, rear seat passengers would have an increased risk of injury in the event of a side impact crash.

Manufacturer remedy

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.

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 2020 Mini Cooper S. NHTSA rates some vehicles by body style — pickups by cab, vans by roof height — so check nhtsa.gov/ratings.

5 owner complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2020 Mini Cooper S.

Vehicle Speed Control; Service Brakes; Engine

ODI #11669081

Crash 1 injury

Incident: June 18, 2025 · Filed: June 25, 2025

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.

Steering

ODI #11648130

Incident: February 13, 2025 · Filed: March 13, 2025

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 repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 25,500. The VIN was not available.

Wheels

ODI #11403655

Incident: February 23, 2021 · Filed: March 18, 2021

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.

Electrical System; Engine

ODI #11330340

Incident: June 23, 2020 · Filed: June 23, 2020

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 AND TRANSMISSION LOCKED UP. BMW ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE CONTACTED AND ADVISED NOT TO START; TOW TRUCK HAD DIFFICULTY LOADING ONTO THE FLATBED BECAUSE THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM HAD MALFUNCTIONED IN THE ELECTRIC CONVERTIBLE TOP AND WAS OVERRIDING THE ABILITY TO PUT THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL. *TR

Visibility/Wiper

ODI #11290057

Incident: December 16, 2019 · Filed: December 19, 2019

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 DEALER AND GET ANOTHER VEHICLE WHICH COST ME IN EXCESS OF $5000 AS MY 3 DAY OLD CAR WAS CONSIDERED USED WITH 91 MILES ON IT. MY HUSBAND WHO IS 5'9" TALL TRIED IT AND HAD SOME VISIBILITY BUT VERY LIMITED. THIS IS A DANGEROUS THING AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN CORRECTED BY MINI. EITHER THE MECHANISM OR THE FABRIC USED HAS TO BE CHANGED TO ALLOW THE TOP TO RETRACT OUT OF SIGHT. THIS DOES NOT MATTER IF YOU ARE MOVING OR STANDING STILL, AND COULD CAUSE THE DRIVE TO EASILY HAVE AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE THEY CAN'T SEE WHAT IS BEHIND THEM.

Other Mini Cooper S model years

Check your 2020 Mini Cooper S VIN

Not every recall applies to every VIN in a given year. Enter the 17-character VIN from your Mini Cooper S at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether your specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

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