NHTSA vehicle safety data

2017 Mini Cooper Recalls & Complaints

The 2017 Mini Cooper has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns and 28 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. Recall data is refreshed daily from NHTSA.

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2017 Mini Cooper owner complaints

Owners have filed 28 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 Mini Cooper, describing incidents dated May 31, 2016 to July 8, 2025.

Most-cited components

Engine 6 complaints
Exterior Lighting 6 complaints
Power Train 6 complaints
Electrical System 5 complaints
Air Bags 3 complaints
Fuel/Propulsion System 2 complaints

Of the 28 complaints on file, 5 report a crash; across all 28 complaints, owners report 2 injuries (owner-reported, not verified by NHTSA).

Newest complaints

ODI #11740812 · Filed May 29, 2026
My vehicle has active VANOS failure codes (131401 and 130304). These codes are preventing my car from passing the New York State safety and emissions inspection, rendering it legally unable to be used on the road. BMW/MINI Corporate is refusing to honor their national extended component warranty…
ODI #11677354 · Filed July 30, 2025
The motor mounts have been replaced twice in the last six years and per the dealer, This is normal which I find very hard to believe on a 2017 Mini Coop of convertible, with 90,000
ODI #11672201 · Filed July 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Mini Cooper. The contact stated when the vehicle was started, the vertical aim headlights malfunctioned. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was confirmed that rodents had chewed through the insulation around and the electrical wires. The contact was informed that…

Read all 28 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 July 5, 2016 – September 6, 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. NHTSA rates some vehicles by body style — pickups by cab, vans by roof height — so check nhtsa.gov/ratings.

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

Power Train; Electrical System; Engine

ODI #11740812

Incident: April 18, 2025 · Filed: May 29, 2026

My vehicle has active VANOS failure codes (131401 and 130304). These codes are preventing my car from passing the New York State safety and emissions inspection, rendering it legally unable to be used on the road. BMW/MINI Corporate is refusing to honor their national extended component warranty bulletin because they are conditioning the repair on a valid registration - which is a legal impossibility while the defect remains unaddressed.

Engine

ODI #11677354

Incident: July 8, 2025 · Filed: July 30, 2025

The motor mounts have been replaced twice in the last six years and per the dealer, This is normal which I find very hard to believe on a 2017 Mini Coop of convertible, with 90,000

Electrical System

ODI #11672201

Incident: January 9, 2025 · Filed: July 9, 2025

The contact owns a 2017 Mini Cooper. The contact stated when the vehicle was started, the vertical aim headlights malfunctioned. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was confirmed that rodents had chewed through the insulation around and the electrical wires. The contact was informed that the insulation was made of soy, which attracted the rodents. The contact was informed that the electrical wires needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired. In addition, the contact stated the repair had occurred previously and the current issue was the second occurrence. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000. The VIN was unavailable.

Engine

ODI #11652692

Incident: March 12, 2025 · Filed: April 3, 2025

My 2017 mini coupe has 70,000 miles on it. I’ve had it 11 months… I was in a drive-through and it started making a hard knock sound no engine light or any other lights came on the vehicle. I had it towed to a shop where they informed me my engine was blown and it would cost $16,000 to replace the engine. My oil level was perfect. I reached out to Carvana. I missed my warranty by five days and they will not do anything about it. There is no reason why a car with 70,000 miles on it. The engine should be blown.

Seats; Unknown or Other; Fuel/Propulsion System

ODI #11647364

Incident: February 1, 2025 · Filed: March 10, 2025

there is a leak which affected the control unit fuel pump. the leak is ongoing throughout many of these cars yet there has not been a recall to fix it. more than $3k in damages. It's something a modern car should not be facing.

Power Train

ODI #11610080

Incident: August 21, 2024 · Filed: August 21, 2024

2017 Mini Cooper - Selector Lever Magnetic Shift Interlock Mechanism

Air Bags

ODI #11552767

Crash

Incident: October 14, 2023 · Filed: October 30, 2023

Driver left the roadway to the outside of a curve to the left, sideswiping a telephone pole and spinning at least one time back onto and off the roadway again before coming to rest. Impact to the passenger front wheel, and entire passenger side, without impacting front or rear end of the vehicle. C pillars deployed, as well as seatbelt pretensioner. Impact was at 55+ mph. No air bags deployed. Dash now indicates fault or error in air bags.

Tires

ODI #11548959

Incident: October 6, 2023 · Filed: October 9, 2023

Driver side front tire collapsed on side wall while driving. 4 days later the passenger side tire also collapsed while driving almost causing accident. Tires are relatively new installed in May 2022 and have only 14,500 miles of use. Losing TWO (2) tires the same week for sidewall failure is very very odd and pissible indicator of tire defect Barum Bavuris 5HM 215/35 17 size

Back Over Prevention

ODI #11526526

Incident: June 1, 2021 · Filed: June 12, 2023

The contact owns a 2017 Mini Cooper. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle a round quarter sized image was displayed in the in the center of the customer display screen and while the backup camera was activated the image caused a visibility hazard to the driver. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed of the Manufacturer’s Extended Service Campaign regarding the failure however, the contact was informed that the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was 35,000.

Exterior Lighting; Service Brakes; Engine

ODI #11516980

Incident: March 23, 2022 · Filed: April 13, 2023

1. (Lighting) The front lights of the car kept turning off and on. We would always go to the repair shop every time the lights began to malfunction. (Engine) the oil was sticky which was not normal and the water entered inside. (Brakes) When you turned on the car, noises came from the brakes which were concerning and risky to drive in. 2. This car was risky to drive due to the problems with the oil and brakes. 3. Yes, this problem has already been confirmed by a dealer. 4. No. 5. No.

Other Mini Cooper model years

Check your 2017 Mini Cooper VIN

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

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