2003 MINI Cooper S: recalls and complaints
NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for the 2003 MINI Cooper S. The newest campaign is 15V660000. NHTSA received the report on 15 Oct 2015. The NHTSA record gives the component Steering / Electric Power Assist System. NHTSA has 212 complaints on file for this model year. 5 NHTSA investigations name this model year.
The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.
This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.
Remedy of the newest campaign, 15V660000, in the NHTSA record
MINI will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the electro-hydraulic power steering system, replacing the components and wiring, as necessary, free of charge. Interim notices were mailed to owners on December 10, 2015. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525.
Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on . Complaint file through . Recall file through .
Since the last update
No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks
Recall campaigns
2 campaigns, newest first. 91,128 units in total.
15V660000Received . 86,018 units.
Steering / Electric Power Assist System
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2002-2005 MINI Cooper and Cooper S vehicles and 2005 Cooper and Cooper S Convertible vehicles. The affected vehicles may experience temporary or permanent loss of the electro-hydraulic steering assistance.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If the vehicle experiences a loss of power steering assist, extra steering effort will be required at lower speeds, potentially increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
MINI will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the electro-hydraulic power steering system, replacing the components and wiring, as necessary, free of charge. Interim notices were mailed to owners on December 10, 2015. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525.
Report filed by BMW of North America, LLC. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .
03V086000Received . 5,110 units.
Suspension / Rear / Shock Absorber
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain vehicles, the lower screw connection of the rear struts to the chassis may fail. The head (top) of the screw securing this connection may break. The remaining portion of the screw will still hold the strut in place.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If left unattended over a period of time, and depending on driving conditions, the remaining portion of the screw may break. If it broke, the chassis would lean directly on the tire diminishing the driver's ability to control the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the lower screw connection of the rear struts. Owner notification began april 7, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact BMW at 1-800-831-1117.
Report filed by BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .
The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.
Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.
Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.
Complaints by component
212 complaints, 250 component mentions.
A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.
- 2003 MINI Cooper S
- All 2003 vehicles
| Component | 2003 Cooper S | All 2003 vehicles | Cooper S, all years | Mentions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steering | 520 | 47.3 | 335.5 | 130 |
| Visibility | 132 | 40.1 | 32.9 | 33 |
| Electrical System | 52 | 123.7 | 59.3 | 13 |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 40 | 77.7 | 94.8 | 10 |
| Power Train | 32 | 121 | 55.2 | 8 |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 32 | 58.7 | 7.1 | 8 |
| Suspension | 28 | 57.2 | 8.1 | 7 |
| Air Bags | 24 | 82.2 | 128.7 | 6 |
| Structure | 24 | 62 | 12.2 | 6 |
| Tires | 20 | 20.4 | 5.6 | 5 |
The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 22.
- Complaints that report a crash
- 10
- Complaints that report a fire
- 21
- Injuries in the complaints
- 9
- Deaths in the complaints
- 1
- Date of the newest complaint
- 19 Mar 2019
These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.
Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.
Investigations
| Number | Type | Subject | Component | Opened | Closed | Campaign |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EA11005 | Engineering analysis | Loss of power steering assist | Steering | 4 May 2011 | 5 Jan 2016 | 15V660000 |
| EA07011 | Engineering analysis | ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE | Steering / Electric Power Assist System | 14 Aug 2007 | 13 Aug 2008 | |
| PE07022 | Preliminary evaluation | ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE | Steering / Electric Power Assist System | 19 Apr 2007 | 15 Aug 2007 | |
| PE05053 | Preliminary evaluation | AIR BAG WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATION | Air Bags | 27 Sep 2005 | 1 Mar 2006 | |
| DP05006 | Defect petition | AIR BAG WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATION | Air Bags | 19 Sep 2005 | 6 Oct 2005 |
Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.
Other model years
The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.
Official channels
- NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
- NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
- NHTSA page of the 2003 MINI Cooper SThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.
Cite this page
Recall Register. 2003 MINI Cooper S: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/mini/cooper-s/2003/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through .
Sources
- Source
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
- Licence
- US government work, public domain
- Recall file through
- 29 Sep 2026
- Complaint file through
- 15 May 2019
- First complaint in the file
- 1 Jan 1995
- Manufacturer in the recall file
- BMW of North America, LLC
The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.
Questions
- How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 2003 MINI Cooper S?
- 91,128 units in 2 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
- How many recall campaigns does the MINI Cooper S have for all model years?
- NHTSA lists 23 recall campaigns for the MINI Cooper S, model years 2002 to 2025. 2 of them name the 2003 model year.
- Which component do the complaints about the 2003 MINI Cooper S name most often?
- Steering: 130 of 250 component mentions, or 520 per 1,000. For all 2003 vehicles the figure is 47.3 per 1,000.
- Is an NHTSA investigation of the 2003 MINI Cooper S open?
- No. Each of the 5 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.