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2015 MINI Cooper S
The 2015 MINI Cooper S appears in 4 NHTSA recall campaigns (air bags, structure and power train) and in 4 consumer complaints filed with the agency.
The component named most often is unknown or other: 250 of every 1,000 component mentions for this year, above the 109.1 per 1,000 across all 2015 model-year vehicles and against 21.3 per 1,000 for the MINI Cooper S line as a whole.
That is fewer than the average of 81.7 complaints per model year across the 20 MINI Cooper S model years on this register; 0 complaints reported a crash and 1 a fire.
Complaints were received in the largest number in 2016 (2); the most recent in the file is dated 12 Jun 2018.
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation has opened 1 investigation naming this model year.
Complaints are consumer reports and have not been verified by NHTSA. Recall text is the manufacturer's Part 573 report as filed with NHTSA. Complaint file through 15 May 2019; recall file through 29 Sep 2026.
Recalls by model year:
Recall campaigns
Defect, as filed: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 door vehicles manufactured February 25, 2014, to May 16, 2015, 2014-2015 MINI Cooper S Hardtop 2 door vehicles manufactured March 28, 2014, to May 9, 2015, 2015 MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 door vehicles manufactured October 17, 2014, to June 2, 2015, and 2015 MINI Cooper S Hardtop 4 door vehicles manufactured November 24, 2014, to June 11, 2015. During a service appointment, the affected vehicles received replacement front passenger seat cushions (which contain integral Capacitive Interior Sensing (CIS) functions). The CIS functions may have been incorrectly calibrated, and if so, would cause impaired occupant classification and thus inappropriate air bag activation/deactivation.
Consequence: Inappropriate air bag activation/deactivation can increase the risk of occupant injury in the event of a vehicle crash.
Remedy: MINI will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the front passenger seat cushion, free of charge. The recall began on December 28, 2015. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525 .
Filed by BMW of North America, LLC; components: air bags:sensor:occupant classification; seats.
Defect, as filed: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 MINI Cooper S and MINI Cooper two-door vehicles, 2015-2016 MINI John Cooper Works and MINI Cooper S and MINI Cooper four-door vehicles and 2014-2015 BMW i3 vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the passenger frontal air bag may not deploy properly in a low speed crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Consequence: In the event of a vehicle crash, an air bag that does not deploy properly increases the risk of injury to the front seat passenger.
Remedy: MINI and BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began on November 25, 2015. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525 and BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Filed by BMW of North America, LLC.
Defect, as filed: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S Hardtop 2 Door vehicles and 2015 MINI John Cooper Works Hardtop 2 Door vehicles. The affected vehicles do not meet the side impact performance requirements for the rear seat passengers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 214, "Side Impact Protection."
Consequence: If the side impact performance requirements are not met, rear seat passengers may be at a higher risk of injury during a crash.
Remedy: MINI will notify owners, and dealers will install additional energy absorption material between the rear interior side panels and the exterior vehicle body, free of charge. The recall began on September 4, 2015. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525. Note: this recall supersedes 14V-815.
Filed by BMW of North America, LLC.
- 14V789000POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)Reported 15 Dec 2014 · 1,928 units
Defect, as filed: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 Door, and Cooper S Hardtop 2 Door vehicles manufactured January 6, 2014, to October 17, 2014. During service appointments, dealers may have inadvertently reprogrammed the transmission control unit with software that may allow drivers to exit the vehicle when the transmission is not in Park. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
Consequence: If the driver exits the vehicle without the transmission being in Park, the vehicle could roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.
Remedy: MINI will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the transmission control module with the correct software, free of charge. The recall February 4, 2015. Owners can contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525.
Filed by BMW of North America, LLC.
Each entry links to the NHTSA record. NHTSA states that safety recall repairs are free of charge at an authorised dealer; check a specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Complaints by component
Component mentions per 1,000 for the 2015 MINI Cooper S (black) against all 2015 model-year vehicles in the file (yellow). A complaint can name more than one component.
| Per 1,000 component mentions | 2015 | Cooper S line | All 2015 vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown or Other | 250 | 21.3 | 109.1 |
| Engine | 250 | 156.1 | 126.5 |
| Exterior Lighting | 250 | 3 | 39.2 |
| Electrical System | 250 | 59.3 | 110.4 |
| Component | Mentions | Per 1,000 | Line | All 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown or Other | 1 | 250 | 21.3 | 109.1 |
| Engine | 1 | 250 | 156.1 | 126.5 |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 250 | 3 | 39.2 |
| Electrical System | 1 | 250 | 59.3 | 110.4 |
4 unique complaints, 4 component mentions; 0 injuries and 0 deaths reported by complainants. Complaint narratives are not republished.
Complaints by year received
Investigations
| Action | Type | Subject | Component | Opened | Closed | Recall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AQ15004 | Audit query | BMW Safety Act Violations | structure | 24 Sep 2015 | 2 Oct 2017 | — |
Other MINI Cooper S model years
| Model year | Recalls | Complaints | Units in campaigns |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 1 | 82 | 86,018 |
| 2003 | 2 | 212 | 91,128 |
| 2004 | 2 | 242 | 87,211 |
| 2005 | 2 | 307 | 177,818 |
| 2006 | 1 | 181 | 91,800 |
| 2007 | 4 | 243 | 264,557 |
| 2008 | 4 | 160 | 264,557 |
| 2009 | 3 | 103 | 236,107 |
| 2010 | 4 | 50 | 236,312 |
| 2011 | 3 | 17 | 236,107 |
| 2012 | 2 | 8 | 145,739 |
| 2013 NHTSA | 1 | 9 | 97,933 |
| 2014 | 4 | 11 | 38,495 |
| 2015 | 4 | 4 | 38,495 |
| 2016 | 3 | 3 | 38,411 |
| 2017 | 3 | 1 | 35,844 |
| 2019 NHTSA | 1 | 1 | 5,309 |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | 759 |
| 2021 | 2 | 0 | 21,613 |
| 2025 | 3 | 0 | 267,453 |
Model years with a single campaign and fewer than 25 complaints have no page here; the NHTSA link opens the agency's record for that year.
All MINI Cooper S model years · MINI: 17 model lines
Questions and answers
How many recalls does the 2015 MINI Cooper S have?
4 NHTSA recall campaigns name this model year; the most recent, 15V739000, was reported to NHTSA on 9 Nov 2015 and concerns air bags:sensor:occupant classification. Across all model years the MINI Cooper S line has 23 campaigns.
Is there an open NHTSA investigation into the 2015 MINI Cooper S?
NHTSA's investigation file lists 1 action naming this model year; the table above shows each action's opening and closing dates. An action with no closing date was still open when the file was produced.
What component do owners of the 2015 MINI Cooper S complain about most?
Unknown or Other: 1 of 4 component mentions (250 per 1,000). Next is engine with 1. Complaints are consumer reports and have not been verified by NHTSA.
How do I get a recall repaired?
NHTSA states that safety recall repairs are performed free of charge by the manufacturer's authorised dealers. Each campaign's remedy text above is the manufacturer's statement as filed with NHTSA. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
Where does this data come from?
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation recall, complaint and investigation flat files, public domain, downloaded 29 Sep 2026. Complaint counts are unique complaint numbers per make, model and model year; component figures count each component a complaint names. The NHTSA record linked from each campaign is authoritative.
Provenance
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Office of Defects Investigation flat files (recalls, complaints, investigations), public domain, files dated 29 Sep 2026 (recalls) and 15 May 2019 (complaints). Complaints since 1 Jan 1995. Counts are unique complaint numbers per make, model and model year; per-1,000 rates divide a component's mentions by all mentions for the same group. Errors in processing are corrected at the next daily build; see corrections and the methodology.