2002 MINI Cooper: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 2002 MINI Cooper. 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 182 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.

NHTSA VIN lookup

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 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 15 May 2019. Recall file through 29 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

3 campaigns, newest first. 90,509 units in total.

15V660000Received 15 Oct 2015. 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: 4 Mar 2016.
05V470000Received 12 Oct 2005. 960 units.
Equipment / Other / Labels
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Certain passenger vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, 'tire selection and rims.' the standard requires that the relationship between the tire size and maximum tire pressure be indicated on the vehicle's tire information label. This relationship is not present.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Too low or too high tire pressure can cause premature wear and/or tire damage, and could lead to unfavorable driving conditions.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Owners will be provided with new tire information placards and installation instructions. At the customer's option, a dealer can perform the installation for them. The recall began on november 30, 2005. Owners may contact mini at 1-866-275-6464.
Report filed by BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 30 Nov 2005.
02V201000Received 25 Jul 2002. 3,531 units.
Power Train / Manual Transmission / Floor Shift Assembly
Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain passenger vehicles equipped with manual transmissions, the transmission shift cable connects the gearshift lever in the vehicle interior to the shift linkage on the transmission. It is possible for the shift cable to detach from the transmission shift linkage while the driver is attempting to change gears. If the cable detaches from the shift linkage, gear changes will no longer be possible and the transmission will remain in the last gear selected.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If shift cable detachment occurs and the transmission remains in any forward gear, the vehicle can still be driven in that gear only. However, if the transmission moves into neutral and remains there, the ability to accelerate or maintain speed will be lost, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will inspect the shift cable and, if necessary, install a retaining clip over the end of the shift cable to prevent it from detaching from the transmission. Owner notification began august 6, 2002. 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 1-866-ask-mini (1-866-275-6464).
Report filed by BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 6 Aug 2002.

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

182 complaints, 212 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.

2002 MINI Cooper
All 2002 vehicles

2002 MINI Cooper: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	2002 Cooper	All 2002 vehicles	Cooper, all years	Mentions
Steering	292.5	39.2	358.4	62
Power Train	212.3	121	113.3	45
Visibility	136.8	39.7	29.7	29
Air Bags	113.2	72.5	150.6	24
Engine and Engine Cooling	51.9	103.2	45.4	11
Electrical System	51.9	94.1	64.7	11
Latches/Locks/Linkages	28.3	11.6	6.3	6
Vehicle Speed Control	14.2	39.4	10.3	3
Seats	14.2	12	21.1	3
Equipment	9.4	18.7	6.7	2

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 23.

Complaints that report a crash: 4
Complaints that report a fire: 8
Injuries in the complaints: 8
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 9 Mar 2018

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.

Complaints about the 2002 MINI Cooper, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 2003, with 38 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 2002 MINI Cooper
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.

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

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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 2002 MINI CooperThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 2002 MINI Cooper: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/mini/cooper/2002/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 29 Sep 2026.

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 2002 MINI Cooper?: 90,509 units in 3 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the MINI Cooper have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 27 recall campaigns for the MINI Cooper, model years 2001 to 2026. 3 of them name the 2002 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 2002 MINI Cooper name most often?: Steering: 62 of 212 component mentions, or 292.5 per 1,000. For all 2002 vehicles the figure is 39.2 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 2002 MINI Cooper open?: No. Each of the 5 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.