2015 MINI Cooper S Reliability Data: Problems & Recalls
Caution The 2015 MINI Cooper S has 18 NHTSA complaints, 4 recalls, and a complaint index of 50, ranking 10th worst out of 19 model years with a Caution verdict. Electrical system issues, especially taillight and brake light melting, lead the complaints.
Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology
YearToAvoid Scorecard
- Complaint Index
- 50/100
- #10 of 19 Cooper S years
- Verdict
- Caution
- vs. other years of this model
- Complaints
- 18
- unique NHTSA reports
- Recalls
- 4
- distinct NHTSA campaigns
- Crashes
- 0
- reported in complaints
- Fires
- 2
- Injuries
- 0
- Top issue
- Electrical System
- NHTSA overall rating
- Not rated
- EPA combined MPG
- 28
- 25 city / 32.5 hwy
- Injuries / deaths
- 0 / 0
Top 2015 MINI Cooper S problems
Share of this year’s NHTSA complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.
- Electrical System5 (28%)
- Engine3 (17%)
- Fuel System3 (17%)
- Other3 (17%)
- Airbags2 (11%)
- Structure & Body2 (11%)
- Brakes1 (6%)
- Transmission & Powertrain1 (6%)
A complaint can list more than one component, so shares add up to more than 100%. Shares are % of complaints.
What owners report
- Taillight bulbs and sockets overheat and melt, sometimes near the gas tank, triggering malfunction warnings.
- Owners report engine compartment fires occurring both while parked and while driving.
- Rear brake light connectors short out and melt, illuminating a brake light malfunction message.
- The manual transmission has jumped out of first gear when turning or accelerating from a stop.
- The fuel filler nozzle repeatedly clicks off during refueling before the tank is full, and some owners report fuel spilling from the tank.
- The horn fails intermittently, requiring repeated presses due to corroded contacts.
2015 MINI Cooper S recalls
4 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.
- NHTSA 15V739000Nov 9, 2015Structure & Body38 vehicles
Seats
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.
Risk: 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 .
- NHTSA 15V628000Oct 7, 2015Airbags6,073 vehicles
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
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."
Risk: 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.
- NHTSA 15V450000Jul 17, 2015Structure & Body30,456 vehicles
Structure:body
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."
Risk: 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.
2015 MINI Cooper S fuel economy and fuel cost
- City
- 25 MPG
- Highway
- 32.5 MPG
- Combined
- 28 MPG
- Annual fuel cost (EPA)
- $2,850
- 15,000 mi/yr
- Fuel
- Premium
- Current regular gas
- $4.32/gal
- national avg.
EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.
2015 compared with other Cooper S years
Frequently asked questions
- Is the 2015 MINI Cooper S reliable?
- NHTSA data gives the 2015 Cooper S a complaint index of 50 and a Caution verdict, ranking 10th worst among 19 model years of the Cooper S. Electrical system problems, including melted taillight housings, are the top complaint area.
- What are the most common problems with the 2015 MINI Cooper S?
- Electrical system issues make up 28% of complaints, followed by engine problems at 17% and fuel system issues at 17%. Two of the 18 complaints involved fires, one electrical and one engine-related.
- Does the 2015 MINI Cooper S have any recalls?
- NHTSA lists 4 recalls for the 2015 Cooper S, covering the passenger airbag module, rear structural energy absorption material, front passenger seat cushion, and a transmission control module software reprogram.
- How does the 2015 Cooper S compare to other MINI Cooper S years?
- Its complaint index of 50 is worse than 2014 (33, Good), 2016 (39, Good), and 2019 (17, Best), but better than earlier years like 2007 (100, Avoid).
- What mileage do 2015 Cooper S problems typically show up at?
- The median mileage at failure across all reported problems is 33,810. Electrical issues tend to appear earlier, with a median of 17,625 miles.