2010 MINI Cooper S problems
The 2010 MINI Cooper S has 78 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (55%) concerns engine. Next are air bags (12%) and fuel system (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 78 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 55% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 1 and 7
- Injuries and deaths
- 3 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 65,000 miles 67 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 7 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 5 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 18 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 20 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 8 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 8 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 1 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 67 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 65,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 63,000 miles (34 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 1 complaint mentions a crash; 7 complaints mention a fire; 3 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2010 ranks 8th most-complained-about out of 12 model years of the MINI Cooper S with enough data (39 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 4 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
On july 3, 2012, I was burned on my calf by the exhaust pipe located in the middle back of the mini cooper s. I have a large half moon scar remaining. My daughter was also burned last year by the same vehicle 2 places on her calf. I have researched and see a report on the r56 model but was only pertaining to 2007-2008. If BMW did anything to resolve (shortening the pipe), it didn't work since I was burned like others by a 2010 model. I owned a 2004 for 7 years and never had an issue.
Burned my left leg, just above the ankle on the exhaust pipe while retrieving parcel from the boot of the vehicle. It left a nasty scar on my leg.
Car driven two miles to market and returned home to high rise condo. Parked in garage of high rise. No problems noted during drive, parking or locking. Within 4-6 minutes, another resident in the garage reported a car on fire, hood/engine area to the management office. A 911 call sent out, took fire department ~ 1 1/2 hours to extinguish the blaze. Car has no history of any problems. Car in for tire rotation, oil change, gas gauge float replacement and xm radio antenna check six weeks earlier.
I was driving my 2010 mini cooper s 50-55 MPH when I heard a loud noise come from the engine compartment. From then on, the engine was making a rattling and clacking noise and the oil light eventually came on. Pulled over to the side of the road and got out to look at the car. Oil was all over the frontside and wheelwell of the car. All the oil had came out of the engine.
The passenger airbag sensor/passenger seatbelt sensor issue that has been reported and fixed in lots of other mini cooper model years is seemingly an issue with 2010 models too and needs to be corrected via recall. The sensor being faulty is a serious safety concern, and runs close to $1200 to repair. My sensor was intermittently off and on and is now full time warning about the airbag being off. This happens no matter the status of the vehicle - as soon as the motor is running the warning lights are lit up.