MINI Cooper Complaints (2019)

17 consumer complaints on file.

#11737373May 12, 2026
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Starter started smoking at start up! And clutch failure at traffic light!!!! No accident occurred because of experienced driver!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11718564February 17, 2026
STRUCTURE:BODY
Certain 2019 MINI and BMW models are equipped with older evaporators that are not lined correctly to prevent aluminum corrosion from the new R-1234yf refrigerant, causing premature leaks of the refrigerant into the cabin while driving. Exposure to the refrigerant can cause severe irritations including dizziness, sudden and uncontrollable pain in the eyes and bursts of tears while driving. This has happened to me multiple times, until I stopped using AC completely.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11688267September 19, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I’ve been experiencing headaches, dizziness, and sudden tearing episodes while driving and the tearing only happens while driving my MINI. A few of these episodes have occurred on the highway, the painful eye irritation and crazy tearing made it very difficult to keep my eyes open, which has been super dangerous. I forced myself to keep at least one eye open to pull over, and fortunately I'm still alive. I recently found that these symptoms are probably linked to the premature failure (at 10k miles) of the AC system and exposure to the refrigerant leaked from the vent. I noticed AC hissing noise a few days after my warranty expired at only 10k miles, the dealer found super low refrigerant but could not find any leak. They recharged it and said my car was good, but noise came back after 3 months. They were still not able to find the leak, and asked me to replace one part at a time until it's fixed. I called MINI, MINI helped the dealer to find leak from compressor and replaced it. I mentioned a weird odor every time I start my car but they didn't investigate further. The noise came back again after 5 months (at 12k miles). I brought it to another dealer (since I moved) and two independent mechanics (as the previous dealer has been very incompetent), all diagnosed leak from evaporator because of the odor and that the cabin air filter has refrigerant dye all over it upon checking. The previous dealer didn't check the filter at all according to my dash camera, and because of the same odor, the timeline of the repeated failures, I believe the evaporator leak also happened at 10k miles. And one of the independent mechanics who specializes in BMW and MINI mentioned he had seen quite a few such cases in 2018 and 2019 MINIs. I think failure of two major AC components at such low mileage isn't normal, and the unexpected headache, dizziness, and strong eye irritation while driving are super dangerous. The repair cost for the defects should not be customers' responsibility.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11679180August 7, 2025
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD
The contact owns a 2019 Mini Cooper S. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed that a rock had hit the driver's side of the windshield due to construction work on a local highway. The contact stated that the passenger's side of the windshield was also hit by a rock while driving. The contact stated that the driver's side of the windshield sustained a minor fracture; however, the passenger's side of the windshield was severely damaged. An unknown dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 81,485. The VIN was not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11663212May 27, 2025
STEERING
Loss of power steering on startup or at stop light. A message pops up indicating that the Dynamic Stability Control is re-initializing and that steering may become difficult: Drive carefully. The warning message usually appears shortly after the failure. In fact, the steering gets so stiff, that my wife can barely turn corners. The problem comes and goes unexpectedly. This is my wife's car, and it has happened to her on several other occasions. Sometimes we can reset by restarting the car, but that isn't reliable. We put the car out of ECO mode into Sport mode, so that the engine does not stop at stop lights, but the engine sometimes stops anyway. When it happened at a stop light today, we tried several restarts, but the steering remained out. Steering is worse at low speeds. Today, we stopped at a light. My wife was driving. The engine stopped and restarted, and the error message appeared. She had difficulty steering into a parking lot where I swapped places with her. I drove her home. It was difficult for me to steer around corners after today's lock up, but I drove the car to a local BMW-Mini mechanic with whom I had discussed the problem, but it never appeared at his shop. Today, we tried starting at the shop and the difficult steering persisted without an error message. He ran a quick scan indicating that some modules in the steering column were not operating properly. He said the modules were not available for replacement, and that the entire steering column might need to be replaced. Unfortunately, he was booked up until Friday. I drove home and let the car sit in the garage for a couple of hours. I started it while writing this to try to more accurately reproduce the warning messages. However, no messages appeared and the car steered easily. Clearly, sudden loss of power steering poses a danger for my family and others on the road. I've looked on the internet and discovered that others have experienced similar problems with steering in Mini Coopers.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11583487April 17, 2024
ENGINE
my vehicle only has 23000 how is it that vehicle with low miles and 5 yrs old and there telling me that engine mounts are cracked what mini cooper said was that the reason why is because there made out of plastic . how can this be legal what holds the engine in place made from plastic ? i think this need to be investigated and looked into is not safe and is not fair to the consumer to have to pay for this bad choice in design .
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11571447February 12, 2024
EXTERIOR LIGHTING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact's daughter owns a 2019 Mini Cooper S Clubman. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, she depressed the brake pedal, but the rear driver's side brake light failed to illuminate. The contact stated that he was driving behind his daughter when he noticed the failure. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the rear driver's side brake light bulb was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The mechanic referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was jumpstarted by AAA. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist unless NHTSA required that they do so. The failure mileage was unknown.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11554951November 13, 2023
STEERING
Car sent a message about vehicle stabilization initiation in the middle of the road. I could barely turn the steering wheel and change the lane. Authorized dealer service center tells me it’s a click and drive wiring malfunction issue. I was on the way to the airport via toll road and highway. Continue to drive with the stabilization in progress could caused me an accident for not being able to move the wheel smoothly.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11552302October 27, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
*The condensate drain hose is not properly draining the condensate from the vehicle. *Breathing in mold and didn't know it *Yes the problem was confirmed by the dealer *The dealer inspected *no warnings, no recalls
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11501907January 15, 2023
STEERING
I am writing regarding the failure of the steering column on my 2019 Mini Cooper Hardtop. The incident occurred on December 31, 2022. I drove my car to a residential location in Seattle, parked and locked the vehicle. When I returned to my car and started it up to move it, I realized I had no control of the car because the steering wheel was spinning uncontrollably. When the car was towed to Seattle Mini, the AAA tow truck driver and the dealership service department personnel receiving the car said they had seen nothing like this before. Seattle Mini takes the position that the steering column was forcibly broken due to an accident which is not the case. I’m very concerned about the safety of this vehicle and not comfortable with Seattle Mini’s theory as to the cause of the failure since no accident or “great force” event occurred as described in the service department video. If this had occurred while I was on-route to the location where the car was parked, the outcome could have been catastrophic. We would like to confer with you this coming week on the best course of action to address this situation. Thank You.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11482310August 31, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Foul odor coming from vents when starting up AC, and after turning off for 10 - 15 minutes.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11481612August 28, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Center console phone charger Center console is and enclosed component and when a cell phone is placed in the console and used for Bluetooth navigation and or phone calls it shuts down the system. The phone heats to such a temp that all phone operations and interaction with the vehicle system freeze or shut down and the phone continues to heat. I have spoken to the dealership and have been told it's a problem. When I communicated to MINI USA they acted as if this had never been reported. As far as warnings all car play functions slow down then freezes, and all functions stop. The phone had become so hot I was afraid it may cause a fire or explode the battery. This process usually takes an hour or so to happen.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11452147February 15, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Entire Driver Side Tail Lamp assembly stopped working (includes running light, brake light, reverse light, and blinker). Dash board did display warning (while driving) of lights malfunction, but nevertheless stopped working while driving. Upon further Inspection, found a “short” / melted pig tail (electrical connector) connecting to the rear of the lamp assembly. (Both the connector and pig tail showed signs of melted plastic/fire hazard). After further investigation, I realized this is not an isolated incident as I found multiple threads/posts on the Mini Cooper (F56) Internet forums, in which multiple owners complained of the same issue (many posting pictures as I have), which dates back many years, link to forum attached. https://www.minif56.com/threads/rear-left-lights-not-working.80537/
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11349959August 17, 2020
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
WHILE DRIVING ON ROAD DRIVER'S SIDE ROLL OVER BAR JUST POPPED UP. I'M CONCERNED THAT IF CAR WOULD HAVE ROLLED OVER PASSENGER WOULD HAVE BEEN CRASHED. ALREADY NOTIFIED MIN ICOOPER WAITING FOR A RESPONSE. CAR WILL BE SERVICE THIS WEEK.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11165237January 4, 2019
POWER TRAIN
175 MILES ON 2019 MINI S COUNTRYMAN. TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEED. DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION INDICATOR CAME ON, CAR SHUDDERED REPEATEDLY AND DECELERATED RAPIDLY TO APPROX. 20 MPH IN 60 ZONE. CREATED INSTANT HAZARD TO MYSELF AS MULTIPLE LANES OF FASTER MOVING TRAFFIC NEEDED TO BE CROSSED TO REACH SAFETY AND NO WARNING TO TAILING VEHICLE.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11115073August 1, 2018
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC), POWER TRAIN, STEERING
THIS IS A BRAND MODEL AND BRAND NEW CAR THAT I HAD JUST PURCHASED AND WAS DRIVING HOME FROM BUYING IT- I HAD NOT EVEN OWNED FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS. WHILE ON MY WAY HOME VEHICLE MALFUNCTIONED AND HAD NEAR FATAL COLLISION. WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY - AT HIGHWAY SPEED I WAS UNABLE TO CONTROL CAR AND MAINTAIN SPEED. ENGINE SEEMINGLY LOCKED UP AND AS I WAS UNABLE TO CONTROL CAR ALMOST CAUSED A NEAR FATAL COLLISION AS CAR BEHIND ME DID NOT REALIZE I WAS LOSING SPEED. TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP AND THEY NOTED THE CRANKSHAFT SPEED PULSE GENERATOR SENSOR HAD MALFUNCTIONED.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11115082August 1, 2018
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC), POWER TRAIN, STEERING
THIS IS SECOND INCIDENT THAT OCCURRED WITH BRAND NEW MINI COOPER 2019 WITH SAME EXACT ISSUE THAT AGAIN ALMOST CAUSED A NEAR FATAL ACCIDENT. WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY, AT HIGHWAY SPEED THE CAR PRECIPITOUSLY MALFUNCTIONED AND CAR LOCKED UP AND WOULD ALLOW ME TO MAINTAIN SPEED- NOR ACCELERATE. I WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN SPEED OF THE CAR THEREFORE STARTED TO LOSE SPEED AND DECELERATE. THE VEHICLES BEHIND ME COULD NOT TELL THAT I WAS SUDDENLY LOSING SPEED AND I WAS ALMOST INVOLVING A NEAR FATAL COLLISION AGAIN. I HAD BEEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY FOR ABOUT 5 -10 MINUTES PRIOR TO THIS PRECIPITOUSLY OCCURRING. THIS WAS THE SAME SITUATION I EXPERIENCED WITH A BRAND NEW MINI COOPER 2019 MODEL A WEEK EARLIER. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY NOTED THAT THE CRANK SHAFT SPEED PULSE GENERATOR SENSOR WAS NO GOOD AND HAD MALFUNCTIONED. AS THIS IS A REPEAT ISSUE AND VERY SERIOUS AS IT ALMOST CAUSED 2 NEAR FATAL INCIDENTS, I AM CONCERNED THAT THE MAKER OF THE VEHICLE IS NOT DOING THEIR DUE DILIGENCE TO ENSURE THAT OTHER 2019 MODELS ARE SAFE. I HAVE BEEN TOLD OTHER MINI MODELS WERE HAS EXPERIENCED SAME MALFUNCTION. THIS INCIDENT AND THE OTHER BOTH OCCURRED AT HIGHWAY SPEED WHICH CREATES A VERY DANGEROUS SET UP AFTER THE VEHICLES HAD BEEN DRIVEN FOR A FEW MILES ON THE HIGHWAY AND IN WET CONDITIONS.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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