Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2006 MINI Cooper S, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Air bags67
- Steering48
- Electrical system23
- Power train22
- Engine and engine cooling15
- Seats15
- Visibility11
- Unknown or other9
- Engine7
- Fuel/propulsion system4
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 7 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
MOT test results in Great Britain
In 2023, 223 of these cars first registered in 2006 took their annual MOT test. 56% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 2006 the figure was 56%.
| Failed on | These cars | All cars from 2006 |
|---|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 18.4% | 21.5% |
| Suspension | 13.9% | 17.3% |
| Brakes | 9.4% | 13.1% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 9.0% | 6.6% |
| Visibility | 9.0% | 7.3% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 7.6% | 8.6% |
DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail
In Finland
87 of these cars first registered in 2006 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 175,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.
Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0
In New Zealand
33 2006 cars are on the New Zealand register; 100% arrived as used imports, 0% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 2 variants: combined 9.6–9.9 L/100 km (about 24–25 mpg US), CO₂ 221–228 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooper S · Minicompact · Premium gasoline | 10.9 | 8.0 | 9.6 |
| Cooper S · Minicompact · Premium gasoline | 11.4 | 8.0 | 9.9 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
1 Transport Canada recall for the 2006 MINI Cooper S.
| 2015147 7 Apr 2015 | Seats And Restraints On certain vehicles, the front passenger seat occupant detection mat can fatigue over time. As a result, the passenger airbag could deactivate, illuminating th… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2005-2006 MINI Cooper and Cooper S vehicles manufactured January 5, 2005, to November 28, 2006, and 2005-2008 MINI Cooper Convertible and Cooper S Convertible vehicles manufactured January 5, 2005, to July 31, 2008. Due to manufacturing, installation, and exposure issues, the front passenger seat occupant detection mat may not function properly and, as a result, the front passenger air bag may not deploy in a crash.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What MINI told its dealers about the 2006 MINI Cooper S: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 10244507 | MINI electrical systems have continued to develop over the past few years. As a result, the demand on the batteries has increased. Breakdowns due to an empty battery or problems in the vehicles electrical system can have various causes, most of which are not due to the battery itself. For this reason, a battery replacement will permanently eliminate the problem only in the rarest of cases. The energy diagnosis test module helps to localize these causes. This document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle discharged battery complaints. Without performing the energy |
| 10162443 | Programming a Replacement EGS Module with ISTA/P. Programming a replacement electronic transmission control module (EGS) with ISTA/P requires the manual entry of the correct target basic and programmed part numbers. Programming concept. |
| 10151228 | This Service Information bulletin supersedes SI 32 02 14 dated August 2014. SUBJECT Installation of Right-Hand Drive Steering Spindle in Left-Hand Drive Vehicle is No Longer Required. Left-hand drive steering spindles are currently available. |
| 10150304 | State Inspection and Emission (I/M) Test Fails to Read 17-Character VIN. An affected vehicle may fail to pass a state-mandated Inspection and/or Emission (I/M) test due to a noncompliant 17-character vehicle identification number (VIN) being read out and displayed on the state's required tester report printout. In accordance with the OBD regulation, all MY 2005 and newer vehicles are required to support the display of their compliant 17-character VINs. These vehicles were produced to be in compliance with this regulation. If the DME was reprogrammed using the previously available BMW service |
| 10150204 | State Inspection and Emission (I/M) Test Fails Due to an Invalid VIN Number. The affected vehicle may fail to pass a State Inspection and Emission (I/M) test due to a noncompliant 17-digit vehicle identification number (VIN) stored in the DME (Digital Motor Electronic). The VIN read-out displayed on the state test printout does not match the actual VIN of the vehicle. If the DME was reprogrammed using the previously available BMW service equipment (e.g., Progman, GT1), it was possible that only the last 7 of the VIN were entered into the DME, and positions 4 through 10 may only contain defaul |
| 10150086 | Electro-Hydraulic Power-Assist Steering Pump (EHPS) and Cooling Fan: Warranty Extension to 13 years/150,000 miles. On affected vehicles, the electro-hydraulic power steering (EHPS) pump can fail. |
| 10150044 | Electro-Hydraulic Power-Assist Steering Pump (EHPS) and Cooling Fan: Warranty Extension to 13 years/150,000 miles. On affected vehicles, the electro-hydraulic power steering (EHPS) pump can fail. |
| 10148439 | Electro-Hydraulic Power-Assist Steering Pump (EHPS) and Cooling Fan: Limited Warranty Extension to 13 Years/150,000 Miles. On affected vehicles, the electro-hydraulic power steering (EHPS) pump can fail. |
| 10148394 | Installation of Right-Hand Drive Steering Spindle in Left-Hand Drive Vehicle. Supply shortage of left-hand drive steering spindles |
| 10145311 | NAVIGATION SYSTEM HAS MISSING OR INCORRECT ROAD MAP DATA: The route guidance is inaccurate and therefore irritating to the customer; or it is not possible to locate certain addresses, for instance: |
| 10143579 | NAVIGATION SYSTEM HAS MISSING OR INCORRECT ROAD MAP DATA: The route guidance is inaccurate and therefore irritating to the customer; or it is not possible to locate certain addresses, for instance: |
| 10134994 | AISIN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISISON: RIGHT SIDE OUTPUT SHAFT SEAL REPLACEMENT |
| 10059113 | MINI: FAULTY SOFTWARE CAUSES THE CHECK CONTROL AND ENGINE POWER REDUCED LIGHT TO APPEAR. *MA |
| 10059112 | MINI: BECAUSE OF THE DME SOFTWARE, AND A DAMAGED CLUTCH, THE DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION CHECK MESSAGE APPEAR. *MA |
| 10059111 | MINI: DUE TO FAULTY DME SOFTWARE, THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHTS COMES ON, INCLUDING THE CHECK CONTROL MESSAGE FOR MOTOR FORCE DECREASE. *MA |
| 10059098 | MINI: DIFFERENT FAULTS ACTIVATES ENGINE MALFUNCTION AND OIL WARNING. *MA |
| 10059094 | MINI: A MECHANICAL FAILURE AND DME SOFTWARE ERROR OF THE VANOS ACTUATORS CAUSE THE ENGINE TO RUN ROUGH WHICH ACTIVATES THE MALFUNCTION WARNING LIGHT. *MA |
| 10057570 | MINI: SOME VEHICLES HAVE TURBOCHARGER NOISE AND A LACK OR LOSS OF PERFORMANCE, DUE TO RESTRICTION OF TURBOCHARGER OIL SUPPLY, RESULTING IN OIL STARVATION AND SEIZING OF TURBOCHARGER ASSEMBLY. MODEL ALL. *PE |
| 10056114 | MINI: THERE IS A DISCONNECTION OR KINK, IN WNIDSHIELD WASHER HOSE, WHICH IS TOO SHORT, CAUSING WINDSHIELD FRONT WASHER JET TO FAIL. MODEL F56 (COOPER, COOPER S). *PE |
| 10056111 | MINI: INFORMATION ON PARTS WARRANTY EXTENSION APPLYING TO PREVIOUS QUALIFYING REPAIRS AND NO IMMEDIATE REPAIR REQUIRED UNLESS CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING PROBLEM WITH CVT ASSEMBLY OR COMPONENT. MODEL 2005-2008 COOPER, COOPER S. *PE |
| 10053604 | MINI: THERE IS A PROCEDURAL ERROR IN THE REMOVING AND INSTALLING OR REPLACING HIGH PRESSURE PUMP CURRENT VERSION THAT HAS BEEN REPLACED WITH THE CORRECTED REPAIR INSTRUCTION PORTION FOR THE N14 AND N18 ENGINE. MODELS R55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61. NO MODEL YEARS LISTED. *PE |
| 10044719 | MINI: THERE IS A SOFTWARE ERROR CAUSING THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT TO BE ILLUMINATED THAT IS RELATED TO VALVETRONIC DIAGNOSTICS. MODELS R55, R56, R58, R57, R60, R59. NO MODEL YEARS LISTED. *PE |
| 10044699 | MINI: WHEN RESEALING ENGINE OIL PAN, ENGINE OIL PAN GASKET REPLACEMENT SHOULD NO LONGER BE USED DUE TO CAUSING SEALING FLANGE BECOMING DEFORMED. MODELS R55, R56, R59, R60, R57, AND R58. NO MODEL YEARS LISTED. *PE |
| 10044680 | MINI: ON CERTAIN MODEL VEHICLES, AN ENGINE OIL LEAK MAY OCCUR, DUE TO THE COMPROMISED OIL PUMP VOLUME CONTROL SOLENOID VALVE, FROM THE UNDERSIDE OF ENGINE. NO MODEL YEARS LISTED. *PE UPDATED 4/19/2013. *KB UPDATED 3/11/14. *PE |
| 10043927 | BMW MINI: AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT IS ON: MRS FC 02, 03, 05, 06. *KB |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)