Three problems related to brake light have been reported for the 2012 Mini Cooper. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
My driver side brake light keeps melting. The plastic the the light build screws into is actually melting t the brake light bulb. I've paid Mini to repair the damage and the same issues has surfaced. The driver's side brake light does not work at all.
Rear brake light burnt and melted. It was repaired and now it melted and burnt again but has caused further damage requiring the whole taillight needing replacement.
Brake light failed, bulb could not be removed from inside the vehicle. Dealer said the complete assembly would need to be replaced. Upon removing the assembly, the fixture was reviewed to find where excesive heat had melted the connection to the bulb (same ones used in bmws that melted the wiring harness back in 2003). I repaird the the assembly by soldering the sockets to the board such that it did not depend on a piece of plastic for pressure contact. It works, but when a bulb truely burns out, the assembly must be removed to change the bulb.