One problem related to engine has been reported for the 2002 Mini Cooper S. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2002 Mini Cooper S based on all problems reported for the 2002 Cooper S.
When accelerating out of a toll booth, the engine lost all power just as I changed lanes in front of large truck. Fortunately, there was a pull-out on the left side of the road. If I had not been able to quickly pull over, the truck would have likely collided with my car. Turning of the engine and restarting it temporarily cleared the problem. It would reoccur whenever I used full throttle and the engine hit 5000 rpm. The problem turned out to by a sticky super-charger bypass valve. It is a well known problem, so much so that the dealer always have the parts in stock. Loosing all engine power is potentially very dangerous - BMW should fix this.