Mini Cooper S - Problems, Statistics, and Analysis

Mini Cooper S owners have reported a total of 2,164 problems for their cars built in the 20 model years listed in the chart below. The chart shows the number of problems reported across all service years for each given model year of the Mini Cooper S. The 2005 Mini Cooper S cars have the most problems reported (382 problems).

Table 1. Total number of problems by model year for Mini Cooper S

🔍 Common problems of Mini Cooper S

The following chart shows the 25 most common problems for Mini Cooper S cars. The number one most common problem is related to the vehicle's steering (679 problems). The second most common problem is related to the vehicle's engine and engine cooling (517 problems).

Table 2. Common problems of Mini Cooper S

📉 Compare Reliability Across Model Years Using PPMY Index

It would not be fair to compare the Mini Cooper S of an older model year to newer model years since older vehicles have been in service longer and thus are expected to have more problems. In order to compare the reliability across Cooper S model years, we use the PPMY index which is defined as the problems reported per thousand vehicles per Year. A smaller PPMY index indicates greater reliability of the given model year cars.

    PPMY = P / S / Y * 1000,

where P = total problems reported during the life of a Mini Cooper S model year; S = total units sold of the model year; Y = years since the debut of the model year (the age of the vehicle).

The results are shown in Table 3.

Table 3. Use PPMY Index to Compare Reliability Across Cooper S Model Years

Cooper S
Model Year
Problems Sales [1] Vehicle
Age
PPMY Index
  2022 112,5344    
0.02
  2020 811,2726    
0.12
  2019 51,0537    
0.68
  2017 81,1759    
0.76
  2016 112,04310    
0.54
  2015 181,36311    
1.20
  2014 1717212    
8.24
  2013 3120713    
11.52

📊 Number of Problems Reported During the First Year

Another way to measure the reliability across the model years of the Mini Cooper S is to use the total number of problems reported during the vehicle's first year in service, as shown in the Table 4.

Table 4. Number of problems in vehicle's; first service year

Model YearProblems Reported
  2025 Cooper S
2
  2020 Cooper S
2
  2019 Cooper S
1
  2016 Cooper S
2
  2015 Cooper S
2
  2013 Cooper S
1
  2010 Cooper S
6
  2008 Cooper S
9
  2007 Cooper S
20
  2006 Cooper S
19
  2005 Cooper S
3
  2004 Cooper S
5
  2003 Cooper S
36
  2002 Cooper S
1


Cooper S Service Bulletins
Cooper S Safety Recalls
Cooper S Defect Investigations
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