2006 MINI COOPER — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

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N/A

Safety Rating

247

Owner Complaints

13 Crashes 12 Fires

1

Recall

ACTIVE RECALL

2

Service Bulletins

0

Investigations

Overview of the 2006 MINI COOPER

The 2006 MINI COOPER has received a total of 247 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). There has been 1 recall campaign affecting this vehicle, covering issues with AIR BAGS:FRONTAL. 2 technical service bulletins have been issued by BMW of North America, LLC for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Air Bags (109 complaints), Steering (53 complaints), and Power Train (15 complaints).

Recalls for the 2006 MINI COOPER

NHTSA has recorded 1 recall for the 2006 MINI COOPER, potentially affecting up to 91,800 vehicles.

Recall 15V205000 — AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

| 91,800 vehicles affected

Defect: 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...

Consequence: An improperly functioning mat may cause the passenger frontal air bag to be inactive when the seat is occupied, and in the event of a crash, the air bag will not deploy, increasing the passenger's risk of injury.

Remedy: MINI will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger seat occupant detection mat, free of charge. The recall began on October 12, 2015. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525.

View full details →

Owner Complaints for the 2006 MINI COOPER

247 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2006 MINI COOPER. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.

Most Recent Complaints

#11640971 | STEERING | | N/A miles
Electronic power steering pump issue/failure. The steering wheel was so stiff when I tried to go right that I physically could not turn the wheel. This is extremely dangerous & it happens without warning. No lights come on. You are left in a moving vehicle, without much of a way to control the direction you need it to travel in. From what I have learned, it seems an extended warranty was initially offered, & then a forced recall was issued on the, 1st Gen, 2002-2005 Mini Coopers. Only part of the vehicles with these issues were included in the recall. I have the same size 1.6 engine, & the exact same electronic power steering pump that comes with the issues & failures that I have in my 06. I have seen it on vehicles up to 08. This is absolutely unacceptable. This is a documented manufacturing defect & design flaw that has been continually allowed to endanger people’s lives. I am unsure how BMW managed to only recall part of the vehicles with these electronic power steering pump issues. I contacted BMW who told me there were no extended warranties or recalls on my vehicle.
#11563551 | STEERING | | 139,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Mini Cooper. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel was significantly difficult to turn. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 139,000.
#11514006 | AIR BAGS | | N/A miles
BMW issued a Recall 15V-205 Safety Recall, to cover the Airbag sensor in the passenger seat of my vehicle, a 2006 Mini Cooper S. The failure error was in the airbag sensor in the passenger seat, and the system warned of potential hazard with the passenger airbag. My car had a recall fix in 2018 for this fault. Now some 4 years later the same fault has arisen in the same sensor and system. I returned to BMW Mini who carried out the previous recall to have this fixed again. They said that while their repairs and parts generally carry an 8-year warranty, they do not warrant Recall repairs. They wanted over $2,000 to fix this issue. As this is a repeat of the original fault, and the car has under 100,000 miles I believe it should be covered, as their repair and or part has again failed. The date below is when I took it for the recall and was refused the warrenty repair.
#11514006 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | | N/A miles
BMW issued a Recall 15V-205 Safety Recall, to cover the Airbag sensor in the passenger seat of my vehicle, a 2006 Mini Cooper S. The failure error was in the airbag sensor in the passenger seat, and the system warned of potential hazard with the passenger airbag. My car had a recall fix in 2018 for this fault. Now some 4 years later the same fault has arisen in the same sensor and system. I returned to BMW Mini who carried out the previous recall to have this fixed again. They said that while their repairs and parts generally carry an 8-year warranty, they do not warrant Recall repairs. They wanted over $2,000 to fix this issue. As this is a repeat of the original fault, and the car has under 100,000 miles I believe it should be covered, as their repair and or part has again failed. The date below is when I took it for the recall and was refused the warrenty repair.
#11514006 | SEATS | | N/A miles
BMW issued a Recall 15V-205 Safety Recall, to cover the Airbag sensor in the passenger seat of my vehicle, a 2006 Mini Cooper S. The failure error was in the airbag sensor in the passenger seat, and the system warned of potential hazard with the passenger airbag. My car had a recall fix in 2018 for this fault. Now some 4 years later the same fault has arisen in the same sensor and system. I returned to BMW Mini who carried out the previous recall to have this fixed again. They said that while their repairs and parts generally carry an 8-year warranty, they do not warrant Recall repairs. They wanted over $2,000 to fix this issue. As this is a repeat of the original fault, and the car has under 100,000 miles I believe it should be covered, as their repair and or part has again failed. The date below is when I took it for the recall and was refused the warrenty repair.

View all Air Bags complaints →

Safety Rating for the 2006 MINI COOPER

NHTSA has not yet tested the 2006 MINI COOPER in its New Car Assessment Program.

Technical Service Bulletins for the 2006 MINI COOPER

BMW of North America, LLC has issued 2 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2006 MINI COOPER. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.

M650610 — EQUIPMENT

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:

11 02 15 — ENGINE

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

NHTSA Investigations for the 2006 MINI COOPER

There are no NHTSA defect investigations on record for this vehicle.

Other Model Years of the MINI COOPER

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Other MINI Models

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