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2004 MINI Cooper SProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 247 owner complaints about the 2004 MINI Cooper S, most often about the steering. It is covered by 2 safety recalls, and for recall 15V-660 the manufacturer reports only 31% of affected cars repaired.

2004 MINI Cooper S
43
CarFlaw IndexSolid year1.3× the Cooper S median · #4 of 15 years by complaints
Safety recalls2Lowest repair rate 31%Owner complaints24714 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage78kSteering, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through July 20, 2020. Updated daily. Photo: Calreyn88, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Complaints by system

Where the 2004 MINI Cooper S has problems

247 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Steering21010
Electrical system192
Visibility120
Air bags80
Seats31
Engine and engine cooling30
Seat belts30
Wheels20
Electronic stability control (ESC)21
7 other systems111

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

2 recalls

2004 MINI Cooper S recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

31%repaired · 2017 Q2

Steering: electric power assist system

Recall 15V-660 · Oct 15, 2015 · 86,018 vehicles · 26,722 repaired

Risk. If the vehicle experiences a loss of power steering assist, extra steering effort will be required at lower speeds, potentially increasing the risk of a…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Tires: pressure monitoring and regulating systems

Recall 04V-348 · Jul 12, 2004 · 1,193 vehicles

Risk. DUE TO THE LACK OF AN AUDIBLE SIGNAL, THE DRIVER MAY NOT BE AWARE OF A FLAT TIRE, WHICH COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with MINI.

Mileage at failure

When do steering problems start?

78kmiles, median

Based on the odometer reading in 199 steering complaints. 75% were reported before 100,000 miles.

median0k50k100k150k200k+
6under 30k miles149under 100k miles50100k miles or more
Owner-reported costs

What owners say repairs cost

Dollar amounts owners wrote in their complaints when describing a repair or a quote. These are not price estimates; a system is shown only when at least 8 owners mentioned a cost.

Steering

14 owners mentioned a cost

$1,000median

Middle half: $733 – $1,420

If a problem is covered by a recall, the dealer fixes it for free. Some manufacturers also reimburse owners who paid for a repair before a recall was announced.

Best & worst years

2004 vs. every other Cooper S year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Cooper S median. How we score

'02'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'19'20'21'22'24'25
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
NHTSA crash tests

2004 MINI Cooper S safety ratings

2004 MINI Cooper S w/SAB in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.

  • Stability control: Optional
  • Forward collision warning: No
  • Lane departure warning: No
2 investigations

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 2004 MINI Cooper S, and the recalls they led to.

  1. Loss of power steering assistEA11005 · closed Jan 5, 2016
    Led to recall 15V-660
  2. Loss of Power Steering AssistPE10038 · closed May 10, 2011
    No recall
In owners' words

What Cooper S owners report

Recent steering complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

WAS DRIVING CAR ON 18 JULY 2020 AND POWER STEERING QUIT WORKING AND MADE STEERING DIFFICULT, ALSO COOLANT FAN,LOW SPEED AND HIGH SPEED STOPPED WORKING SAME TIME AS POWER STEERING QUIT. THE ASC LIGHT CAME ON AND IT WILL NOT TURN OFF. NO BLOWN FUSES IN ENGINE COMPARTMENT OR BY DRIVERS KICK PANEL. I…
Complaint 11340300 · Jul 20, 2020 · 116,543 miles
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MINI COOPER S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A TURN, THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL GRINDING SOUND COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THERE WAS A POWER STEERING FLUID LEAK PRESENT. THE FAILURE WAS INTERMITTENT. THE VEHICLE…
Complaint 11319854 · Mar 31, 2020 · 156,000 miles
WHEN YOU TURN WHEEL LEFT OR RIGHT IT MAKES A NOISE AND IT'S VERY HARD TO TURN. SO I THINK IT'S THE STEERING: ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM. RECALL ID # 240625.
Complaint 11282548 · Nov 26, 2019

Own a 2004 Cooper S?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.