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2011 MINI Cooper S Convertible problems

The most common problem on the 2011 MINI Cooper S Convertible is electrical system. It has fewer complaints than a typical Cooper S Convertible model year.

Typical yearClose to a typical year
Owner complaints
4
Recalls
2
Service bulletins
1373 warranty
Worst area
Electrical
Fuel economy
28-30mpg

The worst 2011 MINI Cooper S Convertible problems

Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.

  • Electrical
    3
  • Airbags
    1
  • Driver assistance
    1
  • Fuel system
    1

Problems by type

Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.

  • Electrical
    3
  • Airbags
    1
  • Driver assistance
    1
  • Fuel system
    1

Recalls 2

Engine and engine cooling: engine: gasoline: turbo/superchargerReported April 18, 2018 · 47,806 vehicles affected
What is wrong
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2011-2012 BMW 550i, 550i xDrive, 550i Gran Turismo, 550i Gran Turismo xDrive, 750i, 750Li, 750i xDrive, 750Li xDrive, 760Li, X5 xDrive50i, X5 M, X6 xDrive50i, X6 M, ActiveHybrid7, MINI Cooper S Convertible, John Cooper Works (JCW) Convertible, Cooper S Countryman, Cooper S Countryman ALL4, Cooper S, JCW, Cooper S Clubman, JCW Clubman, Cooper S Roadster, JCW Roadster, Cooper S Coupe, JCW Coupe and Rolls-Royce Ghost, 2011 BMW X6 Hybrid and 2012 BMW 650i Coupe, 650i xDrive Coupe, 650i Convertible and 650i xDrive Convertible vehicles. The electric auxiliary water pump may fail and cause the circuit board to overheat.
Risk
If the circuit board were to overheat, it can increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the electric auxiliary water pump, free of charge. Depending on the model, there are currently limited parts available, however not all parts are available at this time. Owners will be notified of the recall beginning June 11, 2018, and will receive a second notification when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact BMW customer service at BMW 1‑800‑525‑7417, MINI at 1‑866‑825‑1525, or Rolls-Royce at 1‑877‑877‑3735. Note: BMW recommends that owners park their vehicle outdoors until the recall remedy has been performed.

Recall number 18V248000 · Recall details

Engine and engine cooling: engine: gasoline: turbo/superchargerReported January 11, 2012 · 90,368 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Bmw is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 mini cooper s, 2008-2011 mini cooper s clubman, 2009-2011 mini cooper s convertible, 2009-2011 mini cooper jcw, 2009-2011 mini cooper jcw clubman, 2009-2011 cooper jcw convertible, and 2011 cooper s countryman passenger cars manufactured from november 14, 2006, through january 18, 2011. The electric auxiliary water pump that cools the turbocharger has an electronic circuit board that can malfunction and overheat.
Risk
The circuit board may smolder which could result in a vehicle fire.
Remedy
Bmw will notify owners, and dealers will replace the water pump free of charge. The safety recall beganduring february 2012. Owners may contact bmw at 1‑866‑275‑6464.

Recall number 12V008000 · Recall details

See all 2 recalls for the 2011 MINI Cooper S Convertible

Defect investigations

Engine compartment fireOpened October 11, 2011, closed June 11, 2012

In a January 10, 2012 letter to the federal safety agency, BMW of North America, LLC. (BMW) submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR) identifying a defect in the electric auxiliary water pump in approximately 88,911 model year (MY) 2007-2011 Mini Cooper vehicles manufactured from November 14, 2006 through January 18, 2011 (Recall 12V‑008).According to BMW, the auxiliary water pump on vehicles equipped with 4-cylinder turbocharged engines may overheat.Electro-migration can cause the pump electronic circuit board to overheat resulting in smoldering of the water pump. If smoldering occurs, it may lead to an engine compartment or vehicle fire.The pump supplier, Pierburg Pump Technology GmbH, redesigned the pump to address factors that may contribute to circuit board overheating.The redesigned pumps were completely implemented in production vehicles by January 2011.Recall 12V‑008 was the third recall initiated by BMW to address electric auxiliary water pump fires in vehicles equipped with Pierburg pumps.In two October 20, 2011 letters to the federal safety agency, BMW submitted DIRs for similar auxiliary water pump defect conditions in approximately 32,084 MY 2008-2011 BMW 5-Series, 7-Series, X5 and X6 models equipped with 8- and 12-cylinder engines and manufactured from May 2008 through December 2010 (Recall 11V‑521); and for approximately 589 MY 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost vehicles manufactured from September 2009 through September 2010 (Recall 11V‑522).In three separate April 5, 2012 letters to the federal safety agency, BMW submitted amendments to Recalls 11V‑521, 11V‑522 and 12V‑008.The amendments all described a common defect condition related to a manufacturing process deviation in a certain production range of the redesigned Pierburg water pumps that could result in cracks in the pump housing, which may allow coolant to enter and contact the pump?s circuit board.BMW indicated that further analysis identified a specific machine process error at the sub-supplier that manufactures the water pump housing.Pump housing cracks may cause the circuit board to overheat and lead to smoldering of the water pump.Recall 12V‑008 was, thus, amended to include approximately 1,457 MY 2011 Mini Cooper vehicles manufactured from March 31, 2011 through April 22, 2011, when pumps manufactured with the suspect manufacturing process may have been used in vehicle assembly.The amendment to Recall 11V‑521 was assigned a new recall number, Recall 12V‑161, and covered approximately 2,846 MY 2011-2012 BMW 5-Series, 6-Series, 7-Series, X5, and X6 vehicles manufactured from April 1, 2011 through August 1, 2011.The amendment to Recall 11V‑522 was assigned a new recall number, Recall 12V‑166, and covered approximately 69 MY 2011 Rolls-Royce Ghost vehicles manufactured from April 7, 2011 through June 2, 2011.The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) analyzed complaint data provided by BMW as well as complaints submitted to ODI from consumers. In total, there were 30 unique Mini Cooper reports indicating engine fire.In addition, BMW provided warranty data showing 493 claims for replacement of the subject component on Mini Cooper vehicles.Owners of the recalled vehicles are notified to take their vehicle to a BMW dealer, who will replace the auxiliary water pump to prevent any incidents related to this issue.This preliminary evaluation is closed.The ODI reports cited above can be viewed at www-odi.the federal safety agency.dot.gov/owners/Searchreference under the following identification numbers (ODI Nos.):10286597, 10286663, 10289793, 10310677, 10314796, 10342365, 10394808, 10394192, 10403982, 10418325, 10422646, 10429003.

PE11036

Technical service bulletins for the 2011 MINI Cooper S Convertible 137

Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.

See all 137 bulletins for the 2011 MINI Cooper S Convertible

2011 MINI Cooper S Convertible fuel economy

Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.

EngineDriveCityHighwayCombined
1.6L 4‑cylFWD25-2733-3528-30

What 2011 MINI Cooper S Convertible owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Jun 27, 2023 · Electrical · 66,000 miles · PA

The contact owns a 2011 Mini Cooper Convertible. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the electronics operated erratically and had limited functionality. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the electronic control module inside the footwell had shorted out due to a water leak. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V337000 (Electrical System) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 66,000.

Filed Apr 28, 2019 · Airbags · FL

Airbag light indicating faulty device. The indications started to appears randomly and most for the passenger seat however today is on all time.

Filed Oct 25, 2016 · Driver assistance, Electrical · 38,000 miles · FL · fire

I drove 20 feet out of my garage and smelt a surfer smell. I put my convertible top down, put the car in park walked around to see if it was smoking or if the smell was coming from the engine or mufflers. When I could not detect where the smell was coming from, I put the top back up, closing it and turned the car off. I locked the car and went into my garage. As I looked back I saw sparks coming from the vent on the hood. I yelled for my husband & as he looked for fire extinguisher I called 911 & filmed the car. Within 30 seconds the car was on fire & with 90 second totally up in flames. Nothing but the shell of the car remained. The fire department, police & fire marshal were present. Arson was ruled out. I had a recall part installed at the dealer in 2012 for potential fires. The car was stationary in my driveway shut off. It had not been driven for 20 hours prior to the fire.

Filed Mar 23, 2012 · Electrical · 19,000 miles · NJ

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 mini cooper convertible. The contact stated that the front driver side door would not unlock when using the key fob. In order to enter the vehicle, the contact had to use the front passenger door. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the contact was informed that no failure was present. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 19,000.

Compare the 2011 MINI Cooper S Convertible

Other model years

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Questions about the 2011 MINI Cooper S Convertible

Is the 2011 MINI Cooper S Convertible reliable?

Owners have filed 4 complaints about the 2011 MINI Cooper S Convertible, fewer than a typical Cooper S Convertible model year.

What is the most common problem with the 2011 MINI Cooper S Convertible?

Electrical system, with 3 complaints. Next is airbags (1).

How many recalls does the 2011 MINI Cooper S Convertible have?

2 recalls, covering engine and engine cooling.

What gas mileage does the 2011 MINI Cooper S Convertible get?

Official estimates for the 2011 MINI Cooper S Convertible range from 28 to 30 mpg combined. The most efficient version (1.6L 4-cyl, FWD) gets 25-27 city and 33-35 highway.

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