MINI Cooper S fire or smoke problems

Filed May 5, 2025 · Electrical · 140,000 miles · AR

The contact owns a 2007 Mini Cooper S. The contact stated that water was entering the vehicle through the sunroof. The contact stated that the water was collecting inside the headliner and would overflow and leak down the driver’s and passenger’s side sun visors and into the electronics of the footwell. Additionally, the front driver’s and passenger’s seats, floorboards, and dashboard would become soaked from moisture. Due to the failure, the vehicle would fail to start or operate as needed. Upon investigation, the contact discovered the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V337000 (Electrical System); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. An independent mechanic was notified about the failure and the contact was advised to park the vehicle outside as the failure could cause the vehicle to catch on fire. The manufacturer was then notified of the failure and the contact was referred to the federal safety agency Hotline to report the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

Filed May 14, 2021 · Electrical · 100,472 miles · CA

On 05/06/2021, I purchased a used 2011 mini cooper s turbo. Two days later, I went to start the car, and immediately smelled something electrical burning. When I lifted up hood, I could see smoke coming from inside the engine. I immediately unhooked the two battery cables. I called the car lot that I purchased the vehicle, and was told that that year mini had issues with a computer board overheating pand sometimes even starting fires even when the car isn't running. I have a mehanic scheduled for monday to repair the car.

Filed Oct 22, 2020 · Acceleration, Fuel system · AL

I love my mini cooper s. But there is a issue. Today I started up the car and it starts smoking. Twice this has happened in two weeks. When I bought it 2 years ago I noticed on the inside of my hood of the car it's a black burnt mark. The dealership said the problem had been fixed. Last week I took it to a oil shop and they said my turbo is burning my car and would catch fire soon. I'm in the process of getting a new turbo but this is a big problem cause now it's smoking only when in idle or started up.but the hood is super hot after a short drive. I hope your crew can look into this part and save someone the terror of a car on fire. Thank you for your time.

Filed May 5, 2020 · Body, Electrical · 92,000 miles · KY · fire

Vehicle was stationary in my driveway, was not started and was unattended, had not been started in over a week and keys were not in the vehicles. The vehicle spontaneously burst into flames which burned the engine bay and front end of the car before the fire dept. Arrived and extinguished the fire with foam. The car had been sitting unstarted for over a week. I am unsure of what caused the fire and because of the extensive damage to the engine bay I could not determine were the fire originated. Perhaps a professional fire examiner could determine that. I am blessed that this did not happen while parked in my garage but was scary. I just want this incident on record so that others which own this particular type of vehicle can be warned about the potential dangers. I have owned this vehicle since new and had a couple of updates done per bmw such as the tailpipes and timing chain in the engine. I was not aware of any additional recalls or updates but apparently there have been some incidences of fires such as mine which I learned about after searching the internet to see if similar issues had been documented. I will attach a few pictures for you to help with your assessment. Thank you for your time and consideration. I hope this information will be some help to others in preventing a similar situation. I thank god no one was injured or property damaged other than my car. The fire department made a report but it did not include investigating the cause just a response to a fire.

Filed Apr 30, 2020 · Engine · 41,000 miles · MI · fire

Tl* the contact owned 2016 mini cooper s. Contact stated that while his wife was driving at 40 MPH, without warning an smoke appeared on the front passenger side under the hood. The contact stated his wife pulled to the side of the road and exited the vehicle before the whole vehicle was engulfed in flames. The fire department extinguished the flames and a fire department report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a salvage lot and deemed a totaled lost. The manufacturer was contacted and sent a field inspector whom could not determine the cause of the failure. The dealer motor city mini (29929 telegraph rd. Southfield, mi 48034) was contacted and informed the contact that fire was not covered under the warranty. The dealer did not inspect the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximant 41,000.

Filed Jan 12, 2020 · Body, Electrical · 144,000 miles · CA · fire

My car caught fire while driving. I had been driving for about an hour on the highway. There was no warning. No cel or errors on the dash display. Car was running normally. I noticed some smoke. After pulling to the side of the road flames started coming from under the hood. The car was still running normally. I shut off the motor and got out. Bystanders emptied an extinguisher through the front grille but within minutes the entire vehicle was engulfed. Car was almost completely destroyed. Fire burned through the firewall and consumed the interior.

Filed Oct 28, 2019 · Engine · 53,000 miles · MD · fire

Tl* the contact owned a 2015 mini cooper s. While parked in the driveway, the vehicle caught fire. The contact attempted to extinguish the fire with a water hose, but was unsuccessful. The fire department arrived and extinguished the flames. There were no injuries. Fire report number: 1900355515 was filed. The contact's insurance company scheduled a vehicle inspection at the contact's home. The fire department deemed the vehicle totaled. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The cause of the failure was not determined. The failure mileage was approximately 53,000.

Filed Mar 7, 2019 · Electrical · FL

Takata inflators" I notice a burning smell inside my vehicle which I reported to the dealer. They stated "they couldn't find anything. Then I would depart from my car with the windows up sunroof closed and lock it I would return the windows would be all the way down and top up. This took place again on 3/6/19.

Filed Feb 25, 2019 · Engine · 153,368 miles · NC · fire

The turbocharger had to be replaced, new turbo got hot and melted the valve cover. Then the turbocharger caught fire while in motion in a rural neighborhood. All within 6 months.

Filed Dec 28, 2018 · Fuel system · 140,000 miles · OK · fire

Driving on interstate and lost power. I pulled to shoulder and black smoke came thru air vents. I opened the hood and there was fire. My car completely burned up. I never had any mechanical problems. The tow truck driver said he believed the fire started under my car.