No incident occurred. On October 18th we received a high voltage battery recall notice for this car. Apparently there were some thermal events (fires) and BMW has released software to help protect the car from such an event. We have been trying to get in touch with MINI, and just recently found that the dealer closed. They left their answering machine online for about a month after. The local BMW dealer says that they cannot perform the update (MINI USA requested we ask them). MINI USA now says that the car must be trucked 300 miles away to the closest dealer. The car cannot even be driven that far because it has about 100 miles of range, the roads are 75+, and there is limited charging infrastructure. We feel that this presents an undue time and financial burden since the dealer closed down, and this is a manufacturing defect. I have repeatedly been in touch with MINI but have received very little support or advice other than spending an enormous amount of money to have the vehicle shipped out of state.
The worst 2021 MINI Cooper problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Electrical3
- Airbags1
- Fuel system1
- Steering1
- Tires1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Electrical3
- Airbags1
- Fuel system1
- Steering1
- Tires1
Recalls 2
Seat belts
- What is wrong
- BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2021 2 Series (230i, 230i xDrive, M240i, M240i xDrive), 330e, 330e Xdrive, 4 Series Coupe (430i, 430i xDrive, M440i xDrive) M4 Coupe, M4 Competition Coupe, BMW 4 Series Convertible (430i, M440i), BMW X1 sDrive28i, xDrive28i, 2 Series Gran Coupe (228i, 228i xDrive, M235i xDrive), M2 Competition Coupe, 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, M340i xDrive, M3, M3 Competition, 530i, 530i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive, MINI Hardtop 2 Door (Cooper, CooperS, JCW), X2 sDrive28i, X2 xDrive28i, X2 M35i, Z4 sDrive30i, Z4 M40i, MINI Hardtop 2 Door (Cooper SE), MINI Convertible (Cooper, Cooper S, JCW), MINI Clubman (Cooper S, Cooper S All4, JCW), MINI Countryman (Cooper, Cooper All4, Cooper S, Cooper S All4, JCW All4), Rolls Royce Ghost, MINI Countryman (Cooper S E All4), Rolls Royce Phantom, Rolls Royce Cullinan, and Toyota Supra vehicles. The passenger seat belt Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) may deactivate early, before the webbing fully retracts. As such, these assemblies fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
- Risk
- During a crash, a seat belt retractor that does not function as intended increases the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the seat belt retractors (including the seat belts) and, if necessary, replace the retractors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 3, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1‑800‑525‑7417; 1‑866‑825‑1525 (MINI); 1‑877‑877‑3735 (Rolls Royce); and 1‑888‑270‑9371 (Toyota).
Recall number 21V554000 · Recall details
Air bags: side/window: curtain
- What is wrong
- BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020 X1 xDrive28i, X1 sDrive28i, X2 xDrive28i and X2 sDrive28i, 2020 MINI Clubman Cooper S All4, 2021 MINI Hardtop 2 Door (Cooper, Cooper S, John Cooper Works and Cooper S E) and MINI Hardtop 4 Door (Cooper and Cooper S) vehicles. Due to a problem with the rollover sensor within the air bag control unit, in the event of a rollover crash, the head air bag, seat belt pretensioners and other safety systems, may not activate.
- Risk
- If the safety systems do not deploy as intended in a roll over crash, it may increase the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag control unit, free of charge. The recall began July 17, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1‑800‑525‑7417 or MINI customer service at 1‑866‑825‑1525.
Recall number 20V283000 · Recall details
Technical service bulletins for the 2021 MINI Cooper 46
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Evap purge (vent) valve ext ltd wty (elw) 15 yrs/150,000 mls
- Evap purge (vent) valve ext ltd wty (elw) 15 years/150,000 miles
- Once the Telematics Module (TCB2) enters sleep mode, a MINI Data Services trigger for Remote...
- During inspection and/or diagnosis there is noticeable dirt/grease buildup on the axles near the inner...
- Cavity protection applied to underside of the hood is leaking out onto the wheel arch trim and grille.
- MINI electrical systems have continued to develop over the past few years
- ?BMW AG has issued a Delivery Stop: REPLACE CHARGE AIR LINE.
- ?The panoramic roof sunblind does not close, or jams while closing.
- Upon opening and closing the tailgate, a creaking/groaning sound can be heard from tailgate actuator.
- Oscillations in the electric drive can occur
2021 MINI Cooper fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5L 3‑cyl | FWD | 26-28 | 37 | 30-31 |
| 2.0L 4‑cyl | FWD | 23-26 | 33-35 | 27-30 |
| Electric motor Electric 110 mi range | FWD | 115 | 100 | 108 MPGe |
What 2021 MINI Cooper owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Digital instrument cluster of electric Mini SE (includes speedometer and battery/range information) turns off without warning while driving and does not turn back on until car is powered down for over half an hour. This has happened more than ten times. Vehicle was inspected by MINI dealer locally and no obvious equipment defect was identified, although they were able to replicate it happening. After disassembly and reassembly by dealer, issue stopped for about two weeks after car was returned to owner. Now it has begun again, to the point of turning off within a few minutes of driving every day, rendering car unusable as driver has no other speedometer in vehicle. After sitting for half an hour, the instrument cluster will turn on when the car is turned on next, only to go out again after a few minutes of driving. Other electronics in car do not appear affected and car operates normally.
The car completely lost steering in traffic. I brought it back to the Mini dealership, they informed me this is a known issue for Mini Coopers equipped with the click-and-play system, and they needed to re-wire the click-and-play to fix it. However Mini decided this should not be a recall. I strongly disagree with Mini's assessment considering losing steering on the road could cause severe accidents.
After work, I started the car in a parking lot. Before leaving, a fire started under the hood behind the passenger side headlight. After using the jaws of life to take off the hood, the fire department contained the fire. No injuries. There was extensive damage to the right front. The contents were all smoke damaged. Neighboring cars were not damaged. The car has been totaled.
On October 4, 2022, the Mini Cooper hardtop 4 door was hit in a head-on collision by a driver who was going at least 40 MPH, possibly more. The car that hit the Cooper was a Toyota Prius. All the Prious' airbags deployed. No airbags deployed on the Mini Cooper hardtop 4 door. None. The Mini Cooper, after assessment, was considered to be a total loss.
Tire model is: Hankook Ventus S1 Evo Z 225/35R18 87Y. Failure started when vehicle turned the "CHECK TIRE PRESSURE" alert on while driving. Pressure started to drop from 32 lbs to 16 lbs in about 15 minutes. Worth to note: no pot hole or any other object was hit during the day of the incident; or even previous days. After stopping, I noticed that the failure occurred in the inner face of the tire. Inner face was pretty degraded and inner treads were visible. A 15 inch long breakage line was visible. Car has 18k miles on it. When comparing the tire that failed to the rest, its degradation was much higher.
The night of October 24th, while I was driving my CID back screen went to black and there were messages displayed in white color. Bootloader 11.035.000/ FFW 1.8.3 Dec 5 2017 Next line is displayed HWEL:42E5 2.1.5 Followed by a large white bar This display stays on even after lock the car. The morning of October 25th, There are warnings came on “ Battery discharged start engine” and “Increased Battery drain while stopped” After a while, I’ve noticed the instrument panel light were off. I had a day time running lights on, but lights weren’t on, only the fog lights. And when I unlock and lock the doors, those lights weren’t flushing. The morning of Oct 26th,my battery was dead.
Compare the 2021 MINI Cooper
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Questions about the 2021 MINI Cooper
Is the 2021 MINI Cooper reliable?
Owners have filed 7 complaints about the 2021 MINI Cooper, fewer than a typical Cooper model year.
What is the 2021 MINI Cooper year score?
The 2021 MINI Cooper scores 94 out of 100 (good). The score compares it with the other model years of the MINI Cooper: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2021 MINI Cooper?
Electrical system, with 3 complaints. Next is airbags (1).
How many recalls does the 2021 MINI Cooper have?
2 recalls, covering seat belts and air bags.
What gas mileage does the 2021 MINI Cooper get?
Official estimates for the 2021 MINI Cooper range from 27 to 31 mpg combined. The most efficient version (1.5L 3-cyl, FWD) gets 26-28 city and 37 highway.
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