The 2005 MINI Cooper S Convertible has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 91,800 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 72 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the steering. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
AIR BAGS15V2050002015-04-0691,800 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,…
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.
Complaints by component
STEERING
37
4fires
AIR BAGS
15
POWER TRAIN
5
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
2
STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
2
STRUCTURE:BODY
2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1
ENGINE
1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
1
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY
1
Total complaints72
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“The contact owns a 2005 mini cooper s. The contact stated while driving 10-15 mph, the steering wheel was significantly loose and turned excessively. Additionally, the contact stated that the steering wheel felt like it would detach from the column. There was no warning light illuminated. The…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper s convertible. The contact stated that the electric power steering was faulty. Mini of loveland (4055 byrd dr, loveland, co 80538, [REDACTED]) was notified of the failure, but a diagnostic appointment was not scheduled. The dealer indicated that the vehicle…”
“Electric power steering pump has loud whine or moaning sound with only 42,000 miles on it. Fluid level is good and so far the power steering is still working. It does get louder while turning but also annoying when just idling.”
“Transmission upshifts and downshifts erratically and/or shifts into neutral without driver input while in motion.”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper s convertible. The contact observed fluid leaking from the vehicle without warning. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the power steering hoses needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the power…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper s convertible. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, it was difficult to turn the steering wheel. The contact stated that the power steering assist function failed to operate as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed.…”
“My mini cooper s conv, 2005, has been having steeering issues for some time now. It will randomly lose what seems like the power steering while I am driving! I have found that by turning the car off (if I am stopped and in area with time to turn off my car) that it works again for 10 minutes to 30…”
“I was leaving work late at night when I tried to drive the car out of the parking lot the steering disappeared. It was difficult to maneuver the car. I had the car at the mini dearlship earlier in the week to replace light bulbs so I called the dealership to find out where what this could be,…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationEA11005 Opened 2011-05-04 · closed 2016-01-05
Loss of power steering assist
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) originally opened the investigation of loss of power steering assist in model year (MY) 2004 and 2005 Mini Cooper as Preliminary Evaluation PE10-038.The investigation was upgraded to Engineering Analysis EA11-005 in May, 2011.During EA11-005 the scope was expanded to include…
InvestigationEA11005 Opened 2011-05-04 · closed 2016-01-05
Loss of power steering assist
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) originally opened the investigation of loss of power steering assist in model year (MY) 2004 and 2005 Mini Cooper as Preliminary Evaluation PE10-038.The investigation was upgraded to Engineering Analysis EA11-005 in May, 2011.During EA11-005 the scope was expanded to include…
InvestigationEA11005 Opened 2011-05-04 · closed 2016-01-05
Loss of power steering assist
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) originally opened the investigation of loss of power steering assist in model year (MY) 2004 and 2005 Mini Cooper as Preliminary Evaluation PE10-038.The investigation was upgraded to Engineering Analysis EA11-005 in May, 2011.During EA11-005 the scope was expanded to include…
InvestigationEA11005 Opened 2011-05-04 · closed 2016-01-05
Loss of power steering assist
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) originally opened the investigation of loss of power steering assist in model year (MY) 2004 and 2005 Mini Cooper as Preliminary Evaluation PE10-038.The investigation was upgraded to Engineering Analysis EA11-005 in May, 2011.During EA11-005 the scope was expanded to include…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2005 MINI Cooper S Convertible as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.