The 2006 MINI Cooper S has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 91,800 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 243 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. 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
AIR BAGS
65
STEERING
48
1crashes4fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
21
2crashes6fires3injuries
POWER TRAIN
18
2injuries
SEATS
15
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
12
1crashes1injuries
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
9
1fires
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD
9
ENGINE
7
3fires
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
4
2fires
Total complaints243
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“The contact owns a 2006 mini coop s. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the passenger’s side seat occupancy mat had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2006 mini cooper s. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag sensor light illuminated and remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the front passenger side air bag system was defective and…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2006 mini cooper s. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag sensor light illuminated and remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the front passenger side air bag system was defective and…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2006 mini cooper s. The contact stated that while attempting to make a right turn, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The seat belt and check-engine warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the brown motor works [REDACTED], located at 4041 broad river…”
“Power steering is malfunctioning. It come and goes for a couple of days while in a winding road. Took it to the dealer and they replace some lines. A few moths later it started having issues with at the beginning of the driving after the car has been idle for more than 2 hours. Now the power…”
“There is a constant fuel / gasoline smell in my car and outside the vehicle. No visible leaks. The smell is constant.”
“Steering pump transmission weening not wanting to change gears right”
“Steering pump transmission weening not wanting to change gears right”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2006 MINI Cooper S as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.