2002 MINI Cooper S Engine cooling Problems
- Complaints
- 5about this part
- Share
- 6%of 83 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 43,072miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 5 complaints about the engine cooling of the 2002 MINI Cooper S, 6% of the 83 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 43,072 miles.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I have a 2002 Mini Cooper S. The car?s engine cooling system has ongoing issues, particularly the coolant expansion tank. I have had to replace the coolant expansion tank three times within approximately 50,000 miles. This means my car is now on its fourth coolant expansion tank. …”
NHTSA complaint #10240672, filed 2008-09, 50,143 miles“The exhaust pipe on the 2002 Mini Cooper S I have is centrally located in the back of the bumper. The car is a hatch back, and I've ruined a couple pairs of pants and had minor burns from it. I'm not too worried about me, but I have small kids and I worry about them.”
NHTSA complaint #10203000, filed 2007-09, 35,000 miles“When accelerating out of a toll booth, the engine lost all power just as I changed lanes in front of large truck. Fortunately, there was a pull-out on the left side of the road. If I had not been able to quickly pull over, the truck would have likely collided with my car. Turning of the engine and restarting it temporarily cleared the problem. It would reoccur whenever I used full throttle and the engine hit 5000 RPM. The problem turned out to by a sticky super-charger bypass valve. It is a well known problem, so much so that the dealer always have the parts in stock. …”
NHTSA complaint #10215106, filed 2008-01, 36,000 miles“On 13 june 2011 a power steering fan shorted on my dauhters 2002 Mini Cooper S causing the radiator fan to stop. This caused the car to overheat. On 14 june 2011 car was repaired by a Mini cooper dealer after being towed. Parts replaced are fan housing with fan, fan with protecting grille, wiring set for power supply, cable strap. Power steering fan seized causing cooling fans not to work. Dealer replaced wiring harness (updated) to keep power steering fan and cooling fans seperate (as told by service rep). Old parts where not kept. This happened once.”
NHTSA complaint #10407514, filed 2011-06, 54,327 miles“Several, the air bag warning light has illuminated more then ten different times, each time it was repaired by the dealer (westchester bmw/westchester Mini) the last fix was after the normal warranty had expired and required much fuss to get it repaired for free. The power steering pump suddenly stopped working while driving on the highway. …”
NHTSA complaint #10188190, filed 2007-04Related service bulletins
- 10057570Dec 1, 2014Mini: some vehicles have turbocharger noise and a lack or loss of performance, due to restriction of turbocharger oil supply, resulting in oil starvation and seizing of…
- 10057710Nov 1, 2014Mini: models r50, r52, and r53 with the electro-hydraulic power-assist steering pump and cooling fans will have an limited warranty extension to 13 years/150,000 miles.
- 10150204Nov 1, 2013State Inspection and Emission (I/M) Test Fails Due to an Invalid VIN Number. The affected vehicle may fail to pass a State Inspection and Emission (I/M) test due to a…
- 10150304Oct 1, 2013State Inspection and Emission (I/M) Test Fails to Read 17-Character VIN. An affected vehicle may fail to pass a state-mandated Inspection and/or Emission (I/M) test due to a…
- 10026767Mar 1, 2011Mini: turbocharger failure; oil supply line blockage. Loss of performance and turbocharger noise. *pe updated 8/16/11.
- 10037305Nov 1, 2010Bmw: description and specifications of crankcase ventilation system.
- 10030669Mar 1, 2009Mini: when replacing the cylinder head cover on a vehicle equipped with the new n14 engine, the cover will look different in appearance. The replacement cover is now equipped…
- 10026612Jul 1, 2008Mini: fuel odor from the engine compartment. The high pressure pump (hdp) and/or the low pressure supply hose connection can allow fuel seepage, resulting in the fuel odor.
- 10024513Jan 1, 2008Rattle noise from engine. From start of production up to april 11, 2007. With n14 engine.
- 10032985Dec 1, 2007Mini: electric cooling fan runs after engine is shut off. After the engine is shut off, the electric cooling fan continues to run. Due to the operating strategy of the dme, the…
Engine cooling: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 1 | 3% |
| 2010 | 6 | 10% |
| 2009 | 15 | 13% |
| 2008 | 43 | 26% |
| 2007 | 79 | 32% |
| 2006 | 15 | 8% |
| 2005 | 8 | 3% |
| 2004 | 3 | 1% |
| 2003 | 10 | 5% |
| 2002 | 5 | 6% |
Other parts of the 2002 MINI Cooper S
57 complaintsAir bags
13 complaintsElectrical system
9 complaintsBrakes
3 complaintsSeats
3 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
2 complaintsBody and structure
2 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
2 complaintsEngine
1 complaintsOther or unknown
1 complaintsSeat belts
1 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2002 MINI Cooper S
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology