2006 MINI Cooper S Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 22about this part
- Share
- 12%of 186 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 63,741miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 22 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2006 MINI Cooper S, 12% of the 186 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 63,741 miles.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I am current owner of a 2006 Mini Cooper S. I purchased the car new around april 2006. Over last 2 months, I have started to see a problem with power train. The car jerks horribly while trying to accelerate when it tries to change to higher gears. This happens either in the drive mode where the car automatically changes the gears or while driving in m/s mode where the driver gets the option to change the gear. Over last 1-2 weeks, the vehicle jerks when I switch from park to reverse. …”
NHTSA complaint #10594259, filed 2014-05, 94,500 miles“I purchased at 2006 Mini cooper automatic in july 2010. October 2010 I had the kids in my car, key in my hand, car turned off and in park. The car started to roll backwards, dragging me and I had to pull the emergency brake to get the car to stop rolling and not roll into on-coming traffic. I was worried my kids would be hit. Mini USA claimed nothing was wrong. Now I am told my back brakes are worn, I am scared they did not look at my vehicle properly, did not take me seriously and am scared my car will roll again. …”
NHTSA complaint #10384783, filed 2011-02, 53,000 miles“Plethora of electrical problems. Heated seats are a major concern. They go on and off by themselves, seem haunted. Sometimes, they get so hot they leave burn marks in my legs. I am afraid of an electrical fire. The heated seats get so hot, they left burn marks in my seat. Aisin 6 speed automatic transmission, equipped with lifetime fluid, begins slipping gears at 70k the supercharger had to be replaced due to the design of the supercharger it could not be repaired, I was forced by bmwusa to purchase a remanufactured supercharger. …”
NHTSA complaint #10440113, filed 2011-12, 60,000 miles“Purchased 2006 Mini Cooper S brand new at a Mini dealer in boston. The vehicle has 108k highway miles. I had serviced the vehicle at the dealer until warranty ran out and transitioned to a national car care chain. I began to notice the vehicle slipping between second and third gear when traveling in stop and go traffic. I brought the car to my regular mechanic and they indicated that I should bring it to a transmission shop. Delivered the car to the shop and have been informed that my CVT transmission had failed and would need to be re-manufactured. …”
NHTSA complaint #10456697, filed 2012-04, 108,000 miles“2006 Mini copper s. I bought it with 15997 miles on the car. The clutch went out 3000 miles later and the Mini dealership was asked to check out the car especially the clutch only 2 months prior to this happening. No warning lights appeared before the clutch stopped working. Now the dealer tells me that is not covering by the warranty and then informs me that this will be the third clutch to be installed in this vehicle.... One was replaced at 8000 miles and then another at 11000 miles (first owner) and now again at 19000 miles. …”
NHTSA complaint #10285821, filed 2009-09, 19,500 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10162443Jul 12, 2019Programming a Replacement EGS Module with ISTA/P. Programming a replacement electronic transmission control module (EGS) with ISTA/P requires the manual entry of the correct…
- 10134994Feb 1, 2018Aisin automatic transmisison: right side output shaft seal replacement
- 10025903Jun 1, 2008Mini- r5 & r56 (cooper; cooper s) with getrag 6 speed manual transmission: complaint of an intermittent no-crank, no start situation. The clutch switch module has not been…
- 10025846Jun 1, 2008Mini: r55, r56 (cooper, cooper s) with f21 asin 6-speed automatic transmission - incorrect gear display.
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1 | 20% |
| 2016 | 2 | 20% |
| 2015 | 1 | 6% |
| 2014 | 6 | 46% |
| 2013 | 2 | 8% |
| 2012 | 1 | 4% |
| 2010 | 5 | 8% |
| 2009 | 16 | 13% |
| 2008 | 9 | 5% |
| 2007 | 26 | 10% |
| 2006 | 22 | 12% |
| 2005 | 13 | 4% |
| 2004 | 2 | 1% |
| 2003 | 8 | 4% |
| 2002 | 1 | 1% |
Other parts of the 2006 MINI Cooper S
67 complaintsSteering
48 complaintsElectrical system
23 complaintsEngine cooling
15 complaintsSeats
15 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
11 complaintsOther or unknown
9 complaintsEngine
7 complaintsFuel system
7 complaintsBrakes
3 complaintsSuspension
3 complaintsVehicle speed control
3 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2006 MINI Cooper S
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 29, 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