2007 MINI Cooper S Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2007 MINI Cooper S most often describe a cold-start rattle from the engine that dealers traced to the timing chain and tensioner, a repair reported from well under 40,000 miles in many cases. A second large group of complaints concerns the cooling system, especially the water pump, and several describe engine oil leaks or burning smells traced to lines around the turbocharger.

1. 1
   Engine

   Cold-start engine rattle / timing chain and tensioner

   • 120 complaints (48%)
   • median 52,000 mi at 5.7 yrs old (115 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $2,000 (median of 32 quotes)
   • filed 2007–2020

   Complaints describe a loud rattling or knocking from the engine area on startup, often after the car has sat overnight or in cold weather, easing once warm but getting worse over time. Owners say dealers diagnosed worn timing chain, tensioner or guides; some chains jumped or broke, and a number of owners report the chain was replaced more than once. Repair quotes in the complaints commonly fall in the $2,000-$3,800 range, and some engines were replaced after a chain failure. Reported from roughly 15,000 to 100,000 miles, most often in the 30,000-65,000 mile range and frequently on cold starts.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Listen for a rattle in the first seconds after a cold start and ask for timing chain and tensioner service records, including any repeat repairs. A service bulletin describes a limited warranty extension on the N14 chain and tensioner, so ask whether that work was done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I brought my Mini in for the electrical water pump recall issue and I explained there was a ticking sound coming from the engine compartment and to please let me know if there were any issues. They called and said it was the timing chain and the cost was substantial. This is a large problem with this vehicle as I now know after seeing numerous complaints. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10454719, filed 2012-04, 34,500 miles

   “The timing chain guides and tensioner in the Mini cooper are made from plastic. There is a service bulletin created by Mini USA to address this issue, but no recall. As I was driving home, making a turn across a busy intersection, my tensioner broke, which caused my vehicle to die in the middle of a turn with oncoming traffic. I had to get out of my vehicle and push it across the intersection while cars were driving by. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10559198, filed 2014-01, 103,000 miles
2. 2
   Air bags

   Airbag and seat belt warning lights

   • 25 complaints (10%)
   • median 71,500 mi at 8.1 yrs old (22 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,164 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 2008–2024

   Complaints describe the airbag warning light staying on, sometimes along with the seat belt warning, and some owners report a passenger seat occupancy issue where the belt or airbag warning appears when a passenger or bag is placed on the seat. Owners say dealers quoted repairs in the $1,500-$1,600 range. A few complaints describe airbags not deploying in a crash. Reported from about 29,000 to 125,000 miles, often in the 40,000-80,000 mile range.

   What to check: Check that the airbag warning light goes out after the self-test and test the passenger seat belt and occupancy sensor with and without a passenger. Ask whether the seat belt tensioner or occupancy mat has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Saturday night, dec. 28, 2013. I go downtown with my girlfriend. She has a big bag so we let the passenger seat up to put her bag in the back seat. As soon as she sits down and we begin to drive air bag light in the roof and pre belt tensioner goes off. I check the seat and seat belt. Nothing visibly wrong. My girlfriend is 5'4 120 lbs. This is ridiculous. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10557915, filed 2013-12, 50,100 miles

   “Car crash may 30, 2017, driver's air bag did not deploy causing great bodily injury to driver.. Driver was traveling 25 MPH in town at around 10:30 a.m.. Driver had a stroke, passed out, crossed over to opposite side of road and hit an unoccupied parked car. That car hit another parked vehicle and chain reaction left four cars in the accident. State farm or gene's auto body shop have photos.”

   NHTSA complaint #10993982, filed 2017-06, 29,500 miles
3. 3
   Engine

   Engine oil leaks and turbo oil line burning smells

   • 35 complaints (14%)
   • median 62,000 mi at 5.5 yrs old (35 state mileage)
   • 14 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,800 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 2008–2020

   Owners report oil leaking onto the turbocharger or exhaust area, producing a burning smell and, in some cases, smoke or fire under the hood. Complaints describe oil feed or return lines around the turbo developing leaks, and some mention a heat shield being added as a partial measure. Dealers in these accounts replaced lines or turbo components. Reported from roughly 27,000 to 155,000 miles, with several cases in the 50,000-100,000 mile range.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Look for oil residue or a burning smell around the turbo and check for any heat shield or line replacement records. A service bulletin describes turbocharger oil supply restriction, so ask whether that inspection was done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Oil feed line going into turbo is leaking oil directly onto turbo. Mini uses a rubber o ring that is connected to a very hot turbo and o ring will fail on all Mini coopers with a turbo. When this rubber o ring fails it will leak oil directly onto hot turbo and cause a fire. I think it's in the safety of all that this be looked into and recalled. I believe Mini cooper is very aware of the problem and is covering up the issue by installing a cheap heat shield on oil line but this is a bandaid fix at best.”

   NHTSA complaint #10714082, filed 2015-05, 99,000 miles

   “While driving in my neighborhood I noticed a burning smell and a little smoke coming from under the hood. I pulled into my garage and popped the hood to find the oil feed line to the turbo had leaked oil all over the turbo and was burning off. I know the problem is a faulty line that uses rubber washers and over time heat from the turbo causes them to fail. In 2010 Mini put in a heat shield to protect the line, acknowledging the problem. This needs to be addressed properly, to many pre 2010 Cooper S are having this problem.”

   NHTSA complaint #10560030, filed 2014-01, 75,000 miles
4. 4
   Fuel system

   Stalling or loss of power from the high-pressure fuel pump

   Mentioned in 4 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners describe sudden loss of power or the engine cutting out while driving, sometimes with the check engine light on, and dealers diagnosing the high-pressure fuel pump. Some complaints mention a strong gasoline smell in the cabin from a leak at the pump or line, and repeat pump replacements. Reported from about 27,000 to 80,000 miles, including several cases under 40,000 miles.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the high-pressure fuel pump has been replaced and whether the extended warranty or settlement work was applied. Check for a fuel smell under the hood and around the cabin.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “In august of 2008, 12 months after purchasing my car, it for a 2nd time in 1 year, started to smell strongly like gasoline inside the cabin. I brought it in to Mini of concord, and they found a leak in the high pressure fuel pump and line, and replaced the parts - for a 2nd time. This was the second of four replacements of the high pressure fuel pump in my car.”

   NHTSA complaint #10460146, filed 2012-05, 27,793 miles

   “Timing chain replaced at 32k, just failed again at 92k with mobil one oil and filter changes every 5k miles. Chain jumped in garage during shut down of engine. Would not restart. I checked spark, fuses for primary fuel pump and made a judgement that it was a failure of the high pressure fuel pump and towed it to the dealer for warranty replacement. Got the call the timing chain jumped a link and I would need a replacement again. Can't believe it . Third chain with good lubrication maintenance in under 92k.”

   NHTSA complaint #10809922, filed 2015-12, 92,000 miles

Buying note. This model year draws repeated complaints about timing chain noise, cooling pumps and turbo oil leaks, so a pre-purchase inspection focused on cold-start engine noise, coolant and oil leaks is worthwhile, along with service records for chain, pump and recall work.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.