MINI COOPER · model year

2003 MINI COOPER

388 NHTSA complaints, 3 crash reports, and 4 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2003MINICOOPER carries 388 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 3 crashes, 33 fires, 3 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2003 COOPER is steering with 140 filings, followed by power train:automatic transmission (53) and power train (29). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 4 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 6 investigation files overlapping the 2003 COOPER. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

388
Complaints
3
Crashes
33
Fires
3
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

388 filings

Crashes Reported

3 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

Above median complaint volume — review patterns below.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
STEERING140
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION53
POWER TRAIN29
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM24
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD15
STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:PUMP12
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING11
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE9
AIR BAGS8
ENGINE7
EQUIPMENT6
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION6
STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM5
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS4
UNKNOWN OR OTHER4

Recalls (4)

15V66000015/10/2015

STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2002-2005 MINI Cooper and Cooper S vehicles and 2005 Cooper and Cooper S Convertible vehicles. The affected vehicles may experience temporary or permanent loss of the electro-hydraulic steering assistance.

08E05000011/08/2008

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

K2 MOTOR IS RECALLING 1,921 AFTERMARKET HEADLAMPS OF VARIOUS MODELS SOLD FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS ARE MISSING THE AMBER SIDE REFLEX REFLECTOR WHICH FAILS TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND A

09E02500011/05/2009

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

DOPE, INC. IS RECALLING 42,540 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES

03V08600010/03/2003

SUSPENSION:REAR:SHOCK ABSORBER

ON CERTAIN VEHICLES, THE LOWER SCREW CONNECTION OF THE REAR STRUTS TO THE CHASSIS MAY FAIL. THE HEAD (TOP) OF THE SCREW SECURING THIS CONNECTION MAY BREAK. THE REMAINING PORTION OF THE SCREW WILL STILL HOLD THE STRUT IN PLACE.

Recent Complaints

20250514STEERING

The contact owns a 2003 Mini Cooper. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the steering wheel was difficult to turn in either direction. The contact stated that the steering wheel malfunctioned, making the steering wheel easy to turn, causing severe oversteer while making a turn in either direction. The contact stated that the failure was due to a faulty power steering pump, and installed as part of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V660000 (STEERING). The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that after turning off the vehicle, the power steering pump remained running, causing the battery to drain. The cause of the failure was not yet determined, and the vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 230,000.

Mileage: 230,000

20240814STEERING

68k miles on a 2003 mini cooper s and the power steering pump is whining. I feel as if this may be really early for it to be needing to be replaced.

20240702STEERING

The contact owns a 2003 Mini Cooper. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V660000 (Steering); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel was firm, and the vehicle was difficult to maneuver. No warning lights were illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure but failed to confirm if the parts were available for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to call the service center directly. The failure mileage was unavailable. Parts distribution disconnect.

20231231ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

No air or blower or heat to defog windshield. Water in driver-side foot well. Power steering intermittent fault. Engine continues running and panel gauge lights remain on with ignition off and key removed.

20231231VISIBILITY/WIPER

No air or blower or heat to defog windshield. Water in driver-side foot well. Power steering intermittent fault. Engine continues running and panel gauge lights remain on with ignition off and key removed.

20231231STEERING

No air or blower or heat to defog windshield. Water in driver-side foot well. Power steering intermittent fault. Engine continues running and panel gauge lights remain on with ignition off and key removed.

20221117SERVICE BRAKES

i Purchased the car in Dover Pa . INspection sticker had same milage as on car so i shoulda knew he slapped a sticker on . drove 150 miles dash lit ip like chrismas tree. 1st thing left window wont work , then left lock wont work had to lock from passenfger dide. then door wont open at all . have to get ou t passenger door . know that wont open have to put down passenger window pull handel to get out . car is possessed light work whren they want does all kinda crazt stuff . batter has problems . charge and still cant start it . and hatch locks so i cant get to battery. power steering leaking going bad . timing belt making noise . no power on hills .cracking noise in right front pulls to right had . hazard to me ive been locked inside three times could get out of car i coulda sat in heat and died or cold and froze . cant get out of car when it ts electric doors dont work . car sucks . this has been gradual thing these events from feb to may . now i just hate the car

20221117SEATS

i Purchased the car in Dover Pa . INspection sticker had same milage as on car so i shoulda knew he slapped a sticker on . drove 150 miles dash lit ip like chrismas tree. 1st thing left window wont work , then left lock wont work had to lock from passenfger dide. then door wont open at all . have to get ou t passenger door . know that wont open have to put down passenger window pull handel to get out . car is possessed light work whren they want does all kinda crazt stuff . batter has problems . charge and still cant start it . and hatch locks so i cant get to battery. power steering leaking going bad . timing belt making noise . no power on hills .cracking noise in right front pulls to right had . hazard to me ive been locked inside three times could get out of car i coulda sat in heat and died or cold and froze . cant get out of car when it ts electric doors dont work . car sucks . this has been gradual thing these events from feb to may . now i just hate the car

20221117ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

i Purchased the car in Dover Pa . INspection sticker had same milage as on car so i shoulda knew he slapped a sticker on . drove 150 miles dash lit ip like chrismas tree. 1st thing left window wont work , then left lock wont work had to lock from passenfger dide. then door wont open at all . have to get ou t passenger door . know that wont open have to put down passenger window pull handel to get out . car is possessed light work whren they want does all kinda crazt stuff . batter has problems . charge and still cant start it . and hatch locks so i cant get to battery. power steering leaking going bad . timing belt making noise . no power on hills .cracking noise in right front pulls to right had . hazard to me ive been locked inside three times could get out of car i coulda sat in heat and died or cold and froze . cant get out of car when it ts electric doors dont work . car sucks . this has been gradual thing these events from feb to may . now i just hate the car

20211115STEERING

My 2003 Mini Cooper was affected by the 2015 electrohydraulic steering assistance recall. Mini did the repair at 79, 322 miles in 2016. In November 2021, at 98, 000 miles, the car began having intermittent power steering loss. The power steering might disappear for under a minute, or it might return for mere seconds. There is no warning when the power steering goes out, so you have to assume that it is not going to respond with the electrohydraulic steering assistance feature operating. As of today, it has been completely offline for 3 days (although it did come back on for about 5 seconds yesterday). Without this feature operating properly, the car can be extremely difficult to steer.

Mileage: 98,000

20210708TIRES:TREAD/BELT

While driving on I-81 to NY state, I experienced serious tire vibration followed by tire loss of air. All tires were checked for proper tire inflation before trip. The service center in which I ended up in said that the tire belts had separated and caused the rapid tire deflation.

20210708TIRES:TREAD/BELT

While driving on I-81 to NY state, I experienced serious tire vibration followed by tire loss of air. All tires were checked for proper tire inflation before trip. After pulling off to the side of the road, I witnessed a large hole with metal fiber sticking through the tire tread. I believe the tread separation was the cause.

20210610STEERING

The contact owns a 2003 Mini Cooper. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph and making a right turn, the power steering malfunctioned and the steering wheel suddenly became difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the power steering pump and fan needed to be replaced and the intake and return power steering lines also were faulty and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the NHTSA campaign number: 15V660000 (Steering). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the same failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 134,000.

Mileage: 134,000

20200115STEERING

IN MOTION.. THE POWER STEERING WHEEL FEELS TO HARD TO TURN OPERATE;I CHECK THE VIN# NUMBER AND APPEAR (1) RECALL FOR POWER STEERING INCOMPLETE;WE CALL AT BMW OF DALLAS AND THEY SETUP AN APOINMENT ON JANUARY,15,2020...WHEN I SHOW UP...THEY SAY MY CAR DON'T HAVE ANY RECALL;AND I SHOW IM THE OFFICIAL RECALL WITH MY VIN#...BMW RECALL & NHTSA RECALL AND THEY SAY THE CAR WARRANTY IS EXPIRED,I SAID I JUST NEED FIX THE RECALL ON MY CAR AND THEY WANNA CHARGE ME $180 DLLS JUST TO GET THE VEHICLE INSPECTED,IF THE CAR GOT SOMETHING WRONG THEY CHARGE ME THE COST...I DONT ACCEPT...MY CAR GOT THE RECALL AND THEY MAKE ME DRIVE 120 MILES WHIT THE CAR FOR NOTHING

20190925STEERING

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MINI COOPER. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE POWER STEERING COMPLETELY FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO REGAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE; HOWEVER, THE STEERING WAS ROUGH AND STIFF. THE CONTACT PERFORMED HIS OWN INSPECTION ON THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP WAS LEAKING. THE CONTACT SPOKE WITH AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE MAY BE INCLUDED IN AN UNKNOWN RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V660000 (STEERING). THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO MINI OF THE WOODLANDS (16675 I-45, CONROE, TX 77385, 936-344-1258) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE REPAIRED BECAUSE THE STEERING PUMP WAS NOT THE ORIGINAL MINI COOPER STEERING PUMP. THE DEALER OFFERED NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE. THE PUMP HAD NOT BEEN REPLACED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 83,000.

Mileage: 83,000

20190712STEERING

BOUGHT THIS CAR FOR 16 YR OLD DAUGHTER. STEERING WAS CUTTING OUT WHILE DRIVING TOOK CAR TO MINI OF DALLAS RECALL WAS DONE ON HARNESS, PUMP, COOLING FAN. NEXT WEEK NO STEERING AGAIN WHILE DRIVING TOOK CAR BACK. MINI STATED DRIVE BELT BROKE AND WAS REPAIRED FOR 260.00. 3 DAYS LATER WAS CALLED AT A 11:30 AT NIGHT MY DAUGHTER STATING THE STEERING HAD CUT OUT AGAIN. I DON'T WANT MY DAUGHTER IN THIS CAR OR ANYONE ELSE FOR THAT MATTER WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH THIS CAR.

Mileage: 75,000

20190512AIR BAGS

THE WARNING FOR TH EPASSENGER AIRBAG COMES ON, THOUGH APPARENTLY NOTHING IS WROMG WITH IT. IT SEEMS TO BE A COMMMON PROBLEM THAT MINI IS AWARE OFF, PUTS PEOPLE IN DANGER, BUT DOESNT DO ANYTHING TO FIX THE HARNESS UNDERNEATH THE PASSENGER SEAT, WHICH THEY QUOTE AT 1200 TO 1400 TO REPAIR THEIR ILL DESIGN AND FINAL PRODUCT

Mileage: 89,000

20190313STEERING

POWER STEERING FAILURE - INTERMITTENT AND DURING MOTION, MINI DEALERSHIP PROVIDED RECORDS THAT THE CLAIM WAS CLEARED WITH # AND MILEAGE, BUT THIS IS FALSE INFORMATION IF STILL COVERED BY NHTSA # 15V660000. ORIGINAL RECALL # THAT WAS ENTERED IN THE "REPAIR HISTORY" FROM MINI THAT NEVER OCCURRED IS M320215. THANK YOU

Mileage: 93,000

20181228STEERING

DRIVING NORMALLY ON CITY PAVED ROAD STARTED TO MAKE TURN ON SIDE STREET AND LOST TOTAL STEERING CONTROL AND WENT UP ON CURB JUST MISSING A PEDESTRIAN ON SIDEWALK.THIS VEHICLE HAS 79300 MILES.THE ELECTRIC HYDRAULIC PUMP COMPLETELY FAILED.MINI USA SAID THIS VIN IS NOT PART OF THE RECALL YET JUST ABOUT EVERY MINI INPORTED TO USA HAS COMPLETE STEERING LOSE 2002-2003-2004-2005 AND I BELIEVE THEY ARE HIDING THIS FROM YOU AND THE PUBLIC WHO ARE STILL BUYING THESE USED CARS AND NOT KNOWING THE DANGEROUS PROBLEM THE MINI HAS AND FLAWED POWER STEERING PUMP DESIGN.THANK YOU.

Mileage: 79,300

20180621STEERING

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED AND AN ABNORMAL NOISE WAS HEARD WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MINI OF SAN DIEGO (5202 KEARNY MESA RD, SAN DIEGO, CA) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING AS INTENDED. THE DEALER ALSO STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED PER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V660000 (STEERING). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP WAS THE ORIGINAL MANUFACTURED PART, WHICH MEANT THAT NO PARTS WERE REPLACED AS THE DEALER ORIGINALLY STATED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THEY HAD NO RECORDS OF THE VEHICLE BEING SERVICED PER THE RECALL. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED AGAIN AND STATED THAT THE RECALL WAS SERVICED IN MARCH OF 2017. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 164,000.

Mileage: 164,000

Compare 2003MINICOOPER to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2003 MINI COOPER have?
The 2003 MINI COOPER has 388 NHTSA complaints, 3 crashes, 33 fires, 3 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2003 MINI COOPER?
Yes, the 2003 MINI COOPER has 4 recall(s). The most common affected component is STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2003 MINI COOPER?
The most-complained component for the 2003 MINI COOPER is STEERING with 140 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION and POWER TRAIN.
Is the 2003 MINI COOPER safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.