MINI COOPER · model year

2018 MINI COOPER

10 NHTSA complaints, 5 crash reports for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2018MINICOOPER carries 10 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 5 crashes, 0 fires, 6 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 2018 COOPER is air bags with 2 filings, followed by unknown or other (2) and electrical system (2). 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.

NHTSA currently has 6 investigation files overlapping the 2018 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.

10
Complaints
5
Crashes
0
Fires
6
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

10 filings

Crashes Reported

5 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
AIR BAGS2
UNKNOWN OR OTHER2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM2
STRUCTURE:BODY1
SERVICE BRAKES1
ENGINE1
TIRES1

Recent Complaints

20250712UNKNOWN OR OTHER

My 2018 Mini Convertible has 47,000 miles on it. Recently the convertible top stopped retracting and now doesn't fit snuggly when closed. I brought my car into the dealer and they said that a cable broke and gave me a repair quote of $4600-. I sent a msg to Mini USA and they called me and said they would cover the repair if it breakage wasn't due to something I did improperly. About a week later they called back and stated that they would not cover the repair because the warranty had expired. They definitely mislead me on the initial call. My car no longer operates as a convertible, and I have excessive wind noise in the car. I feel like a car with 47,000 miles on it should not be experiencing such expensive repairs. I shared my experience on social media and apparently many others are having similar experiences. I am considering trading my car in for a different model as Mini Cooper does not stand behind their products.

20240102TIRES

Tire size 205/45 r17 pirelli ginturato We were driving from an appt and the low tire air light came on. We got to car x and found the side wall and tread belt on the inside of the tire had came off. Car x didn't have a replacement tire and they switched the bad tire to the back so we would have xontrol of the steering in a blow out they said to go across the street to Goodyear but be careful. Goodyear had to good get a tire because the car was considered unsafe and a road hazard to drive on the road or highway. We were over an hour from home. The other 3 tires are doing the same thing.we don't have the tire but we do have pictures. Our car could have cause a big accident if we hadn't thought quick enough and the mechanic hadn't found the problem I'm not sure if others have had this issue but the other 3 of our tires are doing the same thing. The car is inoperable until we can afford 3 more new tires. The vehicle was inspected by 3 mechanic... car x, Goodyear, and my husband.they appea

20230114ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

UNKNOWN Driver side tail light socket. All lights stopped working. Took out the socket and the wiring harness connector burned up

20221207ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Driving at low speed piercing loud noises came from speakers, buzzing and whining. Noise stayed on with ignition on or off and radio on or off. This occurred two more times on way home. Am waiting for dealer appointment. Have not driven vehicle since.

20211114ENGINE

Took car into mini dealer for clunking noise problem. Dealer indicated motor mounts were cracked and needed to be replaced. Another customer at dealer was also having motor mounts replaced. His car was also 4 yrs old with 32K miles on it. Mount replacement was not covered under warranty as the car was 4 yrs and 3 months since warranty was activated and coverage ended at 4 yrs.

20190409CrashSERVICE BRAKES

FEBRUARY 21, 2019 I WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE AND THE BRAKES TEMPORARILY FAILED. WHEN I PUMPED THEM A SECOND TIME THEY CAME TO A STOP, HOWEVER BY THEN THE CAR AND I HAD GONE OVER A HEDGE AND SIDE SWIPED A TREE. BMW NORTH AMERICA COULD NOT FIND ANY WARNING ON MARCH 11, 2019 WHEN THEY REVIEWED THE SYSTEMS, NO WARNINGS AT ALL, NO AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. I WAS TURNING IN TO A FAMILIAR PARKING LOT AT A SLOW SPEED.

Mileage: 9,500

20190409CrashUNKNOWN OR OTHER

FEBRUARY 21, 2019 I WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE AND THE BRAKES TEMPORARILY FAILED. WHEN I PUMPED THEM A SECOND TIME THEY CAME TO A STOP, HOWEVER BY THEN THE CAR AND I HAD GONE OVER A HEDGE AND SIDE SWIPED A TREE. BMW NORTH AMERICA COULD NOT FIND ANY WARNING ON MARCH 11, 2019 WHEN THEY REVIEWED THE SYSTEMS, NO WARNINGS AT ALL, NO AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. I WAS TURNING IN TO A FAMILIAR PARKING LOT AT A SLOW SPEED.

Mileage: 9,500

20181107CrashAIR BAGS

MY 2018 MINI COOPER COUNTRYMAN S WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONT END COLLISION WITH ANOTHER DRIVER WHO WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 50-60MPH. WE WERE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 13 MPH AT TIME OF IMPACT AND THE FRONT, KNEE OR SIDE AIR BAG(S) DID NOT DEPLOY. I HAVE A VIDEO OF THE ACCIDENT AS A DASH CAM WAS IN PLACE AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.

Mileage: 3,500

20181107CrashSTRUCTURE:BODY

MY 2018 MINI COOPER COUNTRYMAN S WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONT END COLLISION WITH ANOTHER DRIVER WHO WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 50-60MPH. WE WERE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 13 MPH AT TIME OF IMPACT AND THE FRONT, KNEE OR SIDE AIR BAG(S) DID NOT DEPLOY. I HAVE A VIDEO OF THE ACCIDENT AS A DASH CAM WAS IN PLACE AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.

Mileage: 3,500

20180309CrashAIR BAGS

I WAS AT A STOP BECAUSE TRAFFIC WAS BACKED UP IN TOWN NEAR THE HIGHWAY ENTRANCE AND A CAR REAR ENDED ME, PUSHING ME INTO THE CAR AHEAD. THE REAR CAR WAS MOVING AT AT LEAST 20 MPH. WITH A REAR END AND HEAD ON COLLISION AT THAT SPEED, MY AIRBAGS SHOULD HAVE DEPLOYED BUT DID NOT.

Mileage: 3,000

Compare 2018MINICOOPER to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2018 MINI COOPER have?
The 2018 MINI COOPER has 10 NHTSA complaints, 5 crashes, 0 fires, 6 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2018 MINI COOPER?
The most-complained component for the 2018 MINI COOPER is AIR BAGS with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include UNKNOWN OR OTHER and ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Is the 2018 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.