MINI COOPER S CONVERTIBLE · model year

2010 MINI COOPER S CONVERTIBLE

12 NHTSA complaints, and 1 active recall for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2010MINICOOPER S CONVERTIBLE carries 12 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 1 fire, 0 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 2010 COOPER S CONVERTIBLE is engine with 4 filings, followed by unknown or other (3) and air bags (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. This model year has 1 active recall campaign, 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 9 investigation files overlapping the 2010 COOPER S CONVERTIBLE. 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.

12
Complaints
0
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

12 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ENGINE4
UNKNOWN OR OTHER3
AIR BAGS2
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION1
STEERING1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1

Recalls (1)

12V00800011/01/2012

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:TURBO/SUPERCHARGER

BMW IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2007-2011 MINI COOPER S, 2008-2011 MINI COOPER S CLUBMAN, 2009-2011 MINI COOPER S CONVERTIBLE, 2009-2011 MINI COOPER JCW, 2009-2011 MINI COOPER JCW CLUBMAN, 2009-2011 COOPER JCW CONVERTIBLE, AND 2011 COOPER S COUNTRYMAN PASSENGER CARS MANUFACTURED FROM NOVEMBER 14

Recent Complaints

20230228AIR BAGS

The contact owns a 2010 Mini Cooper Convertible. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the passenger’s air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V205000 (Air Bags). The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic and it was determined that the front passenger occupant detection sensor needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 24,000.

Mileage: 24,000

20200702ENGINE

THE SOUND OF THE MOTOR IS VERY VERY NOISE, AND SHAKES REALLY BAD AFTER YOU START THE CAR.

20200702UNKNOWN OR OTHER

THE SOUND OF THE MOTOR IS VERY VERY NOISE, AND SHAKES REALLY BAD AFTER YOU START THE CAR.

20181224UNKNOWN OR OTHER

THE VEHICLE IS A STANDARD MODEL CONVERTIBLE, NOT AN "S" MODEL. TRUNK LATCH MALFUNCTION WHILE IN MOTION: TRUNK LATCH OPENS/DISENGAGES SPONTANEOUSLY WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION, WITH THE KEY INSERTED AND THE MOTOR RUNNING. THIS UNPREDICTABLE FAULT CAN OCCUR ANYWHERE, INCLUDING ON A FREEWAY. THE TRUNK LID CAN DROP TO FULL OPEN, EXPOSING ITEMS STORED IN TRUNK AS POSSIBLE DEBRIS-THREAT TO VEHICLES FOLLOWING. DRIVER OF VEHICLE IS PRESENTED WITH CHOICE BETWEEN RISKING STOPPING (FOR EXAMPLE, ON THE SHOULDER OF A FREEWAY) OR RISKING INCIDENT INVOLVING FOLLOWING VEHICLES. EVENTUALLY, TRUNK LATCH WILL CEASE ALL FUNCTION. REPLACEMENT COST IS APPROXIMATELY $300 PLUS LABOR. VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED NEW. THIS 2010 MODEL IS DRIVEN 2 OR 3 TIMES PER WEEK FOR RELATIVELY SHORT DISTANCES. IT HAS BEEN DRIVEN FEWER THAN 30,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. THIS FAULT HAS OCCURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS WHILE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION OVER THE PAST 3 YEARS. ITEMS IN TRUNK HAVE SPILLED ONTO ROADWAY. DR

Mileage: 12,000

20180530ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

LATCH ON TRUNK UNLOCKS AND RELEASES THE TRUNK WHILE DRIVING. THIS CAN CAUSE THE CONTENTS OF THE TRUNK TO FALL ON TO THE ROAD ENDANGERING OTHER DRIVERS. THIS IS A COMMON COMPLAINT ON THE MINI OWNER SITE

Mileage: 40,110

20160130ENGINE

I WAS DRIVING ON I 280 EAST AND NEWAR EXIT 8B THE ENGINE SUDDENLY STOPPED. THERE WAS LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND STEERING WHEEL BECAME VERY TIGHT. I ALMOST GOT HIT BY A TRACTOR. I GOT OUT OF THE EXIT (EXIT 7) AND GOT MYSELF TOWED. THE MECHANIC THINKS IT IS THE TIMING BELT THAT IS BROKEN.

Mileage: 52,000

20160130UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I WAS DRIVING ON I 280 EAST AND NEWAR EXIT 8B THE ENGINE SUDDENLY STOPPED. THERE WAS LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND STEERING WHEEL BECAME VERY TIGHT. I ALMOST GOT HIT BY A TRACTOR. I GOT OUT OF THE EXIT (EXIT 7) AND GOT MYSELF TOWED. THE MECHANIC THINKS IT IS THE TIMING BELT THAT IS BROKEN.

Mileage: 52,000

20150307ENGINE

KNOCKING, TIMING. OVER 2 THOUSAND SIGNATURES OF OWNERS HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. *TR

Mileage: 30,000

20131011ENGINE

ENGINE NOISE DUE TO TIMING CHAIN AND TENSIONER DEFECT. IF THE CHAIN OR TENSIONER FAIL COMPLETELY THIS COULD CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO STALL IN MOVING TRAFFIC OR CREATE A ROADSIDE HAZARD. *TR

Mileage: 10,500

20120408AIR BAGS

THE AIRBAG "OFF" LIGHT COMES ON INTERMITTENTLY WHEN A PASSENGER IS IN THE SEAT. DEALER SAYS THERE IS NOTHING WRONG BUT PROBLEM PERSISTS. *TR

20101001FireSTEERING

MINI COOPER S CONVERTIBLE 2006, LESS THAN 40K MILES. I WAS DRIVING FOR MAYBE 6 MILES AND WHILE I WAS MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN I FELT THE STEERING WHEEL WAS NOT FUNCTIONING CORRECTLY AND THE CAR WAS MOVING VERY ODDLY SO I PULL OVER IMMEDIATELY TO CHECK WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE CAR. NOTICING THE SMOKE FORM THE HOOD BEFORE I GOT OUT THE CAR AND THOUGHT MY CAR WAS OVER HEATED. I THOUGHT I WOULD JUST CALL THE ROADSIDE SERVICE TO HELP. BUT WHAT HAD TOOK PLACE NEXT WAS SOMETHING I CAN ONLY IMAGINE FROM A MOVIE SET ....SMOKE..HEAVY SMOKE...FLAME FIRE. FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME AND THEY WOULD NOT ABLE TO OPEN THE HOOD SO INSTEAD THEY CUT THE HOOD OPEN AND WAS ABLE TO PUT OFF THE FIRE. THE CAR WAS TOTAL. I JUST HAD THE SERVICE ONE MONTH AGO AT THE DEALER (REPLACE BATTERY, WHEEL ALIGNMENT, ROTATION TIRES AND 32 POINT INSPECTION)AND LIKE ALL THE PREVIOUS SERVICES WAS DONE AT THE DEALER. I DON'T KNOW WHAT EXACTLY HAD HAPPEN TO THE CAR, MY INSURANCE CO CLAIMED THAT THERE IS NO RECALL BY BMW/MINI ON THE CAR S

Mileage: 39,400

20100117POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION

COMPLETE CLUTCH FAILURE WITH ONLY 3700 MILES ON CARL IT WAS REPLACED BY DEALER BUT "NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY" DEALER CLAIMS EXCESSIVE WEAR AND TEAR IN CAR THAT IS NOT ABUSED. *TR

Mileage: 3,700

Compare 2010MINICOOPER S CONVERTIBLE to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2010 MINI COOPER S CONVERTIBLE have?
The 2010 MINI COOPER S CONVERTIBLE has 12 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 1 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2010 MINI COOPER S CONVERTIBLE?
Yes, the 2010 MINI COOPER S CONVERTIBLE has 1 recall(s). The most common affected component is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:TURBO/SUPERCHARGER. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2010 MINI COOPER S CONVERTIBLE?
The most-complained component for the 2010 MINI COOPER S CONVERTIBLE is ENGINE with 4 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include UNKNOWN OR OTHER and AIR BAGS.
Is the 2010 MINI COOPER S CONVERTIBLE 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.