2012 Mini Cooper Roadster: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 68 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 0 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
68
Complaints
0
Recalls
1
Crash reports
7
Fire reports
1
Injuries
79.4
Severity index
Severity index 79.4 - Medium. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
Among the 129 2012 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2012 Mini Cooper Roadster ranks 50 of 129 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 61% of its model-year peers. See the full 2012 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 28 | 41.2% |
| ENGINE | 17 | 25.0% |
| AIR BAGS | 13 | 19.1% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 8 | 11.8% |
| SEATS | 5 | 7.4% |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 5 | 7.4% |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 4 | 5.9% |
| POWER TRAIN | 3 | 4.4% |
The single most-reported system is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, cited in 28 of 68 complaints (41.2%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 2 |
| 2013 | 2 |
| 2014 | 2 |
| 2015 | 5 |
| 2016 | 11 |
| 2017 | 4 |
| 2018 | 9 |
| 2019 | 4 |
| 2020 | 3 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 3 |
| 2023 | 7 |
| 2024 | 10 |
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 3 |
Complaint volume is rising - the last three years carry 2.7x the filings of the three before them, which usually signals a wear-related defect surfacing with age.
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.