"How reliable is the 2002 Mini Cooper S?"

"Based on 105 NHTSA complaints, the 2002 Mini Cooper S has a median complaint mileage of 78000 miles. The most common issue is STEERING."

"What are common problems with the 2002 Mini Cooper S?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2002 Mini Cooper S is STEERING, accounting for a significant portion of the 105 total complaints filed."

2002 Mini Cooper S: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 105 complaints

105

Total Complaints

78,000mi

Median Mileage

STEERING

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

56,500 25th Percentile

78,000 Median Mileage

93,500 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

STEERING

AIR BAGS

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:PUMP

SEATS

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES

AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW

STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR

VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED. REPLACEMENT WAS REQUIRED AT 48,000 MILES. VIEWING THE MINI OWNERS WEBSITE REVEALED MANY SIMILAR SITUATIONS WHERE THE PUMP REQUIRED REPLACEMENT ON MANY 2002-2004 MODELS. THIS COULD LEAD TO SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUES. *NM"

"THE FRONT WINDSHIELD ON MY 2002 MINI COOPER S AUTO CRACKED SUDDENLY (WITH A POP) WHILE I WAS DRIVING ALONG THE FREEWAY, WITH NO APPARENT CAUSE--NO IMPACT SITE ON THE CRACK. THE CRACK ORIGINATES IN THE LOW/MIDDLE AREA OF THE WINDSHIELD, GOES UP ABOUT 2 INCHES, THEN SNEAKS TO THE PASSENGER SIDE ABOUT..."

"OUR MINI BURNED TO THE GROUND. IT HAD ONLY BEEN DRIVEN 20 MILES AND WAS PARKED WHEN IT HAPPENED. AFTER A FORENSIC SPECIALIST WAS HIRED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE ABS UNIT WAS AT FAULT. IN LATER MODELS, THE FUSE WAS CHANGED FROM A 30 AMP TO A 20 AMP. NO RECALL WAS EVER I..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28