"How reliable is the 2009 Mini Cooper?"

"Based on 192 NHTSA complaints, the 2009 Mini Cooper has a median complaint mileage of 67238 miles. The most common issue is AIR BAGS."

"What are common problems with the 2009 Mini Cooper?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2009 Mini Cooper is AIR BAGS, accounting for a significant portion of the 192 total complaints filed."

2009 Mini Cooper: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 192 complaints

192

Total Complaints

67,238mi

Median Mileage

AIR BAGS

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

45,000 25th Percentile

67,238 Median Mileage

93,750 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS

ENGINE

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

SEAT BELTS

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION

POWER TRAIN

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

STEERING

SEATS

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"2009 MINI COOPER. DRIVING ON HWY.101 WITH FLOW OF TRAFFIC (65-70 MPH) WITH WINDOWS UP. THE ROAD IS CLEAR AND FLAT (I.E., NO CONSTRUCTION). THE BACK SUNROOF JUST EXPLODED, SENDING FRAGMENT SHARDS OF GLASS BLOWING INTO MY CAR. DROVE TO NEAREST GAS STATION AND COVERED THE GAPING HOLE IN THE SUNROOF. ..."

"MY WIFE WAS DRIVING HER MINI COOPER HARDTOP WITH GLASS SUN ROOF ON THE HIGHWAY AND SUDDENLY THE GLASS SUN ROOF SHATTERED AND FELL OVER HER. THERE WAS NO CAR NEARBY OR ANY EXTERNAL OBJECT TO CAUSE THE DAMAGE. THE GLASS SUN ROOF JUST SHATTERED WITH A LOUD BAND. MY WIFE WAS INJURED DUE TO THE GLASS ..."

"A 2009 MINI COOPER CLUTCH WAS DEFECTIVE WAS REPLACED IN MAY OF 2010 AND IN AUGUST OF 2010 THE CLUTCH WENT AGAIN AND THIS TIME BURNT THE FLY WHEEL. THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED SAFETY OF PASSENGER WAS COMPROMISED. *TR"

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