10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 6
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
37,302 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2012 Mini Cooper Countryman engine problems

engine problem

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2012 Mini Cooper Countryman Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #26

Sep 042023

Cooper Countryman

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

When the vehicle computer detects low voltage all turn signals, lights and instrument cluster immediately fail and do not turn back on. The Foot Well Module (FWM) or Foot Rest Module (FRM) computer becomes corrupt and deletes data from the module. This becomes a major safety hazard as a nighttime failure occurred causing several near accidents due to inability to signal to other vehicles. This is a known issue with Mini and they released an extended service bulletin knowing the factory footrest modules were manufactured incorrectly. Vehicles falling outside the initial warranty period are prone to safety risks when this occurs.

- Anchorage, AK, USA

problem #25

Jun 122023

Cooper Countryman

  • miles
Mini coopers have faulty transmission problems, and well mine today it's transmission went out when I had my AC on, the car stalled in the middle of the highway in the middle of the road with oncoming traffic and refused to budge, like seriously this is highly dangerous on the interstate

- Ringgold, GA, USA

problem #24

Oct 162022

Cooper Countryman

  • miles
Our Mini Cooper Countymen S was being towed behind our motorhome. I. saw smoke coming from the car I stopped and the car started to catch on fire. I got out motorhome disconnect just in time before the Mini was consumed by fire, it was a total loss. The Fire Investigator stated he believed the fire started in the right side of the engine compartment.

- Visalia, CA, USA

problem #23

Jul 272022

Cooper Countryman

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

timing chain failure which caused engine shut down. this is a known problem with other models. It was not recalled but BMW lost a class action lawsuit for the same problem in the same car, different years. They have not updated or repaired the issue. very expensive repair.

- Sharon , MA, USA

problem #22

Nov 092021

Cooper Countryman 4-cyl

  • 180,000 miles
The contact owned a 2012 Mini Cooper S Countryman. The contact stated while she was at a standstill in traffic, she saw smoke exiting from under the hood. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to park on the emergency lane and exit the vehicle before the vehicle was engulfed in flames. The contact did not sustain any injuries nor seek medical attention. A police report was filed. The insurance company deemed the vehicle a total loss. The vehicle was towed to a towing lot. The contact spoke to the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V248000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING), however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.

- Folly Beach, SC, USA

problem #21

May 152021

Cooper Countryman

  • 10 miles
After driving few miles (10) up hill out the dealer my check engine light turn on. It's not blinking buy seems like it's half away on the signed on the car.

- Keystone, CO, USA

problem #20

Aug 292018

Cooper Countryman

  • 104,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The water pump in the car failed without warning or check engine light coming on, causing immediate overheating and the head gasket on the engine to blow. MINIrefused to fix the car, as they said it was out of warranty, despite the faulty water pump being the cause of the overheating.

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #19

Jun 012018

Cooper Countryman

  • miles
The core plug failed allowing coolant into the crank case. The MINIautomotive repair facility speculated that the vehilce must have become overheated to the point of damaging the cylinder head. At first is was thought that a replacement cylinder head would cost $9K. Upon further inspection, it was determined that the crank case was to badly compromised for adequate repair and the entire engine needed to be replaced at a cost that exceeded the market value of the vehicle. Since it was not economically feasible to repair the vehicle, I was force to purchase an alternate mode of transportation. Being that the vehicle could no longer be driven with out a costly repair, I chose to donate it for charity. My complaint is that if the vehicle overheated, I was not aware of it as the driver information gave no alert. This vehicle was not equiped with a temperature which may which should have indicated the engine temperature was outside of normal operating parameters. However, the check engine light came on which I promptly took to have it serviced. The code which initially presented and prompted me to visit the dealership repair facility to begin with. The vehicle gave no temperature warnings through the driver information display and the the performance of the vehicle did not change; I drove the vehicle to the dealership the next day with no problem. My concern is, there are numerous accounts that can be found online of drivers that gave an account simiular to my experience - failurre of the core plug with no notification through the instrument panel. And, in many cases, they were also told by the maker's repair shop that the engine overheated but could not explain why the driver was not alerted. While I did not pay for actual repairs, I would not have needed to buy replacement vehicle. I also had the vehicle serviced in accordance with the maintence schedule.

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #18

Sep 252018

Cooper Countryman

  • 100,000 miles
Driving on hwy and my car wouldn't accelerate no warning lights went off on the car so I pulled to the side of the road and had it towed to a shop that said that there was some sort of coolant leakage and a malfunction of thermostat so the engine over heated. They wanted to charge me 10,000 to fix it and the warranty that I bought for $2999 did not want to cover the cost. So the shop charged me $1500 to take the head apart and I had to tow it back home where it sits in my drive way.

- Pemberton, MN, USA

problem #17

Nov 212018

Cooper Countryman

  • 55,000 miles
Water pump leaking coolant. Recalled according to BMW website. Called MINImall of ga no one would help or call me back around thanksgiving. Scheduled appt today for repairs my husband drove my MINIto the dealership they wouldn't do anything said there was no recall on my VIN number and the water pump warranty expired Dec 11 2018......how convenient. My 2012 only has 55,000 miles on it !!!!!! the service dept at MINImall of ga is a joke they would not even look at the paperwork my husband had or listen to what we were trying to say. It was like speaking to robots that kept repeating themselves. I need this fixed and do not have the $800 they are asking for

- Gainesville, GA, USA

problem #16

Jul 072018

Cooper Countryman 4-cyl

  • 56,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2012 MINICooper countryman. The contact stated that the temperature gauge indicator flashed to turn the vehicle off due to overheating. The dealer (MINIcooper of alexandria, 5990 duke St, alexandria, va 22304, (703) 751-4630) was contacted and indicated that the vehicle was excluded from any recall campaigns. The dealer did not diagnose the vehicle, but advised the contact to schedule an appointment. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 56,000. Consumer stated other MINICooper countryman vehicles, same year, make, and model had recalls for this exact issue, however, this VIN was not included in the recall. Recall 18V248000- electric auxillary water pump fails and over heats-MINICooper countryman S 2012 affected. My VIN not included in the recall, despite experiencing this exact issue. Water pump and relevant parts. Updated 10/9/18

- Alexandria, VA, USA

problem #15

Jul 262018

Cooper Countryman

  • 30 miles
Confirmed with mechanic faulty electric auxiliary water pump, however, my VIN is not listed in this exact issue that is being recalled.

- Alexandria, VA, USA

problem #14

May 082018

Cooper Countryman

  • 76,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 MINICooper countryman. When the vehicle was started, smoke appeared under the hood. The contact unlatched the hood and flames appeared from the engine. The contact was able to extinguish the fire. The vehicle was towed to MINIof baltimore county (720 kenilworth dr., towson, md 21204, (443) 798-3461) where it was awaiting diagnostic testing and repairs. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 76,000. The VIN was not available. No VIN number updated 8/30/18

- Mercersburg, PA, USA

problem #13

Mar 282018

Cooper Countryman

  • miles
I keep having problems electric problems engine lights come on coil broke broke down won't start

- Randalstown, MD, USA

problem #12

Mar 052018

Cooper Countryman

  • 92,800 miles
I'm just noticing a coolant leak puddling up under from what I was told was the thermostat or it's housing or both.. my engine sounds like it's running with no oil. I go to check the dipstick and the oil at the very end of it seems almost impossible to accurately read, because it's not uniform in it's coating at the tip of it. Like if it was splashed on. Not sure if the auxiliary cooling system is even working anymore, which used to run for a minute or two after engine shut down. I'm adding the oem specified coolant along with water, 50/50, every day now, because the reservoir shows it's loss of coolant. VIN check shows no recalls, but I'm having the same issues as the recalls. I just want my vehicle running like it was when I first got. I began finance on the vehicle less than a year ago, and I still owe 16K on it. I shouldn't be worried about the car dying out on me already. Bad enough I work 35 minutes away and public transportation including help from anyone is also pretty much impossible. It's stressing me out big time. I can't afford to get fired. Where I work, they don't care about my issues. I also require an iid equipped vehicle, so rentals are out of the question, otherwise, I probably wouldn't be here writing this message! thank you. I really feel unsafe being on the highway as who knows if my car's engine even has oil. Or if the coolant hoses will just blow off. Either way, I feel like I'm riding with defective equipment. I tried to baby this car driving, because I can't afford a 16K broken car. I feel trapped.

- Meriden, CT, USA

problem #11

Oct 302017

Cooper Countryman

  • miles
I purchased the used 2012 MINICooper countryman, I drove it for 84 days, and while I was driving the car the engine suddenly went dead on the road and stopped working. I took the car to the dealer where I bought it from after two weeks they said the timing chain broke and caused it to destroy the engine, now I have to pay for the new engine. I checked on line to see if there were any problems with timing chain on these cars, MINIsaid they had problems in the previous model cars that made and they fixed the problem, apparently the problem still exist in the newer models.

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #10

May 242016

Cooper Countryman

  • 29,952 miles
My 2012 MINICooper countryman with 30,000 miles is requiring replacement of the thermostat and water pump - both of which were recalled and replaced on the 2011 MINICooper countryman. There are not any parts in the United States currently to fix the car. We will be without our car for nearly 3 to 4 weeks while we wait for these parts and we have been told not to drive our car on the highway. The dealer said tough luck.

- Salt Lake City, UT, USA

problem #9

Mar 212016

Cooper Countryman

  • 112,000 miles
Timing chain stretched causing timing to be off by 75mm, this resulted in damage to the eccentric shaft and timing chain. Engine engine malfunction light illuminated, upon inspection at MINIdealer determined the above condition of vehicle.

- Newtown, PA, USA

problem #8

Jan 172016

Cooper Countryman

  • 44,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 MINICooper countryman. The contact stated that while driving at 40 mph, the engine sputtered and there was smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. The contact powered off and restarted the vehicle. Upon further inspection, the contact noticed that oil was leaking. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the hose pipe and freeze plug overheated and melted which caused the engine to require to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 44,000.

- Winston, GA, USA

problem #7

Feb 052015

Cooper Countryman 4-cyl

  • 42,581 miles
Engine light came on so I went in for a diagnostic. I live 2.5 hours from a MINIservice center. The diagnostic at autozone just listed a bunch of misfires and nothing else. That explained the harsh sounding start and sputtering. As days have gone by, car will lose power in the middle of traffic, struggle up hills, fail to maintain speed limit, and struggle to start in the morning. All these events have occurred less than a month after being serviced at seattle MINII'm sure I'm under warranty, but I'm not happy about having to drive 2.5 hours if I can make it there, for something they seem to have been having complaints about.

- Wenatchee, WA, USA

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