2004 Mini Cooper Problems, Recalls & Reliability
609 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2004 Mini Cooper, alongside 4 recall campaigns and 2 defect investigations. It scores 70/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Steering leads the reports, typically around 75,000 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2004 Mini Cooper sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 2012–2017.
Avoid
Where 2004 sits among all Cooper years
What owners report
“The power steering is very stiff to drive and cannot drive my cooper because i can no longer steer the vehicle.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Cooper
“Driving down honda parkway i heard pop sound. Tpms light started flashing and smoke started coming out from under hood. I pulled off of road into a gas station. At that time i didn't have any power brakes.the car was fully engulfed in flames in about 10 mins. The fire dept put out fire.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Cooper
“2004 mini cooper purchased new aprox 62 miles on it and the cvt transmission is gone & there was a class action lawsuit for the replacement of this, i was never notified and want this fixed at no cost to me. At aprox. 50 to 60 mph the car engines goes way beyond the proper rpm.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Cooper
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 547 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 73,768 miles. Half of those reports fall between 55,000 and 98,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (4)
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2002-2005 MINI Cooper and Cooper S vehicles and 2005 Cooper and Cooper S Convertible vehicles. The affected vehicles may experience temporary or permanent loss of the electro-hydraulic steering…
Fix: MINI will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the electro-hydraulic power steering system, replacing the components and wiring, as necessary, free of charge. Interim notices were mailed to…
DOPE, INC. IS RECALLING 42,540 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY…
Fix: DOPE, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOPE, INC. AT 1-626-272-1798.
K2 MOTOR IS RECALLING 1,921 AFTERMARKET HEADLAMPS OF VARIOUS MODELS SOLD FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS ARE MISSING THE AMBER SIDE REFLEX REFLECTOR WHICH FAILS TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD…
Fix: K2 MOTOR WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMEBER 17, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT K2 MOTOR AT 1-909-839-2992.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE FLAT TIRE MONITORING SYSTEM HAS NOT BEEN CORRECTLY PROGRAMMED. IN THE EVENT OF A FLAT TIRE, AN AUDIBLE SIGNAL WILL NOT SOUND TO ALERT THE DRIVER TO A FLAT TIRE.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE VEHICLE'S SOFTWARE IN ORDER TO ACTUATE THE FLAT TIRE MONITORING SYSTEM'S AUDIBLE SIGNAL. THE RECALL BEGAN OCTOBER 13, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT MINI CUSTOMER…
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 15V660000.
Technical service bulletins
51 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and electrical — are on file for the 2004 Mini Cooper. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2004 Cooper TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2004 Mini Cooper reliable?
The 2004 Mini Cooper drew 609 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 70/100, scored against the model's worst year (2005).
What are the most common 2004 Mini Cooper problems?
The top reported problems for the 2004 Mini Cooper are steering (462 complaints), electrical (35), and transmission & drivetrain (29).
At what mileage do 2004 Mini Cooper problems show up?
Owners most often report 2004 Mini Cooper problems around 73,768 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 55,000 and 98,000 miles.
Does the 2004 Mini Cooper have recalls?
4 recall campaigns apply to the 2004 Mini Cooper. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.