There are 2 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2016 MINI Countrymanin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
ON MARCH 29,2018 MY DAUGHTER PARKED HER 2016 MINI COUNTRYMAN IN MY DRIVEWAY AND CAME IN TO VISIT. 10 MINUTES LATER MY WIFE WENT OUTSIDE AND SAW THE MINI ENGINE COMPARTMENT ON THE DRIVERS SIDE ON FIRE. BY THE TIME THE FIRE DEPT. ARRIVED, THE MINI AND MY 2 CARS WERE ON FIRE. ALL 3 WERE TOTALED, MY DRIVEWAY WAS RUINED AND THE SIDING ON MY GARAGE WAS DAMAGED BY THE HEAT OF THE FIRE.. I REMEMBER MINI RECALLING THEIR VEHICLES WITH TURBOS IN 2012. THE RECALL STARTED BECAUSE MINIS WITH TURBOS WERE STARTING ON FIRE AFTER THE CAR WAS TURNED OFF AND PARKED.THE SYSTEM TO COOL THE TURBOS WASN'T WORKING AND THE TURBOS OVERHEATED. THE NAPERVILLE FIRE DEPT REPORT SAID THAT IT APPEARED THAT THE FIRE STARTED IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT OF THE MINI BUT THAT THEY COULD NOT TELL HOW IT STARTED. THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WAS TOTALLY BURNED TO ASHES. OUR STORY FITS THE SAME PATTERN OF THE STORIES I READ CONCERNING THE RECALL OF 2012.I WANT TO SOUND AN ALARM BECAUSE PEOPLE CAN BE INJURED OR KILLED BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM. IT MAY BE THAT THE TURBO RECALL ISSUE WASN'T FIXED.
OUR CAR WAS PARKED FOR APPROX. 10 MINUTES. THE CAR WAS OFF AND THE KEY WAS WITH MY WIFE. NO ONE WAS IN THE CAR, NOR WAS IT IN OPERATION ON ANY LEVEL. NO FLAMMABLE ITEMS WERE WITHIN THE CAR AND THE CAR WAS NOT PARKED ON ANYTHING FLAMMABLE. MY WIFE ALSO DOES NOT SMOKE. THE CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE NEAR THE FRONT OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED AND THEY WERE ABLE TO PUT OUT THE FIRE. THE CAR WAS A TOTAL LOSS. THE POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENT INVESTIGATED THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE AND IT WAS DETERMINED TO BE INCONCLUSIVE. FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, THE FIRE WAS SO INTENSE THAT IT WOULD BE INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT TO DETERMINE A CAUSE OF THE FIRE. BMW AND TWO OTHER INSURANCE COMPANIES THEN PERFORMED AN EXTENSIVE REVIEW AND ALSO DETERMINED THAT THE FIRE'S CAUSE WAS INCONCLUSIVE. FROM MY UNDERSTANDING, OUR MODEL HAD A TURBO CHARGER WITH AN AUXILIARY WATER PUMP. THESE PUMPS HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO HAVE A TECHNICAL PROBLEM IN WHICH THEY DON'T STOP RUNNING. OVER THE COURSE OF TIME, THE PUMP ITSELF CAN OVERHEAT AND IN OUR CASE, IGNITE OIL AND/OR FUEL WITHIN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. MOST PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO SEE THE FIRE START AND EXTINGUISH IT QUICKLY BUT IN OUR CASE, WE WERE DID NOT SEE THE FIRE START. IN CONCLUSION, OUR CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE WHILE NOT IN MOTION OR OPERATION. NO ONE WAS IN OR NEAR THE CAR. THE KEY WAS ALSO NOT IN OR NEAR THE CAR. IT CAUGHT ON FIRE APPROX. 10 MINUTES AFTER BEING PARKED IN NORMAL CONDITIONS. NO WARNING LIGHTS OR CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS WERE PRESENT. NO MAINTENANCE HAD BEEN MISSED. IT HAD LESS THAN 30K MILES ON IT AND THE CAR ITSELF WAS ONLY ABOUT TWO YEARS OLD. VIDEOS CAN BE PROVIDED UPON REQUEST.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026