The footwell module is the FRM3, as on the BMWs of the same years, and it fails the same way: a voltage drop during a battery change or a jump start can corrupt its data, leaving lights stuck on and windows dead. A used module from another car is not plug-and-play — it has to be programmed to the car, which is why repairing the original is usually the better route.
Check the VIN for an open recall before paying for anything: MINI safety recall 23V-337 (2023) covers the footwell module on R56 Hardtops built November 2006 to November 2013 that were sold or registered in states that salt their roads in winter, because over time it can corrode — road salt is one of the factors MINI names — and short-circuit.
From a documented source: go-parts.com and automodulelab.com (FRM3 failures); ecutesting.com (Mini FRM3); MINI recall 23V-337 (SIM 61 05 23, Part 573 report).
Modules that fail on this one
- FRM (footwell module)The footwell module on E-series BMWs, Mini R5x and the F01/F10/F25 family — exterior lights, front windows, mirrors — and the module that can corrupt itself when voltage drops.
Work this generation comes in for
- Diagnostics & Electrical TroubleshootingComplex, intermittent and non-standard faults in electronic systems and the digital data buses (CAN, LIN, FlexRay, MOST), and in the wiring itself: parasitic drains, water damage, chewed or brittle harnesses.
- FRM3 Footwell Module RepairRepair of the FRM3 footwell module — the box behind dead lights, stuck windows and unresponsive signals on E-Series BMW and Mini. $200, comes back plug & play.
- Control Unit Replacement & AdaptationFull-cycle adaptation and synchronization of both new and used control units, component protection removal, and configuration to the specific car.
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