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KLUNK
KLUNK

2008 Mini Cooper

The Verdict

45 Proceed with Caution

The 2008 Mini Cooper has 282 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are engine (178 complaints) and electrical (82 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 45/100, it earns a "Proceed with Caution" rating. If you're shopping for a Mini Cooper, consider the 2010 model year which has 63% fewer complaints.

Safe Bet

The 2010 has 63% fewer complaints

View the 2010 Mini Cooper dashboard →

45

Klunk Score: Proceed with Caution

About average for complaint volume. Research the specific issues before buying.

How is this calculated?

The Klunk Score ranks this vehicle year against all others in our database based on total owner complaints filed with NHTSA. 100 = fewest complaints (top tier), 0 = most complained-about. Scores above 60 are better than average; below 40 means more problems than most.

Get notified if a recall hits this car.

We email you when NHTSA issues a new recall on the 2008 Mini Cooper. No spam, no marketing.

Under the Hood

Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.

YearBodyBrakesElectricalEngineTransmission
20021515551840
200333910484990
20044513351921
200558161744042
200611942014641
20073429623215
2008122821788
200914177571
20109443451

By Category

Engine
178
Electrical
82
Body
12
Transmission
8
Brakes
2

By Severity

1
128
2
127
3
9
4
18

Worst Problems

Complaints

Electrical 1

NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V205000 , this recall was not for my vehicle. according to the numbers and years but, it was manufactured at the same time in 2007 . SAME AS CONVERTABLE BY THE SAME COMPANY... plus they have not fixed FRM.i boutght this car possibly 3rd hand but i regisdtered with Mini. so my codes are up and the wanring lights are there and i was wanting the information as to what the part number or serial number is for the recalled part, would that not be a way to confirm if it is part of a problem?

24mo ago
Electrical 1

The contact owns a 2008 Mini Cooper. The contact stated that the rear headlight remained illuminated after turning off the vehicle. The contact was forced to put the key in and out of the ignition or disconnect the battery to resolve the issue. The contact then received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V337000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

27mo ago
Electrical 1

The contact owns a 2008 Mini Cooper S. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the windows would roll down independently and the sunroof would fail to close completely. The vehicle was taken to AutoZone, where it was diagnosed that the failure was related to the braking system; however, the contact stated that new brake hardware had been installed on the vehicle. The contact related the failures to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V337000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 111,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

28mo ago
Electrical 1

The contact owns a 2008 Mini Cooper. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V337000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

31mo ago
Electrical 2

The contact owns a 2008 Mini Cooper S. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V337000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

32mo ago
Electrical 1

The contact owns a 2008 Mini Cooper Hardtop. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V337000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted and determined that the parts were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that the parts were not available. The contact had not experienced a failure the contacts headlight went out. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

33mo ago
Electrical 1

The contact owns a 2008 Mini Cooper. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V337000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

33mo ago
Electrical 1

The contact owns a 2008 Mini Cooper. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the electrical system became inoperable. The contact stated that the windows, headlights, radio, and other safety features were inoperable. Additionally, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle had been diagnosed by an independent mechanic. The contact was informed that the failure was caused by a rusted footwell control module. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 89,000.

34mo ago
Electrical 1

Occupant side airbag sensor is defective my mechanic put a code reader to verify it’s a 2008 hatchback and I see they have recalled all the convertibles but not the sedans I would think the same airbag sensor is in my car are there any updates to my car because the replacement is very very expensive and the airbag failure light is a pain to have displaying That contact added that the vehicle only had about 36,000 miles on it.

37mo ago
Engine 1

While driving the car at aproximately 25mph, the engine and the car stopped running. All dashboard warning lamps were off prior to the engine failure The car rolled to the side of the road to get out of the way of other traffic. The service engine warning lamp was on after the engine shut off and stopped running. The car was towed to a service station, and they too could not get the car to start. The mechanic's troubleshooting ultimately found the engine's internal timing chain had broken, causing multiple of other internal engine components to become damaged. The engine required detailed repair to replace the damaged engine parts to get it to start operating again. The costs for the repairs were over $5000.00.

37mo ago
Engine 1

Timing Chain and tensioner rattle. Known recall issue but not showing recall

38mo ago
Electrical 2

Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) Airbag Warning Light has come on indicating a malfunction with this safety system and consequently that the airbag safety system may not deploy in the event of an accident. This problem is not unique to my specific vehicle and appears to be a very common issue amongst BMW Mini vehicles as evidenced by much discussion on forums across the internet.

43mo ago
Electrical 2

This vehicle just went over 66,000 miles and the airbag warning light started appearing. An independent mechanic and dealership both diagnosed and said it's a defective front passenger seat occupant detection mat and I'd need to replace the entire system/seat. Several other vehicles with the same part have recalls however my specific 2008 model is not included in this recall. I believe it should be included in the recall as this is clearly a known issue and an obvious safety system/design flaw. No sort of crash or collision occurred and now the vehicle will not pass safety inspection and is unusable because of this until I spent roughly $2000 on the repair.

46mo ago
Electrical 2

Hello, An airbag sensor recall was issued in 2015 and Mini Cooper refuses to fix this safety issue. They are saying this recall is expired, but it has not been 10 years and the car only has 54,000 miles. This is a known defect. Car is currently broken. https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a15355121/bmw-recalls-91800-mini-coopers-for-airbag-sensors/ https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/bmw-recalls-91-000-mini-coopers-over-air-bag-sensor-n344226 https://www.aboutlawsuits.com/minicooper-recall-81033/ https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/2005-08-mini-cooper-recalled-for-airbag-problem.html This should be covered by the manufacturer. Thank you, [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

49mo ago
Electrical 2

The contact owns a 2008 Mini Cooper. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the headlights and taillights failed to illuminate as needed. The contact was able to drive safely to the residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with footwell (FRM) module failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 104,000.

53mo ago
Electrical 2

MY AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT IS ALWAYS ON. THE MACHANIC SAID I NEED TO REPLACE THE WHOLE PASSENGER SEAT TO REPLACE THE AIRBAG SENSOR. A NEW SEAT WILL COST $1500 AND LABOR WILL COST $500. I WAS NOT IN AN ACCIDENT.

64mo ago
Electrical 1

PASSENGER SEAT AIRBAG OCCUPANT SENSOR/MAT FAILED CAUSING AIRBAG LIGHT TO BE ON AND FOR AIRBAGS NOT TO DEPLOY INCASE OF A ACCIDENT . MINI DID NOT RECALL THIS ISSUES BUT PUT A WARRANTY EXTENSION FOR 10YEARS FOR THIS DEFECT THEY ARE AWARE ABOUT. THIS HAS EXPIRED FOR MANY VEHICLES INCLUDING MINE . THIS IS SAFETY ISSUE THAT'S A POTENTIAL RISK OF INJURY OR DEATH INCASE OF A ACCIDENT AND THE FACT THAT MINI COOPER DOES NOT RECALL THIS MATTER IS INHUMAN . PLEASE HELP WITH THIS MATTER.

65mo ago
Engine 1

WHEN PRESSING THE BREAK, THE ENGINE REVS. I TURNED ON THE CAR AND PRESSED THE BREAK. THE ENGINE REVVED. WHEN I PRESSED THE BRAKE AGAIN IT REVVED UP TO 7000 RPM. I TURNED OFF THE CAR. I DID THIS SEVERAL TIMES AND IT CONTINUED TO HAPPEN. I WAS AFRAID TO PUT THE CAR IN GEAR. WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD A MONTH AGO THE MINI ENGINE RPM RAISED AND THE CAR WENT FASTER EVEN THOUGH I WAS NOT PRESSING THE GAS. I WAS ABLE TO STOP IT.

66mo ago
Electrical 1

AIRBAG SENSOR FAILS TO PASS THE VEHICLE'S INTERNAL SAFETY CHECK AND A WARNING LIGHT IS DISPLAYED. THIS LIGHT INDICATES THAT THERE IS A FAULT WITH THE AIRBAG, AND IT WILL NOT DEPLOY IF INVOLVED IN A WRECK WHILE THIS LIGHT IS ON. FOR THE PAST 9 MONTHS, THIS SENSOR HAS BEEN COMING ON INTERMITTENTLY AT FIRST, AND NOW IT STAYS ON CONSTANTLY WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN OPERATION. A SAFETY RECALL WAS ISSUED FOR THIS PROBLEM FOR OTHER MODELS/YEARS OF THE MINI COOPER, BUT WHEN I LOOK UP MY VIN IT SHOWS NO RECALL. IN ONLINE SEARCHES, I SEE MANY OTHER OWNERS OF THIS SAME MAKE/MODEL OF MINI COOPER WHO HAVE THE SAME ISSUE. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE, ONE THAT SHOULD BE COVERED BY THE MANUFACTURER, NOT AN EXPENSE I SHOULD HAVE TO INCUR.

66mo ago
Electrical 2

THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANT DETECTION MAT SENSOR HAS FAILED. THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG IS NOT ACTIVATE IN A CRASH WHEN THE SEAT IS OCCUPIED. RECALLS ACTIVE FOR THIS EXACT ISSUE FOR THE SAME MAKE IN OTHER YEARS AND MODELS ARE CURRENTLY RECALLED HOWEVER OTHERS ARE EXCLUDED.

69mo ago

282 total

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