2008 MINI Cooper problems
NHTSA has received 156 complaints about the 2008 MINI Cooper, and 37% of them involve engine. Next are air bags (28%) and drivetrain & axles (7%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 156 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 37% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 8 and 7
- Injuries and deaths
- 15 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 58,000 miles 120 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 17 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 11 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 34 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 17 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 22 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 10 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 5 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 1 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 3 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 120 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 58,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 55,000 miles (47 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 8 complaints mention a crash; 7 complaints mention a fire; 15 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2008 ranks 6th most-complained-about out of 16 model years of the MINI Cooper with enough data (53 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 mini cooper sport. While removing groceries from the rear of the vehicle, the contact burned her leg on the exhaust pipe, which was located in the middle rear of the vehicle. The dealer gave her the number to the manufacturer, and they stated that they would get back with her. Since that time, the dealer stated that nothing else could be done due to the design of the exhaust system. She was advised to not get too close to the exhaust. The failure and current mileages were 1,400.
On 9/3/08 I leaned into the rear of my 2008 mini cooper to retrieve grocery bags and my bare leg (right leg) came into contact with the tail pipe of the vehicle. The tail pipe was hot as in "like a red-hot poker" and I received an extremely painful crescent shaped burn on my lower leg from the tail pipe. The tail pipe protrudes beyond the bumper by at least an inch.
Ltr from congressman maurice d. Hinchey on behalf of constituent, who suffered a leg burn from the tailpipe of her 2008 mini cooper.
Air bag and seat belt warning light on. The dealership said it will cost $2600 to replace the parts. This is a serious safety issue, not wear or tear. Existing recalls for air bags have not included my vehicle make/model.
Airbag sensor mat does not recognize whether a person is sitting on the passenger side thereby not activating the airbag; this has been happening on & off for months; passenger airbag light comes on immediately despite occupancy while parked and during driving (all conditions-highway, city street, turning; etc. Started approximately from 75k miles; now constant from 85k on