2008 Mini Cooper S Convertible problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Seats (2) · Suspension (1) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip (1)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Mini Cooper S Convertible model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (1)
Air Bags:frontal 2015-04-06 · campaign 15V205000 · 91,800 vehicles
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2005-2006 MINI Cooper and Cooper S vehicles manufactured January 5, 2005, to November 28, 2006, and 2005-2008 MINI Cooper Convertible and Cooper S Convertible vehicles manufactured January 5, 2005, to July 31, 2008. Due to manufacturing, installation, and exposure issues, the front passenger seat occupant detection mat may not function properly and, as a result, the front passenger air bag may not deploy in a crash.
Risk: An improperly functioning mat may cause the passenger frontal air bag to be inactive when the seat is occupied, and in the event of a crash, the air bag will not deploy, increasing the passenger's risk of injury.
Fix: MINI will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger seat occupant detection mat, free of charge. The recall began on October 12, 2015. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525.
Service bulletins (22)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Electrical System 2023-10-25 · M610607 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
mini electrical systems have continued to develop over the past few years. as a result, the demand on the batteries has increased. breakdowns due to an empty battery or problems in the vehicles electrical system can have various causes, most of which are not due to the battery itself. for this rea
Power Train 2018-02-01 · M240118 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
aisin automatic transmisison: right side output shaft seal replacement
Equipment 2016-07-29 · BMWJUL1316 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
mini water pump class action settlement
Steering 2016-03-01 · M320214 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this service information bulletin supersedes si 32 02 14 dated august 2014. subject installation of right-hand drive steering spindle in left-hand drive vehicle is no longer required. left-hand drive steering spindles are currently available.
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:other Fuel Types:turbo/Supercharger 2014-12-01 · SIM-11-10-14 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
mini: some vehicles have turbocharger noise and a lack or loss of performance, due to restriction of turbocharger oil supply, resulting in oil starvation and seizing of turbocharger assembly. model all. *pe
Power Train 2014-10-01 · M010514 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
mini cvt replacement parts warranty extension: additional 12 months with up to 50,000 accumulated miles. a mini vehicle's cvt assembly or component that was previously repaired and/or replaced by an authorized mini dealer or bmw center may experience a subsequent failure.
Showing the 6 most recent of 22 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2017-08-24 · Suspension · 64,000 mi“while traveling at or above 65 miles per. hour, vibration in front end. have had tires rotated, balances and front end checked out. unknown at this point and now must keep under 65 mph. unsafe to drive at or above 65.…”
2015-06-09 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip“tl* the contact owns a 2008 mini cooper s convertible. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v20500 (air bags); however, the part needed to do the repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was notified about the issue. the con…”
2014-05-02 · Electrical System · 27,330 mi“airbag warning light turned on when driving on highway. the service diagnosed faulty passenger seat occupancy detector and quoted $1,880 to fix. this problem seems common for this make based on forum websites. the car has only 28k mileage and sport seats. *tr…”
2013-02-08 · Seats · 30,000 mi“my passenger side seat, which has a weight-sensor to determine air-bag operation (on/off, full force, partial force) is faulty, and with a 110 lb person seated in there, the sensor still believes the person weighs below 25 lbs, and as such, disables the airbag. this is concerning to me as i drive with a passenger much of the time, and most of the …”
2011-01-28 · Seats · 21,000 mi“the seat heaters in my 2008 mini cooper s get way too hot. they have two temperature settings (one is hotter than the other) and either one gets too hot and you have to turn off the heater. if you don't turn it off it will continue to heat until it burns you. i believe this is a safety issue and i am certain that without turning the heater off the …”
2009-10-07 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 9,000 mi · 🔥 fire“tl* the contact owns a 2008 mini cooper s convertible. while parked in the garage overnight, the vehicle caught on fire. the fire department extinguished the flames. the insurance company was in the process of investigating the failure. he filed a complaint with the manufacturer. the failure mileage was 9,000. …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.