Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2008 MINI Cooper S Convertible, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Seats3
- Air bags3
- Unknown or other1
- Engine and engine cooling1
- Structure1
- Suspension1
- Service brakes, hydraulic1
- Electrical system1
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 1 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 2 variants: combined 9.6–10.4 L/100 km (about 23–25 mpg US), CO₂ 221–239 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooper S Convertible · Minicompact · Premium gasoline | 11.0 | 8.0 | 9.6 |
| Cooper S Convertible · Minicompact · Premium gasoline | 12.1 | 8.3 | 10.4 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
1 Transport Canada recall for the 2008 MINI Cooper S Convertible.
| 2015147 7 Apr 2015 | Seats And Restraints On certain vehicles, the front passenger seat occupant detection mat can fatigue over time. As a result, the passenger airbag could deactivate, illuminating th… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
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.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What MINI told its dealers about the 2008 MINI Cooper S Convertible: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 10244507 | 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 reason, a battery replacement will permanently eliminate the problem only in the rarest of cases. The energy diagnosis test module helps to localize these causes. This document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle discharged battery complaints. Without performing the energy |
| 10193497 | MINI Water Pump Class Action Settlement |
| 10151228 | 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. |
| 10149392 | 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. |
| 10148394 | Installation of Right-Hand Drive Steering Spindle in Left-Hand Drive Vehicle. Supply shortage of left-hand drive steering spindles |
| 10148241 | 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. |
| 10134994 | AISIN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISISON: RIGHT SIDE OUTPUT SHAFT SEAL REPLACEMENT |
| 10057570 | 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 |
| 10044719 | MINI: THERE IS A SOFTWARE ERROR CAUSING THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT TO BE ILLUMINATED THAT IS RELATED TO VALVETRONIC DIAGNOSTICS. MODELS R55, R56, R58, R57, R60, R59. NO MODEL YEARS LISTED. *PE |
| 10044699 | MINI: WHEN RESEALING ENGINE OIL PAN, ENGINE OIL PAN GASKET REPLACEMENT SHOULD NO LONGER BE USED DUE TO CAUSING SEALING FLANGE BECOMING DEFORMED. MODELS R55, R56, R59, R60, R57, AND R58. NO MODEL YEARS LISTED. *PE |
| 10044680 | MINI: ON CERTAIN MODEL VEHICLES, AN ENGINE OIL LEAK MAY OCCUR, DUE TO THE COMPROMISED OIL PUMP VOLUME CONTROL SOLENOID VALVE, FROM THE UNDERSIDE OF ENGINE. NO MODEL YEARS LISTED. *PE UPDATED 4/19/2013. *KB UPDATED 3/11/14. *PE |
| 10043725 | MINI: AFTER DRIVE-AWAY LOCKING ACTIVATES, IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO UNLOCK THE BOOT. *KB |
| 10043724 | MINI: INSTALLATION OF A HEAT SHIELD FOR THE BONNET INTAKE AIR GRILL. *KB |
| 10043722 | MINI: INFORMATION PROVIDED REGARDING PROCEDURE OF REPLACING FUEL LEVEL SENSOR DUE TO FAILURE ON THE RIGHT AND/OR LEFT SIDE. *PE |
| 10041389 | BMW: SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT MAY BE ON WITH STORED TROUBLE CODES AND REDUCED ENGINE POWER. THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP MALFUNCTIONS. *RM |
| 10040741 | BMW: ENGINE TOO HOT MESSAGE IS DISPLAYED WITH STORED TROUBLE CODES. THE WATER PUMP DOESNT POWER UP. *RM |
| 10040664 | BMW SERVICE CAMPAIGN: SEE DOCUMENT SEARCH BUTTON FOR OWNER LETTER. THERE MAY BE A PROBLEM WITH A VAPOR RECOVERY PUMP WHICH WILL CAUSE THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT TO COME ON. *RM |
| 10039593 | BMW: THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT IS ON WITH A FAULT STORED. THE WIRING UNDER THE SEAT MAY BE PINCHED OR DAMAGED. *RM |
| 10037305 | BMW: DESCRIPTION AND SPECIFICATIONS OF CRANKCASE VENTILATION SYSTEM. *RM |
| 10035884 | MINI: TEILECLEARING FOR N14/N18 ENGINE DRIVABILITY AND FUEL SYSTEM. ENHANCED TECHNICAL SUPPORT (TEILECLEARING) PROCESS HAS BEEN DEVELOPED TO HELP IDENTIFY THE ROOT CAUSES OFCUSTOMER COMPLAINTS RELATING TO THE N14/N18 DRIVABILITY AND FUEL SYSTEM *E.G., LONG CRANK, LOSS OF POWER, SES LAMP ON, ETC.). THIS PROCESS CAN ALSO HELP EXPEDITE THE DEFECT ERADICATION PROCESS, ONCE THE ROOT CAUSE HAS BEEN DETERMINED. NO MODEL YEARS LISTED. *PE |
| 10034867 | MINI (BMW): SERVICE ENGINE SOON (MIL) LAMP IS ILLUMINATED; THE ENGINE RUNS ROUGH WITH ANY MISFIRE FAULTS STORED IN THE DME-2771, 2772, 2773, 2775, 2776, 2777, 2779, 277A, 277B, 277D, 277E, 277F-COMBUSTION MISFIRE, CYLINDER 1..4. *PE UPDATED 3/4/11. *PE UPDATED 4/20/11. *PE UPDATED 8/10/11. *PE UPDATED 9/13/11. *PE UPDATED 10/23/12. *PE |
| 10030669 | MINI: WHEN REPLACING THE CYLINDER HEAD COVER ON A VEHICLE EQUIPPED WITH THE NEW N14 ENGINE, THE COVER WILL LOOK DIFFERENT IN APPEARANCE. THE REPLACEMENT COVER IS NOW EQUIPPED WITH A CRANKCASE VENTILATION SYSTEM PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE. NO MODEL YEARS LISTED. *PE |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
Engine compartment fire
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation