2008 MINI Cooper S Convertible Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Cooper S Convertible years
- Not enough data 6th of 8 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 1 recall: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 7 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 MINI Cooper S Convertible. That ranks 6th out of 8 Cooper S Convertible model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (3 complaints, 43%), typically at around 28,665 miles. Complaints mention 1 fire, 1 injury. There is 1 safety recall covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 7owner complaints
- 1safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 0complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2008 MINI Cooper S Convertible problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 3 | 43% | 28,665 | — | — |
| Seats | 3 | 43% | 30,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 1 | 14% | 27,330 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 14% | 9,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 14% | — | — | — |
| Structure | 1 | 14% | 32,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 1 | 14% | 64,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 1 | 14% | 32,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2008 MINI Cooper S Convertible recalls (1)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Air bags:frontal
Problem: 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.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Engine compartment fire (PE11036) — opened Oct 11, 2011, closed Jun 11, 2012, led to recall 12V008000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
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.
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…
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
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…
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…
Other MINI Cooper S Convertible years
← 2007 Cooper S Convertible · 2009 Cooper S Convertible →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 Cooper S Convertible | 3 | 1 |
| 2011 Cooper S Convertible | 4 | 2 |
| 2010 Cooper S Convertible | 10 | 1 |
| 2009 Cooper S Convertible | 9 | 1 |
| 2008 | 7 | 1 |
| 2007 Cooper S Convertible | 8 | 2 |
| 2006 Cooper S Convertible | 36 | 1 |
| 2005 Cooper S Convertible | 61 | 1 |
See all MINI Cooper S Convertible problems by year, every MINI model, or the MINI VIN decoder.
Similar MINI models
Embed this 2008 MINI Cooper S Convertible badge on your site
Copy this code into your blog or forum post. It shows live complaint and recall counts and links back here.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2008 MINI Cooper S Convertible?
Owners most often report air bags, seats, electrical system problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 3 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2008 MINI Cooper S Convertible?
Yes, 1 safety recall. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2008 MINI Cooper S Convertible a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Cooper S Convertible model years, the 2008 has too little data to compare. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.