2008 MINI Cooper Clubman Owner Complaints

The contact owns a 2008 Mini Cooper Clubman. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V337000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. 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.

NHTSA ID

11609324

Incident

Aug 19, 2024

The contact owns a 2008 Mini Cooper Clubman. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V337000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with an electrical burning odor. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with footwell module failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11588482

Incident

Jul 4, 2023

Mileage

108,000 mi

I PURCHASED A 2008 CLUBMAN AND IT'S THE NON-TURBO BUT THE ENGINE HAS AN ISSUE WITH MULTIPLE MISFIRE CODES BEING SENT OUT TO THE OBD2 READER AS WELL AS SOME ECU CODES THAT IMPLY WEAK FUEL PRESSURE AND WHEN LOOKING UP AND TRYING TO FIND HOW TO REPLACE THE FUEL PRESSURE PUMP THEN I REALIZED I WAS NOT ALONE IN THIS ISSUE AND WONDER IF ANYONE ELSE HAS HAD THE THOUGHT TO ACTUALLY FILE A COMPLAINT SO THAT WAY SOMETHING CAN BE DONE SINCE IT'S A VERY FAULTY THING AND MOST OF THESE HAVE HAD ISSUES FROM 30000 MILES ABOUT BUT THEN FOR ALL THE OTHERS THAT ALSO HAVE IT AFTER THE WARRANTY DROPS TO INTENTIONALLY PUT IN A FAULTY PART I'M NOT SURE IF IT'S ILLEGAL OR NOT BUT IT SHOULD BE. I DO NO THAT IF THEY PUT IN ENOUGH FAULTY PARTS THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL MADE IF IT IS DETERMINED THAT THEY ARE AT FAULT AND NOT THE PEOPLE BUYING THEM OR MISTREATING OR NOT MAINTAINING ETC ETC... I STRONGLY URGE ANYONE ELSE THAT'S HAD THIS ISSUE TO ALSO MAKE YOUR OWN COMPLAINT IF IT HAS HAPPENED TO YOU, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAD TO BUY A NEW CAR BECAUSE OF IT. *TR

NHTSA ID

11329486

Incident

Jun 15, 2020

Mileage

151,000 mi

PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR FAILURE. THIS SEEMS LIKE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM ON THESE CARS. OF COURSE, THERE IS A RECALL ON PREVIOUS YEARS

NHTSA ID

11290028

Incident

Aug 2, 2019

Mileage

91,000 mi

VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE, WHILE I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY.

NHTSA ID

11133350

Incident

Sep 29, 2018

Mileage

75,000 mi

CAR HAS JUST OVER 100000 MILES BUT HAS BEEN CONSTANTLY OVERHEATING (HAVE TO FILL TANK ALMOST EVERY DAY). CANNOT FIND OUT THE SOURCE, BUT I NOTICED A RECALL ON THE WATER PUMP ON OTHER SIMILAR MODELS, BUT VIN SEARCH SAID MINE WAS OKAY. I FEEL THIS IS AN ERROR. PLEASE INFORM ME OF MY NEXT STEP. GETTING VERY FRUSTRATED. I WOULDN'T CONSIDER THIS HIGH MILEAGE FOR THIS CAR, AND I TAKE CARE OF IT.

NHTSA ID

11012947

Incident

Aug 5, 2017

Mileage

15 mi

WHILE DRIVING ON A CITY STREET, I WAS STOPPED IN TRAFFIC. I PULLED OFF IN FIRST GEAR AND THE CAR DIED. SEVERAL OTHER DRIVERS HELPED ME PUSH MY CAR TO A SAFE LOT.I THEN HAD THE CAR CHECKED OUT TO FIND THE TIMING CHAIN BROKE AND RUINED THE ENGINE. I BOUGHT THE CAR THROUGH CAR MAX WITH THEIR PRE OWNED, PRE CERTIFIED PROGRAM. MY CAR NOW HAS 80,000 MILES AS IT HAS SINCE MARCH 10TH 2017. I'M STILL MAKING PAYMENTS AND FULL COVERAGE INSURANCE PAYMENTS ON A CAR I CAN'T DRIVE. DO I HAVE ANY RECOURSE? ARE AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURERS NOT HELD ACCOUNTABLE. UNDER DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES, I COULD HAVE DIED OR BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED THAT DAY. THIS IS WIDESPREAD. THERE ARE LITERALLY 100S OF THOUSANDS OF MINI OWNERS WITH THE EXACT SAME ISSUE. THE TIMING TENSIONER BREAKS CAUSING THE TIMING CHAIN TO GIVE WAY. GOD FORBID THIS HAPPENS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. ENGLAND HAS RECALLED ALL THEIR MINI COOPERS A REPAIRED THEM. WHAT ABOUT AMERICA! SINCERELY,[XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ID

10992812

Incident

Mar 10, 2017

Mileage

80,000 mi

I TOOK MY CAR IN FOR A SERVICE ENGINE SOON WARNING LIGHT. THE ENGINE WAS/IS BURNING OIL. THE MINI STAFF TOLD ME THAT THIS WAS A DESIGN FLAW WITH THIS ENGINE. I NEED TO CHECK MY OIL LEVEL EVERY WEEK OR WHENEVER I FILL UP. KEEP PUTTING IN MORE OIL WHEN THE LEVEL GETS LOW. I HAVE SPENT A LOT OF MONEY FOR THEIR DESIGN FLAW. NO OFFER FROM MINI ABOUT REPLACING THE ENGINE. MINI TOLD ME TO WRITE TO HQ, WHICH I HAVE BUT NOTHING HAS COME OF IT. I AM TIRED OF PAYING FOR THEIR DESIGN FLAW AND I DON'T THINK I SHOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THEIR MISTAKE.

NHTSA ID

10969354

Incident

Aug 18, 2016

Mileage

98,218 mi

MY POWER STEERING INTERMITTENTLY GOES OUT. I HAVE TO STOP THE VEHICLE AND TURN OFF THE ENGINE. WHEN I TURN THE CAR BACK ON, THE POWER STEERING COMES BACK. WHEN THE POWER STEERING GOES OUT, IT IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO STEER THE CAR. THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES OVER THE LAST MONTH.

NHTSA ID

10956358

Incident

Feb 17, 2017

Mileage

88,000 mi

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY, AND THERE WAS NO ACCELERATION OF MY CAR, THE VALVES WERE CLATTERING AND HAD NO POWER. *TR

NHTSA ID

10946175

Incident

Jan 17, 2017

Mileage

79,226 mi

AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT ON BECAUSE OF FAULTY PASSENGER SIDE SEAT MAT SENSOR. AIRBAGS ARE DISABLED WITHOUT REPAIR/REPLACEMENT.

NHTSA ID

10925055

Incident

Oct 19, 2016

Mileage

112,000 mi

THE PASSENGER AIR BAG SEAT SENSOR IS NOT WORKING. AIR BAG INDICATOR DISPLAYS AIR BAG IS OFF WHEN A PASSENGER IS IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. MULTIPLE WARNINGS INDICATE A PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM FAILURE. NO INCIDENT OCCURRED TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN.

NHTSA ID

10885308

Incident

Nov 2, 2015

Mileage

74,807 mi

TIMING CHAIN GUIDE IS MADE OUT OF PLASTIC. IT BROKE APART AND FELL IN PIECES INTO THE OIL PAN. IT CAUSED THE ENGINE TO SEIZE AND THE VEHICLE WAS COMPLETELY INOPERABLE.

NHTSA ID

10859741

Incident

Feb 19, 2015

Mileage

80,352 mi

LEAKING TURBO OIL FEED LINE. OIL FEED LINE LEAKS OIL CAUSING SMOKE AND STRONG SMELL.

NHTSA ID

10839583

Incident

May 7, 2015

Mileage

85,000 mi

THE TIMING CHAIN ASSEMBLY IS FAILING AFTER HAVING THE CAR FOR LESS THAN 5,000 MILES AFTER BUYING IT USED FROM A MINI DEALERSHIP WHO HAD PERFORMED THEIR USUAL INSPECTIONS AND RESALE MAINTENANCE. APPARENTLY THE TIMING CHAIN IS INSIDE THE ENGINE CASING AND THE METAL CHAIN RUNS ALONG A PLASTIC GUIDE. THE TOP PORTION OF THE PLASTIC GUIDE HAS, IT APPEARS, FAILED, CAUSING A VERY LOUD ENGINE NOISE AND RISKING COMPLETE TIMING FAILURE WHICH, OF COURSE, COULD POTENTIALLY PRESENT SERIOUS MECHANICAL AND SAFETY ISSUES IF IT HAPPENS AT HIGH SPEED. I HAVE FOUND WIDE REPORTS OF THIS HAPPENING SIMILARLY IN OTHER CARS, HOWEVER AFTER A QUICK SEARCH, I DON'T SEE THIS ISSUE LISTED ON THIS NHTSA SITE, SO I THOUGHT IT SHOULD BE ADDED. SEE THESE LINKS FOR REFERENCE: HTTP://WWW.CONSUMERAFFAIRS.COM/NEWS/CONSUMERS-COMPLAIN-OF-MINI-COOPER-TIMING-BELT-FAILURES-080113.HTML AND HTTP://BLOG.AUTOWORKSTX.COM/2014/10/MINI-COOPER-TIMING-CHAIN-ISSUES/

NHTSA ID

10764078

Incident

Sep 11, 2015

Mileage

111,200 mi

THE SEAT BELT WARNING INDICATOR IS LIT UP WHILE THERE IS NO ONE PRESENT IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT.WHEN THERE IS A PASSENGER IN THE SEAT, THE AIR BAG IS OFF INDICATOR LIGHT IS SOMETIMES ILLUMINATED. THE WARNING INDICATOR IS INTERMITTENT AND THE SEAT BELT WARNING INDICATOR IS INTERMITTENT. THERE ARE NO ERROR CODES THAT ARE PULLING FROM THE STANDARD OBD PORT. THERE IS A LONG HISTORY OF KNOWN ISSUES RELATED TO THE PASSENGER MAT. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF MY PASSENGERS AND THE AIRBAG SYSTEM AS A WHOLE.

NHTSA ID

10722461

Incident

Jan 7, 2015

Mileage

90,000 mi

I TOOK THE CAR TO THE LOCAL AUTHORIZED MINI COOPER DEALER WHERE A DIAGNOSTIC WAS RUN. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE PASSENGER SEAT MAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN THE INTEGRITY OF THE AIRBAG SYSTEM. MINI COOPER HAS BEEN FORCED TO RECALL 2008 CONVERTIBLES FOR THIS PROBLEM, BUT REFUSES TO FIX THE SAME YEAR COUNTRYMAN MODELS. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT REQUIRED ME TO PAY TO HAVE THE PASSENGER SEAT REPLACED. THIS REPAIR COST ME $ 1,800, AND MINI COOPER REFUSES TO COMPENSATE ME FOR THE REPAIR.

NHTSA ID

10717720

Incident

Jul 7, 2014

Mileage

19,563 mi

DRIVING WITH AN ADULT IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, THE "PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG IS OFF" LIGHT TURNED ON. AFTER SHIFTING IN THE SEAT THE LIGHT TURNED OFF. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES. THIS IS AN ISSUE WITH THE AIRBAG MAT AND IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR MINIS. HAVE ALSO REPORTED THIS PROBLEM WITH A 2005 MINI COOPER. READING ONLINE NUMEROUS OTHER PEOPLE HAVE HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS. KEEP WAITING FOR A RECALL BECAUSE IT IS AN EXPENSIVE PROBLEM TO FIX. *TR

NHTSA ID

10649123

Incident

Oct 10, 2014

THE PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY LIGHT LIT UP IN 2 PLACES ON DASH INFORMATION-THERE WAS NO OCCUPANT IN THE SEAT. RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE @ MINI COOPER WEB SITES INDICATES THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND HAS PERSISTED FOR AT LEAST 10 YEARS. IT IS AN EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE REPAIR (USUALLY BETWEEN $1600 & $2600) AS THE OCCUPANCY SENSOR (FOR AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT) IS SEWN INTO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEAT & THE REPAIR CALLS FOR THE BOTTOM COVER OF THE SEAT TO BE REPLACES WITH A NEW SENSOR PRE-SEWN IN. THE SITES OFFER "EMULATOR" KITS WHICH TRICKS THE SENSOR-BUT WILL PROHIBIT AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT IN MANY CASES. THE KITS SELL FOR APPROXIMATELY $79.00. THIS IS A REAL SAFETY DANGER. *TR

NHTSA ID

10609941

Incident

Jun 24, 2014

Mileage

19,400 mi

AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT WENT OFF EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT. NO ONE WAS SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, AND I (THE DRIVER), HAD MY BELT ON. I TRIED BUCKLING THE PASSENGER BELT, BUT THE LIGHT REMAINED ON. I THINK THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE I DO NOT KNOW IF THE AIRBAG IS DEFECTIVE, OR WHETHER THERE IS A SENSOR PROBLEM, AND THE SEAT BELT AND AIRBAGS FOR THE PASSENGER ARE OPERABLE. THERE APPEAR TO BE A LOT OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT FALSE AIRBAG LIGHTS, ILLUMINATING. *TR

NHTSA ID

10606753

Incident

Jun 25, 2014

Mileage

19,475 mi

PLAYING GOLF, CAR IS IN PARKING LOT. ENGINE CATCHES FIRE, DESTROYED FRONT HALF OF CAR, ENGINE FELL ON PAVEMENT . *TR

NHTSA ID

10534785

Incident

Aug 9, 2013

Mileage

38,950 mi

PLEASE REFER TO MY PREVIOUS COMPLAINT 10443238 FOR THE INITIAL INFORMATION. THIS COMPLAINT IS THE FOLLOW UP. THE CAR WENT IN TO THE DEALER FOR THE DIESELING SOUND THE CAR WAS MAKING. THE DIAGNOSIS WAS THAT TIMING CHAIN WAS STRETCHED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. OTHER ASSOCIATED COMPONENTS SUCH AS THE CHAIN TENSIONER WOULD ALSO HAVE TO BE REPLACED. TOTAL COST IS $2200. I STARTED RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE ON THE INTERNET TO SEE IF OTHERS HAVE HAD THIS ISSUE. THIS LED TO A WEBSITE 'NORTHAMERICANMOTORING.COM'. USING THE SEARCH OF TIMING CHAIN, THERE WERE 15 PAGES OF COMPLAINTS FROM PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD THIS EXACT SAME REPAIR DONE ON THEIR CARS. SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP WITH THESE TIMING CHAIN REPAIRS OR EVEN COMPLETE TIMING CHAIN BREAKAGE, THAT BMW HAS ISSUE A SERVICE BULLETIN TO OUTLINE THE REPAIRS NECESSARY TO SERVICE ALL THESE CARS. THE BULLETIN NUMBER IS M11 02 07. ABOUT A DOZEN PARTS HAVE TO BE REPLACED UNDER THIS SERVICE BULLETIN. WHEN THE TIMING CHAIN STRETCHES TOO FAR OUT OF SPEC OR JUST BREAKS, AND THE CAR IS UNDER WARRANTY, BMW WILL FIX IT. IF IT'S OUT OF WARRANTY, THE $2200 COST IS THE CUSTOMERS PROBLEM. BMW WILL NOT ADMIT THAT THESE PARTS WERE UNDER ENGINEERED, BUT THEY ARE. THE REPLACEMENT TIMING CHAIN AND TENSIONER ARE MORE ROBUST TO HANDLE THE ENGINE LOADS. IF THE PARTS WERE PROPERLY ENGINEERED IN THE FIRST PLACE, BMW AND IT'S CUSTOMERS WOULD NOT HAVE HAD TO MAKE ALL THESE EXPENSIVE REPAIRS. IN SOME CASES WHEN THE TIMING CHAIN BROKE WHEN THE CAR WAS STILL WITHIN WARRANTY, INTAKE AND EXHAUST VALVES RAN INTO THE PISTONS CAUSING THE NEED FOR ENTIRE ENGINE REPLACEMENT. THE COST FOR THAT WAS $9000. IF THIS HAPPENED WHEN THE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY, THE CUSTOMER HAD TO PAY THE $9000. BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE AFFECTED, THIS ISSUE JUST SCREAMS RECALL BUT BMW WILL NOT STEP UP TO IT. PLEASE BEGIN AN INVESTIGATION AND HELP US!! *TR

NHTSA ID

10444747

Incident

Jan 16, 2012

Mileage

55,150 mi

THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY AIRBAG SENSOR HAS FAILED. CONSEQUENTLY THE FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG IS TURNED OFF EVEN IF THE SEAT IS OCCUPIED. THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH PREVIOUS MINI'S AND BMW'S AND WARRANTS A SAFETY RECALL. THIS IS AN EXPENSIVE REPAIR AND PREVIOUS OLDER MODEL MINI'S AND BMW'S HAVE BEEN RECALLED TO FIX THIS ISSUE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10443945

Incident

Jul 15, 2011

Mileage

65,000 mi

I HAVE THE S (TURBO) MODEL. WHEN IT'S COLD OUTSIDE (LESS THAN 40 DEGREES) AND THE ENGINE IS COLD (SITTING OVERNIGHT) IT SOUNDS LIKE A DIESEL ENGINE AT START UP. THE FIRST 60 SECONDS OF IDLE IS AWFUL. THE ENGINE CLATTERS LIKE A DIESEL AND THERE IS A BUZZ AS WELL. LIKE A LOOSE HEAT SHIELD OR SOMETHING. I HAVE HAD MANY CARS AND TRUCKS IN MY LIFE AND I HAVE NEVER HAD A VEHICLE SOUND LIKE THIS AT IDLE WHEN IT'S COLD. THE ENGINE OIL IS FULL AND I HAVE SYNTHETIC OIL IN IT. SO OIL VISCOSITY CANNOT BE AN ISSUE. I AM WORRIED THAT ENGINE DAMAGE IS BEING DONE AND I AM GOING TO GET STUCK WITH AN ENGINE OR CYLINDER HEAD REBUILD OR REPLACEMENT. AFTER ABOUT A MINUTE, THE ENGINE BEGINS TO QUIET DOWN AND THEN SMOOTHES OUT. BUT THOSE START UPS!! ABSOLUTELY GOD AWFUL. I WOULD LOVE TO SEE AN INVESTIGATION STARTED ON THIS VEHICLE. I HAVE READ ABOUT THIS ISSUE IN MINI COOPER FORUMS ONLINE AND THIS IS A WIDESPREAD AND COMPLAINED ABOUT ISSUE. BMW HAS APPARENTLY TRIED A NUMBER OF FIXES TO NO AVAIL, BUT SOMETHING HAS TO BE WRONG. SOMETHING IS JUST NOT ENGINEERED CORRECTLY. I BOUGHT THE CAR USED IN THE SPRING OF 2011 AND THE TEMPERATURES WERE WARM ENOUGH THAT THE COLD START CLATTERING WASN'T TOO BAD. BUT BY OCTOBER WHEN THE MORNING LOWS WERE COLDER, THE PROBLEM REALLY BEGAN TO SHOW UP. NOTHING HAS BROKEN YET BUT IT SURE SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING IS READY TO LET LOOSE. HELP! *TR

NHTSA ID

10443238

Incident

Oct 3, 2011

Mileage

52,000 mi

2008 MINI CLUBMAN. SPEEDOMETER IS NOT ACCURATE OFF BY APPROX. 5-6 MPH AT 60 MPH. DEALER DID NOT CARE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10419591

Incident

Aug 8, 2008