RoadVitals

2008 MINI Cooper S Clubman Owner Complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full

Data refreshed

Complaints on fileComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
11
Latest Jan 2, 2026
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
3
Filed in the last 12 monthsReports filed with NHTSA in the trailing 365 days. Recent volume reflects attention and vehicle age as much as anything else.
2
Reports on file since Nov 25, 2009

What this page shows

Our database holds 11 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2008 MINI Cooper S Clubman. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Complaints, most recent first

Showing 1–11 of 11

Airbags
Filed Jan 2, 2026

AIR BAG LIGHT HAS BEEN LIT SINCE AROUND 2014. FOR SOME REASON MY 2008 MINI VIN IS NOT PART OF THE 2005-2008 MINI AIRBAG RECALL. WHAT SHOULD I DO, AS THIS ISSUE SHOULD BE PART OF THE RECALL.

NHTSA ID
11708471
Incident
Jan 1, 2026
Airbags
Filed Jan 2, 2026

THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT HAS BEEN SET OFF FOR MANY YEARS AND COMES BACK EVEN AFTER A COMPUTER REPLACEMENT. THIS IS THE LIGHT FOR THE PASSENGER BAG. THERE WAS A RECALL OF 2005 TO 2008 MINI FOR THIS EXACT ISSUE. FOR SOME REASON MY VIN IS NOT INCLUDED IN THIS RECALL. WHAT SHOULD I DO? THE AIRBAG OR SENSOR WAS NEVER "FIXED".

NHTSA ID
11708468
Incident
Jan 1, 2026
Engine
Filed Dec 15, 2014

I WAS HEARING A LOUD RATTLE AND BROUGHT MY MINI IN TO GET SERVICED RIGHT AWAY. IT WAS MISDIAGNOSED AND NOW I FEAR IT HAS CAUSED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE DUE TO A TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER ISSUE. THE CAR WILL LOSE POWER OUT OF NOWHERE. I HAVE READ THAT THIS IS NOT BEING CONSIDERED A SAFETY ISSUE BUT WHEN YOU LIVE IN MINNESOTA AND ARE TRYING TO GO THROUGH A BUSY INTERSECTION DURING A BLIZZARD AND THE CAR LOSES ALL POWER AND YOU ALMOST GET T-BONED BY A TRUCK I WOULD TEND TO DISAGREE. *TR

NHTSA ID
10664266
Incident
Oct 1, 2014
Mileage
146,000 mi
Engine
Filed Oct 19, 2014

WHILE DRIVING HOME ON SECONDARY ROAD, A LOUD ENGINE NOISE STARTED AND THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON BLINKING. I PULLED OVER AND HAD CAR TOWED TO MY GARAGE. THE DIAGNOSIS WAS THAT THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER BROKE AND HAD TO BE REPAIRD. THIS WAS DONE FOR A COST OF $567.97. IN RESEARCHING INFORMATION ABOUT THIS, IT APPEARS MANY OWNERS HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. I AM FILING THIS COMPLAINT IN HOPES THAT BMW REIMBURSES THIS EXPENSE FOR AN ISSUE THEY SEEM TO BE AWARE OF BUT ARE NOT TAKING RECALL ACTION WITH. *TR

NHTSA ID
10648667
Incident
Oct 1, 2014
Mileage
88,512 mi
Airbags
Filed Jun 17, 2013

AIR BAG LIGHT GOES OFF WITH CODE 93B1 PASSENGER HEAD AIRBAG NOT PRESENT. MINI KNOWS THIS IS AN ISSUE AS IT HAS ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN FOR THIS ISSUE. THE TSB NUMBER IS SI-M-65-10-08. THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE AND SHOULD BE RECALLED. *TR

NHTSA ID
10520269
Incident
Jun 9, 2013
Mileage
28,000 mi
Body & structureEngine
Filed Jan 14, 2013

ENGINE TIMING CHAIN BROKE WHILE DRIVING BECAUSE OF A FAULTY PLASTIC TENSIONER PIECE BRAKING. THIS ISSUE HAS SURFACED REPEATEDLY GLOBALLY, BUT NO RECALL ISSUED. THIS NEEDS TO BE RECALLED, IT IS CLEARLY A SAFETY ISSUE AND BECAUSE OF ONE SMALL LITTLE PLASTIC FAULTY PART COST ME CLOSE TO $5000. MINI/BMW NORTH AMERICA DOES NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THIS ISSUE NOR WANTS TO REIMBURSE ME FOR THE EXPENSES INCURRED TO KEEP DRIVING SAFELY. *TR

NHTSA ID
10492944
Incident
Jun 13, 2012
Mileage
92,000 mi
Powertrain (other)
Filed Oct 6, 2012

THE TRANSMISSION IN MY CAR IS GOING OUT AT ONLY 53 THOUSAND MILES... EVERY TIME I GOT TO TURN OFF MY CAR THE LIGHT POPS ON SAYING THEIR IS A ISSUE WITH MY TRANSMISSION..IT ALSO TAKES ME TURNING OFF MY CAR AND BACK ON FOR IT TO GET UN STUCK OUT OF PARK.. IM GETTING FED UP AND FEAR THAT SOMETHING WORSE WILL HAPPEN WITH MY CAR WHEN MY CHILD OR HUSBAND IS IN THE CAR WITH ME.. I'VE ONLY HAD THIS CAR A YEAR AND ALREADY PUT $1200 INTO A WATERPUMP AND THERMOSTAT WITH HOUSING ... AND THAT WAS HARDSHIP ON ME. *TR

NHTSA ID
10478895
Incident
Sep 28, 2012
Mileage
53,225 mi
ElectricalEngine
Filed May 4, 2012
Fire reported

I CAME HOME FROM WORK AND PARKED THE CAR IN HIS NORMAL PARKING SPACE ON THE BLACK TOP. I TURNED OFF THE CAR, PUT THE VEHICLE IN GEAR WITH THE PARKING BRAKE AND LOCKED THE DOOR. A MINUTE LATER, THE VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE. THE FIRE DEPT REPORT WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE IF THERE WAS A KEY LEFT IN THE IGNITION.

NHTSA ID
10458361
Incident
Mar 8, 2012
Mileage
35,000 mi
Engine
Filed Jul 12, 2010
Fire reported

TIMING CHAIN FAILURE. *TR

NHTSA ID
10342576
Incident
Jun 28, 2010
Mileage
68,312 mi
Engine
Filed Feb 15, 2010
Fire reported

MY 2008 MINI CLUBMAN S WAS PARKED AT THE POST OFFICE, WHEN SOMEONE CAME IN TO TELL ME MY CAR WAS ON FIRE. I RAN OUTSIDE TO FIND SMOKE POURING FROM UNDER THE HOOD, AND CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. I RAN BACK INSIDE TO GET A FIRE EXTINGUISHER, AND CAME BACK OUT TO FIND FLAMES COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD, ALONG WITH THE SMOKE. I EMPTIED THE EXTINGUISHER, BUT THE FLAMES KEPT COMING. BY THE TIME THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED, ONLY FIVE MINUTES LATER, THE FLAMES WERE 12 FEET HIGH, AND THE CAR WAS TOTALED. I HAVE FOUND REPORTS OF AT LEAST 30 OTHER SIMILAR INCIDENTS OF MINIS SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUSTING, BUT THE MANUFACTURER HAS, AS FAR AS I KNOW, DONE NOTHING TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ID
10310677
Incident
Nov 3, 2009
Mileage
16,000 mi
Other / unspecified
Filed Nov 25, 2009

THE MINI COOPER CLUBMANS 2008 AND 2009 HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM THAT THE TOYOTAS HAVE WITH THE FLOOR MATS. THEY ARE REALLY DANGEROUS. *TR

NHTSA ID
10293544
Incident
Nov 20, 2009
Mileage
8,000 mi

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .