2008 Mini Cooper: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 155 complaints
155
Total Complaints
57,875mi
Median Mileage
ENGINE
Top Issue
8
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

40,000 25th Percentile
57,875 Median Mileage
89,018 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE
43
AIR BAGS
39
POWER TRAIN
11
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
10
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
7
SEATS
5
STEERING
4
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
3
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE
3
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
3

Severity Assessment

8
Crashes
7
Fires
15
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BMW MINI COOPER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE TRANSMISSION MONITOR LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT CONTROL PANEL. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE MONITOR. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE REPAIR, THE FAILURE RECURRED AND THE VEHICLE ..."
"TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MINI COOPER SPORT. WHILE REMOVING GROCERIES FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT BURNED HER LEG ON THE EXHAUST PIPE, WHICH WAS LOCATED IN THE MIDDLE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER GAVE HER THE NUMBER TO THE MANUFACTURER, AND THEY STATED THAT THEY WOULD GET BACK WIT..."
"FULL-GROWN ADULT PASSENGERS (WEIGHING IN EXCESS OF 120 POUNDS) SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT CAUSES THE PASSENGER-SIDE AIRBAG LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE, WHICH STATES, "PASSENGER-SIDE AIRBAG DISABLED". *TR"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28