Problems · NHTSA complaints

2008 MINI Clubman S problems

Owners filed 72 complaints about the 2008 MINI Clubman S with NHTSA between May 2009 and Jan 2026. The most-cited component is engine (32).

Complaints
72
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
6
Reported by owners
Injuries
1
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Engine32
  2. Air bags20
  3. Engine and engine cooling11
  4. Electrical system7
  5. Seats4
  6. Power train3
  7. Fuel/propulsion system2
  8. Steering2
  9. Vehicle speed control1
  10. Seat belts1
  11. Service brakes1
  12. Structure1
  13. Visibility1
  14. Equipment adaptive/mobility1

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 11, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20094
20105
20114
201210
20139
20149
20157
20167
20177
20183
20191
20201
20210
20220
20231
20242
20250
20262

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Engine

32 reports1 fire
“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”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 17, 2020Engine, Fuel/propulsion systemODI 11329486

Air bags

20 reports1 crash
“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".”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jan 2, 2026Air bagsODI 11708468

Engine and engine cooling

11 reports4 fires
“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.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 12, 2016Engine and engine coolingODI 10859741

Electrical system

7 reports2 fires
“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.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 19, 2024Electrical systemODI 11609324

Seats

4 reports
“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.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 16, 2016Air bags, SeatsODI 10885308

Power train

3 reports
“WHILE DRIVING UP AN INCLINE ON A SEMI-RURAL ROAD IN ORANGE COUNTY, CA, MY CAR APPEARED TO BE UNABLE TO SHIFT GEARS (IT IS AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION). MY HEAD LURCHED FORWARD AND BACK AGAIN FORCEFULLY, AND I WAS UNABLE TO DRIVE MORE THAN 20 MPH ON A 60 MPH SPEED LIMIT ROAD FOR THE NEXT MILE, UNTIL I ARRIVED AT MY DESTINATION. LUCKILY NO ONE WAS CLOSE BEHIND ME, OR I COULD HAVE BEEN REAR-ENDED, AND LUCKILY I WAS CLOSE TO MY FINAL DESTINATION. I DRIVE A 2008 MINI COOPER CLUBMAN S, AUTOMATIC WITH PADDLE SHIFTERS. IT IS ABOUT $8,300 TO $9,700 TO REPAIR IT (2 DIFFERENT REPAIR QUOTES OBTAINED). *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 26, 2013Power train, EngineODI 10532089
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 11, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.