The 2008 MINI Cooper S Convertible has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 91,800 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 12 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
AIR BAGS15V2050002015-04-0691,800 affected
Defect
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,…
Consequence
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.
Remedy
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.
Complaints by component
AIR BAGS
3
SEATS
3
1injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
1
1fires
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
1
STRUCTURE
1
SUSPENSION
1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
1
Total complaints12
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“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.”
“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.…”
“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.…”
“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”
“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…”
“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…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationPE11036 Opened 2011-10-11 · closed 2012-06-11
Engine compartment fire
In a January 10, 2012 letter to NHTSA, BMW of North America, LLC. (BMW) submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR) identifying a defect in the electric auxiliary water pump in approximately 88,911 model year (MY) 2007-2011 Mini Cooper vehicles manufactured from November 14, 2006 through January 18, 2011 (Recall…
InvestigationPE11036 Opened 2011-10-11 · closed 2012-06-11
Engine compartment fire
In a January 10, 2012 letter to NHTSA, BMW of North America, LLC. (BMW) submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR) identifying a defect in the electric auxiliary water pump in approximately 88,911 model year (MY) 2007-2011 Mini Cooper vehicles manufactured from November 14, 2006 through January 18, 2011 (Recall…
InvestigationPE11036 Opened 2011-10-11 · closed 2012-06-11
Engine compartment fire
In a January 10, 2012 letter to NHTSA, BMW of North America, LLC. (BMW) submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR) identifying a defect in the electric auxiliary water pump in approximately 88,911 model year (MY) 2007-2011 Mini Cooper vehicles manufactured from November 14, 2006 through January 18, 2011 (Recall…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2008 MINI Cooper S Convertible as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.