2008 MINI Cooper S Clubman Engine Problems
- Complaints
- 3about this part
- Share
- 27%of 11 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 92,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 3 complaints about the engine of the 2008 MINI Cooper S Clubman, 27% of the 11 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 92,000 miles.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“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.”
NHTSA complaint #10492944, filed 2013-01, 92,000 miles“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.”
NHTSA complaint #10664266, filed 2014-12, 146,000 miles“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.”
NHTSA complaint #10648667, filed 2014-10, 88,512 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10171506Jan 1, 2020CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT: N14 HIGH-PRESSURE FUEL PUMP (HDP) SERVICE BENEFIT CLASS VEHICLES: The MINI vehicle may experience a sudden engine operational failure reduced or loss of…
- 10162441Jul 12, 2019"Cooper S with N14: Diagnosis for Misfire Faults. The Service Engine Soon (MIL) lamp is illuminated and/or the customer complains that the engine runs rough (engine cold or warm)…
- 10193497Jul 29, 2016MINI Water Pump Class Action Settlement
- 10147700Mar 1, 2015"Engine Cranks, No Start and/or Engine Coolant Temperature Faults. 1 The engine either exhibits a crank, no start or a hard start (long crank), usually on a cold engine. No…
- 10147108Feb 1, 2015SI M11 01 12February 2015 EngineTechnical Service This Service Information bulletin supersedes SI M11 01 12 dated March 2014. designates changes to this revision SUBJECT N16 and…
- 10148293Apr 1, 2014N16 and N18 Engine Oil Leak. The customer states that a small engine oil leak can be seen from the underside of the engine. CAUSE The internal sealing of the oil pump volume…
- 10147960Jan 1, 2014"N14 and N18 Engine: High-pressure Pump Repair Instruction. INFORMATION The current version of ISTA/D Repair Instruction 13 51 017, ""Removing and installing or replacing…
- 10147957Jan 1, 2014Service Action: N14 Engine Check Timing Chain Tensioner and Timing Chain. The timing chain tensioner applies pre-tension to the timing chain guide rail mechanism. In some cases…
- 10147956Jan 1, 2014"N16 and N18 Engine Oil Leak. The customer states that a small engine oil leak can be seen from the underside of the engine. CAUSE The internal sealing of the oil pump volume…
- 10044680Jan 1, 2014Mini: on certain model vehicles, an engine oil leak may occur, due to the compromised oil pump volume control solenoid valve, from the underside of engine. No model years listed…
Engine: other model years
Other parts of the 2008 MINI Cooper S Clubman
3 complaintsEngine cooling
3 complaintsElectrical system
1 complaintsEquipment
1 complaintsBody and structure
1 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2008 MINI Cooper S Clubman
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology