There are 3 owner-reported speed control & cruise complaints for the 2008 MINI Cooperin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
WHEN PRESSING THE BREAK, THE ENGINE REVS. I TURNED ON THE CAR AND PRESSED THE BREAK. THE ENGINE REVVED. WHEN I PRESSED THE BRAKE AGAIN IT REVVED UP TO 7000 RPM. I TURNED OFF THE CAR. I DID THIS SEVERAL TIMES AND IT CONTINUED TO HAPPEN. I WAS AFRAID TO PUT THE CAR IN GEAR. WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD A MONTH AGO THE MINI ENGINE RPM RAISED AND THE CAR WENT FASTER EVEN THOUGH I WAS NOT PRESSING THE GAS. I WAS ABLE TO STOP IT.
DRIVERS FOOT WELL GETS SO HOT THAT YOU CAN NOT TOUCH THE PLASTIC BY THE ACCELERATOR AND YOUR FOOT STARTS COOKING AFTER 20 MINUTES OR SO.
WHEN THE CAR ACCELERATING ON THE FIRST AND SECOND GEAR, THERE WAS A SMALL JERKING MOTION. TOOK IT TO THE SHOP AND THEY DIDN'T FIND ANY PROBLEM WITH THE CAR. ONE THE DAY OF THE INCIDENT DATE, 01/08, WHEN I STARTED THE CAR, THE CAR HAVE A LOUD ENGINE SOUND, SOUNDS LIKE THE CAR IS CHOCKING FOR AIR. THE ENGINE LIGHT IS ON WITH THE RPM POINTER RUNNING UP AND DOWN (GAS PADDLE IS UNTOUCHED). TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THE NEXT DAY AND THEY FOUND THERE IS OIL LEAKING FROM THE OIL FEED LINE TO THE TURBO. $1200 TO REPLACE THE PART. DID SOME RESEARCH ONLINE AND FOUND MANY MINI OWNER HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026