The contact owns a 2006 Mini Coop S. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the passenger’s side seat occupancy mat had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist since the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V205000 (Air Bags). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 90,350.
2006 MINI Cooper S airbags problems
67 complaints (36% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 56,000.
- owner complaints
- 67
- of this car's complaints
- 36%
- typical mileage
- 56,000
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 1
Which part fails
- Sensor: occupant classification2
- Frontal2
- Sensor: occupant classification: front passenger1
- Frontal: sensor/control module1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
MINI Cooper S airbags problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2006 MINI Cooper S airbags
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
Air bags: frontal
- What is wrong
- 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, and exposure issues, the front passenger seat occupant detection mat may not function properly and, as a result, the front passenger air bag may not deploy in a crash.
- Risk
- 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.
Recall number 15V205000 · Recall details
What 2006 MINI Cooper S owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 mini cooper s. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag sensor light illuminated and remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the front passenger side air bag system was defective and needed to be replaced. South bay mini located at (18800 hawthorne blvd, torrance ca) was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 79,000.
The air bag detection warning remains active after dealer reinstallation of the seat detector pad.
Upon starting my car, after being in a store, the passenger airbag light came on while a passenger was in the seat. The indicator stayed on after turning the car off and back on. I researched to see if there were any recalls for a faulty passenger airbag covering my year, make and model, and found the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v205000. I contacted my local mini dealer and was told that there was no information pertaining to my car and that I needed to contact mini USA directly. I did so and was told that they also could not find any information pertaining to my car and that they needed to open an investigation in order to determine the status of my vehicle. I was told that because my car was purchased through an overseas military program the systems were not the same and that a supervisor would have to try and find the information and manually add it to the mini USA system. I was also asked, repeatedly, if my car was a canadian spec vehicle. It was not ordered as such. After several weeks of waiting, I called mini USA to inquire about the status of the investigation. I was told that I had already been notified that my car was not included on the recall for the airbag sensor issue. When I inquired as to why my vehicle was not covered for the exact problem for which the recall was issued, I was told that my case was now closed and if I had any other questions I needed to contact mini customer service.
I have a 2006 mini cooper s. Airbags replaced due to recall (2015 or 2016) at mini dealership. Now, may 15, 2018, seatbelt/airbag red light on on console. No airbag light on near mirror. Nothing on passenger seat - I am belted when I drive. This happens as I turn on ignition and stays on.
Recall notice no. 15v‑205 was received june 2015 for front passenger seat occupant detection mat sensor. As of 24 september 2015, dealer still does not have parts or "information" on recall.
I complained with mini cooper back in 2011 when my warranty expired and dealership said that replacement will be done out of pocket. I have been driving my car at risk; more often that not, I do not drive my car with a passenger in the front seat. Fast forward to 2015 with recall but unable to execute the recall due to lack of parts. The federal safety agency should investigate what the cause of delay and since the original part works albeit bad durability, force mini cooper/bmw to perform stop gap repairs with older parts, bypass sensor or change software code to disregard bad sensor input. The burden is too great for me to use my car with no passenger or passenger at risk. Stop gap repairs, including changing the software code and eliminate sensor input to disable the airbag can be a temporary repair. How hard is it for bmwq to short or "fake" the sensor signal, so the system would not disable the airbag; hence it would deploy when there's a passenger onboard. Put a sticker on the dashboard that says airbags are temporary active and child seats not allowed. My safety instinct tells me it is preferred to have the airbag active and deploy when needed. The number of potential child seat is most likely a very low number that most owners would prefer to have an active airbag. It is unacceptable that this is taking so long, and putting the owners at risk when there are stop gap measures available. Bypassing the sensor and having the airbags active seems to be the most logical one except the federal safety agency may be the problem for coming up with auto-sensors to prevent child seat activation. The federal safety agency should make a choice and decide what is more important, safety of the passengers, or having to give bmw instruction and waivers to allow stop gap and not put me and my passengers at risk.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 mini cooper s. The contact stated that the air bag warning light flashed repeatedly months after receiving notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v205000 (air bags); however, the dealer stated that the part was not available within a reasonable timeframe to schedule the recall repair. The dealer did not give a specific date for when the part would become available. The manufacturer could not provide an estimated date for when the contact's vehicle would receive the recall repair. The contact stated that the air bag light continued to flash for months. The failure mileage was unknown. Updated 11/06/15*lj the consumer stated the vehicle was scheduled to be repaired. Updated 2/2/2016*js
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 mini cooper s. The contact stated that the air bag warning light illuminated continuously. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v205000 (air bags); however, the parts needed were unavailable to perform the repairs. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall remedy. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 mini cooper s. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v205000 (air bags); however, the part needed to perform the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Questions about the 2006 MINI Cooper S airbags
Does the 2006 MINI Cooper S have airbags problems?
Owners have filed 67 complaints about the airbags of the 2006 MINI Cooper S, 36% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.
At what mileage do 2006 MINI Cooper S airbags problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 56,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2006 MINI Cooper S airbags?
Yes, 1 recall: 15V205000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the MINI Cooper S have bad airbags?
The MINI Cooper S model years with the most airbags complaints are 2005 (71 complaints), 2006 (67 complaints) and 2008 (30 complaints).
Other 2006 MINI Cooper S problems
Steering 48Electrical 23Engine 22Transmission 22Seats 15Visibility 11Fuel system 7Acceleration 3Brakes 3Suspension 3Seat belts 2Body 1Driver assistance 1Wheels 1
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2006 MINI Cooper S?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history