2003 MINI Cooper: airbag warning light

7 of the 320 complaints about the 2003 MINI Cooper describe airbag warning light.

owner complaints: 7
of this car's complaints: 2%
typical mileage: 65,000
recalls: 0

Is there a fix? 2 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Airbag warning light by model year

2013
3
2012
4
2011
5
2010
5
2009
34
2008
19
2007
17
2006
70
2005
20
2003
7
2002
22

What owners say

Filed May 19, 2016 · Electrical, Engine · 102,000 miles · VA

While traveling north on us 221 from bent mountain, va to roanoke va my hydralic steering totally failed. As I travelled a short distance my brake light warning lights, ABS light, other brake system light, battery light and air bag warning light came on. I looked at the engine temperature guage and the temp was normal. I pulled into a parking lot, raised the hood, checked the fluids in the engine compartment and reentered the car. While sitting in the drivers seat I heard a loud explosion, looked forward and noted thick steam coming from the engine compartment. I turned the engine off, exited the car and when the steam dissipated I noted that the cooling system filling/overflow tank was split in half damaging a protecting cover on the firewall and sprayed a building wall and window with engine coolant 10 feet away in front of the vehicle. I had the car towed to martin's german service in cave spring, va. Because the closest dealership in located in north carolina 150 miles away. Due to service volume they will not be able to evaluate the problem until 24 may 2016.

Filed Apr 21, 2015 · Airbags · 65,000 miles · WA

The dashboard airbag warning lamp is always illuminated. The dealer wants thousands to fix this problem even though other model years have been recalled. We don't know if the airbag will operate correctly in an emergency.

Filed Aug 14, 2012 · Airbags · 93,000 miles · FL

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mini cooper. The contact stated that the air bag warning lamp illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 93,000.

Filed Feb 1, 2012 · Airbags, Electrical · OR

Beginning in approximately april of 2009, the airbag warning light has been on constantly. Anyone who is intelligent enough to use any internet search engine can find hundreds of accounts of the same issue. Due to what has been independently verified as a wiring problem in the seat sensors, the airbag warning light is always on and can cause the car to deploy with improper force. This is a widely known issue with mini owners, and several independent mechanics have all attributed the problem to a wiring harness underneath the seat that breaks due to moving the seat back and forth. Unless I'm missing pages from the manual, moving the seat back and forth is a normal function, and it should not be considered normal wear and tear if simply moving the seat back and forth can render the airbag sensor useless. Mini acknowledged this issue in 2006, and stated 'in the interest of customer satisfaction, we are extending the warranty coverage of the vehicle for defects that may occur, for this specific air bag warning lamp issue, on your vehicle for 10 years / 150,000 miles, whichever occurs first. Under terms of this warranty coverage, mini will cover all necessary repair costs related to this action.' I have been told three times by mini that this does not apply to my car. They cannot provide any information as to why it does not apply. They just tell me that my car is not eligible for this repair despite the fact that it clearly fits the bill. This is a major safety issue. The wiring is clearly defective, and nobody should have to pay out of pocket to have a defect corrected. Mini won't even pay to have a technician diagnose the issue.

Filed May 31, 2011 · Airbags · 33,000 miles · DC

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mini cooper. The contact stated that the air bag warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they diagnosed that the air bag module was faulty. The air bag module was replaced and the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 33,000 and the current mileage was 36,000. Updated 07/08/11

Filed Sep 8, 2004 · Airbags · 54,000 miles · MI

After starting the vehicle air bag warning light illuminated. The dealership was notifed, but did not resolve the problem.

Filed Jan 20, 2004 · Airbags, Body · 75 miles · CA

This car is less than a year old. So far the air bag indicator light malfunctioned, the radio was replaced, the passenger window motor was replaced, the navigation system display is about to be replaced, and two red marks on the takometer no longer light up.