Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number :15v205000 (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. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. The VIN was not available.
2005 MINI Cooper airbags complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 41, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper. While driving 35 MPH, the air bag light continued to illuminate on and off. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic who determined that the air bag needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,629. Updated 09/10/15*lj updated 11/07/2017
Mini has announced recall no. 15v‑205 regarding replacement of front passenger seat occupant detection mat sensor on mini cooper. My mini has this defect and in order to validate this air bag related defect, mini required me to pay a diagnostic fee. Now, mini is refusing to reimburse diagnostic fee needed to determine that airbag light was due to the defect associated with the front seat detection mat sensor. This fee should be reimbursed since mini acknowledges this is a defect for the front seat mat sensor.
Reported to mini of dallas : item c : client states the dash airbag light and off airbag light keeps coming on randomly while an adult is sitting and not sitting is passenger seat. This light continued to come on and off . 12/16/2014 reported same thing to parker mini of little rock, advised repair would cost $1236.88. The vehicle is not under warranty any more. Asked for a trade in price, thoroughly insulted by amount offered, due to airbag problem. 1/22/2015 mini of little rock got parts in and fault was resolved at owners expense of $ 1236.88 invoice # 1mcs11292. Please note : the vehicle was driven from 2/9/2009 thru 1/22/2015 with a passenger airbag that was not working, the vehicle being illegally driven, not to mention if we had been involved in an accident during that time. We were forced for our own safety to spend $1236.88 which we feel should be reimbursed under this recall. [xxx] [xxx] hot springs village, ar 71909 [xxx] [xxx]@sbcglobal.net information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).'
Please note that both mini cooper USA and nw mini (fife washington) are denying that recall 15v205000 exists. Both have refused to honor this recall. I spoke with a representative at 866‑825‑1525 and he indicated that mini views this as "media hype" and that they have no information about an actual recall.
The passenger air bag light, noting that the airbag is turned off, remains on even with a passenger present. With no passenger present in the seat, it still remains on, telling me the airbag is inactive. There is a weight sensor in the passenger seat, that triggers this light, and it appears this sensor is faulty. It started out with the light coming on intermittently, but now has remained on for a lengthy period of time. I understand this is an expensive fix for a very cheap part, and that the repair must only be done by the dealer. I feel that mini should be responsible for this fix, as it's a very important safety feature on the car, and it has affected many other mini owners, with cars built after january 2005.
Airbag sensor mat is faulty. This appears to be a common problem. For one thing, it is impossible to get the part; internet forums and the dealership indicate there is a backlog for this part. This suggests that it is a widespread problem. Also, the part is $900.00. The dealership charges $1,348.00 for labor. No wonder bmw/mini are not interested in extending the warranty to cover an obvious safety issue. Can you follow up on the takata airbag recall and fix this problem?
Red air bag light on center dash and yellow air bag light will not go out. This has been on going problem for years but just recently the lights will not go out.
Around this time my airbag indicator light began coming on intermittently. The dealer was asked about this during my service visit (oct 2009) and I was told that to investigate the passenger seat sensor would be over $100 in labor as it would require removing the seat. I declined the service. Within the last year the airbag light has remained on permanently even with passengers in the seat. I've recently done some research online and discovered that this is a common problem with this year and model of mini related to a failure of the occupancy sensor of the passenger seat. I have also found that a similar problem with similar model years of bmw has recently resulted in a recall. As this is likely the same problem I am experiencing, and as this is a safety concern, I am reporting this to bring awareness to the airbag and occupancy sensor issue for mini cooper.
The passenger air bag light (typically only on when someone under-weight ie. Car seat is present) remains on regardless of whether there is someone in the seat or not.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper. The contact stated that the passenger side air bag light failed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the entire seat needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was unavailable. The approximate mileage failure was 60,000.
The passenger side airbags remain on with or without someone in the seat. Causes concern if airbags will operate in a crash.
Airbag warning light appeared and overhead light signaled passenger airbag "off" even though an adult male (168 pounds) was sitting in the seat. Multiple experiences over several days. No malfunction occurred when the seat was empty, only when occupied by a bonafide adult.
Air bag warning light came on! Passenger light turns off and on with passenger in seat. Passenger warning light goes off with out passenger in seat. I looked on several internet forms and this seams to be a problem that mini has had for some time without a recall. The fix for most problems is an expensive 1200.0 to 1400.00 seat sensor . I fill that this is a serious safety concern which mini should address .
My car started with a low hum and as time has gone by the sound has gotten louder and ever since the sound has been there the power steering has intermittently gone out, but now is out almost all the time. My wife drives the vehicle the most but we were planning on giving it to our 17 year old daughter for her graduation present but now that this problem is an all the time thing we will have to go purchase a different vehicle for her. It is just frustrating that after reading all the complaints and them being the same it almost seems useless to file a complaint due to mini not wanting their vehicles to be good. Also about 3 months after purchasing the vehicle the airbag light for the passenger seat is always lit.
Occupant seat sensor failure in passenger seat, airbag light comes on and stops airbag operation. I believe mini/bmw is liable for this safety issue and should fix it under recall. Several passengers have refused to ride in my car for fear of safety. Part is $1200 plus installation and reprogramming. This is a very common known issue. Mini/bmw's negligence on this issue is astonishing.
The passenger airbag warning light on this 2005 mini cooper stays on and won't go off. Dealer advised on 8/19/2011 that this would cost $1229.88 to replace the seat mat sensor but told owner that the airbag was working, it was just the sensor/light that didn't work. Many, many complaint about this exact issue with the 2005 mini models are on the internet. Dealers refuse to correct the problem. Since the light is on and the repair is expensive, passengers take a risk that the airbag won't work at all.
Occupant seat sensor failure in passenger seat, airbag light comes on and stops airbag operation. I see that the federal safety agency has contacted bmw for this problem and for this model year; however, bmw/mini won't take blame for airbag failure. Bmw takes irresponsible attitude that even though car has only 36,000 miles, safety is my problem, not thiers. As a side note, dealer says part is $1200 plus installation and reprogramming. Bmw, the ultimate driving (and killing) machine.
2005 mini cooper. While driving approximately 45 MPH, the front passenger air bag off indicator illuminated with an occupant positioned in the seat. In addition, the failure would occur even when an occupant was not present in the front seat. The illumination no longer continued when the engine was turned off. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, who stated the passenger seat mat sensor would need to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 35,000.
The passenger side airbag light came on and has not gone off. This has rendered the passenger airbag inoperable . The seat was rarely used as my wife uses the car as a summer car. *tr ## VIN failed ##
The "passenger airbag off" alarm lights came on on both the speedometer panel and the light above the rear view mirror. While I'd had an adult passenger earlier in the day, the passenger seat was unoccupied at the time. I have been unable to turn the light off, to test the bag, or to do much of anything about it. I see by doing an internet search that this has been a recurring problem with mini coopers for quite some time. See the federal safety agency bulletin numbers si m-65-02-0 and 720106. I feel this is a safety issue and should be addressed by mini cooper USA rather than paid for by the consumer.
Passenger seat occupancy sensor lights stay on at all times, whether the seat is occupied or not. Seat mat sensor defective. This is a common safety issue with this model that the manufacturer is fully aware of. Repair cost is in excess of $1,300 for a very simple part.
Air bag warning lamp turns on and remains on randomly. Diagnostic indicates passenger seat occupancy sensor is defective. The passenger seat is used infrequently and looks like new. We have been told this is a safety issue that could result in either the air bag failing to deploy or deploying with too great of force. The cost of repair is prohibitive and yet the issue makes the vehicle almost un saleablimpossible to sell without the repair.
Airbag light and passenger airbag off light illuminated intermittently.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 mini cooper. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, the front passenger air bag off indicator illuminated with an occupant positioned in the seat. In addition, the failure would occur even when an occupant was not present in the front seat. The illumination no longer continued when the engine was turned off. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, who stated the passenger seat mat sensor would need to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 25,000.
The air bag sensor in the passenger seat malfunctioned and was replaced under warrenty in 2009. The sensor has malfunctioned again in 2011. The dealer said they do not cover it under warrenty because the vehicle and the part were past the warrenty period. They wanted over $1000 to fix it. I conveyed to them that they have a safety problem related to this sensor and apparently they have not corrected it yet, so why would I pay to have it replaced by a part that will malfunction again. This is a serious safety issue that bmw/mini are ignoring!
The airbag light saying that the airbag is turned off has been turning off and on for a while. Probably several years. In the last few months, the seat belt signal will activate even when no one is seated in the passenger seat. It usually happens right after the passenger has exited the vehicle. The only way to stop it is to buckle the seat. Then the airbag warning lamp on the dashboard will turn on as well as the "airbag light is off" signal. Sometimes both stay on for a while. There is no way of knowing when and if the airbags are actually working when I have a passenger in my car, which is frightening to me. I had my mechanic run diagnostics and he found that there's a tsb for this very problem on 2005 minis. It requires replacement of the sensor mat. I called the dealership where I bought the car to verify whether such a key safety component of the car shouldn't be under some extended warranty and was told no it wasn't. The only way to repair the issue is to replace the bottom seat of the passenger side which I was told would cost $650 + labor of $400 or so. They also told me that if I ordered the new seat and had it replaced by my mechanic and that didn't resolve the problem, they would not take back the seat. The only way it would be covered is if I had them run the diagnostic for $95. I think it's outrageous that with so many people experiencing this same key safety problem with their car that they can get away with not extending the warranty to this model or else recalling the item. And what's worse, there is no way to be assured that even when the lights are not on, that the airbags will actually deploy properly in the event of an accident.
4/10/2008 airbag light on dash came on intermittently - mini dealer could not duplicate problem 9/23/2008 airbag light on dash came on and stayed lit - mini dealer found micro-cracks in oc3 seat mat fault code fc71 stored in mr55k checked faults replaced oc3 seat mat installed seat and enable seat mat with gt1 cleared faults summer 2011 - airbag light on dash came on intermittently october 2011 - airbag light on dash came on and stayed lit 11/15/2011 - mini dealer refuses to cover under warranty, despite known issues with this component having a history of being defective.
Passenger air bag light reads "off" and center console alert is lit. Getting various diagnoses from shops, but no one really knows how to fix the problem. No one will definitively say, "yes, your passenger airbag is off" or "on." this is a known problem with minis and there should have been a recall.
Mini cooper 2005: at 60,000 passenger side air bag sensor malfunctioned. Light stays on no matter if someone is in the seat or not. Mini service says it will cost $1,000 plus to repair sensor, and that the bag will not deploy if sensor is malfunctioning.
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