Front Air Bag Sensor Control problems of the 2007 Mazda MX5

Failed passenger seat sensor diagnosed by local Mazda dealership - parts and labor not covered under warranty due to age of car. Parts/labor exceed $1600 for the repair. This particular vehicle is under 60k miles, and rarely has a passenger-seat occupant (so very little stress/wear on the seat) and has had no physical or water damage to the car. I believe this is a similar scenario to the gm sky/solstice vehicles - where a low volume specialty vehicle does not garner the attention. Reviewing Mazda forums shows that this defect is not uncommon, and should be researched on a problems per hundred units basis. My guess is that the pphu would exceed that of other vehicles recalled for similar issues.