Eight problems related to air bag light on have been reported for the 2008 Mini Cooper. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Passenger airbag sensor malfunctioning with airbag light on and not certain what will happen if airbag needs to deploy. This seems to be a widespread problem based on internet search. Mini recalled first generation models for this issue but did not include the second generation vehicles (mine).
Airbag sensor mat does not recognize whether a person is sitting on the passenger side thereby not activating the airbag; this has been happening on & off for months; passenger airbag light comes on immediately despite occupancy while parked and during driving (all conditions-highway, city street, turning; etc. Started approximately from 75k miles; now constant from 85k on.
I want to know when recall 15v-205 is going to be implemented. My car is affected by this recall and I was notified by Mini USA in June. My airbag light has been on for 5 months and Mini says it still does not have the parts to fix the problem. I consider this to be a reasonable period of ime.
The contact owns a 2008 Mini Cooper. The contact started the vehicle and the front passenger's side air bag warning indicator illuminated continuously. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who confirmed that the air bag sensor would need to be replaced. The manufacturer and dealer were notified and they were unable to provide an expected date for the part to become available. The approximate failure mileage was 52,000. The VIN was unavailable.
My airbag light came on so I scheduled an appointment with Mini dealer. They informed me that the passenger side oc3 mat sensor needed replaced. They informed me that there is no recall for it and my car is no longer under warranty. The cost to replace is going to be $1,454. 52. After looking online at various forums, I have found hundreds of others who are experiencing the same problem at random mileages, anywhere from 30,000 - 150,000 miles. If this sensor, which is a major safety issue, keeps failing on hundreds of vehicles, this part should be recalled and fixed at the manufactures expense. How can they expect a customer to pay over $1,400 to replace a sensor that is just going to fail again in a short time, not to mention putting lives at risk? this issue has been going on for several years now without correction. Please recall this part.
Passenger side air bag light started by intermittenly turning on> now its is on all the time. Same issue as other Mini Coopers that have been recalled. Was told I have to replace the sensor seat mat. This repair should be covered by Mini (BMW).
The contact owns a 2008 Mini Cooper. The contact stated that the passenger side air bag deactivated warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 64,000 and the current mileage was 69,000.
Full-grown adult passengers (weighing in excess of 120 pounds) sitting in the passenger seat causes the passenger-side airbag light to illuminate, which states, "passenger-side airbag disabled".