Six problems related to front air bag sensor control have been reported for the 2008 Mini Cooper. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Srs computer and sensors are failing. No accident, no flooding just failing sensors and computer. Mini claims this is a "maintenance" item, yet there is no documented maintenance protocol for these items. Vehicle has less than 100k miles and air bag system components are failing. Hence we don't know if the system will work or not and the vehicle will not pass our state inspection.
Faulty seat occupancy detector in passenger seat. There has been a recall on this in several models, but they do not currently include this model/year. Failure of the seat sensor prevents deployment of the passenger airbag and can only be fixed by replacing the entire seat (expensive). No user-specific actions have caused this defect, it's a well known problem. The issue was originally diagnosed in 2014, re-diagnosed 1/3/2016. The best resolution we have been offered is 10% off repair costs.
Air bag sensor goes off at random times. There is a current recall for 2005-2008 Mini Coopers, but not all makes. The 2005-2006 models are the Mini Cooper, Mini Cooper s, Mini Cooper convertible and Mini Cooper convertible s. The recall is extended through 2008 models but those models only include the convertible and the convertible s. The 2007-2008 Mini Cooper and Mini Cooper s are also having this air bag issue, as numerous people have mentioned on various Mini forums, and should be included in the recall. . . Updated 09/03/15.
8;30 am three car intersection accident. Traffic light controlled 4 way intersection, auto traveling south bound ran red light and collided with two cars traveling east bound through intersection at approx 35 mph. . 1st car impacted Toyota Mini van drivers side. Force of accident so severe that it forced Mini van into my auto. The Mini van impacted my Mini primarily into my drivers side door. All three vehicles had to be towed from scene of accident. My Mini Coopers drivers side door demolished. Force of impact so great the it bent the frame underneath the drivers door 3-4 inches according to the repair facility it was towed to. Vip auto body. The window that was approx 1/3 open shattered the window. I sustained injuries to neck, back,shoulder and right side of head which hit the door panel upon impact. I have done extensive research since this accident and there are several air bags and side door impact bag curtains in the Mini Cooper and none of them deployed. There is an actual sensor in the middle of each door to activate the air bags, obviously the one in the drivers side door was not working. This car supposedly has a 5 star crash rating according to Mini USA and my original window sticker. I contacted Mini USA the day after the accident, and they instructed me not to have any repairs done until one of there tech's came out to inspect the Mini and do a diagnostic check of the air bag system. I did so. The tech came out 5 days later, and a week after that the results came in and Mini USA said everything was working properly as far as the air bags. Liars. Anyone with any common sense can see that the air bags should have deployed with the force of this impact. They just don't want to take any responsibility for this accident. My Mini Cooper was deemed a total loss. Any investigation into this accident would be very appreciated maybe even saving a life in the future . . . . Updated 04/23/15.
I took my 2008 Mini Cooper in for its annual safety check and it did not pass. The front seat passenger airbag sensor is faulty, it does not detect that there is in fact a person occupying the seat. I feel that this is a safety issue that Mini Cooper should be responsible for. This is not a normal wear and tear issue, again, it's a safety issue. The part to replace this sensor ranges from $1200-$1400 depending on the retailer. The cost of this part is outrageous. The labor has been estimated to be 2-4 hours depending on whether or not the seat needs to be completely re-upholstered. I strongly feel that there should be a recall on this faulty sensor and that Mini Cooper should be responsible for ensuring that their vehicle is safe.
The weight sensor in the front passenger seat that determines whether to deactivate the airbag when a child is seated, or if the seat is unoccupied, is broken. This has caused the frontal airbag to become permanently deactivated at all times. There has been a recall of other cars for this issue, but BMW refuses to include my vehicle despite it being the same year and experiencing the identical problem.