Three problems related to air bag have been reported for the 2012 Mini Cooper. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2012 Mini Cooper based on all problems reported for the 2012 Cooper.
Mini BMW is fully aware of an issue with their oc3 detection mat on the passengers side and offered a extended warranty of 10 years/ 100k miles. This is insufficient coverage for a crucial saftey part and has led to a grey market production of occupancy detection mats "emulators" which are being sold online as the only way to have your airbag system "functional".
The passenger airbag warning safety light comes on and stays on when no-one or someone is sitting in the passenger seat with and without their seatbelt fastened. I searched online regarding this and found several other people experiencing the same issue. Since this is potentially a safety hazard to a passenger it must be recalled since multiple Mini Coopers are experiencing this error.
Both front wheel bearings failing at 23,000 miles. . . Ridiculous.