Seats Problems of Mini Cooper - part 2

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.

See all problems of the 2008 Mini Cooper 🔎.

I received a notice from Mini Cooper important safety recall notice by mail and called to try and schedule a replacement of the seat sensor. I was told that a diagnostic test might be charged for this and it would be $150. 00 for the replacement. This is freaking ridiculous, this is the second time they try to cash out at my expense. . . Nhtsa recall number: opens new window takes away from VIN lookup section> 15v205 recall date: April 3, 2015 manufacturer recall number: na.

See all problems of the 2005 Mini Cooper 🔎.

The written "safety recall notice" that I received in the mail yesterday, October 14, 2015, of which BMW/Mini likely provided NHTSA a copy is both false and misleading. Four months after BMW/Mini notified me not to allow an adult-size person to ride in the front passenger seat of this four-seat, two-door automobile, the current written notice indicates that BMW's Mini dealers "are now ready" and I should "schedule an appointment for recall repair service as soon as possible. " in using the website provided in the notice to locate the nearest dealer, I was unable to schedule an appointment. The dealer had no parts and would not even schedule an appointment to occur in the future. A call to the BMW/Mini toll-free number included in the notice caused the BMW/Mini "customer relations and services" representative to admit that the notice was false and that many dealers are not ready to schedule appointments for this service. The notice for recall campaign no. 15v-205 indicates that it was sent to me "in accordance with the national traffic and motor vehicle safety act. " does NHTSA really condone false and misleading written notices purported to be in accordance with federal safety law?.

Faulty seat belt light/ airbag on.

See all problems of the 2009 Mini Cooper 🔎.

The passenger seat has a pressure mat built into that has failed and it is causing the srs/airbag light to stay lit. This is turning off the passenger side airbag off which causes the passenger to not have airbag protection. This is a very common problem on all 2005 up Mini Coopers.

See all problems of the 2007 Mini Cooper 🔎.

Driving to shopping center, I had my heated seat turned to the highest setting. It seemed as though the seat was unusually warm so I turned the seat down to the medium setting and continued driving. The seat continued to feel uncomfortable as I drove, so I turned it down to low, but it still did not cool down. It became alarmingly hot so I turned it off completely but it did not cool down. At this point I would have exited the car, but I was in heavy traffic in front of the mall. After parking I did my shopping and did not turn the seat on for the drive home. The next morning I discovered a 13 inch burn in the configuration of a wire on my left buttock and thigh. (picture taken) BMW report stated that they found nothing wrong with the seat and that it "performed as it was designed. " they accepted no responsibility for my bodily injury.

See all problems of the 2014 Mini Cooper 🔎.

Air bag sensor in the detection mat of the passenger's front seat does not recognize passenger . The air bag light for the passenger in the front panel is intermittent, putting at risk of not deploying the air bag during an accident. The light will come up even when I have a purse on the seat or with a full grown adult (over 150 pounds). I recently called 2 local Mini dealers in southern California (July 2015) regarding this and both stated the same: that they have not received the spare part required for this recall and cannnot perform until Mini provides them with an authorization letter. Called immediately the Mini customer service line for recalls (1-866-825-1525) to find out when this will be solved since this has been on ongoing issue since mid 2014. Mini's customer service representative stated that we needed to wait until a new re-design of this sensor in the detection mat is available from them in order to provide this spare part to the dealers. In the meantime, we are putting at risk any passenger who will ride in our cars for an issue that has been known by Mini for over a year!.

See all problems of the 2006 Mini Cooper 🔎.

"passenger airbag off" indicator turns on while driving and remains on for the duration of the drive. Passenger seat was occupied by a passenger weighing approx 195 pounds with seat belt properly fastened. There is no way to manually turn on the passenger airbag and bypass the seat sensor. This is a known issue with the Mini Cooper and is discussed on online enthusiast forums, with Mini USA dealerships charging from $1,100 to $1,400 to replace the entire passenger seat. Mini USA dealers state that the issue is an electrical issue with the seat sensor and the entire seat must be replaced. For how little the passenger seat is used in my vehicle, in my opinion this is a defect and not a wear-and-tear issue.

There was no one sitting in the front passenger seat, but my ipod was on the seat. A "fasten seat belt" warning went off while I was driving at highway speeds. I had been driving for over 30 minutes when this happened. While driving, I removed the ipod from the seat, but the warning did not stop. Because it was not immediately possible to pull over, I had to ignore safety lights and chimes until I could pull over. Although this false warning has happened several times with light objects in the passenger seat, it does not happen consistently. The dealer insists the car is functioning properly, and suggested I leave the passenger seat belt fastened. I think this behavior is a safety concern because (1) it is a source of unpredictable driver distraction; (2) it encourages drivers to defeat a safety warning by leaving the passenger seat belt fastened; and (3) if the seat sensor can't distinguish between an ipod and a person, how can it give the proper readings to the air bag system in the event of a crash.

My air bag lite came on. While my wife was driving. I had my system checked. I found that the seat has to be replaced at a cost of 2000 $. BMW has recall on all 3,5,7 series. But not on Mini.

The driver side headed seat only heats up in one spot and burned my leg. I have had to discontinue use of the heated seat as I am afraid of it catching on fire or burning through the seat into my leg.

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.

My 2006 Mini Cooper air bag lights (passenger seat light as well as dash board air bag system lights) are intermittently coming on and staying on when I start my Mini. The dashboard light apparently comes on when a fault is detected in the airbag system, and as a result the system is deactivated. This is very serious since I'm now driving in a Mini Cooper with no airbag protection. The seat light indicates the passenger air bag is turned off due to someone of light weight sitting in the passenger seat. This light is now coming on with any average adult or no one at all sitting in that seat. I decided to check the internet for this issue and was shocked to see how many people had the same issue. Even more shocking was repair cost for this issue. Dealers are charging customers $1000 to $2000 to replace the passenger seat sensor which appears to be the most common culprit. Instead of replacing the sensor itself, the entire seat needs to be replaced. Even saw some customers had the same issue reoccur 1 to 2 years after this fix. Spoke to my local BMW/Mini dealership who acknowledged that BMW had the same issue which is now under recall, but Mini does not have a recall. This issue needs to be recalled and fixed . . . Someone is going to get killed because of it! I love Mini but am highly disappointed with how this issue is being handled. My daughter wants to buy a Mini . . . I will strongly recommend she does not.

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.

I was exiting from 35th street in newport news, va onto the warwick blvd off ramp in traffic, coasting with the brakes at about 5 mph, when I was rear ended by a navy operated flat nose school bus, which forced my vehicle into a late model chevy trailblazer. My air bags (front and side) did not deploy, and when I came to rest my seat back had reclined against my child's car seat (child was not in vehicle). The right rear unibody was creased due to the impact from the bus. I suffered neck, back, and spine trauma. The driver of the trailblazer complained of neck pain at the scene. Local newport news fire and rescue units arrived on scene, as well as a virginia state trooper. The trooper handled the accident.

See all problems of the 2002 Mini Cooper 🔎.

In addition to my previous post, more information on this situation, this note sent to Miniusa. Com, my 2006 Mini Cooper has the airbag light illuminated above the rear view mirror and is generating an error 71, passenger occupancy sensor fault. It is my understanding this is due to a faulty sensor mat under the seat. From my research I see that this has been covered under an extended warranty for the oc3 seat mat sensor which is used in BMW as well as Mini models. I am requesting that this sensor be replaced in my Mini Cooper as I fear the passenger airbag will not deploy in an accident due to the documented faulty sensor. . Read more...

Passenger seat occupancy sensor srs light failed while one of my friend was trying to be seated in my car.

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.

Purchased car used. When passenger sits in front seat, airbag light intermittently goes on and off and then stays on. Have searched online and the passenger seat sensor is likely broken and is a $1500 fix at the dealer. This is a safety issue and should be covered by manufacturer.

Occupant seat sensor failure in passenger seat, airbag light comes on and stops airbag operation. I see that NHTSA 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.

My 2006 Mini Cooper had a air bag light just turn on about a week ago for no reason for what I can tell. I called my Mini dealer and they told me it was probably a worn out passenger seat sensor. They said it would cost about $900-1000 to replace the seat and the sensor. Our Mini only has a little over 50k miles and 50% of those miles there wasn't anyone ever siting in the passenger seat to ware it out. I have seen on several other forums that this problem has been corrected by BMW but not by Mini. I believe this issue should be a recall on all Mini's as I have seen that hundreds of other people have the same issue.

The seat sensor is faulty. It reads that someone under 30lbs is in it (disabling the airbag) the dash light verifies it is off. This problem is intermittent to this day. So if a crash occurs the sensor won't read correctly if anyone is in the seat or not, the airbag may not deploy and if it does will do so possibly with too much force.

My car is 2009 Mini. Bought new. Air bag sensor in passenger seat went out @ 70,000 mi. Passenger air bag wont work. Dealer in birmingham, al. Gave a quote for $1300 for a passenger seat. This is a safety issue, Mini must step up to the plate for recalls like chev, Ford, Honda, Nissan for recalls. I wont give you sharks $1300 for a new seat. My wife dies, my attornies will be in touch. Give me a recall I can live with.

The right front occupant sensor for air bag appears to be defective. It had to be replaced. We have heard of several Mini Cooper's that have defective seat sensors. When this sensor fails, the air bags may not deploy as designed. This is a safety system failure. Cost to replace this sensor was over $1,400. 00.

Drain hose from sunroof drain running down a-pillar came dislodged through "normal wear and tear" causing massive flooding to the interior of my car. It was rendered unserviceable and totaled, on June 16, 2014, but uncovered by insurance. This was nothing that I was aware of that was an issue, nor were any recalls ever issued on this issue. I had it in to the dealership in 2012, 2 years ago, for electrical failure, and they thought it was merely the battery, so they replaced it and it seemed to be fine, but they said to keep the battery as a back up "just in case" because it still appeared to be a good battery. Then later in 2013, I took it back to the Mini dealer for general service and I said I noticed water in the boot (trunk) and for them to check the hatchback seal to see if there was any leaks, they said no, and no further investigation was done for either event. I believe that both these events were results of the faulty drain hose from the a-pillar being dislodged for so long. Today, the automobile left my possession, to an auction house. I wanted to file this complaint so that you, the NHTSA can perhaps have Mini issue a recall to fix this issue and have them change their vehicle's sunroof drainage system so that someone else doesn't have a car totally ruined by flooding due to this defect in engineering and design. After viewing some Mini forums, I am not the only person who has had this issue has happened to their Mini Cooper. I'm very sad, because I happened to really enjoy this car, and it was totally fun to drive. I was advised by a friend who is a motorcycle mechanic and my insurance agent to file this report with your organization, in hopes that something will be done about this. Too many people don't speak up, and I am not one to let something done wrong to me go without a fight! do all you can to rectify this issue with Mini!.

See all problems of the 2003 Mini Cooper 🔎.

Airbag passenger mat seat sensor . This has been a ongoing problem from the 2003 to present. Seat sensor turns airbag light on and can disable air bag on passenger side and according to Mini dealership, not on factory recall but they say get hundreds a year and charge to replace sensor at 1000. 00. Safty ssue! someone really needs to have them fix a known issue at all dealerships and put peoples lives in danger.

When I left my home I turned on the heated seats. As I traveled approximately a half mile I felt like bottom seat was exceptionally hot and turned the bottom off . Shortly thereafter I smelled smoke and found that a hole had burned through the seat behind my back. There was smoke, a hole about the size of a silver dollar and my coat had been burned . My coat did not catch fire but has a permanent black burn mark.

Upon turning on my driver's side heated seat, one part of my back seemed to be getting extremely hot. Upon turning around, I saw a small hole had been burned in the seat cover and was smoldering and smoking. I immediately turned off the seat warmer. It took many minutes to cool down and stop smoking. Thankfully the vehicle was stationary when this happened. If it had been in motion, my safety would certainly have been comprised, as I could have sustained burns before pulling the car to the side of the road. The distraction of a burning seat is also not an insignificant safety hazard as well.

My 2003 Mini Cooper has almost caught on fire several times, replaced transmission, electrical harness, power steering pump, a/c hoses and a/c service, wheel bearings, injection plugs etc. . . . . . . I still cannot find the real problem why is causing a short, it has almost caught on fire several times, this car has been the most dangerous car I have ever own, I have never spend so much money on trying to fix any vehicle, right now I'm about $11,500 in costs of repairs, this is a crime to the consumer, I have been reading about a class action lawsuit that is in progress, I hope and pray that we get justice from the maker of Mini.

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.