Front Air Bag Sensor Control problems of the 2008 Mini Cooper Clubman

The passenger seat occupancy light lit up in 2 places on dash information-there was no occupant in the seat. Researching this issue @ Mini cooper web sites indicates this is a common problem and has persisted for at least 10 years. It is an extremely expensive repair (usually between $1600 & $2600) as the occupancy sensor (for air bag deployment) is sewn into the bottom of the seat & the repair calls for the bottom cover of the seat to be replaces with a new sensor pre-sewn in. The sites offer "emulator" kits which tricks the sensor-but will prohibit air bag deployment in many cases. The kits sell for approximately $79. 00. This is a real safety danger.

The front passenger seat occupancy airbag sensor has failed. Consequently the front passenger airbag is turned off even if the seat is occupied. This is an ongoing problem with previous Mini's and BMW's and warrants a safety recall. This is an expensive repair and previous older model Mini's and BMW's have been recalled to fix this issue.