Seats Problems of Mini Cooper S - part 1

The front passenger seat occupant sensor is failing. The dash light comes on intermittingly when a passenger is seated and the vehicle is in operation. The problem started 03/19/2021. This is a major safety issue. The front passenger air bag(s) may not deploy in case of an accident. Mini had a recall in 2015 for 2005-2008 cars. The problem persists.

See all problems of the 2013 Mini Cooper S 🔎.

Warning message for seat belt tension/air bag malfunction and both lights are on. The vehicle has 40+ thousand miles on it, I am a second owner. This problem just started on may 29, 2020. No accidents for this vehicle. Cost for repair is over $2000 and so far there's only recalls for 2008 convertible which I totally don't understand. This looks to be an ongoing problem with the Mini and needs to be addressed due to the air bags being affected. I currently have no photos but can readily supply photos upon request. The seat belt light/air bag emblem shows on the dash screen when entering the key while stationary, no one is sitting in the passenger seat when this happens and does not go away when occupied.

See all problems of the 2008 Mini Cooper S 🔎.

The passenger seat occupancy mat was replaced by recall on 10/28/2016. On 10/2018 I noticed that when there is a passenger in the seat with their seat belt on the air bag was off, in 1 weeks time the passenger side seat belt light was on all the time and the air bag is off all the time with or without someone occuping the seat. Reguardless if the car is idiling or going down the rode. At least before the recalled mat sensor was replaced the seat mat sensor worked most of the time. Now it does not work at all. I took it to the dealership and they tested the oc3 mat (passenger side mat sensor) and said there are multiple codes for the oc3 mat and they found internal faults and it requires replacement again. They said this recall is no longer under warrenty and I need to pay over 1500. 00 to have it replaced. It is unsafe for me to have a passenger in my car if we got into an accident their airbag would not be on, there for they would have no airbags to deploy to try and protect them. How is this my fault? they replaced my mat sensor with another faulty one that is worse then the first one. How long are the warrenties for recalls and the parts replaced? I have the papers from the dealership stating what I just reported to you.

See all problems of the 2005 Mini Cooper S 🔎.

Upon starting my car, after being in a store, the passenger airbag light came on while a passenger was in the seat. The indicator stayed on after turning the car off and back on. I researched to see if there were any recalls for a faulty passenger airbag covering my year, make and model, and found NHTSA campaign number: 15v205000. I contacted my local Mini dealer and was told that there was no information pertaining to my car and that I needed to contact Mini USA directly. I did so and was told that they also could not find any information pertaining to my car and that they needed to open an investigation in order to determine the status of my vehicle. I was told that because my car was purchased through an overseas military program the systems were not the same and that a supervisor would have to try and find the information and manually add it to the Mini USA system. I was also asked, repeatedly, if my car was a canadian spec vehicle. It was not ordered as such. After several weeks of waiting, I called Mini USA to inquire about the status of the investigation. I was told that I had already been notified that my car was not included on the recall for the airbag sensor issue. When I inquired as to why my vehicle was not covered for the exact problem for which the recall was issued, I was told that my case was now closed and if I had any other questions I needed to contact Mini customer service.

See all problems of the 2006 Mini Cooper S 🔎.

Passenger side seat mat for detecting passengers presents, intermittently fails causing the air bag to be deactivated when a passenger is present and the vehicle is moving.

See all problems of the 2010 Mini Cooper S 🔎.

Passenger side airbag remains off due to a failure of the passenger seat occupancy detection system.

See all problems of the 2009 Mini Cooper S 🔎.

My airbag light/seat sensor warning light came on both center console and driver's console for no apparent reason. Both lights stay illuminated. Proper operation of seat sensor in passenger seat mat which activates passenger side airbag is now in question.

Passenger side airbag light on. Has been on for months.

Vehicle recalled 2015 for front passenger sensor mat (recall 15v205) still not repaired. Local Mini dealer has serviced the car so they have contact information.

Airbag light is on full time, after a period of intermittent activity. There are hundreds of similar complaints on the web. The high cost of repairs seems to have resulted in a thriving business selling replacement "emulators" that imitate the sensor pad electrical characteristics. This is the same passenger seat occupancy sensor mat failure for which there have been extensive recalls for BMW vehicles made by the same manufacturer. Owner called Mini, was stonewalled and told there was no interest in hearing about the problem, just take it to a dealer. Asked dealer service rep if it was safe to drive in this condition, was told "I'm not allowed to answer that. " this is a safety issue that rises to the level of requiring a recall, as was done for earlier Mini years. Mini does not offer the sensor mat as a separate part, instead requires replacement of the seat upholstery, a $600+ BMW part number which is back ordered with no certain delivery date or price. Including labor, the cost to repair is 10% to 20% of the current sales price of this year Mini. Please, there can be no excuse for not recalling vehicles with this significant and expensive safety design flaw.

Air bag warning light and seat occupancy warning light came on. Took in for service- told seat occupany mat (front passenger seat) has failed and must be replaced. Replacement is cost prohibitive ($1700). Safety risk present because air bags may not deploy in event of crash. Dealer says there is no recall and will not replace the part under any extended warranty.

Airbag passenger seat sensor is bad $1500 to repair and no guarantee it will work correctly in the future. Why hasn't this been recalled??? BMW who owns Mini cooper recalled this sensor for their cars but why not the coopers? I'm so angry that they could care less about my families safety. Automobiles are required to have airbag systems but they aren't required to work properly??.

Air bag light turned on. Performed a fault survey and found there is 1 related fault code in the mrs control unit. Passenger seat occupancy sensor, not currently present, occurred 12 times. Need to replace the seat occupancy sensor and re program the mrs control unit. Total replacement cost: $1,164. 47 called Mini headquarters and was told there was no warranty or recall for my specific car. However, they told me that the 2005, 2006 Mini cooper had a recall for the seat sensor. This is a major problem and should be recalled for the 2007 model as well.

See all problems of the 2007 Mini Cooper S 🔎.

Passenger side seat weight sensor went bad. Srs light illuminated. $1,500 to have dealer repaired. Car is not repaired yet.

Failure of front passenger seat occupant detection mat. The same BMW seat occupancy detection mat (oc3) that was referred to in NHTSA campaign number: 08v-384 has been failing in Mini coopers on a wide scale. This causes the airbag to be deactivated which is a safety hazard when occupants occupy the seat and are involved in a crash where the airbag's activation could play a significant role in survivability. I believe the investigation should include other BMW corporate makes and models, such as Mini, which involve the same seat sensor.

The contact owns a 2012 Mini Cooper S. The contact stated that upon entering the vehicle, there were strong gasoline fumes emitting from the front of the vehicle. The contact noticed that the front passenger side seat had caught on fire and extinguished independently. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, who diagnosed that the seat needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 24,000.

See all problems of the 2012 Mini Cooper S 🔎.

My 2004 Mini Cooper S has a passenger seat belt/air bag light that is illuminated at all times. Originally, it was sporadic, and connecting the seat belt would cause the light to go off. Now it is lit all the time, whether there is a passenger in the seat or not. I was told today that the sensor is bad and will cost $1600 to fix, which includes completely replacing the entire passenger seat. My mechanic says that the air bag will not deploy in the event of an accident. This is most concerning. Obviously, the default should be for the airbag to deploy. What if I am in an accident and my passenger is gravely injured (or killed!)?? unacceptable! I have read that BMW has issued a recall for BMW models with a similar problem. Mini Cooper Should be included in the recall, as they are made by BMW, often using the same parts! where is the oversight?!?.

See all problems of the 2004 Mini Cooper S 🔎.

The passenger seat air bag light came on and will not go off. I was advised by an authorized Mini copper mechanic that the passenger seat air bag sensor is bad. It's my understanding that Mini cooper USA is not owning up to their responsibility to recall and repair what could possibly be a life safety problem. The leather seat is practically new and there's no excuse for this faulty air bag sensor seat/equipment. There was a recall for BMW's with the same issue. It's very disappointing.

The passenger side heated seat malfunctioned and burned a hole into the leatherette upholstery and my wifes sweater. She was sitting on the passenger side when it occurred. This could have caused a major fire a definite safety hazard.

See all problems of the 2002 Mini Cooper S 🔎.

The air bag system warning light in the gauge cluster is lit at all times. The repair shop tells me that this is because the sensor mat in the passenger seat has failed and must be replaced. My research indicates that this is a very common issue that is unjustifiable expensive to repair. The repair shop also tells me that all of the air bags in the car are disabled as long as the warning light is on, putting all passengers in the vehicle in danger of sustaining greater injuries in the event of a crash. These cars are made by BMW, which apparently acknowledged the same problem in other cars they produced and made repairs. I feel that they should be required to address this problem in Mini coopers, too, via a federally mandated recall campaign.

On my 2006 Mini Cooper S coupe, the passenger airbag off sensor light on the roof came on as well as the airbag sensor light in the center console indicating that the passenger seat could not detect the weight of a person in the passenger seat and therefore would not alert the airbag to turn on. My husband and I have both sat in the passenger seat and the light remained on. We then had a garage that specializes in imports look at the code, which is stating that there is an issue with the seat mat sensor and it is no longer recognizing the weight on the seat. This is a huge safety issue and a costly one at that. The seat cushion must be replaced and potentially the entire seat. I have noticed this same complaint on this site as well as other sites for models dating anywhere from 2002-2006. There is also a trend with this issue occurring when the car is 7 years old (2013 for 2006 models) regardless of the mileage. I have called Mini and while they were very nice and helpful, there is nothing they can do to help with the cost of repairing this factory issue. When I called our local dealer they had mentioned a type of assistance or warranty extended on the 2003-2004 models, but not 2005 or later. Is it possible that this is just now becoming an issue and should now be addressed or added to the extended warranty? is there grounds for a recall? there seems to be a trend of how and when this mat malfunctions. Please help those of us who have had this problem and are bound to have this problem in the near future get this fixed! thank you!.

Driving to work in the am. I smell something in the car. When I look at my passenger side seat I saw smoke. Pull over and got a better look at it. I have a holes in my car seat and the two vest that I place on the seat. It appears the heated seat had a electrical failure. Took car to Mini dealer. They said it real odd this happen. They also nice to say I would have to paid to fix it. Look at many site on internet and seen BMW/Mini and other company have issues with heated seats. It do not seem to odd to me. I did not even had the heated seat on because no one was seating there.

When passenger exited vehicle, light airbag off notification came on. This happens every time someone exits the passenger seat. Also airbag warning light & seatbelt not buckled light come on.

The passanger seat occupancy sensor is weak and prone to failure. Mini does not cover replacement and charges $1200-$2000 to replace the part leading many owners, including myself to drive the car in an unsafe condition (low speed or non deploying airbags).

The occupancy sensor has failed. This causes the airbags to be unarmed while the vehicle is in use. I have contacted Mini about the problem. They covered the repair on certain vehicles, but not mine. This is a safety issue, and it should be covered on all vehicles that it has occurred on, regardless of mileage. The repair is very expensive, and should be covered.

Passenger seat occupancy sensor is defective. The passenger seat air bag light illuminates after engine start along with the red air bag failure warning light. Doesn't matter if seat occupied or not. This is a safety hazard due to disabling air bag. Mini dealers deny this is a manufacturing defect or design problem yet there are over 40 complaints on this forum. Repair costs are substantial to replace bottom seat cushion. A modification kit or retrofit to replace defective seat mat is needed.

Unfastened seat belt warning light stays on and airbag off indicator stays lit at all times, with or without a passenger riding in the seat no matter the weight of the passenger. Unfastened seat belt warning bell/ding does not chime.

The airbag sensor in the passenger side seat does not correctly detect a person sitting in it. When a passenger is in the seat, the airbag sensor stays "off".

The airbag sensor in the seat cushion has failed and a warning light now permanently shows on the instrument panel. The passenger airbag may not function as designed.

The passenger's seat mat airbag sensor has failed in my car and the airbag light remains lit at all times. This has happened twice now, the first time at 28801 miles and now again at 52300 miles. I paid $1200 for a full seat bottom replacement at the Mini dealership to correct the problem and now, 3 years later, the new seat has failed in the same manner. BMW has issued a recall for the exact same issue for their cars from the same year which use the same malfunctioning parts and Mini needs to do the same for their customers. This is an expensive and recurring known safety issue that consumers should not be held responsible for. I have had 2 different Mini dealerships acknowledge that they have had to fix this problem in countless 2005 and 2006 model year Minis, yet there is no offer to rectify the issue despite the fact that I already had to pay out of pocket once.

The car is a 2006 Mini Cooper S coupe. The car has less than 57,000 miles. The airbag sensor light remains on even with a passenger in the seat which shows the airbag is not employed. The dealer cost to repair was $900 as quoted on 1/3/11. The airbag light goes on and off randomly. It is not clear that the airbag would function in the event of an accident.

I have a 2005 Mini cooper. The airbag sensor in the passenger seat failed around 50,000 miles. I was told that the passenger seat had to be replaced at a cost of $1400. 00. This is a know issue with this year of Mini Cooper S. Dealships need to be aware of this problem and Mini/BMW needs to have a recall.

Seat warmer failed to shut off ad burnt a hole in the seat and in my jacket. May have started a fire if I had not shut it off. This car had been in fla for most of its years and also had low mileage - clearly a defective part.

Passenger air bag sensor is defective. The passenger air bag off light, illuminates 3-4 seconds after engine start, along with the red air bag failure light, on the main speedometer. This occurs, whether there is a passenger in the seat, or not, due to this safety defect. Mini cooper dealers, deny this is a problem, however, I have found over 40 other complaints registered on this exact defect !!! major repair cost from the dealer, to change the whole bottom seat cushion assembly, which includes the defective air bag sensor, that separates from the seat cushion, after a short time!.

Driver and front passenger seats get stuck in position. Position for drivers seat is totally straight up. My brother repaired but seat still does not position correctly as I must use a pillow behind me in order to drive. The same thing happens to the passenger seat at least once a week. So far I have been able to get the passenger seat back into position as there is a "trick" posted online that instructs how to reposition the seat. You must sit on your knees on the seat and try to maneuver both seat controls at the same time to unlock the position. This trick does not always release the seat until tried many many times days apart.