Per my research, this a recurring problem with the 2006 MINIcoopers. Numerous bulletin boards have the same questions for a safety concern if the airbag will deploy for the passenger seat. Took car to dealer for diagnostics and they gave us a repair price of $1200 to replace the lower seat for the occupancy pad is defective which causes the light to come on for the passenger bag and also the main light in the dash. Not sure if BMW cares about safety of the people who have purchased their vehicles but it is a bit callous on their part for not doing a recall on the 2006 MINIcooper seat sensor. I have seen a regular BMW vehicle that has a similar problem have a recall for a bad seat sensor. I am concerned for any person who rides in the passenger seat if an accident were to happen that the airbag will not deploy causing great bodily harm.

- Oregon City, OR, USA

As I turn on the engine, battery light came on, 5 seconds later, engine started to smoke. I turned off the engine. Engine won't turn back on and lost all power, steering wheel won't turn. Before this incident, gear would shift up and down on it's own while I'm driving. Very dangerous!

- El Granada, CA, USA

The O2 sensor failed on my car. MINIissued an extended warranty on 2006 models but my VIN was not included. This is ridiculous that I have the exact same issue but my VIN is not included.

- Menifee, CA, USA

Driving at 55 mph on parkway. Engine made clunk and lost power. Pulled car onto shoulder and started with white smoke under hood, progressing to black smoke and flame. Exited car at first sign of smoke. Car burned in engine compartment, moved into cabin. Final damage was a total. Front end of car is completely burned. Fire in cabin melted dashboard, moved across and melted ceiling, and melted front windshield. Took pictures of final damages at garage following incident.

- Wappingers Falls, NY, USA

The passenger seat occupancy sensor is weak and prone to failure. MINIdoes 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).

- Kent, WA, USA

Traveling on highway at 70mph and instrument panel lights up, speeds drops to maximum 30mph creating unsafe driving condition. First occurrence March 2012 was diagnosed as failed "throttle body", second occurrence in July 2012 was diagnosed as failed "wiring harness".

- Bellaire, TX, USA

The contact owns a 2006 MINICooper S. the contact was traveling 60 mph when all of the lights along the dashboard illuminated and the vehicle abnormally accelerated. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where the mechanic confirmed that the tachometer needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted and the vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 54,000 and the current mileage was 55,000...updated 07/11/12 the contact was traveling 60 mph when all of the warning lights on the dashboard illuminated. The vehicle then changed down to 2nd gear( the vehicle has six forward gears) causing huge acceleration and then slowing of the vehicle of the vehicle. After extensive diagnostic work by the mechanic, it was determined that the tachometer had failed which caused the vehicle to downshift to 2nd gear. The failure also necessitated the replacement of the transmission.

- Thousand Oaks, CA, USA

Executing a left turn and all of a sudden the power steering went out. Was unable to control the car due to the fact that I was not expecting this issue. Damage front right side of car against curb. I have learned that this is a serious problem. This issue needs to be addressed on a recall!

- Lindenhurst , IL, USA

Airbag warning light comes on when a passenger is in the front passenger seat. The dealer says the airbag sensor in the seat needs to be replaced. The cost is about $1000. In 2006 MINIissued an extended warranty for 2002 and 2003 models with the same defect. BMW's investigation of the same sensor under the passenger seats of BMW autos resulted in a recall of this part. NHTSA action number: EA08001. This is a serious safety concern. Message boards have instances of people paying for this expensive safety defect at the dealer, and the problems returning after 1 to 2 years in some cases.

- San Diego, CA, USA

Plethora of electrical problems. Heated seats are a major concern. They go on and off by themselves, seem haunted. Sometimes, they get so hot they leave burn marks in my legs. I am afraid of an electrical fire. The heated seats get so hot, they left burn marks in my seat. Aisin 6 speed automatic transmission, equipped with "lifetime" fluid, begins slipping gears at 70K the supercharger had to be replaced due to the "design" of the supercharger it could not be repaired, I was forced by bmwusa to purchase a remanufactured supercharger. I was told it was a "common problem" I have also found out from forums such as northamericanmotoring.com this is a problem that BMW does not want to admit its at fault for however they are acknowledging the widespread happenings across the country. The availability of new superchargers is very low because of this problem, hence me purchasing a remfgd one. Rear wiper motor failed at 40K quoted hundreds to replace, not worth it!!!!!

- So Amboy, NJ, USA

On 29sep2007, my 2006 MINICooper S was serviced to perform the low mileage service at 3,354 miles. The car was not driven on 30sep2007. On 01oct2007, the car was driven a distance of approximately one mile each way to a bus stop. The car was parked overnight in the garage beneath my townhouse. At 6:00 am on 02oct2007, when I want to the lower level of my townhouse and opened the door to the garage, I saw that the garage was filled a "foggy smoke" and there was a "burning odor". the police were called to investigate the cause of the smoke. As the smoke began to spread into the upper level of my home, the fire dept was called as back-up. The firemen located the source under the hood of my car and determined the smoke to be from a "burned power steering belton the vehicle in the garage". the firemen moved the car to the parking lot and disconnected the battery. I was instructed to have the car towed to the dealership. I told the dealership that this vehicle was defective and would no longer feel safe diving the car. They agreed to replace the car with a new 2007 MINICooper S ([xxx]). I was led to believe that mine was an "isolated incident" but have now become aware that others have had similar problems with MINICooper S from 2007-2009. When I contacted the dealer, I was advised to not park my car in the garage until the cause of the problem has been determined or if there is a recall. I now am not parking in the garage. I am submitting this report on the 2007 incident since it was never reported and I am afraid that the rate of occurrence may be under-reported. Thank you. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Wyckoff, NJ, USA

I have a 2006 MINIcooper. Recently, complete power to the vehicle has been lost while the vehicle is in operation. This has occurred twice over the past month. The vehicle was being operated on a paved city street at speeds of approximately 20-25 miles per hour when the power failures occurred. The vehicle was required to be brought to a complete stop before power to the vehicle could be restored. The vehicle was taken to an authorized MINIcooper repair center (niello MINIsacramento, ca) on 07/26/11. The dealership could find no faults with the vehicle and had us drive the vehicle off the lot "as is" with instructions to bring it back in for further testing if the problem happened again. Next time could be too late as this problem could cause an accident to occur.

- Mather, CA, USA

Sudden complete loss of power steering. Several days after the original battery failed and was replaced, there was a continuing sound like a fan or electric motor running constantly. This noise continued until the power steering ceased completely during a parking maneuver. After the steering failed the previously noted noise stopped.

- Oroville, CA, USA

I was driving home from work and the charge circuit light came on and I smelled a heated electrical smell. The power steering had cut out, shortly after, the engine temperature began to rise. I turned the car off, then back on and drove home. After some research, it seems that this model MINIcooper have power steering pumps that fail around 70,000 miles. I drove to my job on Sunday, and the car made the round trip, except just before getting home, the failure occurred again. I have not been able to take the car to a mechanic yet.

- Houston, TX, USA

Driving on highway about 60 mph. Extremely loud screeching burst of sound occurred. Sound was similar to smoke detector test sound, lasting about a second, but horribly loud, especially in a small enclosed area with the windows up. Nearly had an accident. Our ears hurt badly (I still feel some soreness a day later, as I now write. Similar occurrences for MINIcooper noted in web forums, referencing a possible stereo amplifier problem. Our radio was not on. Fortunately the dealer was open (on Sunday) and we have an appointment scheduled today. From what I've researched on the internet, we are not the only ones victimized by this issue. We are actually fearful and uncomfortable driving the car, worrying that at any time this could occur again. This is an unnecessary hardship and distraction that keeps us from paying full attention to safely driving the car. Until the dealer can specifically explain what the problem is and perform whatever work is need to guarantee it won't happen again, I do not feel safe driving this one-year-old car, being concerned that I'll have an accident if it happens again. This is without question a serious safety issue. If I still feel soreness in my left ear later today, I plan to contact my doctor.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

: the contact owns a 2006 MINIcooper model S. three days after purchase at 130 miles the vehicle stalled and operated at a reduced speed while attempting to accelerate. Although the vehicle did not stall out completely, the vehicle was towed to the dealer. The dealer reprogrammed the computer software. Afterwards, the contact was pulling into a parking space with brake pressure applied, the engine roared and the vehicle lurched forward and struck a tree. The police were on the scene and a report was taken. The vehicle sustained minor damage, but no injuries were sustained. The vehicle was towed to a dealer. The dealer performed a diagnostic test and was unable to duplicate the problem. The service department suggested replacing the engine. Updated 3/3/2006 -

- Pembroke Pines, FL, USA