The airbag light is malfunctioning on my MINICooper S convertible. It says on the MINICooper compliant list there is an issue. The dealer says its a seat problem, requiring $1,800 for a new seat. This site shows 14 other cars with the same issue. I don't know if the airbag will truly work if I was in an accident. No recall has be issued as of 5-28-2015. Please help us get this fixed.

- Chattanooga, TN, USA

The passenger side airbag light will not turn off. Seat cannot detect passenger and disable airbag. There is a recall going on, but it did not include my VIN number. MINIusa representative gave no answer, no timeline, no additional information. Just told me to wait. I cannot believe that's BMW/MINI

- Chino Hills, CA, USA

I am on my 4th passenger seat mat since purchasing this vehicle new in January 2007. In April I found a manufacturer recall part 573 safety recall report 15V-205 that listed the vehicles affected by this recall. My vehicle was manufactured on Nov 18, 2006 within the production date range. I have not received any information regarding this recall and can no longer find the recall on this site. As mentioned, this is my 4th front passenger seat occupant detection mat sensor. I would like information on what the procedure is to recover my costs associated with the last replacement of the sensor.

- Lafayette, , IN, USA

Passenger seat airbag warning light illuminated and remains on. Inspection is due 5/31/2015 so I had it diagnosed by MINIdealer. Diagnosis was a fault in the sensor system in a module located in the dashboard, behind the glove box - repair cost, $2,000+. they said they had never before experienced a failure in this part. To my understanding, this is not related to the recall in process, which has to do with the sensor in the seat itself (which I have already replaced, December 2012.).

- Kailua, HI, USA

The passenger seat air bag warning light comes on regardless of the seat occupancy. It is unclear if the air bag is operational or not.

- Agoura Hills, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2006 MINICooper. The contact stated that the air bag warning lamp continued to flicker off and on even though the front passenger seat was occupied. The authorized dealer was notified of the failure several months ago and the vehicle was not repaired. The contact was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 15V205000 (air bags). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 23,000. Updated 5/26/15 updated 05/29/15

- Littleton, CO, USA

The contact owns a 2006 MINICooper S. the contact stated that the passenger seat air bag warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. Updated 6/11/15

- Blue Springs , MO, USA

The contact owns a 2006 MINICooper S. the contact stated that when the ignition was turned to the on position, the air bag warning indicator illuminated. The failure recurred continuously. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the air bag sensor failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 15V205000 (air bags). The approximate failure mileage was 62,000. Updated 7/8/15

- Clovis, CA, USA

Passenger airbag light constant on and disabled even if I have passenger. There are numerous attempts to talk to the san francisco dealer to have to defect fix the previous owner not able to afford to get it fix.

- San Francisco, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2006 MINICooper. The contact stated that the frontal passenger air bag warning light remained illuminated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000.

- Terre Haute, IN, USA

The passenger seat air bag light came on and will not go off. I was advised by an authorized MINIcopper mechanic that the passenger seat air bag sensor is bad. It's my understanding that MINIcooper 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.

- Miami, FL, USA

The passenger air bag sensor stopped working. Now, even when there is someone in the passenger seat, the airbag is deactivated. The air bag sensor in the seat needs to work in order for the airbags to deploy-- and all of these systems are down due to a faulty sensor!

- Washington, DC, USA

My 2006 BMW MINICooper S passenger air bag light sporadically is showing that it is deactivated regardless if there is a full sized adult or no one in the passenger seat. This has been a on going problem/concern will my passengers be protected in the event of a crash since the air bags are showing that they are shut off will they still work? I had it checked out at authorized MINIdealer and they said the entire passenger seat needs to be replaced because the seat sensor was sending off faulty signals. This is ridiculous - $2000! I have been researching this and it is an onging issue with this model. BMW had a similar problem with another one of their models and it had to be recalled. The same should happen with this car. They are putting peoples lives at risk with they install faulty passenger seat sensors and are charging an arm and a leg to fix their faulty part. Something needs to be done.

- Oakland, CA, USA

Air bag warning light (passenger side) on the dashboard came on intermittently at first and now stays on all of the time, regardless if someone is sitting in the passenger seat or not. Took the vehicle to the local MINIdealer (international autos, milwaukee, wi) and was told that there was a "faulted air bag OC3 mat" that could be repaired/replaced for $1163. As this was an obvious safety issue unrelated to the age or accumulated mileage on the vehicle, I felt that MINIusa should authorize a no-cost repair or, at a minimum, provide a replacement part(s) at no cost. The cost to remedy other wear-related issues noted during the inspection of the vehicle are clearly my responsibility. A subsequent phone conversation with MINIusa on 01/27/2015 disclosed that, while this was an legitimate vehicle safety issue, they did not feel that this was their responsibility and that I should pay the entire amount necessary to repair this vehicle defect.

- Oconomowoc, WI, USA

Passenger air bag warning light stays on all the time. Dealer and independent repair shop say the seat sensor need to be replaced. It is located in the seat and the whole seat needs to be replaced. Estimated cost $1200. To 1500. Us dollars. The passenger seat is rarely used. The repair is not covered by warranty. I don't know if the air bag will deploy. Apparently all BMW's were recalled for this problem but not the MINIcoopers which according to posted threads are also experiencing the same problem.

- Winter Springs, FL, USA

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 MINIwas 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 MINIyears. MINIdoes 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 MINIPlease, there can be no excuse for not recalling vehicles with this significant and expensive safety design flaw. (TR

- Los Gatos, CA, USA

I noticed that the airbag light in the passenger side came on, I kept an eye on it and at first it would go on and off. Then it got worse, it would go on and off when I would hit a bump in the road. Now its always on, I researched this issue and I found this site w/over 130 complaints on it. I see that BMW had the same issue and did a recall of all airbag issues. MINIis made by BMW why would they not cover any year that has the same airbag problem. I'm a teenager and can't afford to fix the issue that's approx $1,500-2,000. Or do I wait till my friend or someone gets seriously hurt, or even worse dies from this problem. For BMW and the cost of their cars this is small potatoes for them. For me to fix it mind as well be a million dollars, or the cost of a friend or family member..god forbid!!! if there's this many complaints then shouldn't the manufacturer be held responsible? they had a recall until 05, obviously the problem still cont. Into 06 and should be recalled and repaired. They made the car, so I guess they also made the mistake..can someone please take some responsibility.

- East Hartford, CT, USA

Failure of oc-3 weight mat in passenger seat base, thus disabling passenger side airbag system. Cost to replace seat bottom is $1200. As this part is common between minis and bmws, and is very prone to failure, BMW has issued a recall on bmws in this model year area, but has not yet done so for minis. Perhaps BMW needs a wrongful death lawsuit to issue a recall? this is a travesty.

- Lake Orion, MI, USA

The contact owns a 2006 MINICooper. The contact stated that the passenger seat air bag light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the air bag seat sensor needed to be replaced. No repairs were made to the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 63,000.

- Palmyra, VA, USA

The contact owns a 2006 MINICooper. The contact stated that the passenger side air bag warning light continuously illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

- Martinez, CA, USA