Vehicle was parked in garage for 3 months. When vehicle was started, the air bag light remained on. It has not turned off for 6 months and will not pass state inspection. The battery was strong enough to start the car with no problem and the vehicle has in a garage the entire time. When the vehicle was parked, all systems were functioning.

- Waynesboro, VA, USA

The passenger air bag sensor went on in my MINICooper. I noticed this seems to be a common issue. I also had to replace the steering components in the MINICooper, which again seems to be a common issue. I am concerned regarding all the air bag recalls, but at 1,7K to replace the entire seat; that is quite a burden upon a tight budget. I just wanted to use this website as a place where I have documented these issues, so that if there is a insurance claim down the road, because of these faulty issue, I have a documented complaint.

- Parker, CO, USA

Passenger side air bag warning light spontaneously lighted without incident and continues to remain illuminated during operation of vehicle with or without passenger in seat. MINIof usa assistance denies any responsibility or warranty, but states that" air bag may not function in case of accident". this vehicle has 53,00 miles on odometer. Have observed many such complaints on related internet sites.

- Makawao, HI, USA

Air bag warning light and seat occupancy warning light came on. Took in for service- told seat occupant 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.

- Arlington, VA, USA

The air bag warning light came on for the passenger side seat. The BMW dealer said that the seat sensor was faulty.

- Carlsbad, CA, USA

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 MINIcooper 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?"

- Orlando, FL, USA

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

- Williamstown, NJ, USA

The contact owns a 2006 MINICooper S. the contact stated the air bag warning indicator was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that the passenger seat sensor mat was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

- Grandville, MI, USA

The contact owns a 2006 MINICooper. The contact stated that the air bag indicator illuminated when the front passenger seat was occupied. The failure occurred multiple times. The dealer was unable to locate the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.

- Wrightwood, CA, USA

Right seat air bag occupancy pad sensor causes airbag light to stay on. The sensor has been tested and is inoperative. BMW has a recall for all their vehicles with the same sensor. MINICooper needs to be held accountable for this faulty design and have to replace the occupancy seat sensor at no cost to the owners. This repair cost around $1300. If this is not repaired it could prevent the air bags from deploying.

- Enterprise, AL, USA

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 MINIdealership 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 MINIneeds 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 MINIdealerships 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.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

As many other MINIowners have reported, my SRS light is on and the passenger side airbag is continuously off (light stays on). I have no idea if I am driving with or without airbags. $1,500 to fix at dealer. MINIdid a recall on models up to 2005.

- Grand Prairie, TX, USA

Passenger airbag light on my 2006 MINICooper, above rearview mirror stays illuminated constantly, whether the passenger seat is occupied or not. After calling the nearby MINICooper dealer, and talking to the service manager he said yes we have a lot of problems with them. However there is no recall out for 2006 MINIairbag problems but there has been for other model years. Said the sensor and the whole seat may need to be replaced, bring it in and it will run you about $1200 to $1600. I asked does it mean my airbag will not function if I have an accident. The service manager laughed in a cavalier manner "well you always have your seat belt." After months waiting for an official recall, called the national MINIcustomer relations who acted very non chalant and got no where. Went to a local european car repair specialist who used a computer scanner that said the passenger seat sensor is defective. He then used a brand new scanner and this time it said the driver side is defective. Said go on the internet I'm not the only one with the MINIairbag problems. Was shocked to see thousands, many who did spend the large amount of money and the problems keeps recurring. MINIneeds to extend the airbag warranty to 150,000 miles at least for 12 years. Someone is going to suffer severe injury or death in a small car that definitely needs all the airbag protection available. $1600 is lot of money for a dealer fix that does not seem to work.

- Palm City, FL, USA

My occupancy sensor 2 mat is bad on the passenger's side. My mechanic told me that he thought there was a recall on this part, otherwise it will be about $1400 to replace. This is a major safety issue because the sensor is unable to read whether or not a passenger is in the seat.

- Houston, TX, USA

Occupancy sensor mat bad and passenger air bag disabled light on. A known issue and BMW autos and SUVS have been recalled for this issue. I believe the MINIpassenger seat occupancy sensor mat is the same design as the BMW 3 series and should also be recalled. From what I understand, this disables the passenger airbag putting a passenger in danger. The BMW recall campaign is no. 13V-564.

- Munster, IN, USA

Passenger seat occupancy sensor stop working- causing air bag in passenger seat to shut off. No way to override and seat sensor cost over $1300 to replace. I understand this very common with Coopers in this date range. Very similar seat sensors for the BMW model has been recalled but not the version for the MINIthat is failing. Seems like design flaw that should be recalled.

- Littleton, CO, USA

Airbag sensor failure in passenger seat. Passenger airbag light is on.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

38,000 miles: Air bag warning light for passenger side seat stays illuminated. Air bag warning light remains on after vehicle has started and does not turn off. 54,900 miles: Aisin automatic transmission - automatic transmission failed thereby making the car inoperable. The car showed signs of gear change slipping between 2nd and 3rd gears. Transmission diagnosis, catastrophic failure of manual valve body and internal gears. Required a complete transmission rebuild.

- Astoria, NY, USA

Passenger seat air bag warning indicator shows air bag disabled intermittently, even when seat is occupied by full sized adult (over 140 pounds). This means my passenger is at risk of severe injury in case of crash, as the air bag is disabled. In addition to the above, the light is off and on intermittently even when the seat is not occupied. Ditto if a 5 pound lunch box is on the seat. BMW/MINIrefuses to correct this significant safety defect in minis, even though they are making free repairs for the same problem in many bmws of similar years, and have even made an warranty extension of many years and unlimited miles for affected bmws.

- Barboursville, VA, USA

Air bag light came on after small pass used the seat and did not go off. After that the light would go off for a while and then come back on. I had it looked by my mechanic and was told it was the seat mat. He cleared the light and it lasted for a couple of weeks. The cost of the part to him was $1400 plus labor. I received a safety recall for the same problem for my 2006 BMW. I received another letter from BMW and miss read it thinking it was for the MINICooper. I made an appointment with the MINICooper dealer in my area (raleigh nc) and was told when I showed up that the part was not under recall. I did not have the seat replaced at my cost since it is clearly a safety issue caused by a factory defect. I do not understand how it can be a covered defect in one BMW product and not in another when it is the same problem.

- Raleigh, NC, USA