The BMW MINICooper 2006 has the same safety problem as described in the NHTSA action number : EA08001, NHTSA recall campaign number : 08V384000 but was not included in the vehicle recall list. There are many many owners having to pay $1000 - $2000 for repairs concerning defects to the front passenger seat air bag occupant detection mat. The broken circuit can lead to the deactivation of the passenger air bag and the illumination of both the air bag warning light and the passenger air light. The repair of the detection mat forces the replacement of the passenger seat. My vehicle is now one of the increasingly large number of MINICoopers with the failed safety system. Many states have yearly safety inspections and the airbag safety situation needs to be corrected before the inspection passes. The MINICooper "R" series vehicles need to be added into the EA08-001 NHTSA recall 08V384000.

- Haleiwa, HI, USA

The air bag light is continuously lit on my 2006 MINICooper. Initially the light was intermittently on; however now it remains permanently light. The dealer has indicated that the passenger OC3 mat is faulty and will be require a $1,000+ fix. Internet searches have found that this is a common problem with this vehicle and the same issue has occurred multiple times on some vehicles, even after being repaired with new parts. Additionally, BMW, the parent company of MINIhad a similar problem with their BMW vehicles and a recall was issued. MINIoften uses BMW parts in their vehicles so it is possible and quite likely that similar parts were used. This is a genuine safety issue and one that is wide spread with this particular vehicle.

- Vancouver, WA, USA

On my 2006 MINICooper 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 MINIand 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!

- Marion, IL, USA

Passenger seat occupancy sensor inop rendering airbag unsafe. Requires replacement of passenger seat cushion with new sensor mat. 6 speed automatic transmission slipping and shifting hard. Occasionally, renders car powerless as in neutral even if in travel lanes making unsafe to operate. Requires replacement of valve block. Servicing of automatic transmission fluid is not required by MINIBMW but same transmission in other brands do. VW recommends atf replacement at 40K miles and doesn't have problems with valve block failure.

- Felton, DE, USA

The airbag warning light came on. The sensor under the passenger seat was broken. This is a very well known problem with MINIs beginning with the 2002 model, but especially with the 2006. BMW which owns MINIhad the same problem with the same year car and issued a recall, but MINInever did. The dealer wants $1500 to fix the problem, but others with the same car have had the part break as many as three times. The sensor is to detect that there is a passenger and the weight of the passenger so that the force of the airbag can be regulated if a child or child car seat is in the passenger seat. It is unscionable that MINIwould jeopardize safety after they have known of this problem for years. Customer relations at MINIusa was unwilling to resolve this issue.

- Hudson, FL, USA

In addition to my previous post, more information on this situation, this note sent to miniusa.com, my 2006 MINICooper has the airbag light illuminated above the rear view mirror and is generating an error 71, passenger occupancy sensor fault. It is my understanding this is due to a faulty sensor mat under the seat. From my research I see that this has been covered under an extended warranty for the OC3 seat mat sensor which is used in BMW as well as MINImodels. I am requesting that this sensor be replaced in my MINICooper as I fear the passenger airbag will not deploy in an accident due to the documented faulty sensor. The recall is stated at www.bmwusa.com/standard/content/contactus/voluntaryrecall.aspx,

- Munster, IN, USA

The airbag warning light is on and dealer has said the sensor in the passenger seat is bad and the pad and sensor must be replaced at a cost of $1400. I cannot believe that a car this popular has this kind of safety issue. I would expect MINIto at the very least to cover the cost of the pad or sensor. Unbelievable.

- Mckinney, TX, USA

The contact owns a 2006 MINICooper. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the passenger's side air bag light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the front passenger's side seat cover would need to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure and current mileage was 43,160.

- Amherst, VA, USA

The contact owns a 2006 MINICooper. The contact stated that the front passenger side air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the front passenger seat air bag sensor needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 65,000.

- Scottsville, AZ, USA

I had to go ahead and have the air bag sensors in the passenger seat replaced last week, because I will have a passenger on a trip to Utah soon. When I complained to one of the service people, that the passenger seat was rarely used, he started bloviating as to how heat can break down the materials in the sensors.

- Portland, OR, USA

Recently purchased a 2006 MINICooper for my teen child. We now discovered that the passenger airbag notification should not be on. We took it to a BMW dealer to have this looked, and we were told that it's due to a faulty passenger occupancy sensor in the passenger seat bottom requiring a replacement at a cost of $1700. After further investigation, I see that this is a common problem. This could be safety concern, and I believe that BMW should be responsible to have this problem corrected. I am not sure if the airbag will deploy if a passenger is seated. This is a situation that needs to be remedied through a recall. MINIshould extended their airbag system warranty.

- Miami, FL, USA

2006 MINICooper S passenger airbag light (above rearview mirror) is illuminated constantly (seat occupied or not). Local MINIcooper dealership says the problem is the sensor pad, which is woven into the seat bottom, and the whole seat bottom must be replaced at a cost of $1650. Dealer service manager says that MINIusa will not help with this, as the car is out of warranty and has 100K miles. I used an SRS scan tool to confirm that code 71 (seat occupancy sensor II) is set and comes right back after clearing it. Quick search through NHTSA complaints and online MINIenthusiast forums shows this is a frequent problem, especially in the 2005-06 model years. Clearly a severe safety defect which MINIusa (BMW) should have addressed. No one can tell me if the passenger airbag will deploy in a crash or not. I also find it interesting the wide range of repair costs that others who have posted here were quoted by their local MINIdealers (seems like anywhere from $1000 - $2000). Something is not right with that.

- Oklahoma City, OK, USA

From my research, the 2006 MINIhas a faulty passenger occupancy sensor in the passenger seat bottom requiring a replacement at a cost of over $1000. Since 2006 was the first year for this requirement, I believe they did not properly test the device before releasing them into production as I have researched and read on many failures of this device. I cannot determine conclusively if the airbag will or will not deploy in this situation and MINIwill be liable in a situation if it does not deploy the airbag properly with a passenger seated. This is a situation that needs to be remedied through a recall. MINIextended their airbag system warranty on the 2002 - 2005 models to 10 years or 150,000 miles and should do the same for the 2006+ models.

- Davie, FL, USA

Air bag light went on for no reason, it is due to a faulty sensor that MINIis aware of the problem but refuses to correct. I don't have 1700 dollars to replace passenger seat - so all passengers will be at risk when I drive, as the air bag won't deploy or will deploy at full force.

- Oak Forest, IL, USA

My car is a 07/2006 MINICooper with only 22,900 miles as of 06/2013. When someone is seated in the passenger seat, the passenger airbag warning light and the passenger airbag disabled light are intermittently illuminated. The MINIdealership said that the fault codes indicate an issue with the passenger seat occupancy sensor--which should be replaced. The cost cited for that operation was $900. The dealership speculated that, despite the indicator lights, the passenger airbag should still deploy if the passenger was wearing his seat belt. However, when BMW, manufacturer of MINIannounced a recall in North America of front passenger air bag seat sensor mats involving approximately 200,000 model year 2004-06 bmws, affected owners were warned that they should contact their dealer "if the air bag warning lamp and the passenger air bag 'on-off' lamp are illuminated simultaneously." In that situation, BMW recommended that customers not use the front passenger seat and have the vehicle serviced immediately, warning that "a possible defect may keep the front passenger airbag from opening in a crash." Thus, it seems evident that faulty seat occupancy sensors should be regarded as a significant safety issue. Yet, despite the fact that there are numerous, well documented problems with the sensors in the MINIBMW has neither extended the warranty to financially compensate owners for an obvious manufacturer defect, nor issued a recall. The NHTSA should compel BMW to ensure the safety of MINIpassengers.

- Blacksburg, VA, USA

From my research, the 2006 MINIhas a faulty passenger occupancy sensor in the passenger seat bottom requiring a replacement at a cost of over $1000. Since 2006 was the first year for this requirement, I believe they did not properly test the device before releasing them into production as I have researched and read on many failures of this device. I cannot determine conclusively if the airbag will or will not deploy in this situation and MINIwill be liable in a situation if it does not deploy the airbag properly with a passenger seated. This is a situation that needs to be remedied through a recall. MINIextended their airbag system warranty on the 2002 - 2005 models to 10 years or 150,000 miles and should do the same for the 2006+ models.

- Munster, IN, USA

Air bag light above rear view mirror illuminates when a passenger is seated. I have researched this and found many others having the same issue, but have not discovered a recall or any information to make the necessary repairs. Seems it should be fixed as they did with the 2002 model, covering the repair to 10 years or 150,000 miles.

- Munster, IN, USA

Purchased car used. When passenger sits in front seat, airbag light intermittently goes on and off and then stays on. Have searched online and the passenger seat sensor is likely broken and is a $1500 fix at the dealer. This is a safety issue and should be covered by manufacturer.

- Alpharetta, GA, USA

Passenger side airbag failed. Seat passenger detector failure is cause. A review of on line trouble sites show this to be a very common problem which manufacturer denies and delays repair. Though MINIhas multiple reports of this, they refuse to repair as they state "out of warranty". this is a basic safety feature which is flawed and should be subject to immediate and broad recall.

- Dunlap, IL, USA

During the past couple weeks, the air bag indicator light would come on. At times it would stay on for a long period, other times not as long. This week the seat belt indicator light came on after a passenger left the car and the alarm sounded for apx. 10 minutes until I stopped and shut off the car. The air bag indicator also came on. I took it for servicing today but the garage could not get any codes from the SRS control unit.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA