2005 MINI COOPER S CONVERTIBLE Air Bags Problems

PASSENGER AIRBAG LIGHT HAS BEEN ON SINCE 2013. MECHANICS TELL ME THAT IT IS A WEIGHT-SENSING MAT ON THE SEAT. MINI RECALLED 2005 MINI'S BUT THIS ONE IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS YEAR FOR THIS CAR.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER S CONVERTIBLE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V205000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.

NOTIFIED THAT MINI WOULD RECALL DUE TO FAULTY SENSOR FOR AIRBAG ON MAY 1. NOW 4 MONTHS LATER, AND STILL NO RECALL. MINI SAYS THEY ARE GATHERING DATA ON THE AFFECTED CARS, NO INFO ON WHEN RECALL AND REPAIR WILL ACTUALLY HAPPEN.

Mileage: 80,000

ON APRIL 20, 2015, I TOOK MY 2005 MINI S CONVERTIBLE TO MINI OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY IN DARIEN, CT BECAUSE THE AIR BAG LIGHT WAS ON. I RECEIVED A VERBAL QUOTE OF APPROXIMATELY $1200 TO REPAIR. LATER THAT DAY I RECEIVED AN EMAIL FROM THE SHOP FOREMAN STATING THAT MINI WAS AWARE OF AN ISSUE WITH THE PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR AND THAT MINI WAS LOOKING INTO A COURSE OF ACTION. A FEW DAYS LATER THE PRESS REPORTED THAT A RECALL WAS BEING DONE FOR THIS ISSUE AND I CALLED AGAIN, WHEN I WAS TOLD THAT A LETTER WOULD COME FROM MINI WITH DETAILS. SOMETIME BETWEEN THEN AND JUNE 15, I RECEIVED A LETTER (DATED "JUNE 2015") STATING THAT A RECALL WAS GOING TO BE ISSUED, AND I SHOULD NOT CARRY PASSENGERS IF THE LIGHT WAS ON (IT HAD BEEN ON SINCE APRIL), AND AGAIN CALLED MINI OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, WHERE THEY REITERATED THE INFO IN THE LETTER THAT I WOULD HAVE TO WAIT FOR YET ANOTHER LETTER. I CALLED MINI CUSTOMER CARE BOTH ON JUNE 15 AND AUGUST 25 TO REQUEST INFORMATION ON THE TIMING, AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO PROVIDE ANY INFORMATION BEYOND WHAT THE DEALER TOLD ME. IT IS NOW AUGUST 25, AND OVER FOUR MONTHS THAT I'VE BEEN UNABLE TO SAFELY CARRY A PASSENGER IN THIS VEHICLE. I FEEL THAT THIS MEETS THE STANDARD NOTED IN THE RECALL LETTER "IF YOUR MINI DEALER IS UNABLE TO REMEDY THE DEFECT WITHOUT CHARGE OR WITHIN A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME", ESPECIALLY WHEN I WAS GIVEN A VERBAL QUOTE IN APRIL TO FIX THE ISSUE. MINI HAS ALSO DECLINED TO PROVIDE A LOANER VEHICLE WHILE MINE IS DISABLED. I REQUEST THAT NHTSA INVESTIGATE WHETHER MINI INTENDS TO PROPERLY CARRY OUT THIS RECALL (15V-205).

THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG SENSOR TURNS OFF EVEN THOUGH A PASSENGER IS IN THE SEAT. THIS ISSUE SHOULD BE COVERED BY THE LATEST RECALL NOTICE BUT MINI USA HAS NOT INCLUDED MY VEHICLE. *TR

Mileage: 20,000

THE PASSENGER DETECTOR ON MY PASSENGER SEAT HAS FAILED. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE IN MINI COOPERS AND BMWS OF THIS AGE. THE FIX IS COMPLETE $1500 SEAT REPLACEMENT AT THE DEALER. BMW HAS ALREADY RECALLED THE PARTS FOR ALL THE BMWS WHERE THIS OCCURS, BUT NOT THE MINIS. *TR

Mileage: 100,811

PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR/MAT FAILS WHICH RESULTS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT AIRBAG BEING DISABLED. THIS IS DANGEROUS BECAUSE THE AIRBAG WILL NOT DEPLOY FOR THE PASSENGER IF THERE IS AN ACCIDENT. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT COSTS OVER $1300 TO FIX BUT MINI WILL NOT ISSUE A WARRANTY CLAIM FOR IT. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF OTHER VEHICLES THAT HAVE HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM BUT MINI WILL NOT STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT. THIS IS THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM AS THE RECALL ISSUED BY BMW (NHTSA CAMPAIGN 13V564000). *TR

Mileage: 40,000

SAW ON THE WEB THAT MINI RECALLED AND THEN EXTENDED WARRANTY RECALL ON AN AIRBAG MALFUNCTION. THE LIGHT CAME ON A FEW DAYS AGO, BUT I CAN NOT FIND ANY INFORMATION AS TO THE TRUTH IN THAT STATEMENT. SUPPOSEDLY 10 YEARS OR 150,000 MILES. *TR

Mileage: 70,685

AIRBAG SENSOR LIGHT IS ON, INDICATING A PROBLEM WITH THE PASSENGER AIRBAG. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH MINIS AND CERTAIN BMWS. MINI HAS VOLUNTARILY REPAIRED THE DEFECT IN SOME VEHICLES BUT IS REFUSING TO REPAIR OTHERS. MINI TOLD ME TO TAKE IT TO A DEALER, PAY FOR A DIAGNOSTIC AND THEY'D THINK ABOUT A REPAIR. I HAVE NO FAITH IN THEIR WILLINGNESS TO PROVIDE A REPAIR SINCE ETHER HAVE REFUSED THE REPAIR REPEATEDLY TO OTHER CONSUMERS. THIS IS A COMMON SAFETY ISSUE, AND APPEARS TO CLEARLY BE A DEFECT RATHER THAN AN EXPECTED WEARING OUT OF THE VEHICLE. *TT

Mileage: 69,000

I WAS TOLD THE FOLLOWING ABOUT MY PASSENGER AIRBAG SYSTEM. BASICALLY THE COMPUTER FAILED AND I HAD A CRACK IN THE PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR. THIS CAR HAS ONLY 32,000 MILES AND WAS MOSTLY DRIVEN WITH NO ONE IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE FAILED WITH SUCH MINIMAL USE.: REPLACE MRS MODULE AND PROGRAM,ENCODE (MRS MODULE FAILURE, INTERNAL SHORT CIRCUIT) FAIL $774.06 REPLACE PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY MAT (PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY MAT HAS MICRO CRACK ON MAT FAULT 0071)FAIL $874.55. *TR

Mileage: 32,000

AIRBAG WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATES INTERMITTENTLY IN DASH AND PASSENGER AIRBAG "OFF" ILLUMINATES ABOVE REAR VIEW MIRROR IN MY 2005 MINI COOPER S CONVERTIBLE. WHEN SOME SITS IN THE SEAT IT COMES ON INTERMITTENTLY. WHEN YOU CHECK THE CONNECTORS UNDER THE SEAT IT GOES OFF WITH WIGGLING. DIAGNOSED BY MINI COOPER DEALERSHIP AS "CRACKED SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR" INSIDE THE SEAT. NOT REPAIRABLE ONLY REPLACEABLE. AIRBAG WILL NOT GO OFF IF PASSENGER IN THE SEAT. MINI COOPER HAS COVERED THIS FOR OTHER MODELS, BUT MY CAR IS NOT COVERED. INCURRING ME A $1600 QUOTE FOR MAKE MY CAR SAFE FOR PASSENGERS. *TR

Mileage: 42,611

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MINI COOPER S CONVERTIBLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AT ENGINE START UP. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE DEALER CONFIRMED TO THE CONTACT THAT THE OCCUPANCY SENSOR FAILED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 38,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 41,000.

Mileage: 38,000

PASSENGER SEAT AIR BAG SENSOR MALFUNCTION. SENSOR DOESN'T WORK THEREFORE CAUSING THE PASSENGER AIR BAG TO BE DISENGAGED. THIS IS A NONE PROBLEM AND WELL DOCUMENTED WITH THIS YEAR, HOWEVER, MINI DOESN'T HAVE A RECALL. THE ONLY RECALL IS FOR AFTER THIS YEAR MODEL. *TR

Mileage: 32,000

UNEXPECTEDLY, THE AIRBAG MALFUNCTION LIGHT CAME ON. I'VE SEEN OTHER REPORTS OF THIS OCCURRING ON THE WEB. I HAVE NOT HAD THIS SERVICED YET. IT IS NOT COVERED BY MINI'S WARRANTY. *TT

Mileage: 75,000

WHEN SOMEONE IS SITTING IN THE SEAT. ALSO, THE LIGHT WHICH INDICATES THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG IS OFF COMES ON WHEN SOMEONE IS SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. I USED THE SAME WRITE-UP ON A PREVIOUS COMPLAINT AS THE SYMPTOMS ARE ACCURATE FOR MY 2005 MINI COOPER S CONVERTIBLE, WITH APPROXIMATELY 72,000 MILES. *TR

Mileage: 72,000