Yup, got the light. My mechanic has the fancy euro computer that can read/reset codes as well as provide diagnostic trees. Seems I have three codes. 2 involve power and the third is the driver seat occupancy sensor. Car is out of warranty (I thought my aftermarket extended warranty would cover it but it seems I didn't buy the optional SRS rider...). Mechanic said that he entire lower seat has to be replaced as the sensor is imbedded within it. $800 for the seat and a couple of hours labor.

From everything I've read, my Aug 06 build MCS is most likely not covered by the 10 year extension (but I certainly intend to call and verify).

Thoughts?

I'm wondering if there is a Recaro seat option with side airbags I can install? Is that an option? If so, any clue what one seat would cost me (with shipping)?

 

You're probably correct about this not being covered-

http://www.miniproblems.com

I found the airbag recall for the 2002-early 2003 models here but it seems as if the later models aren't covered by this. Couldn't hurt to call and ask.

Val

 

SO I called a company that carries used MINI parts and he told me that the driver's seat did not have an airbag sensor; only the buckle is wired into the system.

My mechanic on the other hand claims that the computer diagnostics traced it down to the driver's occupancy sensor. I'm confused. Thoughts?

 

P/S seat pad has an airbag sensor to detect weight of the occupant.
Measuring the weight/presence/size of an occupant directly is not a simple matter, as a passenger's feet may rest on the floor pan, making the passenger seem lighter. Cinching a seat belt on a child seat may add to the load on the cushon, making the occupant appear heavier.

Most of the occupant sensing systems I am aware of use some sort of mat embedded in the foam of the seat. Most of the error in the system is involved in the placement of the sensing technology (membrane switches, capaitance elements, etc) to optimize the estimate of the passenger weight. The closer the sensing mat is to the top surface of the seat, the better weight estimate can be made. However, this position makes the sensing mat much more vulnerable to damage.



Prior owner of my MINI had it replaced twice under warranty.

MC are not the only cars with this issue.

Ford recalled 1.5 MILLION F150s for an airbag problem

GM recalled 50K Cadillac SRX models for another. Also Toyota, etc



My neighbors Kia, 3 months out of waranty had an airbag issue and one dealer wanted $800 to fix to pass inspection. He brought it to another dealer and they reset it for $18.

 

Time to bring this thread up again. Please read it for a good review of the issue. There is a possibility of an issue with the seat belt latch. I believe in addition to the post in the above thread, I saw a TSB listed for it recently. It is possible that it is just the drivers side latch, however most people have found the fault to be with the Passenger seat sensor mat. There is no occupancy sensor for the drivers seat. It is always assumed to be occupied by an adult weighing more than 50lbs if the car is being operated. Thus they only need to check if the seat belt is latched. Good luck.

 

As far as the 10 year extension. It applies only to the short length wiring harness on the models thru 2004.

There is not a Recaro seat option with side airbags which fits US regulations for the R53. Thus GP models in the US did not see the really nice seats, which Euro models have. You can do a Recaro seat in the R53 but it will not include the side airbag.

 

Oh and if you did not get through all that here is the link to the thread on disabling the sensor matt.

 

My first post here:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...oing-well.html

Short story I just bought a beautiful red 2006 Mini Convertible for my daughter and its not going well. It only has 24K on it and looks fabulous but right after we bought it I noticed the passenger side airbag stayed on no matter who was sitting in the seat.

We'll I dropped it off last week at Cincinnati Mini and it ended up costing me over $ 1,600 to repair a seat sensor. I have the old seat and will post pics later.

Apparently there was a an extended warrenty issued for 2002-2003 for a similar issue but not one for later models. I have submitted a complaint on this at
NHTSA.

In searching their website a majority of the (40) Cooper and (11) Cooper convertible 2006 complaints revolve around this very common problem.

I urge everyone that has had this issue or dealing with it now to lodge a complaint, as this is how goverment recalls start.

http://nhthqnwas700.nhtsa.dot.gov/co...ts/results.cfm

 

My passenger air bag light has given off schizophrenic signals for several months which I have chosen to ignore on the theory that by paying attention it would just encourage further bad behavior. Yesterday while tidying up the cabin a bit I reached under the seat and fiddled about with the various connectors. Lo and behold the light is now functioning correctly. Give it a try before turning a mechanic loose with it.

 

So, oddly enough, I needed to remove the seats to get all the damn crumbs out that have been left behind by the kids an wife. Needless, I'm getting the light now.

There were 5 connectors on the passenger seat...4 on the drivers. Obviously, I'll need to recheck the connections, but does anyone know which one is for the airbags?

I assume there's a seat heater, seat belt check, airbag...and the extra one would be for the passenger detection. Must be missing something too.

 

Dang, now you're getting personal. All I did was kinda stand on my head, reach under the seat feeling around and trying to tighten (push together) anything that felt like a connector. For all I know I coulda grabbed and tripped the self destruct module set for the end of the Mayan calendar. But, the immediate results are satisfactory.

 

Kredit to Kobalt...

How can I report a safety problem to NHTSA?

If you think your vehicle or equipment may have a safety defect, reporting it to NHTSA is an important first step to take to get the situation remedied and make our roads safer. If the agency receives similar reports from a number of people about the same product, this could indicate that a safety-related defect may exist that would warrant the opening of an investigation. In order to make it convenient for consumers to report any suspected safety defects to NHTSA, the agency offers three ways to file such complaints.

Vehicle Safety Hotline
NHTSA operates the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Vehicle Safety Hotline telephone service to collect accurate and timely information from consumers on vehicle safety problems. You can call 1-888-327-4236 or 1-800-424-9393 toll free from anywhere in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands to register complaints or receive recall information about a vehicle. The Hotline also has Spanish-speaking representatives and offers a dedicated number, 1-800-424-9153, for use by persons with hearing impairments.
When you call the Hotline to report a vehicle-related safety issue, you will be asked to provide certain critical information that agency technical staff needs to evaluate the problem. The information you provide is filed on a Vehicle Owner’s Questionnaire (VOQ), entered into the agency’s consumer-complaint database, and forwarded to NHTSA technical staff for evaluation.
VOQs filed through the Hotline will be mailed to you for verification of data. In addition, you will receive an explanation of how your report will be used, as well as a request for written authorization allowing NHTSA to provide your personal identifiers (e.g., name, address and telephone number) to the manufacturer of the alleged defective product you own. Note that you are not required to provide such authorization. However, sometimes sharing this information with the manufacturer can help facilitate the recall process.

Safercar.gov
You can also report a vehicle safety issue to NHTSA online at our vehicle safety Web site: www.safercar.gov. Select “File a Complaint” within the Defects and Recalls section of the home page. The information you submit via the Web site is recorded in VOQ format, entered into our consumer complaint database, and provided to our technical staff for evaluation.
When you fill out a VOQ online, you will be given the option of checking a box to authorize or not authorize the release of your personal identifiers to the manufacturer of the alleged defective product you own. Again, while you are not required to provide such authorization, doing so can sometimes help facilitate the recall process.
Actual Link - https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/

U.S. Mail
To report a safety complaint to NHTSA by mail, send your letter to:
U.S. Department of Transportation
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Office of Defects Investigation (NVS-210)
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20590

 

finally! justice

from http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/cs...5V205-4250.PDF

---
In 1Q2014, BMW began an internal review to determine if other models might be similarly affected. In April 2014, a warranty review indicated a potential issue with certain model year 2005 to 2008 MINI models, but the root cause was not known since the seat mat design was significantly different compared to the BMW models. Since the potentially affected vehicles were out of warranty, BMW initiated a special USA parts collection campaign in June 2014 to acquire field parts from customer-owned vehicles. In September 2014, a sufficient quantity and variety of returned parts were provided to the supplier for further analysis.

In December 2014 the supplier reviewed its findings with BMW, noting that there appeared to be multiple issues causing increased electrical resistance of the sensor mat, associated with production, installation and field exposure (wear).

In January 2015 the supplier examined its production records and quality control information to identify the production dates and lots of affected parts. In February 2015, BMW conducted reviews and analyses of vehicle production records to identify the potentially affected vehicles which were manufactured with the affected parts.

On March 31, 2015, BMW decided to expand recalls 08V-384 and 13V-564 to replace the passenger occupancy seat mat on additional affected vehicles.
---

so whoever still has the dreaded airbag light on should go get their car's fixed at MINI's expense and whoever got their car fixed already should file a claim to get reimbursed. also, you may want to get your car re-fixed with a part that isn't defective.

cheers,
marc