This has been bothering me since I bought my R50 about two years ago but haven't really dealt with it.

The previous owner told me (and pre-purchase check confirmed) that my Mini's hood was replaced in a minor accident. I thought the accident might have triggered the airbags as the Mini emblem in the steering wheel is pretty scratched up but another poster wrote that if the accident was serious enough to trigger the airbags, the car would probably have been totaled.

To the real issue: Why can't I locate the front passenger airbag? Shouldn't there be an airbag emblem/sticker/indication on the dashboard in front of the passenger seat?

Thanks.

 

You should see an AIRBAG mark on the black plastic on top of the dash, at the right side.

In 2002-2004, the airbag deploys out from the painted trim panel in front of the passenger. In 2005-2006, the entire top cover of the dash will pop up and the airbag deploys from the top of the dash.

 

Is your airbag light on? if not then all systems are up and running. If the airbag light never turns on there is a problem. you should see your airbag light turn on when you turn on the car then turn off. If it stays on then there is a problem and you need a airbag code reater to read the code and figure out what is wrong and after repair clear the code.

Not all cars that get is a front end collision are totals nor are all totals that bad.

I was in a accident a year ago. a guy bumped me on the side at the drivers rear tire on the freeway. it blew my side airbags and sent me into a spin. I then contacted a semi. which crinched my hood an bumper. but there was zero structural damage. just bolt on parts and paint was needed. I got totaled. I bought the car back and replaced the airbags and interior components and have replaced the sheetmetal. I will get a repaint this year.
good luck. Airbags are not as scary to work on as they make it out to be.

 

One thing to note...
Why do you feel the passenger airbag is the issue...
If I recall right, you have a US spec car overseas....that would mean a 2006 has dual stage airbags...one component of this system that fails frequently is the weight sensor in the passenger seat bottom...when the sensor fails, a light is triggered...
The purpose of the sensor is to Determine the weight of the passenger, to possibly limit the force of airbag deployment (hense the "dual stage") so a child/small women is not killed/injured....

 

I think they guy who sold me the car took me for a proverbial ride. I had spent close to a year looking for a car that I could afford and live with, so I made every mistake possible when buying this one - took his suggestion when going to a pre-purchase inspection, overlooking inspection test results, not negotiating enough...
I've also found things since purchase that don't look right - like on the rear hatch there is a paint run and the Cooper emblem is higher than I've seen on other cars - suggesting the accident might have been worse than the inspection found.

I triggered the light when vacuuming under the seat and bought a code reader to turn it off.

** I don't see an AIRBAG mark on top of the dash anyplace. Can anybody be more specific? The only things there are the black plastic airvents - the longer one close to the windshield and the shorter one right in the middle of the dash. I just think it's weird that there is no AIRBAG mark on the passenger front.

 

It's a silkscreen near the A-pillar vent. On my car, it's fairly faint and I can imagine that it could rub off over time.

An image from the web:

 

Thanks. I definitely don't have that on my dash. But as you say it could easily rub off, I'll stop worrying about it.

 

I would agree with Zippy, the passenger weight sensor is an issue with all the late gen 1 cars.

If you had bumped something under the seat and tripped the airbag light it could be as easy as you making sure the connections are all made, but be prepared for the car to need a mat sensor.

The airbag deploys from the dash pad as stated, if the car was in a front end collision that warranted airbag deployment the repair facility could have used a cheaper dash pad, or somehow made the early pad work (which would worry me).

Take the car to a Euro specialist who has the proper scan tool to read what is going on.

 

Thanks to all, but I don't think there is anything wrong with the passenger airbag. I just couldn't find the sign/emblem that most cars have to identify their location (like the one on the steering wheel).