The airbag light of my 2003 S came on about 2 months ago. Turned out to be the positive battery cable. Since the cable was replaced everything has been fine.

Alan

 

Wasn't there a warranty extension for cars that were affected by the airbag light? I think to 150k miles? (I got something in he mail about it.) Anyways, of the ''common'' '02 issues, I haven't had any of them. Scary...

Me.

 

The dealer covered mine after 4 years and 120k miles. Also got a nice sw upgrade that improved my cvt shifting and had a significant impact on SD - free visit and wash. I read somewhere SRS is covered 150k miles and 10 years.

 

i bought a 2003 MCS at the beggining of the year and after driving a few months my air bag went on.. and i got scared so i brought it to the dealer and have it check dealer said its the harness and it need to be replace, however they said its not coverd anymore by the factory warranty and charging me $500 +. i told them i ;ll to resolve it my self so i just have them reset the onboard computer or whatever and it fix the problem, however after a few month the light came on again.

i try to resolve it my self, try thing all the i dead that i got from this tread. 1 like pluging the seat belt while the motor is running and shutting it off and starting the motor again still no go.

 

Thread lives again...

My airbag light...

On and off, unexpectedly. Will check for connector problems.

06 MCS.

Bummer.

 

Yay! My airbag light went on today! Time to start troubleshooting since I'm out of warranty. I guess I will check all the connections under the front seats then report back.

 

Fixing the problem that caused the airbag light to come on will not turn the airbag light off. So, debugging this problem is pretty much impossible for the average car owner.

 

I was sent a service notice from MINI a few years back that if the light comes on they would fix the problem which is the wiring harness under the seat. MINI also sent me a sticker to stick in service record book that says they will fix this problem regardless of my warranty status. I’ve never had the light come on so I’ve never had it fixed.

 

snid: did you ever solve this? You're so right about fixing the problem only to have the light remain on. I am going in on Monday to turn my light off, but I'm pretty sure I know that it was tripped on by a loose resistor pack (installed to fool the computer into thinking my Sparco Evo2s have airbags!). I have rewired my seats and the passenger weight sensor and I'm 99% sure there's no problem, but the light remains on. btw, disconnecting the battery once the light is on does not reset it (but disconnecting the battery before playing with the seats will generally prevent the light from going on). Also a regular scan tool will not detect any errors so it can't be used to reset a "non-existent" error code!

cheers,

 

my airbag light just went off a couple of weeks ago. It's out of warranty at 88,000 miles but I'd heard of the underseat connection problem so took it to the dealer. First the MINI Dealer says it's the fuse block thingy located next to the battery in the boot (the car is an '03 MCS) okay, so an hour labor and a $56 part I should be good to go. I made it about 20 miles before the light came back on. Now they have new software from MINI for their diagnostic equipement that says it's a positive battery cable. Cost is now $825 to fix.
I think I'll learn to drive with the red light on... it will be a constant reminder of exemplary german engineering...

 

Anybody have any idea why the MINI dealer would want to replace a corroded positive battery cable? Can't the corrosion on a wire be cleaned and reconnected?

 

You can now buy a OBD2 tool that will reset airbag light and pin point the problem. Used on my 2003 MCS and no problem resetting the light.

It is called B200 and can be found here;

OBDToolStore.com

 

i got my coop back from my Ex after she trashed it out and the Airbag light has been on for 3 months that i know of. I'll be checking the seats and possibly be buying one of the OBD2 tools.

thanks for the unknowing help guys.

 

+1, works like a charm

 

I fixed mine with some black electric tape. doesn't come on at all now

 

Everyone with an Early R50/53 should read this!!!!

There is still a warranty for your MINI is the Airbag lamp comes on and it happens to be one of the codes from the bulletin they released.
The codes are some like 03 04 05 06 , the low numbers.
It is covered as said for 10years of 150,000 miles. Hope your not paying for it!!!

 

and if it's not one of those codes, then what? You''ll pay for the service at BMW shop rates...

 

i know im bringing this back from the dead but can anyone verify if the extended warranty covers 2005 mini's? i called my dealer yesterday but the service manager was out sick and they didnt know what i was talking about.

 

i know im bringing this back from the dead but can anyone verify if the extended warranty covers 2005 mini's? i called my dealer yesterday but the service manager was out sick and they didnt know what i was talking about.

 

I would like to know as well, as my 04 MCS has the light on. I didn't notice any lose wiring when I was looking under the seat, so I am a bit confused what else could of triggered the light to come on.

 

I seem to recall reading another thread that said that since it's safety related, they have to fix it. Suppose MINI figures that 10yr/150k should be enough time to find all the cars with the short loom (if that's the actual cause)

'03 here and mine's on and I carpooled for 2 yrs so my passenger seat saw plenty of movement. Makes sense that that's the cause.