I have an '06 MCS which has 1380 miles on it. I have a nagging feeling that i have a problem with the weight sensor in my passenger seat, let me know what you think... OK, when I have a passenger sitting in the seat and I turn the car on, the Passenger Airbag Activity indicator flashes a symbol which is a person sitting in the seat with an X through the airbag. it turns off and then flashes again. ALSO, if the passenger does not put on her seatbelt, no indicator comes on asking her to fasten, something it used to do everytime.

QUESTION: Does the indicator light mentioned above ( a person sitting in a seat with an X through an airbag) mean that the airbag is disarmed? The manual is very vague about this...

QUESTION: Why doesn't the fasten seatbelt warning come on anymore? It must be that the sensor in the seat is bad..


SOMEONE please help me! If it is indeed bad I need to have it fixed ASAP so that my girlfriend doesnt die in a crash where her airbag doesnt deploy!


Thanks for any help...


Ryan

 

sounds like the same problem in my X3 O_o. Is she light, thin and tall? Thats typically the problem. I have a well docummented case with my dealership with them. If anything happens as a result BMW will be responsible accordingly. Hopefully they can fix it before something serious does happen though

 

My girlfriend is tall and skinny, but my friend Rick is kinda chubby and it still dosnt come on with him in the seat...



ANYONE! Does anyone know about the indicator lights...


Ryan

 

I"ve had a light on forever due to poor connections at the under-seat connectors. OTher problems are wiring harness issues in either the car harness or the seat itself. This should only effect the airbag in the seat, not in the dash or overhead, although I don't know that for sure.

If you search around, there's a way to fool the car to thing the airbag is plugged in. If you do this, and everything is good, then it's the connector or the harness in the seat.

Document it a lot, and have the dealer deal with it.....

also, the dealer will be able to scan the car, it the systems will say what they "think" the issues is. But it can't tell if the short is at the bag, the connector, or where in the harness.

Matt

 

I'd say that if the fasten seat belt chime, along with the red fasten seatblet light, doesnt come on, something is amiss. I'd take the car in to be looked at.

 

Going in for service tomorow at 9:00am... I will post a reply to let you all know what happens...



Ryan

 

PLEASE! SOMEONE HELP ME! Knuaz Mini service doesnt think there is anything wrong with my Mini... NO LIGHT comes on when a passenger sits in the seat w/o a seatbelt. The service guy from Knauz claims that nothing is wrong with my car, he says that no light/ chime should come on when a passenger doesnt put a seatbelt on. He also is unable to explain what "passenger airbag" indicator lights should come on when a passenger sits in the seat!

I NEED YOUR HELP NAM COMMUNITY!

Please explain these "passenger airbag" lights to me! The manual is very vague about them, what should i see when i have a passenger sitting in the seat. AND, IS THERE A SEAT BELT INDICATOR LIGHT/CHIME for a passenger????


PLEASE HELP!!!!


RYAN

 

Yes! I make it go off all the time when the SO is driving.

Make the silly SA go out to a new car with you and compare what happens with the seatbelt off once driving.

 

Damn service guys, I spoke to the manager and he told me he sat in the passanger seat, had a tech drive it and the "fasten seat belt" light came on, but no chime. He told me that there is no chime, which we all know is wrong. I spoke to Mini USA and the associate informed me that there IS a chime, and that the "passenger indicator" light showing a person sitting in a seat with an X through the airbag is the light that indicates the airbag is ON, so that is cool.

I'm going in tomorow to sit in the car with the service manager, as long as the seat belt indicator comes on like it should, we are all good.

Its not a total loss, I had them do an oil change while it was there, waiting till 10,000 miles for my first oil change is PRUE MADNESS! 1480 is where i'm at now, i like to change it right after the break-in period so it is worth paying for....

Thanks for your help Eval, I'll let you know what happens!


Ryan

 

Good luck! I know how it is to have to return again and again for issues and insist on a tech doing a test drive on the spot so they actually listen, see it and *get* it.

The passenger chime, by the way, is less frequent and insistant then when the driver leaves the seatbelt off - nevertheless, it makes itself known!

Lastly, you wanna get one of these instead of paying the stealer so much :

a topside oil extractor.

It works like a charm and makes it easy and simple to do those intermediary oil changes as frequently as you want yourself, even if you don't have the time/space etc to get under the car for the the standard way. Keeps the oil to dispose of nice and tidy and then all you have to do is swap out the filter. You can buy them from a lot of places for more or less, Griots carry's them at retail: http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp?&SKU=10122.

Cheers :smile:

 

just as a FYI if there was anything wrong with the airbag system. like if the seat occupancy sensor was not seeing someone in the seat becasue of a short of some sort the air bag light would come on. now the chime if that wasn't working no lights would come on for that. but anything else with the air bag system it will turn on the light for any kind of fault. and it will usually stay on until it is cleared. as far as your SA not hearing the chime. if like what eval said the passenger side chime is less insiatant that the drivers. the SA may not have known what to listen for. i can assure you that the dealership really does want to fix your car but sometimes misteaks are made in diagnosing the problems

 

I do trust my dealership, I should not be so quick to diss them, I just want to make sure everything is right so that my airbags deploy if i get in an accident.

Let me repeat, Knauz Mini in Lake Bluff Illinois is a great dealership!


Ryan

 

First off, the comment about the light latching (staying on) for a fault is correct. Sorry I forgot about that one.

Also, I looked at your planned mods in your sig. You don't need to paint the wheels. Just don't clean them for a while and they'll be black with brake dust soon enough!

Matt

 

Well, the service guy did tell you there was no chime, which is pretty uneducated for a car he is supposed to be familiar with...

Sorry, I felt I had to point that out since I don't think you were unfounded in venting a little.

 

So it's been over a month now, and I just wondered what the outcome was: was your airbag sensor ever fixed? Was it even the airbag sensor? Does the airbag light go off when someone sits in the passenger side? I think that my new car may actually have this issue too, and wonder if I should get to the dealership ASAP. Thanks!

 

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

 

So the dumb emulator box will only turn off the SRS light for 2 seconds after I clear the codes and then it turns right back on!
I can't get rid of the light either and I'm about to tape over the lights for my sanity but the one on the mini speedometer will always stare at me.
Autohex does not support the the DME or anything in this damn R60 for indiv coding, where it should easily be able to be turned off.
Does anyone have a solution???
Could I get a manic tune or something and it would turn off the SRS lights??