2006 Mini Cooper

IN ADDITION TO MY PREVIOUS POST, MORE INFORMATION ON THIS SITUATION, THIS NOTE SENT TO MINIUSA.COM, MY 2006 MINI COOPER HAS THE AIRBAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED ABOVE THE REAR VIEW MIRROR AND IS GENERATING AN ERROR 71, PASSENGER OCCUPANCY SENSOR FAULT. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THIS IS DUE TO A FAULTY SENSOR MAT UNDER THE SEAT. FROM MY RESEARCH I SEE THAT THIS HAS BEEN COVERED UNDER AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR THE OC3 SEAT MAT SENSOR WHICH IS USED IN BMW AS WELL AS MINI MODELS. I AM REQUESTING THAT THIS SENSOR BE REPLACED IN MY MINI COOPER AS I FEAR THE PASSENGER AIRBAG WILL NOT DEPLOY IN AN ACCIDENT DUE TO THE DOCUMENTED FAULTY SENSOR. THE RECALL IS STATED AT HTTP://WWW.BMWUSA.COM/STANDARD/CONTENT/CONTACTUS/VOLUNTARYRECALL.ASPX, *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SIDE SEAT COVER WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 43,160.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT AIR BAG SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 65,000.

RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2006 MINI COOPER FOR MY TEEN CHILD. WE NOW DISCOVERED THAT THE PASSENGER AIRBAG NOTIFICATION SHOULD NOT BE ON. WE TOOK IT TO A BMW DEALER TO HAVE THIS LOOKED, AND WE WERE TOLD THAT IT'S DUE TO A FAULTY PASSENGER OCCUPANCY SENSOR IN THE PASSENGER SEAT BOTTOM REQUIRING A REPLACEMENT AT A COST OF $1700. AFTER FURTHER INVESTIGATION, I SEE THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM. THIS COULD BE SAFETY CONCERN, AND I BELIEVE THAT BMW SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM CORRECTED. I AM NOT SURE IF THE AIRBAG WILL DEPLOY IF A PASSENGER IS SEATED. THIS IS A SITUATION THAT NEEDS TO BE REMEDIED THROUGH A RECALL. MINI SHOULD EXTENDED THEIR AIRBAG SYSTEM WARRANTY. *TR

FROM MY RESEARCH, THE 2006 MINI HAS A FAULTY PASSENGER OCCUPANCY SENSOR IN THE PASSENGER SEAT BOTTOM REQUIRING A REPLACEMENT AT A COST OF OVER $1000. SINCE 2006 WAS THE FIRST YEAR FOR THIS REQUIREMENT, I BELIEVE THEY DID NOT PROPERLY TEST THE DEVICE BEFORE RELEASING THEM INTO PRODUCTION AS I HAVE RESEARCHED AND READ ON MANY FAILURES OF THIS DEVICE. I CANNOT DETERMINE CONCLUSIVELY IF THE AIRBAG WILL OR WILL NOT DEPLOY IN THIS SITUATION AND MINI WILL BE LIABLE IN A SITUATION IF IT DOES NOT DEPLOY THE AIRBAG PROPERLY WITH A PASSENGER SEATED. THIS IS A SITUATION THAT NEEDS TO BE REMEDIED THROUGH A RECALL. MINI EXTENDED THEIR AIRBAG SYSTEM WARRANTY ON THE 2002 - 2005 MODELS TO 10 YEARS OR 150,000 MILES AND SHOULD DO THE SAME FOR THE 2006+ MODELS. *TR

MY CAR IS A 07/2006 MINI COOPER WITH ONLY 22,900 MILES AS OF 06/2013. WHEN SOMEONE IS SEATED IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, THE PASSENGER AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT AND THE PASSENGER AIRBAG DISABLED LIGHT ARE INTERMITTENTLY ILLUMINATED. THE MINI DEALERSHIP SAID THAT THE FAULT CODES INDICATE AN ISSUE WITH THE PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR--WHICH SHOULD BE REPLACED. THE COST CITED FOR THAT OPERATION WAS $900. THE DEALERSHIP SPECULATED THAT, DESPITE THE INDICATOR LIGHTS, THE PASSENGER AIRBAG SHOULD STILL DEPLOY IF THE PASSENGER WAS WEARING HIS SEAT BELT. HOWEVER, WHEN BMW, MANUFACTURER OF MINI, ANNOUNCED A RECALL IN NORTH AMERICA OF FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG SEAT SENSOR MATS INVOLVING APPROXIMATELY 200,000 MODEL YEAR 2004-06 BMWS, AFFECTED OWNERS WERE WARNED THAT THEY SHOULD CONTACT THEIR DEALER "IF THE AIR BAG WARNING LAMP AND THE PASSENGER AIR BAG 'ON-OFF' LAMP ARE ILLUMINATED SIMULTANEOUSLY." IN THAT SITUATION, BMW RECOMMENDED THAT CUSTOMERS NOT USE THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT AND HAVE THE VEHICLE SERVICED IMMEDIATELY, WARNING THAT "A POSSIBLE DEFECT MAY KEEP THE FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG FROM OPENING IN A CRASH." THUS, IT SEEMS EVIDENT THAT FAULTY SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSORS SHOULD BE REGARDED AS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE. YET, DESPITE THE FACT THAT THERE ARE NUMEROUS, WELL DOCUMENTED PROBLEMS WITH THE SENSORS IN THE MINI, BMW HAS NEITHER EXTENDED THE WARRANTY TO FINANCIALLY COMPENSATE OWNERS FOR AN OBVIOUS MANUFACTURER DEFECT, NOR ISSUED A RECALL. THE NHTSA SHOULD COMPEL BMW TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF MINI PASSENGERS. *TR

FROM MY RESEARCH, THE 2006 MINI HAS A FAULTY PASSENGER OCCUPANCY SENSOR IN THE PASSENGER SEAT BOTTOM REQUIRING A REPLACEMENT AT A COST OF OVER $1000. SINCE 2006 WAS THE FIRST YEAR FOR THIS REQUIREMENT, I BELIEVE THEY DID NOT PROPERLY TEST THE DEVICE BEFORE RELEASING THEM INTO PRODUCTION AS I HAVE RESEARCHED AND READ ON MANY FAILURES OF THIS DEVICE. I CANNOT DETERMINE CONCLUSIVELY IF THE AIRBAG WILL OR WILL NOT DEPLOY IN THIS SITUATION AND MINI WILL BE LIABLE IN A SITUATION IF IT DOES NOT DEPLOY THE AIRBAG PROPERLY WITH A PASSENGER SEATED. THIS IS A SITUATION THAT NEEDS TO BE REMEDIED THROUGH A RECALL. MINI EXTENDED THEIR AIRBAG SYSTEM WARRANTY ON THE 2002 - 2005 MODELS TO 10 YEARS OR 150,000 MILES AND SHOULD DO THE SAME FOR THE 2006+ MODELS. *TR