2007 Mini Cooper

I WAS INFORMED BY MY MINI SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG SENSOR LOCATED UNDER THE PASSENGER SEAT WAS MALFUNCTIONING AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THIS EXACT PART HAS BEEN THE CAUSE OF A RECALL FOR MINIS MADE THE SAME YEAR AS MINE, BUT MY CAR IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY THE SAME PROBLEM THAT GENERATED THE RECALL. I CANNOT AFFORD TO MAKE THIS REPAIR MYSELF, AND NEITHER THE MINI DEALER NOR MINI CORPORATE HAS BEEN HELPFUL IN RESOLVING THIS ISSUE. I FEEL THAT MY CAR SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THIS RECALL AND THEREFORE SHOULD BE REPAIRED AT NO COST TO ME. I'D LIKE TO REQUEST THAT MY CAR BE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL OFFICIALLY, SO THAT I CAN COMPLETE THESE REPAIRS. OTHERWISE, I RISK DRIVING UNSAFELY, WITHOUT THE FUNCTION OF THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG.

I MOVED THE PASSENGER SEAT FORWARD TO LET SOMEONE INTO THE BACK SEAT. THE PASSENGER AIR BAG SENSOR LIGHT STARTED TO GO ON AND OFF LATER THAT DAY INDICATING THAT THAT THE AIR BAG WAS NOT ON FOR THE PASSENGER SEAT. NOW THE LIGHT IS ON CONSTANTLY. I SAW ON THE INTERNET THAT OVER 90,000 OF THESE SENSORS HAVE BEEN RECALLED INCLUDING THE 2007 MINI CONVERTIBLE, BUT NOT MY HARDTOP. WHY IS MY MODEL NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL? THIS IS A LITTLE CAR AND I AM AFRAID TO HAVE ANYONE SIT IN THE PASSENGER SEAT WITH THE AIRBAG DISENGAGED.

2007 MINI COOPER WITH 31,000 MILES. I AM USUALLY THE ONLY ONE IN THE CAR. ON THIS DAY MY HUSBAND AND A FRIEND WERE WITH ME. WE MOVED THE PASSENGER SEAT UP TO ALLOW THE THIRD PERSON TO GET IN THE BACK SEAT. LATER IN THE DAY THE LIGHT ON THE DASH WHICH SIGNIFIES THAT THE PASSENGER AIRBAG IS TURNED OFF STARTED GOING ON AND OFF. I THOUGHT MAYBE THERE WAS A LOOSE WIRE UNDER THE SEAT, BUT WAS TOLD BY A MECHANIC THAT I NEEDED A NEW AIRBAG SENSOR. THE PART COSTS 1100.00 AND WAS ORDERED TWO MONTHS AGO. I AM STILL WAITING. THE LIGHT IS ON ALL THE TIME NOW. APPARENTLY, MINI HAS RECALLED OVER 90,000 CARS WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM. THE CARS MADE IN 2006 ARE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL AS WELL AS 2007 CONVERTIBLES. HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE TO REPORT THIS PROBLEM FOR ALL 2007'S TO BE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL? THIS IS AN ESPECIALLY ALARMING PROBLEM BECAUSE THE MINI IS SUCH A SMALL CAR. LUCKILY, WE HAVE TWO CARS AND I DO NOT HAVE TO PUT ANYONE IN THE PASSENGER SEAT UNTIL THIS IS FIXED.

PASSENGER SEAT AIR BAG LIGHT STAYS ON MOST OF THE TIME. LOCAL DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSED PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR MAT DEFECTIVE AND MUST BE REPLACED. ON JANUARY 12, 2016, I PREPAID THE COST OF THE REPLACEMENT PART AT NEARLY $1,400 DOLLARS. ON JANUARY 21, 2016, THE DEALERSHIP INFORMED ME THAT THE PART IS ON NATIONAL BACK ORDER. ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL IS MAY 2016. WITH LAST YEAR'S RECALL OF 2005 AND 2006 MINI COOPER HARDTOPS AND 2005- 2008 CONVERTIBLES FOR THIS DEFECTIVE SAFETY PART, I AM SHOCKED AND DISAPPOINTED THERE IS A BACK ORDER AND SUCH A LONG WAIT TIME FOR THE REPLACEMENT PART TO ARRIVE.

FRONT PASSENGER SEAT AIR BAG INDICATOR LIGHT STAYED ON FOR LONG PERIODS AND SOMETIMES WENT OFF. YESTERDAY BMW/MINI DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSED SEAT SENSOR MAT SENDING FAULT CODE. DEALERSHIP WOULD NOT LET ME HAVE COPY OF DIAGNOSTIC REPORT AND I ASKED SEVERAL TIMES TO HAVE A COPY. PART MUST BE DEFECTIVE. MY OUT OF POCKET COST TO REPLACE DEFECTIVE SENSOR MAT IS $1,371.00 FOR THE PART WHICH I HAD TO PREPAY BEFORE DEALERSHIP WOULD ORDER IT. LABOR TO INSTALL AND PROGRAM NEW PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR MAT IS ESTIMATED AT $505.00. MILEAGE AT TIME OF FAILURE AROUND 22,000. CAR IS ON AN ISLAND WHERE YOU CANNOT DRIVE LONG DISTANCES. I MUST REPLACE THE SENSOR MAT NOW, AT MY OWN EXPENSE, IN ORDER TO PASS STATE OF HAWAII ANNUAL AUTOMOBILE SAFETY INSPECTION. MINI COOPERS MANUFACTURED IN 2005 AND 2006 WERE RECALLED LAST YEAR FOR DEFECTIVE PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR MATS. I THINK THE 2007 MINI COOPERS SHOULD ALSO BE RECALLED FOR SAME DEFECT. MINI COOPER 2007 CONVERTIBLES WERE RECALLED FOR DEFECTIVE PASSENGER SEAT MAT SENSOR. WHY OMIT 2007 MINI COOPER HARD TOPS FROM THAT RECALL? IF MY CAR IS RECALLED IN THE FUTURE FOR THIS DEFECT, WILL I BE REIMBURSED BY BMW/MINI FOR MY OUT OF POCKET EXPENSES??

I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT MY MINI COOPER AIRBAG SYSTEM HAS HAD A MECHANICAL FAILURE WHICH HAS CAUSED THE CAR TO DISABLE THE AIRBAG SYSTEM. THERE IS CURRENTLY A RECALL HOWEVER MY VIN NUMBER ISN'T INCLUDED- I WOULD SUGGEST PERHAPS LOOKING INTO WHERE MINE WAS PRODUCED TO SEE IF THOSE ARE ALSO AFFECTED BY THIS RECALL. AN AIRBAG SYSTEM SHOULDN'T JUST DISABLE ITSELF- THAT DEFINITELY SEEMS LIKE A MANUFACTURER DEFECT.

AIR BAG LIGHT TURNED ON. PERFORMED A FAULT SURVEY AND FOUND THERE IS 1 RELATED FAULT CODE IN THE MRS CONTROL UNIT. PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR, NOT CURRENTLY PRESENT, OCCURRED 12 TIMES. NEED TO REPLACE THE SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR AND RE PROGRAM THE MRS CONTROL UNIT. TOTAL REPLACEMENT COST: $1,164.47 CALLED MINI HEADQUARTERS AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO WARRANTY OR RECALL FOR MY SPECIFIC CAR. HOWEVER, THEY TOLD ME THAT THE 2005, 2006 MINI COOPER HAD A RECALL FOR THE SEAT SENSOR. THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM AND SHOULD BE RECALLED FOR THE 2007 MODEL AS WELL.