2009 Mini Cooper

AIRBAG OCCUPANCY LIGHT STAYS ON WHEN PASSENGER IS NO LONGER IN CAR, SOMETIMES OCCUPANCY LIGHT GOES ON AND TURNS BACK OFF WHILE PASSENGER IS SITTING IN CAR AND DRIVING AT SPEED. MINI/BMW CLAIMS THAT THE 2009 HARDTOPS ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THEIR RECENT RECALL FOR EARLIER MODELS, BUT THE PROBLEM OBVIOUS STILL EXISTS. REALLY DANGEROUS TO HAVE PASSENGERS IN THE CAR!

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MINI COOPER. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY AND BECAME WORSE OVER TIME. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE AIR BAG MODULE FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 58,000.

AT 89,044 MILES MY 2009 MINI COOPER, PURCHASED FROM VISTA MINI SUFFERED A CATASTROPHIC COOLANT LOSS DUE TO A CRACKED THERMOSTAT HOUSING, AND AS A DIRECT RESULT THE VEHICLE SEVERELY OVERHEATED IRREPARABLY DAMAGING THE ENGINE. I WAS DRIVING ALONG THE TURNPIKE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WHEN THE WARNING INDICATOR LIGHT FOR THE ENGINE TEMPERATURE CAME ON, AND BEFORE I COULD SAFELY PULL THE VEHICLE OVER THE VEHICLE RAPIDLY SLOWED TO A VERITABLE CRAWL (ALLOWING ME JUST ENOUGH TIME TO GET IT OFF THE ROAD). THE VEHICLE WAS ULTIMATELY TOWED TO A MINI DEALER FOR INSPECTION, BUT THEY DETERMINED THAT IT WOULD NEED TO HAVE THE ENTIRE ENGINE REPLACED. WHICH WOULD BE A RATHER COSTLY REPAIR, REQUIRING AN OUTLAY OF FUNDS FAR GREATER THAN THE VEHICLE'S VALUE. THEREBY SUBSTANTIALLY DECREASING THE LIKELIHOOD OF COMPLETING THE REQUIRED REPAIRS. I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE BELIEVING IT TO BE A QUALITY PRODUCT, AND ONE CAPABLE OF BEING DRIVEN FOR MANY YEARS TO COME. HOWEVER, THE EXPERIENCE I SUFFERED SEVERELY SHOOK MY CONFIDENCE IN THE PRODUCT, SO I BEGAN TO DO MY OWN RESEARCH ON THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. IT TURNS OUT THAT NOT ONLY MINI ENGINES, BUT ALSO THOSE MANUFACTURED BY BMW, SHARE A SIMILAR DEFECT, IN THAT THEY BOTH ARE PRONE TO THE THERMOSTAT HOUSINGS CRACKING AND CAUSING RAPID COOLANT LOSS. COUPLE THAT WITH THE WELL DOCUMENTED CRITICISM OF THE LOCATION OF THE COOLANT SENSOR IN THE ENGINE, AND YOU HAVE CREATED THE PERFECT NUCLEUS FOR GENERATING A CATACLYSMIC MELTDOWN OF THE ENGINE THAT LIES SECRETLY HIBERNATING WITHIN THE PRODUCT LINE. THEREFORE, I DO NOT FEEL THAT IT IS FAIR FOR ME TO HAVE TO BEAR THE BURDENSOME COST OF REPAIR FOR A PROBLEM THAT IS ENDEMIC TO THE PRODUCT LINE AS A WHOLE.

I TOOK MY CAR INTO THE AUTO SHOP FOR ROUTINE OIL CHANGE AND TO CHECK THE AIR BAG LIGHT SINCE IT CAME ON AT 56,000 MILES. I FIGURED IT WAS AN ERROR AND JUST NEEDED TO BE RESET, AFTER A DIAGNOSTIC WAS DONE I WAS TOLD I WOULD NEED TO PAY $1,100 FOR A AIR BAG MAT SENSOR FRONT SEAT PART THAT'S CURRENTLY ON BACK ORDER IN GERMANY AND I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO BUY ONE TILL APRIL 2016. THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS. ONE, IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD AND SOMEBODY CAN DIE. TWO I CANNOT SEE MY SPEEDOMOTER WHEN I AM DRIVING SO I NO LONGER KNOW HOW FAST I AM GOING. I AM VERY UPSET WHE NI EXPRESSED THIS CONCERN TO MINI COOPER CORPORATE CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY DIDN'T SEEM TO CARE AND TOLD ME THE 2009 IS NOT PART OF THE 2008 AIR BAG RECALLS. ARE YOU SERIOUS? THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. I NEVER EXPECTED THIS FROM BMW/MINI. THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL ON THIS BEFORE THERE IS SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH!

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MINI COOPER. THE CONTACT STARTED THE IGNITION AND THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO INFORMED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE OCCUPANT DETECTION MAT WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED WHICH INVOLVED DISABLING THE SEAT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V205000 (AIR BAGS). THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE PART NEEDED TO PERFORM THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO PROVIDE AN EXPECTED DATE FOR THE PART TO BECOME AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000.

SAME ISSUE AS MANY OTHERS HAVE REPORTED. RECENTLY PURCHASED WITH 68K MILES. THE PASSENGER AIR BAG INDICATOR REMAINS ON NO MATTER IS A PASSENGER IS SITTING THERE OR NOT. AIR BAG SEAT MAT SENSOR ON THE PASSENGER SIDE NEEDS REPLACEMENT BUT THE DEALERSHIP REPORTED THAT THERE ARE NO SEAT REPLACEMENTS AVAILABLE OR EVEN IN PRODUCTION. NOR IS THERE A POSSIBLE DATE FOR A REPLACEMENT. THERE IS NO WAY TO MAKE THE CAR SAFE TO TRANSPORT PASSENGERS.

WHILE I WAS DRIVING MY CAR, THE FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG GOT DISCONNECTED AND THE LIGHT CAME ON. NOW THE LIGHTS INDICATING THAT THE AIRBAG IS OFF REMAIN ON AT ALL TIMES. AT THE EXACT SAME TIME THE LIGHT INDICATING THAT THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT WAS NOT FASTEN CAME ON AS WELL AND IT REMAINS ON AT ALL TIMES WHILE THERE IS NOBODY ON THE PASSENGER SEAT. THE LIGHT REMAINS ON EVEN IF I FASTEN THE SEATBELT. I WENT TO MINI DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT I HAD TO PAY $140 IF I WANTED THEM TO INSPECT MY CAR, I DECIDED TO TAKE MY CAR TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC INSTEAD WHO TOLD ME AFTER INSPECTION ($95 FOR THE INSPECTION) THAT THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH THE SENSORS IN THE SEAT AND THAT THE ENTIRE SEAT HAD TO BE REPLACED ($1100 TO REPLACE IT). THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS ISSUE SINCE THE AIRBAG WILL NOT OPERATE IN CASE OF ACCIDENT. I KNOW SEVERAL MINI OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME INCIDENT BUT MINI DEALERS REFUSE TO ASSUME THAT THERE IS AN ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE TAKEN CARE OF.