Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2007 Mini Cooper S owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Car crash May 30, 2017, driver's air bag did not deploy causing great bodily injury to driver.. Driver was traveling 25 MPH in town at around 10:30 a.m.. Driver had a stroke, passed out, crossed over to opposite side of road and hit an unoccupied parked car. That car hit another parked vehicle and chain reaction left four cars in the accident. State farm or gene's auto body shop have photos.
2007 Mini Cooper s, hatchback. The passenger airbag (off) light, indicating the passenger airbag is disarmed, is on at all times regardless of passenger. Additionally, the dashboard warning lights for my airbag system and seatbelt are illuminated at all times. The codes identified by the Mini dealership in honolulu indicate the passenger seat occupancy sensor has a fault. Looking under the seat, it could be a faulty wiring harness or faulty connecter as they appear vulnerable to seat movement forward or backwards. The Mini dealership also stated the obnoxiously expensive part was on national back-order.
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.
At any given speed or condition the passenger side airbag warning light illuminates, meaning that the airbag May not deploy in a crash . In some instances the lights will disappear, but at other times the lights are illuminated continuously. It is of great concern that this part has been recalled as a defective part, but because my production date is merely one month off there is no relief . It seems concerning that there May be a number of these unsafe vehicles on the road, but given the delay to include them in the recall, many lives May unknowingly be at risk.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Mini Mini Cooper s. The contact was traveling 55 MPH when the contact traveled over a slick area in the asphalt. The contact lost control of the vehicle, rolled over and crashed into a ditch upside down. The air bags failed to deploy. The crash caused no injuries and the police were contacted. A police report was filed of the incident. The vehicle was destroyed and the failure was not inspected. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure and current mileages were 74,500.
Front passenger air bag detection mat became inoperable at about 60,000 miles. My car is mfg 4 months outside of the recall time frame yet this very same mfg date is well within the "convertible models" recall date. I feel the "non-convertible models" recall time frame should be re-evaluated because there are too many of us with this very same problem. When I took my car to Mini to be fixed they told me they've seen many vehicles outside of the official recall dates with this problem.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Mini Cooper s. While driving 20 MPH, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the front passenger side mat sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was aware of NHTSA campaign number: 15V205000 (air bags). The failure mileage was 39,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Mini Cooper s. The contact stated that the air bag light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and it was determined that the passenger side air bag May not deploy in case of a crash; however, the technician was unable to provide a reason for the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was 73,000.
Airbag light will not go out, all these [redacted] Mini coopers have problems with airbags, this is pretty important...Mini wants $1500 to repair a known issue...how many people need to die before Mini is forced to do the right thing and repair these [redacted] cars?????????????????
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Mini Cooper s. While driving at approximately 35 MPH, the air bag warning indicator illuminated continuously. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or diagnosed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 40,500. Updated 7/10/15 updated 07/16/15.
Related recalls
Air bags › Frontal
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2005-2006 MINI Cooper and Cooper S vehicles manufactured January 5, 2005, to November 28, 2006, and 2005-2008 MINI Cooper Convertible and Cooper S Convertible vehicles manufactured January 5, 2005, to July 31, 2008.
Remedy: MINI will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger seat occupant detection mat, free of charge. The recall began on October 12, 2015. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525.
Airbag complaints in other Cooper S years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2007 Mini Cooper S?
NHTSA has 33 complaints about the air bags of the 2007 Mini Cooper S, 13% of the model year's 257 complaints. The component named most often is frontal › sensor/control module (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2007 Mini Cooper S airbag problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 15V-205 (frontal, Apr 6, 2015). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2007 Mini Cooper S airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 62,000 miles, and 20% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to air bags problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.