Airbag complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 1 | 17% | 17,000 miles |
| 2015 | 2 | 11% | 80,000 miles |
| 2014 | 2 | 15% | 48,000 miles |
| 2013 | 4 | 17% | 43,000 miles |
| 2012 | 1 | 4% | — |
| 2011 | 4 | 11% | 80,000 miles |
| 2010 | 8 | 12% | 68,000 miles |
| 2009 | 18 | 14% | 47,000 miles |
| 2008 | 33 | 19% | 63,000 miles |
| 2007 | 33 | 13% | 62,000 miles |
| 2006 | 85 | 38% | 58,000 miles |
| 2005 | 86 | 23% | 59,000 miles |
| 2004 | 8 | 3% | 80,000 miles |
| 2003 | 7 | 3% | 48,000 miles |
| 2002 | 13 | 16% | 92,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
The contact owns a 2013 Mini Cooper S. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag and the seat belt warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken the BMW dealer and diagnosed with failed front driver's side door air bag sensor and a failed passenger occupancy sensor. The contact was informed that the front driver's side door air bag sensor and the passenger's occupancy sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The failure reoccurred with the driver's side door air bag sensor. The vehicle was taken back to the BMW dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed with a faulty front driver's side door air bag sensor. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to a Mini dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to take the vehicle to a Mini dealer. …
Tl* the contact owned a 2013 Mini Cooper s. While driving approximately 30 MPH on a hill, the driver drove down a small embankment, crashed into a barbed wire fence, drove into a pasture, and crashed into a tree. The tree fell on top of the vehicle. The side air bags did not deploy. The driver sustained multiple injuries to the left side of the body and brain injuries, which required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a body shop where it was deemed destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 22,000... Updated 10/13/16
The passenger airbag warning light indicating the passenger side airbag is disabled even if passenger is seated. Our mechanic tells us the on-board computer system no longer recognizes the passenger front airbag sensor. Consequentially, the airbags are being disabled on both passenger and driver side of the car.
The contact owns a 2010 Mini Cooper Convertible. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the passenger's air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V205000 (Air Bags). The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic and it was determined that the front passenger occupant detection sensor needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 24,000.
The passenger side air bag light indicated the air bag was not engaged. The passenger seat started getting very hot (this model does not have heated seats). We removed the seat from the vehicle and innvestigated. We found that the air bag seat mat was overheating. The circuit was melted from the heat. If we had not removed the seat from the car it would have caught fire. The vehicle was parked in the garage at the time. However, the car was driven earlier in the day and the light was on then to indicate the passenger air bag was not on. There are no recalls for this 2010 model for this problem. However, there have been numerous complaints from other owners on the web. This does not appear to be an isolated incident. Fixing the problem is expensive too.
The contact owns a 2009 Mini Cooper S. The contact stated that an airbag warning light would intermittently flash on the instrument panel. The contact also stated that the passenger's side airbag would remain off with or without a passenger seated in the passenger's side seat. The dealer had been notified of the failure and informed him that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The contact was also informed that there was a 10-year warranty placed on the vehicle for the airbag; however, the 10-year warranty had expired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.
I had an accident on 6-30-2016 where I lost control of my car due to hitting first a soft shoulder of the hwy. Sr145 travelling at a speed of approx. 50-55 MPH. I grazed a power pole on driver's side door and ran through three large wooden posts on a ranchers property. The car spun at an180 angle leaving me in the field facing the opposite direction for which I was headed. Not one airbag deployed on impact!!! I am concerned that these airbags and/or installation is faulty and chp office said I could have been killed if the right front tire had not blown causing me to veer just to the right of the power/telephone pole. Power to the area was knocked out for approx. 1 hour. I do have copies of the police report and about 18 pictures of the accident with two pictures being a closeup of my 2009 Mini Cooper. Please let me know if you need anything else?
I was in a bad car accident in which my car was rear ended. I was in the very most right hand lane on the highway, at a stop in stop and go traffic. The vehicle behind me did not stop, hitting me at approximately 75 MPH. As a result, my car spun out to the right and hit the guard rail on the side of the highway head on. The car then bounced off of the guard rail, and spun about 180 degrees to the left, where the rear end of the car then hit the same guard rail and finally stopped. When the car crashed into the guard rail head on, the air bag did not deploy and I hit my head and my chest against the steering wheel. I sustained a fracture in my t2 vertebrae and bad chest bruising.
Related recalls (5)
Air bags › Side/window › Curtain
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020 X1 xDrive28i, X1 sDrive28i, X2 xDrive28i and X2 sDrive28i, 2020 MINI Clubman Cooper S All4, 2021 MINI Hardtop 2 Door (Cooper, Cooper S, John Cooper Works and Cooper S E) and MINI Hardtop 4 Door (Cooper and Cooper S) vehicles.
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag control unit, free of charge. The recall began July 17, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or MINI customer service at…
Air bags
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2017 BMW 640i, 640i xDrive, 650i, 650i xDrive, M6, 535i, 535i xDrive, 430i, 430i xDrive, 440i, 440i xDrive, M4, X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i, i3, i8, Rolls-Royce Dawn, Mini Clubman Cooper, Clubman Cooper S, Cooper All4, Cooper S All4, Mini 4-Door Cooper, Cooper S,…
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began February 6, 2017. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Air bags › Sensor › Occupant classification
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 door vehicles manufactured February 25, 2014, to May 16, 2015, 2014-2015 MINI Cooper S Hardtop 2 door vehicles manufactured March 28, 2014, to May 9, 2015, 2015 MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 door vehicles manufactured October 17, 2014, to…
Remedy: MINI will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the front passenger seat cushion, free of charge. The recall began on December 28, 2015.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 MINI Cooper S and MINI Cooper two-door vehicles, 2015-2016 MINI John Cooper Works and MINI Cooper S and MINI Cooper four-door vehicles and 2014-2015 BMW i3 vehicles.
Remedy: MINI and BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began on November 25, 2015.
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.
NHTSA investigations
Air bag warning lamp illumination
In March 2006, BMW reissued a service bulletin first issued in September 2003, to Mini dealers regarding the repair procedure for improper wire crimps in approximately 31,500 model year 2002 and 2003 Mini cooper vehicles produced up to January 2003.the new service bulletin states that the warranty coverage for the issue (I.e., air bag warning lamp illumination with fault code for high resistance in side air bag/seat…
Air bag warning lamp illumination
Odi has granted the petition and has opened a preliminary evaluation (pe05-053) on illumination of air bag warning lamp on model year 2002 and 2003 Mini cooper vehicles.
Frequently asked questions
Which Mini Cooper S years have airbag problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2005 (86), 2006 (85), 2007 (33), 2008 (33) and 2009 (18) model years. Airbag complaints make up 23% of all complaints for the 2005.
Is there a recall for Mini Cooper S airbag problems?
Yes — 5 recalls, including 20V-283 (curtain, May 20, 2020); 16V-914 (air bags, Dec 20, 2016); 15V-739 (occupant classification, Nov 9, 2015). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Mini Cooper S airbag problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 60,000 miles; 38% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the frontal (16 mentions), followed by the sensor › occupant classification (10).
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.