2008 MINI COOPER Complaints

THE PASSENGER AIR BAG SEAT SENSOR IS NOT WORKING. AIR BAG INDICATOR DISPLAYS AIR BAG IS OFF WHEN A PASSENGER IS IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. MULTIPLE WARNINGS INDICATE A PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM FAILURE. NO INCIDENT OCCURRED TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN.

PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG SENSOR MAT FAULTY. SAME ISSUE AS OTHER MINI COOPERS THAT HAVE BEEN RECALLED. WAS TOLD I HAVE TO REPLACE ENTIRE SEAT. $1,000. WAS TOLD THERE IS A NATION WIDE BACK ORDER FOR THE SEAT. THIS REPAIR SHOULD BE COVERED BY MINI (BMW).

MY CAR ONLY HAS 47,000 MILES ON IT AND HAS THE SAME PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG ISSUE. IT STARTED OFF AT TIMES HAVING THE PROBLEM, NOW IS ON ALL THE TIME. MINI WANTS $125 TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM, WHICH SEEMS EVIDENT. ALSO PAID $425 TO FIX ELECTRICAL WIRING THAT CORRODED AND $1,700 2 MONTHS EARLIER THIS YEAR WHEN WHEEL SENSOR WENT BAD AND 3 LIGHTS WENT OFF IN THE CAR.

AIRBAG SENSOR MAT DOES NOT RECOGNIZE WHETHER A PERSON IS SITTING ON THE PASSENGER SIDE THEREBY NOT ACTIVATING THE AIRBAG; THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING ON & OFF FOR MONTHS; PASSENGER AIRBAG LIGHT COMES ON IMMEDIATELY DESPITE OCCUPANCY WHILE PARKED AND DURING DRIVING (ALL CONDITIONS-HIGHWAY, CITY STREET, TURNING; ETC. STARTED APPROXIMATELY FROM 75K MILES; NOW CONSTANT FROM 85K ON

AT 55000 MILES STARTED TO HEAR ENGINE RATTLE AND ROUGH RUNNING AT IDLE. TOOK TO DEALER FOR SERVICE AND THEY SAID THE ENGINE HAS MULTIPLE OIL LEAKS, A FAULTY CAMSHAFT ADJUSTMENT SOLENOID AND FAULTY TIMING BELT. THE TIMING BELT HAS CAUSED THE OIL LEAKS AND FAULTY SOLENOID. THIS WILL CAUSE CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. MINI WILL NOT COVER EVEN THOUGH THIS HAS BEEN REPORTED AND IS AN OBVIOUS DEFECT.

TIMING CHAIN AND TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER BROKEN AND DAMAGED THE ENGINE AT MILE 48544 - 48552

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MINI COOPER S. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE SEAT OCCUPANCY MAT WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 63,000.

WE TOOK OUR 2008 MINI COOPER TO A MINI DEALER BECAUSE OF A WARNING LIGHT AND IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A SHORT IN THE SENSOR THAT DETECTS THE NEED FOR PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG. THIS MEANS THAT AT TIMES THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG WILL NOT DEPLOY, MAKING POSSIBLE A POTENTIALLY DEADLY CRASH.

FAULTY SEAT OCCUPANCY DETECTOR IN PASSENGER SEAT. THERE HAS BEEN A RECALL ON THIS IN SEVERAL MODELS, BUT THEY DO NOT CURRENTLY INCLUDE THIS MODEL/YEAR. FAILURE OF THE SEAT SENSOR PREVENTS DEPLOYMENT OF THE PASSENGER AIRBAG AND CAN ONLY BE FIXED BY REPLACING THE ENTIRE SEAT (EXPENSIVE). NO USER-SPECIFIC ACTIONS HAVE CAUSED THIS DEFECT, IT'S A WELL KNOWN PROBLEM. THE ISSUE WAS ORIGINALLY DIAGNOSED IN 2014, RE-DIAGNOSED 1/3/2016. THE BEST RESOLUTION WE HAVE BEEN OFFERED IS 10% OFF REPAIR COSTS.

TAKATA RECALL: MY 2008 MINI COOPER S HARDTOP BEGAN EXPERIENCING ISSUES WITH THE "PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF" LIGHT STAYING LITE WHETHER OR NOT A PASSENGER IS IN THE CAR. ON APRIL 28, 2016, I TOOK MY CAR TO A MINI COOPER DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THE ISSUE DIAGNOSED (AT A COST OF $53.95). THE DIAGNOSIS STATES "FAULT PASSENGER SIDE SEAT MAT SENSOR" (INVOICE COPY ATTACHED). I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY MY VEHICLE THAT MEETS THE CRITERIA FOR THE APRIL 2015 AIR-BAG RECALL EXCEPT IT IS A HARDTOP INSTEAD OF A CONVERTIBLE IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. TO FIX THIS ITEM WILL BE OVER 1300. MY CAR ONLY HAS 14,000 MILES ON IT. DUE TO THE COST, AT THIS POINT I DO NOT PLAN ON HAVING IT FIXED AND WILL SAY MY PRAYERS EVERY TIME I TRAVEL WITH A PASSENGER IN THE VEHICLE.