Disclaimer: Not affiliated with or endorsed by MINI Motor Company. For informational purposes only. Full Disclaimer

Problems with 2009 MINI Cooper AIR BAGS

On average, the 2009 MINI Cooper starts to “feel” problems with the AIR BAGS and its various aspects after 67 453 miles.

Recently reported AIR BAGS problems on 2009 MINI Cooper

Airbag passenger light stays on when a passenger is in the seat and also stays on when is nobody in the passenger seat . and the passenger light turns on in the rpm gage (in the rpm gage )

Passenger airbag off light on when passenger (over 25lbs) is sitting in passenger seat. as is the seat belt warning light in speedometer gauge. also srs red warning light shows on tachometer gauge. these warning indicators are "on" regardless of whether vehical is idle (not moving) or when at speed( in motion)

Air bag light came on and does not turn off

My passenger side airbag light stays on constantly, even if someone is sitting there

I was driving down hwy 16 (a straight a way 2 lane hwy) towards woodland when the display showed what appeared to be the water icon and i noticed white smoke from under my hood, so i pulled over and sat there thinking maybe my car was overheating. a truck coming behind me went by honking their horn and i looked in review mirror and noticed dark smoke coming from behind my car.. i then proceed to get out of my vehicle and couldnt get the drivers door open a gentleman came up to my vehicle told me to get out but i told him the door wouldnt open, he opened the door and was saying get out and away the cars going to blow up, that was my first acknowledgment that the vehicle was on fire. the police and fire dept was notified and came out to where the vehicle was at and proceed to extinquish the vehicle. i had to get the car towed by triple a off a friends of mines tow package that she has. im contacting the fire dept and police today on getting some paperwork related to this today so all i have to show is pics.

I recently purchased a 2009 mini cooper and the airbag and seatbelt warning lights come on whenever i get in the car. the light came on recently when i started the car and it now occurs every time i turn the motor on. i've been online researching the problem and discovered that this may mean that the airbags will not deploy if i have an accident. this appears to be a problem facing a number of mini cooper owners and bmw has not resolved this problem after many complaints.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 mini cooper. the contact stated that the air bag warning indicator illuminated. the south shore mini cooper was contacted and diagnosed the air bag sensor mat was defective and needed to be replaced. the manufacturers was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 17,000....updated 10/23/17 *bf updated 10/24/2017*js

34,000 miles 2009 mini cooper. passenger airbag light on and off intermittently. quoted cost to repair about $800 just for the part, possibility of airbags not deploying when in an accident. seems to be a typical mini issue with a slew of similar issues (sometimes multiple replacements), sensor in seat cushion and entire seat would need replaced. same problem that resulted in 2005-2008 model recalls, but not 2009? with the issue being this prevalent? very worrisome, passengers riding in car without the protection of an airbag deploying.

Passenger airbag light flickers on and off even when no one or anything is in the seat. does it when stationary or moving.

Air bag sensor light is on continuously, this is the same issue previous years have experienced and had recalls on and nothing has changed. this is very dangerous in the event of an accident the front passenger will have no protection.

My airbag sensor light is on continuously and my mechanic diagnosed it as passenger side airbag sensor mat problem. this is the same problem that resulted in a recall for 2005-2008 models in the nhtsa campaign number 15v205000. i've called my local bmw/mini service department, but they say it's not part of the recall and there's nothing they can do.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 mini cooper. the contact stated that the air bag warning indicator had illuminated and remained illuminated. due to the air bag warning indicator illuminating, the air bag warning chime was activated as well. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign number: 15v205000 (air bags) however the vin was not included. the failure mileage was approximately 66,000.

I went out of the country for 21 day and left my mini parked in the garage. i am the only driver of my car and take pride in appearance and maintenance. i was extremely surprised when i returned the warning lights was on. the mileage is just under 60000. the seat belt and airbag warning light on out of the blue (stays on). when i took my mini to the auto repair shop, it was suggested to look for recalls first. upon research found alot of complaints about the same issue but no recalls for 2009. this is very disappointing and bmw should be ashamed. i will never purchase another product from bmw and will warn others before they consider making the same mistake. i will be trading my car in for an american made vehicle.

Passenger side airbag warning light keeps coming on whether a passenger is seated or not in front seat. it originally went on and off at sporadic times and mimi told me that i should not place anything on passengers seat like my handbag as it will assume a passenger is sitting in the seat. the later part of june 2016, it came on and stayed on continuously. currently, have an outstanding repair order with mini but was told part has been on back order for well over a month. price quoted for repair $1240.00. i drive the interstate on a daily basis and am concerned that the air bags will not deploy if i'm involved in an accident. the light comes on as soon as the car is started and will sometimes go off for a few minutes while driving, but will then come back on.

The car has 55000 miles and the airbag light is on. after research the problem seems to be with the passenger occupancy sensor, also known as a passenger occupancy mat. mini has recalled many vehicles for this reason, however they continue to refuse the problems continues with the 2009 model. this is a safety and costly issue.

Occupancy sensor 15v/205 r56 is busted

Air bag warning light flashing on intermittently during operation of vehical and passenger air bag overhead status light coming on saying air bag is deactivated while an adult passenger is sitting in the front passenger seat. this happens both when vehicle is moving and stopped. problem is ongoing.

Timing chain , passenger airbag sensor when in motion.

Passenger air bag not working

Takata recall the warning indicator that my passenger air bag is off comes on frequently (with or without passenger). i am afraid to let anyone ride in my car. when i took it to the dealer they said it was an internal failure of passenger side front mat sensor, that i had not done anything to cause the problem, that there was a worldwide shortage of the part, and that it is a $1200.00 fix. i do not believe i should have to pay for that repair!! i wrote to bmw in july---no response. this happens every time i drive somewhere---with or without passenger. it comes on and off.....driving or stationary, all situations. the only documentation i have is copy of the dealership labor report from the diagnosis and a copy of my 7-19-2016 letter to bmw sent via email to miniusa.com. i have no way to scan those to attach.

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.

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. while driving at any speed, the passenger side air bag light remained illuminated. the failure recurred numerous times when a passenger occupied the seat. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 29,000.

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. this issue started right after the warranty was over. this is a safety hazard, as none of the airbags will deploy in case of impact. i fear for my safety. this is a manufacturing defect.

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.

At approximately 65,000, 2009 mini cooper r56 air bag sensor light would flicker on and off, but now stays on all the time. no idea if this means that air bags will fail.

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.

Passenger air bag light (yellow ceiling light) will intermediately turn and stay on to indicate air bag is off when a passenger is in the seat.

Passenger seat air bag alarm is on constantly. we were told by mini dealer that the pad that controls the air bag is faulty, or cracked. they also informed us that this exact problem is under recall for models 2005 to 2008, but not our 2009. we contacted mini usa and they said they don't control recalls.

The passenger side airbag warning light went on at about 28,000 miles. from what i read online this has happened with other mini models, which have been recalled for this reason (prior years). it seems to mean that the sensor is not working and has to be replaced or the passenger side airbag will not inflate in an accident.

Faulty seat belt light/ airbag on.

Front passenger airbag sign was come out, even though passenger is seating and getting seat belt. any damage didn't be gotton on the passenger seat, it is just suddenly appeared. it will make serious situation when i get accident. airbag is really related with safety. i strongly belive that it has technical problem at mini. this problem will come out more and people may be injured by this problem. i saw article about airbag problem at mini, and mini made a program that recalls to fix airbag mat. however, it affects to until 2008mini. i don't think this problem only affects to until 2008 mini. bwm mini have to investigate newer model and recall the passenger seat airbag as well.

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 starting the vehicle, the air bag warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to a dealer, who diagnosed that the passenger seat mat sensor needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 58,000. updated 6/3/15*cn updated 06/30/15*jb

Air bag failure warning light comes on and stays on. bmw-mini has recalls for model years up to 2008, but refuses to acknowledge problem exists on 2009 and newer cars (some 2009's were built in 2008, in the affected recall time frame, but because they were designated 2009, these cars have been ignored)

The passenger airbag off light illuminated. it is intermittent and diagnostics show that there is an issue with the sensor in the seat. this requires complete replacement of the seat. although there is no danger to the passenger (airbag will not deploy), the car will not pass inspection when it comes due in nov 2015. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 mini cooper. while starting the vehicle, the passenger side air bag warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the sensor in the seat needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 50,000.

Takata recall: the airbag light came on over a year ago and it says that the passenger air bag is turned off. it will come on and off randomly. i brought it in to the certified independent mini mechanic in town who said the passenger occupancy sensor is faulty and will need to be replaced. as it is right now, the passenger airbag would not deploy in the case of an accident.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 mini cooper. the contact stated that the air bag warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the sensor on the passenger side needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 73,000.

The front passenger airbag got disconnected and will not operate in case of accident. lights indicating that the airbag is off remains on at all times. i know several mini owners that have experienced the same incident, and mini dealers refuses to assume that this failure is due to poor design. i read that bmw (owner of mini) has had the same problem, and was obliged to repair this issue in cars as old as models 2005. *js

Takata recall....my passenger air bag light has been on for two yrs now and for no reason i'm a single man with no dependent children so rarely is anyone sitting on the passenger side. dealership want 100's for repair.rreally..so i have let it on.

Re: 2009 mini cooper air bag control unit on june 19th, 2013, at @ 54,200 miles, the air bag warning lights illuminated on the tachometer gauge and center speedometer gauge and an overhead light warned that "passenger airbag is off". on august 26, 2013, at 61,396 miles, the morristown, nj mini cooper dealership charged me $140 for the diagnoses of this issue. indicated on receipt that "mrs module has an internal fault..... fault code 93d7 internal control unit fault.... air bag control unit will need to be replaced and programmed.... parts and labor costs $1100." service department informed me that part was out of warranty. research shows that this is an ongoing problem and that earlier model years have had corrective actions provided at no expense to the consumer. needs to be extended to the 2009 model year. *tr

Occupancy air bag light stays on replacement 2 times now on again hit a bump it could at times go off. replaced the water pump and oil pump not even at 60,000 miles

My car is 2009 mini. bought new. air bag sensor in passenger seat went out @ 70,000 mi. passenger air bag wont work. dealer in birmingham, al. gave a quote for $1300 for a passenger seat. this is a safety issue, mini must step up to the plate for recalls like chevy, ford, honda, nissan for recalls. i wont give you sharks $1300 for a new seat. my wife dies, my attorney's will be in touch. give me a recall i can live with. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 mini cooper. the contact stated that the srs warning lamp illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the technician diagnosed that the passenger side air bag seat sensor was defective and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 70,000 and the current mileage was 90,000. *tr

I have a mini cooper 2009 which today marks a year of purchase, for about seven months has been leading the warranty service due to faulty electrical system, air bag passenger and the car turns off while using. unfortunately to get the car to service never can diagnose the fault. *tr

Other 2009 MINI Cooper Problem Categories