10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
41,563 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2010 Mini Cooper seat belts / air bags problems

seat belts / air bags problem

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2010 Mini Cooper Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #21

Dec 012022

Cooper

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Passenger seat occupancy sensor has failed, rendering the airbag system permanently turned off until it is replaced. This is an issue that is so common that people are purchasing bypass units off of eBay to trick the computer into thinking the passenger is there. A quick google search will confirm this. It cannot be condoned that a company as large as BMW gets a free pass on refusing to fix this while companies on eBay profit on a device that is clearly not safe to use.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #20

Jul 082022

Cooper

  • miles
The airbag occupancy detection switch in the passenger seat is defective. This is occurring so often on Mini Coopers (R56 models from 2007-2013) that a passenger occupancy defeat switch is being openly sold and YouTube videos are available showing how to fit this device. This disables the occupancy detector switch, causing grave danger of death to infants or children seated in the passenger seat during a collision. MINI is currently charging nearly $1,000 to rectify this common fault. This defect has been confirmed multiple times by MINI, including on my vehicle on 7/8/2022. The component has been inspected by the manufacturer and confirmed to be defective. There were warning lights displayed on the central console, as well as on the driver tachometer every time the car is started. This warning cannot be defeated. This Youtube video (and many others-€¦) have been posted more than 3 years ago about the issue, showing how to disable the warning. This one has over 74,000 views! https://youtu.be/gDlmtygUipM It is WELL overdue that you do something about this clear, present and deadly danger to children! Thank you.

- San Rafael, CA, USA

problem #19

Aug 072021

Cooper

  • miles
my passenger airbag lights have been on for months.. cannot remove also my car has been burning oil since i got

- North Babylon , NY, USA

problem #18

May 302019

Cooper

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The passenger airbag is inoperative anytime the engine is running whether the car is moving or stationary. The passenger airbag does not work on a city street, highway or while turning. The problem appears to be with the passenger seat sensor not functioning properly. There has been a recall on this issue with other year MINICooper's but for some reason not this year even though there are plenty of online references to this problem in online MINICooper chat rooms. This is a very serious and dangerous fault with the MINICooper. Potential with deadly consequences. The issue was present when we purchased the car used approximately two years ago. I contacted MINICooper (1-866-825-1525) to see if they would fix the problem but was told the car was out of warranty. Apparently they are aware of the passenger seatbelt malfunction and have chosen not to do anything about it.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #17

Dec 042020

Cooper

  • 86,000 miles
The passenger airbag sensor/passenger seatbelt sensor issue that has been reported and fixed in lots of other MINIcooper model years is seemingly an issue with 2010 models too and needs to be corrected via recall. The sensor being faulty is a serious safety concern, and runs close to $1200 to repair. My sensor was intermittently off and on and is now full time warning about the airbag being off. This happens no matter the status of the vehicle - as soon as the motor is running the warning lights are lit up.

- Raleigh, NC, USA

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problem #16

Jan 012018

Cooper

  • miles
I have a 2010 MINICooper hardtop. This is an ongoing problem of the last three years. The passenger airbag alert goes on when I have a passenger in the seat saying passenger airbag is off. I've taken it to a repair shop and they will need to dismantle the seat to see if the sensor is defective and replace. I see that other models of MINICoopers have had recalls for this defect in seat sensors. Models in years before and after 2010. It is an expensive procedure, and dangerous if I have a passenger.

- Cambria, CA, USA

problem #15

May 152020

Cooper 4-cyl

  • 65,915 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Air bag passenger light came on and stayed on. Windows down go up or down. Turn signals don't work. Ac stop working. It blows out hot air in the front. A loud thud noise happens once in a while from the back. Sometimes won't start like if the battery was dead. Sometimes engine won't turn off and will run without the key in the ignition. I've only had it since Oct 2019.

- Greensboro, NC, USA

problem #14

Jan 052020

Cooper

  • 72,000 miles
The passenger seat occupancy detector is broken. This is apparently a common problem with bmws and MINICoopers. Some models have been recalled. But many have not, including mine. The symptom is that seat belt and airbag warnings light up.

- Cambridge, MA, USA

problem #13

Dec 202018

Cooper

  • 119,000 miles
Airbag and seatbelt warning lights come on for passenger seat and will not turn off. It indicates that the passenger airbag will not activate in the event of an accident with an occupant in the passenger seat. Front passenger will not have airbag protection in the event of a crash.

- Prlando, FL, USA

problem #12

Oct 032019

Cooper

  • 45,000 miles
MINIcooper seat occupation sensor OC3 is faulty causing airbag not to work properly.

- Boise, ID, USA

problem #11

May 182019

Cooper

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Airbag warning light and seat bell light remains on entire time. There have been recalls on 2009 and earlier models but not 2010's, however it's the same issue. I recently purchased the car however the original owner had the replaced in 2015 but now the lights are back on.

- High Point, NC, USA

problem #10

Sep 052018

Cooper

  • miles
When you turn on the car the airbag sensor light coming on and off randomly on my dashboard and the yellow passenger airbag warning signs on the top of the car also coming on and off, sometimes it disappear while the car is running sometimes it doesn't. I called MINICooper local dealer, no recall noted including in your website.

- Tustin, CA, USA

problem #9

Sep 052016

Cooper 4-cyl

  • 70,000 miles
"passenger air bag off" light comes on and off intermittently and randomly while driving with a passenger in the seat with the seat belt on, and vehicle is traveling at highway speeds. This was expressed to MINIwho has a recall for exactly this problem on earlier models, and MINIhas expressed that they will not fix it. I have video of this occurring if anyone is interested in watching it.

- Lorton, VA, USA

problem #8

Sep 262016

Cooper

  • 36,000 miles
While on a recent road trip, passenger airbag warning lamps began to come on intermittently while the seat was occupied. At first, the system seemed to reset when the engine was switched off, but over the course of 2 days, it stopped resetting and the warning lights, as well as the warning tones, would just go on and off spontaneously with the seat occupied. Now the "passenger airbag off" indicator lamp above the rearview mirror, warning lamp near tachometer (area 1 as indicated by MINIowner's manual), and airbag system failure lamp (area 2) are continuously lit when passenger seat is unoccupied. I have not had the system checked by a mechanic yet; currently, the nearest MINIdealership/service center is 202 miles from me. I have noticed that this is very common issue reported here and on several online forums. The timing chain tensioner also failed and had to be replaced in spring of 2015.

- Lafayette, LA, USA

problem #7

Sep 212016

Cooper

  • 68,000 miles
Faulty front passenger seat weight sensor for airbag. Weight sensor fails to distinguish when someone is or is not in the seat, causing the airbag for the front passenger constantly read "passenger air bag off."

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #6

Jul 062016

Cooper

  • 82,000 miles
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.

- Raeford, NC, USA

problem #5

Mar 222016

Cooper

  • 69,500 miles
The passenger air bag indicator light illuminates intermittently, even when an adult passenger is seated there. I have researched this issue and see that there is a recall for earlier model Cooper and Cooper S models. I have experienced the exact same symptoms that are listed in that recall, and according to this site so have 2009 Cooper owners. This recall needs to be extended accordingly.

- Arlington, VA, USA

problem #4

Mar 012016

Cooper

  • 68,000 miles
Passenger side seat mat for detecting passengers presents, intermittently fails causing the air bag to be deactivated when a passenger is present and the vehicle is moving.

- Pinellas Park, FL, USA

problem #3

Feb 012016

Cooper

  • 80,000 miles
Passenger air bag sensor will not reset and light is on continuously. Don't know if system is working or not.. no fix available and no parts available anywhere. Dealer says, try in a month. From what I read earlier models were recalled do to this defect. Why not all of them. No one can tell me that the car is safe to drive.

- Clearlake, CA, USA

problem #2

Dec 162010

Cooper

  • 5,500 miles
Air bags did not deploy upon impact.

- Maineville, OH, USA

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