My kid is 9 years old (70 lbs and about 4 1/2 feet tall). Can she ride in front of the Clubman? Does the airbag know that a little person is sitting up there (and adjust inflation accordingly)?

 

If I put more than 5 lbs in the seat the airbag light goes off and the seatbelt thing chimes forever. So yes, it knows.

Kind of annoying if you ask me. What do I do with a box of Chinese food for 10 people? I have to buckle the seatbelt?

 

Yes - it definitely knows. I've put a backpack on the seat and had to move it to the floor because the seat belt chime won't be quiet - LOL!!

Donna

 

but not necissarily that a small person is in it. If you're gonna do this on a regular basis, I'd have the seat farther back. As far as it's leagality or wisdom, I'm not sure...

Matt

 

Yah...it might know that something is sitting there, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't adjust the inflation rate based on the weight of the person/object. I think that once it registers that someone is sitting there, it will inflate at the full rate whether the passenger weighs 80 pounds or 200 pounds.

 

Yes...It knows! I was taking my cat to the vet and put the carrier on the front seat...the bell kept going off for lack of seatbelt...Had to put kitty in the back

 

Usually cars that can change air bag inflation rate based on weight have a display of some sort that indicates it is set for a reduced inflation rate. I have this feature on another car, but not my MINI

 

I had this same question since I have a 10 year old daughter who is about 70 lbs. My MA told me that the airbag wouldn't inflate unless the weight was high enough. I'm not sure at what weight it will inflate and I'm only going by what she said. I think I may call 1-866-ASK-MINI and ask them directly.

 

My middle daughter is 54" and 75 pounds. She rides in the front occasionally and the airbag is armed. I don't get nervous. 70 pounds certainly seems to be enough weight. As others have stated, chinese food for 10 is enough. The average cat is enough. (I love these examples. )

I think the question is, "Do you want the airbag to inflate with your 75 pound kid?" I say "yes." All of 'em. 75 pounds is almost the same weight as the lightest of adults, and legal in many states. If the an airbag situation arises, they'll do her far more good than harm.

I would not count on ASK-MINI. You get answer-du-jour there on many subjects. Details in other threads. The roof rack thread is my favorite example, though not exactly the same kind of situation as this.

 

I went to get a 40lb bag of dog food a couple weeks ago, and put it in the passenger seat.

The seat belt "ding" was about to make me crazy, so I pulled over and strapped 'er in!

 

Huh. It tried to ignore my wife and a female colleague.

Car must be male...I think they were talking at the time.

**running and ducking**

 

 

 

I personally think that children should not be riding the front seat until they are at least 10-12 years old. Check your local state laws for age/weight requirements.

 

Answers in this thread are really odd...

We all bought Clubmans, at least partially, due to the extra storage available behind the barn doors... yet, people are putting bags of dog food, cats in carriers and other things onto the front passenger seat...

Just seems odd to me.

Our baby will be sitting in the back, in her carseat/booster, until she is old enough, tall enough and weighs enough to move out of the booster as it is relayed in our state law on booster seats.

 

Nothing "odd" about it. I put the dog food in the passenger seat because the back was full of groceries, and shopping bags.

 

There are just too many jokes with this portion of the thread. Hoonu ducking and running was the right thing to do.... some people (names will remain anonymous) some people tend to so is okay.

To the question at hand, I wouldn't put my child in the front but for pure technical purposes I believe the MINI would know someone is there. My backpack sets of the alarm so it knows the presence of someone/something in the passenger seat.

 

Maybe you should duck and run, too!

 

I long for the days when my middle schooler didn't need to be in a booster seat. Oh vey. I didn't even have a seatbelt when I was growing up.

 

The sensor goes by weight.
I found this the night I picked up my Clubman.
It wanted me to put the seatbelt on my case of beer, yet inactivated the airbag.

 

Welcome back, Dragon...where ya been?

 

Yeah whateva....

Oh God I'm gonna die..

 

According to the MINIUSA web site (under Learn/Safety/Passive) it says:

your MINI has "smart" airbags that are constantly monitoring driver and front passenger position, seatbelt use and impact severity - and then determining airbag inflation rates accordingly.

I'm not sure if this means it will adjust to weight or not.

Separate from concerns about the airbag, children need adjustments made to the seatbelt itself (or use booster seats) so that the lap and chest belts are positioned correctly to prevent additional harm.

 

Lady G, I've been on vacation, followed by getting a summer cold from all the kids I vacationed around.
Nice feeling, that brillo pad scratched on the throat.

The night I picked up my Clubman, I couldn't go home and stay there.
Everyone wanted to go for rides.
At the end of the night, I went on a beer run and learned about the weight sensor on the passenger seat.

Lady G, get your JD Powers Survey yet? I sent mine in today.
OTRA has a good post on this subject.

So it doesn't look like I'm a professional drunk, I know that a gallon of milk sets off the passenger seat sensor, also.
(Dry for 6 days...that's too long.)

 

UPDATE:

a bottle of Witch Hazel and a pack of band aids WILL NOT set off the seatbelt ding dong.

...developing...