I have the airbag sensor light issue with both passenger light on and the red light on the dash at times - though happening more and more. (NHTSA Item Number : 10039593). I do not remember ever receiving notification about this (which I believe is not required w/ a TSB) but who would pay for this repair me or MINI? Assuming when these lights are illuminated I do not have functional airbags.

I've tried jiggling the seats and playing with the wiring harness, but it does not help and the lights keeps coming back. I would like to have airbags if they are needed and would like to get this fixed if possible. At times the seatbelt light goes off and chimes (when no one is in the passenger seat) and I have to buckle that belt for it to go off.

I've read the repair is between $1400 - $1660 if I have to pay (which kinda assuming is going to be the case) if it to replace the sensor in the passenger seat. Would replacing the passenger seat be enough of a fix for both airbags lights not to be on and have functional airbags?
Thanks.

 

For safety items that might be called upon to save your life, I think I'd be inclined to let the dealer take care of it. Since there is a TSB on it you might be able to get them to pay for part (or all) of the repair under a Goodwill, if you ask politely.

 

Called the dealer and yes, I am SOL. While I agree with this being a safety issue and wanting it fixed, I dont have $1600 to pay for it. If a used seat will fix the issue - then I will see about buying the seat from someone who changed their seats out and save some money which I dont have.

 

I have not heard of anybody who has successfully had MINI or a dealership cover the repair/replacement of the sensor mat/ribbon or seat. See prior thread and my post(the last one in the linked thread) for additional threads and links to information relating to this issue.
Good luck

 

My opinion,

If it is a true safety issue, the manufacturer should pay for it. Depends upon whether the government considers it one. If the dealer says no, I would call MINI and ask. You might find out more of why there is a TSB and not a recall.

 

Over the years I've had GM vehicles, and they have repeatedly made good on TSB's even out of warranty. I can't speak for MINI, but perhaps you should call around a few different dealerships and see what they say. Maybe one dealer won't do it because they're hurting for cash, while another will repair it for the customer service aspect of things.

 

It depends on what is wrong. You might be able to speak with your dealership and have them diagnose the problem and then you can repair it yourself. I had the airbag light on my 02 MCS and it was covered under warranty as they extended the warranty to cover this repair, so long as the repair was needed because of a stretched wiring harness. If there had been another problem then I would have been out of luck and even had to pay for the diagnosis. During my diagnosis they also told me both Seat Belt Tensioners had thrown a code and they needed to be replaced. They wanted about $500 for that repair and it was going to be cheaper than normal since the warranty work meant they had to have the seat out already so I would not have to pay the extra labor for removal. But the whole airbag system works on a bus system where the error codes are sent through each of the components in the system so it is possible to get false codes. In my case I bought the seat belt tensioners to install myself and then after the wiring repair the system never tripped the airbag light again so I returned the parts. You need more information to understand your options.

Also, check with your local MINI club for non dealer service and you might find a much better deal then what the dealership says. My dealer was not as forthcoming about the seat belt tensioners as they should have been in my opinion. While waiting for the work to be done I made a few calls and better understood what was going on then asked them some questions. THEN I found out that I might NOT need to actually replace the tensioners. But they sure were willing to install both of them and make an extra $500 rather than do the work, see if the air bag code was still triggered and the seat belt tensioners were indeed actually bad. I did not leave with a very warm and fuzzy feeling about the service department. I felt like I narrowly avoided getting the shaft. Not the first service experience you want to have at a dealership.