MINI Cooper S Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 260 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the MINI Cooper S across 15 model years. The 2005 model year has the most (71). The words owners use most often: “air bag” (43% of reports).
- 260air bags complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 13mention a crash
- 9mention an injury
- 5related recalls
- $1,900typical repair cost reported by owners
- 38%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Air bag: mentioned in 112 of 260 complaints (43%)
- Passenger seat: mentioned in 108 of 260 complaints (42%)
- Airbag sensor: mentioned in 30 of 260 complaints (12%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical air bags repair on the MINI Cooper S at $1,900, and half of them between $1,600 and $2,300.
Based on 39 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2009–2020), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 227 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 260 complaints, 13 mention a crash, 9 an injury.
MINI Cooper S air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 Cooper S | 1 | 17% | 17,200 |
| 2015 Cooper S | 2 | 11% | 80,000 |
| 2014 Cooper S | 2 | 15% | 36,500 |
| 2013 Cooper S | 4 | 17% | 42,630 |
| 2012 Cooper S | 1 | 4% | — |
| 2011 Cooper S | 3 | 10% | 54,949 |
| 2010 Cooper S | 6 | 10% | 75,000 |
| 2009 Cooper S | 17 | 14% | 48,500 |
| 2008 Cooper S | 30 | 18% | 64,000 |
| 2007 Cooper S | 28 | 11% | 66,861 |
| 2006 Cooper S | 67 | 36% | 56,000 |
| 2005 Cooper S | 71 | 23% | 58,638 |
| 2004 Cooper S | 8 | 3% | 80,000 |
| 2003 Cooper S | 7 | 3% | 48,000 |
| 2002 Cooper S | 13 | 16% | 91,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (5)
Air bags:side/window:curtain; air bags: air bag/restraint control module
Model years: 2020, 2021
Problem: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020 X1 xDrive28i, X1 sDrive28i, X2 xDrive28i and X2 sDrive28i, 2020 MINI Clubman Cooper S All4, 2021 MINI Hardtop 2 Door (Cooper, Cooper S, John Cooper Works and Cooper S E) and MINI Hardtop 4 Door (Cooper and Cooper S) vehicles. Due to a problem with the rollover sensor within the air bag control unit, in the event of a rollover crash, the head air bag, seat belt pretensioners and other safety systems, may not activate.
Risk: If the safety systems do not deploy as intended in a roll over crash, it may increase the risk of injury.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag control unit, free of charge. The recall began July 17, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525.
Air bags
Model years: 2017
Problem: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2017 BMW 640i, 640i xDrive, 650i, 650i xDrive, M6, 535i, 535i xDrive, 430i, 430i xDrive, 440i, 440i xDrive, M4, X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i, i3, i8, Rolls-Royce Dawn, Mini Clubman Cooper, Clubman Cooper S, Cooper All4, Cooper S All4, Mini 4-Door Cooper, Cooper S, Mini 2-Door Cooper, Cooper S, John Cooper Works and 2016 BMW 528i, 528i xDrive, 535i, 535i xDrive, 550i, 550i xDrive, M5 and 535d vehicles. The affected vehicles have seat- mounted side air bag inflator initiators that may fail to ignite during a crash.
Risk: If the air bag inflator initiator fails to ignite, the seat-mounted air bag will not deploy, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began February 6, 2017. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Seats; air bags:sensor:occupant classification
Model years: 2014, 2015
Problem: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 MINI Cooper Hardtop 2 door vehicles manufactured February 25, 2014, to May 16, 2015, 2014-2015 MINI Cooper S Hardtop 2 door vehicles manufactured March 28, 2014, to May 9, 2015, 2015 MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 door vehicles manufactured October 17, 2014, to June 2, 2015, and 2015 MINI Cooper S Hardtop 4 door vehicles manufactured November 24, 2014, to June 11, 2015. During a service appointment, the affected vehicles received replacement front passenger seat cushions (which contain integral Capacitive Interior Sensing (CIS) functions). The CIS functions may have been incorrectly calibrated, and if so, would cause impaired occupant classification and thus inappropriate air bag activation/deactivation.
Risk: Inappropriate air bag activation/deactivation can increase the risk of occupant injury in the event of a vehicle crash.
Fix: MINI will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the front passenger seat cushion, free of charge. The recall began on December 28, 2015. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525 .
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Model years: 2014, 2015, 2016
Problem: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 MINI Cooper S and MINI Cooper two-door vehicles, 2015-2016 MINI John Cooper Works and MINI Cooper S and MINI Cooper four-door vehicles and 2014-2015 BMW i3 vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the passenger frontal air bag may not deploy properly in a low speed crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: In the event of a vehicle crash, an air bag that does not deploy properly increases the risk of injury to the front seat passenger.
Fix: MINI and BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began on November 25, 2015. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525 and BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Air bags:frontal
Model years: 2005, 2006
Problem: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2005-2006 MINI Cooper and Cooper S vehicles manufactured January 5, 2005, to November 28, 2006, and 2005-2008 MINI Cooper Convertible and Cooper S Convertible vehicles manufactured January 5, 2005, to July 31, 2008. Due to manufacturing, installation, and exposure issues, the front passenger seat occupant detection mat may not function properly and, as a result, the front passenger air bag may not deploy in a crash.
Risk: An improperly functioning mat may cause the passenger frontal air bag to be inactive when the seat is occupied, and in the event of a crash, the air bag will not deploy, increasing the passenger's risk of injury.
Fix: MINI will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger seat occupant detection mat, free of charge. The recall began on October 12, 2015. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Defect in passenger frontal airbag-The front passenger seat occupancy detection mat is not functioning correctly. This was recalled but not for my VIN and needs to be part of the recall.
The contact owns a 2013 Mini Cooper S. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag and the seat belt warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken the BMW dealer and diagnosed with failed front driver's side door air bag sensor and a failed passenger occupancy…
The contact owns a 2015 Mini Cooper S. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front passengerâs side air bag warning light remained illuminated stating that the air bag was turned off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the seat mat needed to be…
All air bags lights are on. Indicates airbags are deactivated.
The contact owns a 2006 Mini Coop S. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the passengerâs side seat occupancy mat had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the…
Frequently asked questions
Do all MINI Cooper Ss have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 260 owner complaints about air bags for the MINI Cooper S. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the MINI Cooper S air bags?
Yes: 5 safety recalls list air bags. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
How much does it cost to fix air bags problems on the MINI Cooper S?
Owners report a typical cost of $1,900 (half paid between $1,600 and $2,300), from 39 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the MINI Cooper S?
The most frequent phrase is “air bag”, in 112 of 260 complaints, followed by “passenger seat” (108).
Other MINI Cooper S problems
- Steering problems (669)
- Engine problems (339)
- Engine and Engine Cooling problems (186)
- Electrical System problems (172)
- Power Train problems (114)
See all MINI Cooper S problems.