NHTSA Complaint #11102813 — 2013 MINI COOPER COUNTRYMAN

MY CAR BEGAN EXPERIENCING ISSUES WITH THE "PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF" LIGHT STAYING LITE WHETHER OR NOT A PASSENGER IS IN THE CAR. I PAID $110.00 TO THE DEALERSHIP TO DIAGNOSE MY CAR AND THEY SAID THE PROBLEM IS THE SEAT MAT SENSOR, AND THEY WANT $1,500.00 TO REPLACE IT. I GOOGLED THIS PROBLEM AND I FOUND THAT THIS HAPPENS QUITE OFTEN TO COOPER OWNERS. WE HAVE NO KIDS AND NOBODY BUT MY WIFE AND/OR MYSELF USE THIS VEHICLE, SO THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN. I ALSO FOUND OUT THAT IN THE PAST THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THE SAME PROBLEM TO OLDER MINI COOPERS, SO I GUESS THE PROBLEM PERSISTS WITH NEWER VEHICLES. ADDITIONALLY I FOUND THAT THIS IS SUCH A COMMON FAILURE ON ALL MINI COPPERS THAT E-BAY AND OTHERS SELL WHAT THEY CALL A "SEAT OCCUPANCY MAT SENSOR BYPASS EMULATOR" AND WHAT THIS DOES IS SIMPLY SUBSTITUTE THE VEHICLE SENSORS SO THAT THE AIR BAG IS ALWAYS ARMED IN CASE THERE IS A ACCIDENT. OF COURSE THIS PREVENTS FROM PLACING CHILDREN OR CAR SEATS IN THE FROM SEAT. THIS EMULATOR ALSO ELIMINATES THE DREADED AIR BAG LIGHT AND/OR CODE FOR THE SEAT OCCUPANCY DETECTOR. AFTER LOOKING AT THE AVAILABILITY OF ALL THESE AFTERMARKET EMULATORS AND PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM, I TRULY BELIEVE THAT THERE MUST BE SOMETHING WRONG WITH THESE SENSORS, OTHERWISE THERE WOULD NOT BE AN AFTERMARKET PART TO PARTIALLY FIX THE PROBLEM. ALTHOUGH I AM NOT WILLING TO RISK USING THIS AFTERMARKET PART.