The company has discovered an issue with the occupant classification system that determines if the front passenger is an adult or a child. The mat sensor is said to be prone to malfunction, due to manufacturing, installation, or field-exposure issues.
If the system misclassifies the front passenger, it can improperly deactivate the airbag when the seat is occupied by an adult. Disabled airbags consequently increase the risk of injury in a crash.
BMW in 2008 first spotted a similar problem with approximately 320,000 vehicles from its entire model range, but the MINI lineup was not investigated at the time because its mat sensor is of substantially different design. A follow-up investigation initiated in 2014 found deficiencies in parts pulled from MINI models, however, and eventually led to the current recall.
The company claims to have received just one report of an alleged minor passenger injury that may have been related to the defect.
The campaign affect 91,800 vehicles, including the 2005-2006 Cooper and Cooper S and the 2005-2008 Cooper Convertible and Cooper S Convertible.
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