Airbag warning light comes on when someone sits in passenger seat

Pharmer81 · 08-24-2016, 09:52 AM

The flashing airbag warning light comes on anytime somebody sits in the passenger seat. If I go through the reset procedure, the light clears and everything is fine until somebody sits in it again. I recently bought the car, but the previous owner was riding in it when I test drove it and it didn't light up. It seems that it only became a problem after the seat was moved further back when my buddy was riding in it. I'm planning to check the connection for the airbag sensor in the passenger seat. Is there another known issue that I should be looking at?

SouthArk370Z · 08-24-2016, 10:25 AM

This is explained in the Owner's Manual. Follow FSM link in my sig if you don't have an OM. IIRC, lighter passengers (kids, skinny folks, etc) or someone sitting "weird" can confuse the computer.

Edit: If it's happening when anybody (not just somebody) sits in the seat, it may be a bad sensor in the seat. And it's also possible that the wiring snagged on something and dislodged the connector when you moved the seat - a visual check should tell you.

Pharmer81 · 08-24-2016, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SouthArk370Z

This is explained in the Owner's Manual. Follow FSM link in my sig if you don't have an OM. IIRC, lighter passengers (kids, skinny folks, etc) or someone sitting "weird" can confuse the computer.

Edit: If it's happening when anybody (not just somebody) sits in the seat, it may be a bad sensor in the seat. And it's also possible that the wiring snagged on something and dislodged the connector when you moved the seat - a visual check should tell you.

Thanks for the response. It does it no matter who sits in the passenger seat. I'm hoping it's just a dislodged connector. Does anybody have an idea how to test the sensor? Would this throw a trouble code that can be seen on a scanning tool? Thank you as well for the reference to the OM. My car has all of the literature, so I'll look up that section. I figured that since it wasn't the standard "airbag off" light that it means there's a problem.

SouthArk370Z · 08-24-2016, 11:10 AM

Most, if not all, of your questions have already been discussed in the seat sensor delete threads (edit: and other air bag-related threads). If you can't find what you need using the site's search, try any of the big web search sites and add "site:the370z.com" to your search string.

If you are tech/mech-inclined, the FSM is a great resource. DTCs, wiring diagrams, and much, much more.

Pharmer81 · 08-24-2016, 11:21 PM

Got it fixed. It looks like somebody must have installed different seats at one point and clipped the side airbag harness. When they reinstalled the stock seats, they did a hack job reconnecting the wires. All is well now.

SouthArk370Z · 08-25-2016, 06:58 AM

Glad the problem was easy to find and fix. If you got a chance to read some of the other threads, you know what a PITA troubleshooting the air bag system can be.

axmea? · 08-25-2016, 08:20 AM

This is what makes this forum great. Got a problem, you'll find a solution.

08-24-2016, 09:52 AM	#1 (permalink)
Pharmer81 Base Member Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Nebraska Posts: 14 Drives: 2006 Z06 - RIP Rep Power: 9	Airbag warning light comes on when someone sits in passenger seat The flashing airbag warning light comes on anytime somebody sits in the passenger seat. If I go through the reset procedure, the light clears and everything is fine until somebody sits in it again. I recently bought the car, but the previous owner was riding in it when I test drove it and it didn't light up. It seems that it only became a problem after the seat was moved further back when my buddy was riding in it. I'm planning to check the connection for the airbag sensor in the passenger seat. Is there another known issue that I should be looking at?

08-24-2016, 10:25 AM	#2 (permalink)
SouthArk370Z Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: South Arkansas Posts: 8,435 Drives: 2014 Challenger Rep Power: 324198	This is explained in the Owner's Manual. Follow FSM link in my sig if you don't have an OM. IIRC, lighter passengers (kids, skinny folks, etc) or someone sitting "weird" can confuse the computer. Edit: If it's happening when anybody (not just somebody) sits in the seat, it may be a bad sensor in the seat. And it's also possible that the wiring snagged on something and dislodged the connector when you moved the seat - a visual check should tell you. Pharmer81 likes this. __________________ Steering Lock Links - Search The370Z Bookmarklet - FSM @ NICOclub Mankind has progressed past the need for war but we haven't evolved that far. - NachoMahma Last edited by SouthArk370Z; 08-24-2016 at 10:28 AM.

08-24-2016, 11:10 AM	#4 (permalink)
SouthArk370Z Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: South Arkansas Posts: 8,435 Drives: 2014 Challenger Rep Power: 324198	Most, if not all, of your questions have already been discussed in the seat sensor delete threads (edit: and other air bag-related threads). If you can't find what you need using the site's search, try any of the big web search sites and add "site:the370z.com" to your search string. If you are tech/mech-inclined, the FSM is a great resource. DTCs, wiring diagrams, and much, much more. __________________ Steering Lock Links - Search The370Z Bookmarklet - FSM @ NICOclub Mankind has progressed past the need for war but we haven't evolved that far. - NachoMahma

08-25-2016, 06:58 AM	#6 (permalink)
SouthArk370Z Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: South Arkansas Posts: 8,435 Drives: 2014 Challenger Rep Power: 324198	Glad the problem was easy to find and fix. If you got a chance to read some of the other threads, you know what a PITA troubleshooting the air bag system can be. __________________ Steering Lock Links - Search The370Z Bookmarklet - FSM @ NICOclub Mankind has progressed past the need for war but we haven't evolved that far. - NachoMahma

08-25-2016, 08:20 AM	#7 (permalink)
axmea? A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: SoCal Posts: 6,243 Drives: WELL ZED PW 6MT Rep Power: 53242	This is what makes this forum great. Got a problem, you'll find a solution. Zyonara91 likes this. __________________ >MyZ's Album< NISMO Convert/ECUTEK/Takeda CAI/F.I. HFC NR CB Carbon/F.I. 34 Row Oil Cooler/4.08 Final Drive /Powertrix+Swifts/Hotchkis/SPL/Whiteline/TWM/Zoom Engineering/EVO-R/AeroJacket Vented CF Fenders + CF Spoiler/Avant Garde-WORK/NST/Morimoto Halo/STi Clear Lenses/Carbon Signal Automotive/RJM Performance/ZSpeed Clutch Flywheel CSC delete

08-24-2016, 11:21 PM	#5 (permalink)
Pharmer81 Base Member Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Nebraska Posts: 14 Drives: 2006 Z06 - RIP Rep Power: 9	Got it fixed. It looks like somebody must have installed different seats at one point and clipped the side airbag harness. When they reinstalled the stock seats, they did a hack job reconnecting the wires. All is well now.

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