Air Bag

[Wezzel]

My SRS light went through a stage of lighting intermittently but now stays on all the time. I know this is a common problem and that I probably need to replace the seat sensor pad on the passenger seat.

My queries are:

Is the pad there simply to detect a child seat or does it detect a passenger and only deploy the passenger airbag when the seat is occupied?

and,

Is there and intermediate fix? I know that unplugging the pad under the seat doesn't work but I was wondering if I could short a couple of the pins on the connector.

 

[KillerHERTZ]

Have you check the wires leading into the connector?

If anyone places anything under the passenger seat in mine, it knocks it and I get the fault.

Its always the same wire that has worked itself loose, The (yellow) connector has a hinge on it which allows you to access the wires/pins)

I simply push it back in and all is good.

 

[BlackC55]

The seat recognition pad is actually a clever peice of kit. Not only does it switch off the passenger airbag if a child seat with a transponder fitted to it but it weighs the passenger and with that information the airbag control unit decides weather to deploy two stages or one. (if the car has a two stage airbag, all of the new models do)

There is a quick fix too. Put a 3.5ohm resistor across the connector of the seat recognition pad and this will fool the airbag control unit that the pad is operating ok. I would not recomend it though unless you are competant and understand how the airbag system works due to accidently setting them off. Its a possibility i've seen it happen.

Do you know for definite that this is causing the problem? There are loads of possibilities that causes the SRS light comes on.

 

[Wezzel]

Thanks for the info. Perhaps I won't attempt it because of the risk of setting off the airbag (I must admit that hadn't even crossed my mind). I did check that the plug was securely clipped together and unclipped and clipped it a few times to make sure.

I am not 100% sure that it is the sensor but the light first started happening only when I was carrying a passenger. It now stays on all the time.

Am I right in assuming that the sensor does not turn off the drivers air bag - just the passenger.

 

[BlackC55]

When there is a MB baby seat it will turn off the passenger one only. When the SRS light is on none of the SRS (safety restraint system) will work.