Seats no connections

[AdrianHowson]

Hi, the single seats in my 2012 113 CDI Viano have been disconnected. No warnings on startup so I assume the circuits have been bypassed. The seatbet connections have been chopped and there are wires dangling down for the seat sensor and the airbag. But there are no connections under the seat so I presume they have been cut out. I'd like to try to restore the airbag at least. Is it a sensible idea or just a lot of trouble? I'd like to try to reconnnect the looms assuming I can source them. Where are they connected to (ie where is the seat controller located? Comments anyone?

 

[markjay]

I would advise against messing with any safety system on the car, so suggest getting it all repaired to original condition at a qualified garage.

That said... for info purposes only, the Front Passenger Seat Occupancy Sensor is there to ensure that the front passenger airbag does not deploy in the event that the front passenger seat is unoccupied, or occupied by a very light person (small child). The former is aimed at reducing repair costs in case of an accident, the latter is for safety reasons.

When the Front Passenger Seat Occupancy Sensor goes faulty (it's a sort of mat made of many tiny switches, placed inside the seat), some owners use a cheap bypass device off eBay that cheats the SRS system into thinking that the seat is always occupied, thus ensuring that the passenger airbag will deploy (albeit even if the front seat is unoccupied, or occupied by a small child), and more-importantly for the botchers, the SRS fault on the dash goes off.

Also, the front seats will have the ProSafe and NeckPro safety features, so disconnecting the loom isn't a brilliant idea, to say the least. The former tightens the seat belt in the event of a crash, the latter moves the headrest forward, together they minimise the effects of a whiplash. And, tightening the seat belt will also help reduce injuries from the airbag (if deployed).

 

[markjay]

I suspect that the issue started with a faulty Front Passenger Seat Occupancy Sensor... its a common fault that brings-up the SRS light on the dash. If you find and remove the bypass device, then replace the Front Passenger Seat Occupancy Sensor mat, and reconnect the loom as it originally was, things will be restored to normal.

If all the work is done with the ignition switched-off, then it won't bring-up an SRS message on the dash, but it's still a good idea to have STAR or iCarsoft to hand, to extinguish the SRS light if it does come on, and also to scan/test the SRS system after completion.

 

[AdrianHowson]

Many thanks - it looks like you are recommending restoring the wiring which is fine by me - except that I'd like to get the basic wiring in place first. In doing so I guess I should find the cheat devices. Can you or anyone tell me where the controller is located on a Vito as a starting point?