SRSA Warning - is this normal?

[Mugwump]

B200 CDI w245.208

Whenever I drop off my son off at work, as soon as he gets out of the passenger seat I get an SRS failure warning light appear.
It usually goes off again after a minute or so.
Is it normal for the light to come on when a passenger gets out with the engine running?


A secondary issue is that the light will occasionally come on anyway, even when the seat is unoccupied.
The seat was removed and part-retrimmed to repair cracked leather when I bought it.
I suspect that either the garage left a bad connection, or the trimmer disturbed the occupancy sensor.
So I think that's probably the root issue here, hopefully an easy fix.

 

[mioba]

Not normal at all I say, time to get your tools out, could be the cable has not been routed properly and there is a loose connection or a fracture in the wiring.

 

[Mugwump]

Not normal at all I say, time to get your tools out, could be the cable has not been routed properly and there is a loose connection or a fracture in the wiring.

Rats. Although not entirely unexpected.

 

[markjay]

The most common cause for passenger-seat-related intermittent SRS warnings is the Front Passenger Seat Occupancy Sensor, aka pressure sensor mat. The cost for replacing it (parts and labour) can vary from £300 to £1,000, depending on the car's model.

The purpose of the pressure sensor mat it to arm the passenger air bag when it senses the weight of the passenger on the seat cushion. This way, the passanger air bag won't deploy unless an adult is seating in the front seat, because the air bag can be dangerous for children or fragile adults with petit build. The other benefit is that in the event of a frontal collision the passenger air bag won't deploy unnecessarily, thus keeping the repair cost down (assuming the car isn't a write-off).

There's a Chinese device that you can get from eBay for £10-£20 that bypasses the sensor, meaning that (if it works properly...) the front passenger air bag will always deploy. Personally, I wouldn't fit such a device, if it was my car, instead I'd get it sorted properly (and in fact I did). There are also potential insurance implications for doing so, because technically speaking this device when fitted to the car constitutes an undeclared modification.

The other possible fault is a faulty seat belt buckle, but this is less common.

In any event, the car will need to be scanned with STAR, or as a DIY alternative with iCarsoft or Carly.

Take it to an independent specialist with STAR who will say it an confirm which part has failed, and will quote you for a repair.

 

[Mugwump]

The most common cause for passenger-seat-related intermittent SRS warnings is the Front Passenger Seat Occupancy Sensor, aka pressure sensor mat. The cost for replacing it (parts and labour) can vary from £300 to £1,000, depending on the car's model.

The purpose of the pressure sensor mat it to arm the passenger air bag when it senses the weight of the passenger on the seat cushion. This way, the passanger air bag won't deploy unless an adult is seating in the front seat, because the air bag can be dangerous for children or fragile adults with petit build. The other benefit is that in the event of a frontal collision the passenger air bag won't deploy unnecessarily, thus keeping the repair cost down (assuming the car isn't a write-off).

There's a Chinese device that you can get from eBay for £10-£20 that bypasses the sensor, meaning that (if it works properly...) the front passenger air bag will always deploy. Personally, I wouldn't fit such a device, if it was my car, instead I'd get it sorted properly (and in fact I did). There are also potential insurance implications for doing so, because technically speaking this device when fitted to the car constitutes an undeclared modification.

The other possible fault is a faulty seat belt buckle, but this is less common.

In any event, the car will need to be scanned with STAR, or as a DIY alternative with iCarsoft or Carly.

Take it to an independent specialist with STAR who will say it an confirm which part has failed, and will quote you for a repair.

Thanks for the advice.

If I could find somebody local and reliable with a Star setup, I'd have cruise control enabled by now!
My local dealer is only interested in getting the car booked in for a hefty bill, when pressed their tech guys admitted they didn't know how to do it.