Side airbag off light staying on when passenger seat is vacant
05-19-2006, 12:39 PM
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h22 under the hood
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Side airbag off light staying on when passenger seat is vacant
Any one else have problems with their sideairbag off light? My girls 2004 stays on constantly when no one is in the seat, then when someone sits in it, goes away. I read the manual and know how the system works, so im guessing one of the sensors is bad or something.
06-05-2006, 06:00 PM
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> Side airbag off light staying on when passenger seat is vacant
Contact your dealer.
I got a letter about my '02 Accord. They will, with some weasel, replace the sensor or refund money you paid to have it replaced (quoting from memory). The warranty extension is good well past 100K miles. The same issue exists in other years, and I believe other models.
Honda claims that it happens when you leave a briefcase or laptop on the seat. The sensor believes you have put a small child on it. Airbag impact can harm children, or at least no company wants the responsibility.
Mine does it with an empty lunchbag (under 1 pound) but only on wet days. I suspect the damp seat cover or packing strains the sensor enough to fake-out the child detection threshold. If I poke the seat, the light will go out, but usually come on again, until it dries out.
With an adult in the seat, the light does not come on, unless the adult sits so crooked that the side-sensor is tripped. (If a person sits very crooked, the airbag may do more harm than good.) That only happens, for me, when my passenger leans hard out the window to give someone the finger.
So it appears to be an annoyance (that light is awful bright), not a Problem. A properly seated adult will get the bag. An off-center adult won't, but the bag will re-arm in seconds after she sits properly again.
Although it appears yours will protect a well-seated adult as intended, if the light annoys you (and it isn't just a handbag on the seat), talk to the Dealer and it might be repaired under a quiet warranty.
Minor observation: I've had a 23 pound Corgi-dog on the seat. The Bag Off light did not come on. Seems like it should: how can it know a dog from a child? (No, I don't have a loose dog on the seat while driving; that's dangerous.)
Contact your dealer.
I got a letter about my '02 Accord. They will, with some weasel, replace the sensor or refund money you paid to have it replaced (quoting from memory). The warranty extension is good well past 100K miles. The same issue exists in other years, and I believe other models.
Honda claims that it happens when you leave a briefcase or laptop on the seat. The sensor believes you have put a small child on it. Airbag impact can harm children, or at least no company wants the responsibility.
Mine does it with an empty lunchbag (under 1 pound) but only on wet days. I suspect the damp seat cover or packing strains the sensor enough to fake-out the child detection threshold. If I poke the seat, the light will go out, but usually come on again, until it dries out.
With an adult in the seat, the light does not come on, unless the adult sits so crooked that the side-sensor is tripped. (If a person sits very crooked, the airbag may do more harm than good.) That only happens, for me, when my passenger leans hard out the window to give someone the finger.
So it appears to be an annoyance (that light is awful bright), not a Problem. A properly seated adult will get the bag. An off-center adult won't, but the bag will re-arm in seconds after she sits properly again.
Although it appears yours will protect a well-seated adult as intended, if the light annoys you (and it isn't just a handbag on the seat), talk to the Dealer and it might be repaired under a quiet warranty.
Minor observation: I've had a 23 pound Corgi-dog on the seat. The Bag Off light did not come on. Seems like it should: how can it know a dog from a child? (No, I don't have a loose dog on the seat while driving; that's dangerous.)
06-05-2006, 08:44 PM
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h22 under the hood
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Yea your right about all that stuff, I read about how that system works in the owners manual. The other day I just jiggled the wires underneath the seat and it seems to have fixed the problem. She probably tripped it off with her purse or backpack maybe like you were saying about the lunchbag. I know its nothing to really be concerned over, it was just an eyesore when I drove it a few weeks back.