Airbag warning oddity - ??

I've got a 2005 Dodge Magnum. I just had the passenger-seat airbag warning monitor recalibrated because the warning light/chime was going off and on every minute or two whenever the passenger seat was empty.

The technician told me something about the monitor getting all discombobulated if I put something in the seat other than a passenger -- say a book or a pizza or a bag of groceries. He even said I should never push the seat all the way back, as that, too, can fool the sensors and cause the warning light/chime to start flipping out. The technician even suggested that having a trash bag hanging from the backrest might throw off the sensors. When I drove up to the service department and described my problem, the technician looked askance at the printed insert from a CD I was listening to. The piece of paper was the only thing on the passenger seat!

Can someone explain to me what the problem is in fairly clear terms? Does this mean that nothing WHATSOEVER but a passenger should ever be placed on the passenger seat? And if so, have car manufacturers ever addressed how bloody inconvenient this is?

Jim Beaver

Reply to
Jim Beaver
Loading thread data ...

There is no "problem". I don't know what he's talking about "throwing the sensor off". All it is is a weight sensor. Put something lighter than an older child on the seat and it turns the airbag off and lights the indicator to tell you. Put a briefase, etc, on the seat, it lights up. It has to be calibrated. Since it is IN the seat, where the seat IS has no bearing. Once adjusted there should be no further problem.

Reply to
Tony D.

It shouldn't be that much of an inconvenience to you. If the lite came on the dealer has a special weighted tool that is used for calibration. If this is not done and all they do is reset the lite it will come back on. We have been told that if you set a small suitcase or lap top on the seat it could set the lite on.

Glenn Beasley Chrysler Tech

Reply to
maxpower

I don't mind the light coming on if something of small weight is on the seat. It's the going on and going off, with accompanying chime, over and over and over, every 30-60 seconds, when NOTHING is in the seat that is bothersome.

The dealer calibrated the mechanism and it has now stayed off for ten miles. But he warned me that putting anything on the seat could screw it up again. And that the weights in the seat which give the mechanism the "correct" sense of the proper adjustment for the airbag can be thrown out of whack if the seat is pushed all the way back, as "this slightly raises the seat at an angle." Greek to me.

Jim Beaver

Reply to
Jim Beaver

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.