[sjhanlon]

Hi guys - tried searching the forum but didn't see anything on this. I noticed that when I sit just about anything "Blackberry, iTouch, laptop, etc" on the passenger seat the airbag sensor turns the passenger airbag to active and starts to "ding" asking the passenger to put on their seatbelt. You would think it would be smart enough to know that something that weighs less then 1 pound is not a passenger. Also, I thought it was suppose to sense if someone who was in the seat was too small it would not activate the airbag. I got my son (who is 5 yrs old and 42 pounds) to sit in the seat and the airbag became armed. In my old equinox I remember he had to sit in the front one time so we could take a load of garbage to the dump. The airbag sensor saw he was too small and turned off. Just wondering if mine is overly touchy.

Cheers

 

[sjhanlon]

Ok... I think I can answer my own question. Decided to do a "Bing" as I always tell my girlfriend to do and found the following:

Date: 2009-04-01 Bulletin #: SB-08-09-41-007A

Compenent: 110000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

BUICK/CADILLAC/CHEVROLET/GMC/SATURN: PASSENGER PRESENCE SYSTEM (PPS) MAY COMMAND PASSENGER AIRBAG INDICATOR AND SEAT BELT REMINDER ON WHEN ELECTRONIC DEVICES (COMPUTERS, MP3 PLAYER, CELL PHONES, TECH 2, ETC.) ARE PLACED ON FRONT PASSENGER

That's exactly what is happening to me...

 

[noncon]

Haven't seen that one, and I routinely place my laptop case in the passenger's seat. Call the dealer and take it in to be serviced.

KJ

 

[gearhead]

Will have to try that out with cell phones, mp3 players and laptops, although haven't noticed anything to date.
Thanks for the "heads up" sjhanlon.

 

[sjhanlon]

So I took the truck to the Dealership yesterday to have this issue looked at as well as some other things that were wrong (Ceiling headliner came loose, banging/grinding in front end, navigation recall). They said it's normal to come on if "Anything" touches the seat. I said "Well, isn't it suppose to know that if for some reason a 5 year old sat in that seat not to activate the air bag because they are not big enough - kids should never sit there anyway". They said "No, it's there to make sure the airbag does not go off if no one is sitting there". My point exactly. If my laptop is on the seat the airbag should not go off. Anyway - I gave up fighting about it.

 

[[email protected]]

So I took the truck to the Dealership yesterday to have this issue looked at as well as some other things that were wrong (Ceiling headliner came loose, banging/grinding in front end, navigation recall). They said it's normal to come on if "Anything" touches the seat. I said "Well, isn't it suppose to know that if for some reason a 5 year old sat in that seat not to activate the air bag because they are not big enough - kids should never sit there anyway". They said "No, it's there to make sure the airbag does not go off if no one is sitting there". My point exactly. If my laptop is on the seat the airbag should not go off. Anyway - I gave up fighting about it.

Quoted from elesys-na.com
"Passenger Sensing Systems (PSS)

Occupant detection and classification system using electric-field imaging technology for capacitive sensing; a double-layer flexible sensor assembly is installed in the seat cushion. It detects and classifies the front passenger in accordance with NHTSA’s FMVSS-208 requirements. It sends a signal to the airbag’s ECU to suppress or enable the passenger side front airbag based on passenger classification.


Safety Goal: To protect children and small adults from the deployment of front airbags.

Benefits:

Suppresses airbags for small children and small stature adults in accordance with the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) occupant classification system
Protects small children and small stature adults in the event of a frontal crash from the impact of a deployed airbag
“E-field imaging” technology is mounted into the seat cushion (seat reconfiguration does not compromise the system)
Senses the presence of a child regardless of the position, e.g. kneeling or sharing a seat
Compatible with and integrates with seat heaters
Integrates and communicates with other seat functions, including seat belt reminder systems (SBRS)
A six-year old child seated will suppress the airbag

How it works: A flexible sensor assembly is mounted to the seat cushion. It setups a low-level electric field (EF), "e-field." It classifies the passenger in accordance with FMVSS-208, detecting presence, size and relative position. The information is transmitted to the ECU; the information is then transmitted to the front airbag's ECU for proper deployment or suppression. This system is currently in GM vehicles.
"

Sounds to me like a lazy service department.

 

[sjhanlon]

Thanks very much guys! Will take back to the dealer. Like another forum poster I live in a city that has 1 chevy dealership and 1 GMC/Buick dealership. My service dept has been pretty bad on every trip there but apparently the Chevy one is even worse. I live close enough to Toronto that I think I might just take it into the city for service. I tried to reach out to my sales rep about some things and he won't even return my e-mails or calls. So much for his big talk about "After Sales Service - I'm not just about getting the sale" LOL.

 

[sjhanlon]

Hahaha - too funny. My sales rep at the dealership... his brother is the Service Advisor and son is another sales guy there

 

[PatrickDickey52761]

Sorry to drag up an old thread, but I just ran into this issue. Except in my case, it started after hitting the brakes really hard with a CB radio sitting on the seat. Now the sensor turns on if the radio is there (and the radio is unplugged, so it's not on).

This at least gives me some ideas of where to look. Thanks.
Patrick.

 

[Pink Jellybeans]

I have a 2013 GMC Terrain. I've been scouring the net looking for ways to turn off the passenger sensor. This thread is all I've found. I guess it doesn't turn off. I have a 10 pound Chihuahua. He sits in the front passenger seat. The airbag light does say off but the chime dings 5 times every 3 minutes, and the fasten seat belt icon lights up. It drives me nuts! The dog won't wear a seatbelt. I guess it's an ongoing design flaw that GMC doesn't care to address.

 

[christopherlompoc]

The dog won't wear a seatbelt

Lol hahaha

 

[RIT333]

Let the dog dog ride on your lap. I see many dog owmers doing that. They either hate their dog, hate themselves, or both. One of my pet peeves.

 

[kbz1960]

Just buckle the seat belt behind him

 

[Pink Jellybeans]

He has a harness but he won't sit still with the seat belt because it cuts across his legs. Chihuahuas are nervous little dogs. I can put him in a kennel and seatbelt the kennel in, but it's a hassle and he whines in the box which is worse than the chime going off. It's not just the dog though. The chime goes off with a bag of groceries, my purse, a casserole being delivered, or anything over 1 or 2 pounds. I was hoping there's a setting or a switch somewhere to turn the thing off.

 

[Pink Jellybeans]

Just buckle the seat belt behind him

That doesn't work. It goes taught when driving and there's a gap between the seat belt and the back of the seat.

 

[christopherlompoc]

Calibrate it for his weight...

use the following steps to allow the
system to detect that person and
enable the right front passenger
frontal airbag:
1. Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove any additional material
from the seat, such as blankets,
cushions, seat covers, seat
heaters, or seat massagers.
3. Place the seatback in the fully
upright position.
4. Have the person sit upright in
the seat, centered on the seat
cushion, with legs comfortably
extended.
5. Restart the vehicle and have the
person remain in this position for
two to three minutes after the on
indicator islit.

 

[RIT333]

That is a good Easter egg.

 

[Pink Jellybeans]

Calibrate it for his weight...

use the following steps to allow the
system to detect that person and
enable the right front passenger
frontal airbag:
1. Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove any additional material
from the seat, such as blankets,
cushions, seat covers, seat
heaters, or seat massagers.
3. Place the seatback in the fully
upright position.
4. Have the person sit upright in
the seat, centered on the seat
cushion, with legs comfortably
extended.
5. Restart the vehicle and have the
person remain in this position for
two to three minutes after the on
indicator islit.

Do I do this with the seatbelt buckled or unbuckled?

 

[christopherlompoc]

I'm guessing u click in the seatbelt just after u put him or a weight in then start the car... Calibrating it for his weight could be a bad idea or it might sense it as a car seat and keep the airbag off

Manual says
The passenger sensing system is
designed to turn off the right front
passenger frontal airbag if:
. The right front passenger seat is
unoccupied.
. The system determines that an
infant is present in a child
restraint.
. A right front passenger takes
his/her weight off of the seat for
a period of time.
. Or, if there is a critical problem
with the airbag system or the
passenger sensing system.
When the passenger sensing
system has turned off the right front
passenger frontal airbag, the off
indicator will light and stay lit to
remind you that the airbag is off.
See Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator on.

Do u want it on or off? It says don't put anything on the seat or that alarm will go off.