Passenger Air Bag
 

Hi Guys,

I understand this will be one of the rare questions you see on Sports car forums, but if you have any knowledge regarding this issue please help!
I did homework, and searched as well.

I have a 4 year old son ( and one more on the way soon ! ) that wants to ride with me in z.

The problem is no matter what I try with the child seat, the passenger airbag does not automatically turn off. I know for a fact the module is working, because my wife sometimes triggers it.

I did make sure the base of the child seat was not inclined, and firmly contacted the base of the seat, but still no luck!!
Also, the clazzio car seat cover worsens the problem as well I guess.


Anyways.. my questions is... would it be possible to make a switch for the passenger air bag module so i can turn it off manually?
like people do with their Yaw Sensor switch?
Has anyone done this?
Any help would be appreciated!

You need to get the proper amount of weight in the right position for the sensor to work. My guess is that the child seat base is contacting the sensor on the outside edges and not making good physical contact. A spacer, to place more of the weight toward the center of the sensor, may help.

The FSM has info on how the seat sensor works, wiring diagrams, etc.

I agree with SouthArk, you just need more weight or a spacer under the child seat, something like a thick book or something heavier. This would be a better option than cutting into wiring and some days forgetting it's off with a passenger sitting there or causing other problems.

Maybe I'm reading it wrong, but to me it seems like the OP wants to add a switch in order to disable the airbag.

I'm thinking this could probably be done by using a DPDT switch that would switch between the airbag module wires and the appropriate size resistor those of us with race seats use to simulate the airbag. I could see this maybe causing a problem if the switch is flipped while the car is on though. ymmv

I think you're right...

OP... Unless you have a roadster it should be safe to use a forward facing childseat with it correctly installed and pushed all the way back per the owner's manual. Check the owner's manual again before taking my word for it....

Yes i'd like to avoid the switch if I could.

I will try some textbooks or spacer method and report back.

Thanks again!

:iagree: I didn't mention bypassing anything in my earlier post because we're talking about a kid. You're human and humans forget to flip switches sometimes. Better safe than sorry.

Make sure any spacers you use are not going to move around while you are driving. Might help to attach spacers to carrier with Velcro straps.