[matts]

My passenger seat airbag light comes on when the passenger seat is totally empty. The manual says that it should only come on when there is a small passenger or a small item, such as a briefcase, in the seat. What gives?

matts

 

[MGD]

It always comes on when the seat is empty or only a light weight on it.

 

[rogue]

It needs calibration. Mine too was chiming and lighting up the warning light. I took it in and had it calibrated on friday during lunch. It took about 30 minutes. MGD you might want to take yours in for calibration, the airbags might not work properly if it is calibrated wrong.

 

[jeepgrady]

MGD is incorrect when he stated that it should always be on when it's empty. If it is empty, the light should be off.

I had the same problem when mine was new. Sometimes the light came on along with the red airbag light. Several times it also came on when my wife was seated. She may be small, but not that small.
It turns out the sensor under the seat that determines whether there is a child or adult seated was malfunctioning. They replaced the sensor. No problem since.

 

[louiss]

I have had nothing but trouble with the passenger airbag light on my 300c. It used to randomly light and the chime would sound every few minutes. They recalibrated several times, replaced the switch, etc. For a while it was just the light in the center console and mostly when we hit a bump. After about 8 trips to the dealer, it now seems to illuminate/deactivate due to a "negative weight code" when someone in the back seat touches the seat rails that are bolted to the floor. My dealer, Southworths in CT, initially worked hard to solve the problem (hard to argue that the light and chime should activate every few minutes when the front and back seats are empty). Now that they think it has to do with a rear passenger putting his feet on the floor in certain places, they claim it's normal and that all cars will deactivate the airbag if the rear passenger touches the floor like that! Now they want to charge me for the loaner they gave me because they say this is normal and that there was no warranty problem! I am ready to start the lemon law process to make them take it back or fix it...if the airbag misbehaves I think the car is unacceptable.

You can probably get the random deactivation fixed with either a recalibration or a new sensor. If there is no fault code, they may well have this negative weight code problem. I would certainly advise steering clear of Southworths if you want this fixed without a hassle.

We generally have a driver and someone in the rear passenger seat. Nothing on the front seat, nothing touching the seat on the side or underneath.

 

[saleensean]

louiss don't think of paying for the loaner. you should get a loaner from your dealer whenever you bring your 300 in for service whether it warrenty work or cash work. i would stay away from this dealership in the future too.

 

[JPB68]

I also had this problem. Dealer told me to keep my work bag off the seat. They blamed me for shaking it loose. They fixed the sensor and it has been fine since

 

[ElecEngineerPhD]

Does anyone know if you can bypass the sensor under the sear (either short or open the circuit), resulting in the airbag always being on? If you know where the sensor is located or how easy it is to access, please share. I would like to eliminate it, seeing as how I continue to have trouble with it and the dealer has recalibrated it several times. If there has been another thread related to this, post a link to it.

Thanks all!