[markfeit]

I swapped out the front seats in my 05 Dakota, and afterward, the airbag warning light on the instrument cluster and the passenger airbag light on the dash is lit, indicating it is not enabled, even when someone is sitting in the seat.

Anyone run into this? I assumed it was because I unplugged the sensors in the seats. Is there a reset action, or could something else be wrong?

 

[Little Blue Guy]

did you put other seats in that had the sensors in the seats as original?

 

[dakotaff]

I had the exact same issue when I pulled out my front seats when I removed my middle seat and installed the full center floor console. I took all precautions to prevent this, the battery was disconnected and all 3 airbag fuses pulled well before the seats came out. The passenger seat mounting bolts are somehow tied into the weight sensors, (there are 4), for the front passenger seat.

There is a sticker on the floor under the passenger seat. It says:

"Weight sensing system in the seat must be reinitialized
using a special service procedure by a qualified service technician
after seat removal or any service of mounting bolts."


So after 3 months of living with the airbag lights, hoping it would eventually go away on it's own, I had to go to the dealer.
They did their 'reinitialize procedure', and all was back to normal after that.

 

[markfeit]

Perfect, thanks for the info- I thought that was the case but wanted to check. Off to the dealer I go.

 

[TazRango]

Yeah unfortunately the sensors are not actually in the seats, they are between the floor/frame and the seat mounting brackets (the sensors are bolted to the floor, then the seat tracks are bolted to the sensors). They are called load cells - the same kind of sensor that's in a digital bathroom scale.

And unfortunately it's not as easy as throwing a scan tool on it and clearing a code either. The scale system must be 'zeroed out' (reset to read zero with the new seats in place), and then it must be recalibrated with specific known weights. It's not brain surgery but it's not something you can do yourself because you would need to know the exact weights it is looking for.

 

[doug.dodge.jr]

Yeah unfortunately the sensors are not actually in the seats, they are between the floor/frame and the seat mounting brackets (the sensors are bolted to the floor, then the seat tracks are bolted to the sensors). They are called load cells - the same kind of sensor that's in a digital bathroom scale. And unfortunately it's not as easy as throwing a scan tool on it and clearing a code either. The scale system must be 'zeroed out' (reset to read zero with the new seats in place), and then it must be recalibrated with specific known weights. It's not brain surgery but it's not something you can do yourself because you would need to know the exact weights it is looking for.

If I installed aftermarket seats how can I get the passenger airbag to be ON permanently so airbag light on dash is OFF

 

[Zaan]

If I installed aftermarket seats how can I get the passenger airbag to be ON permanently so airbag light on dash is OFF

Just as has been explained you have to take it to a dealer so the sensors can be recalibrated correctly.

 

[doug.dodge.jr]

I’m gonna go out on a limb here and guess that nobody read my post I have aftermarket seats I can calibrate the stock seat myself with my snap on scan tool. I don’t wanna put the stock seat back in it. I want to bypass that part of the system, so that the airbag is always active

 

[Zaan]

I’m gonna go out on a limb here and guess that nobody read my post I have aftermarket seats I can calibrate the stock seat myself with my snap on scan tool. I don’t wanna put the stock seat back in it. I want to bypass that part of the system, so that the airbag is always active

I guess it depends on how you mounted your aftermarket seat. The stock seat has sensors built into the frame bracket where the seat mount to it. Usually with these you re-use the base bracket and mount the aftermarket seat directly on the sensors as that's where they are located. Then you just recalibrate it. If you removed the base bracket and sensors I'm afraid your SOL the pass airbag will not deploy unless it gets feedback from that system. So unless you dive deep into programming and delete it ( most likely illegal ) it won't function.

 

[doug.dodge.jr]

I guess it depends on how you mounted your aftermarket seat. The stock seat has sensors built into the frame bracket where the seat mount to it. Usually with these you re-use the base bracket and mount the aftermarket seat directly on the sensors as that's where they are located. Then you just recalibrate it. If you removed the base bracket and sensors I'm afraid your SOL the pass airbag will not deploy unless it gets feedback from that system. So unless you dive deep into programming and delete it ( most likely illegal ) it won't function.

Wrong answer, there definitely a way to activate it. When I figure it out I’ll post it.

 

[Zaan]

Wrong answer, there definitely a way to activate it. When I figure it out I’ll post it.

Maybe aftermarket, maybe. But as a mechanic that worked at dodge in 2005 and performed the calibration reset over 100 times I can tell you that from the factory and with chryslers equipment it wont work. You'll have to get someone who can crack the air bag module programing to get it to function. I mean there's always a way to do something, but some things are built in such a way that you have to basically build it from scratch, and in this case its integral to how the abs module controls the pass airbag. I do hope you figure something out wish you luck friend.