Hey there,


I researched cars for a few months after my Audi crapped out and I decided to buy a 2011 G37 Infinti Convertible with 107k miles with the engine in good shape (1 previous owner, all oil changes accounted for). Paid entirely with a credit card for a sale price 12,500+tax. The night I left buying the car "as is" - the airbag light started blinking (the mechanic who pre-inspected it never noticed this - it came on after I left).


I immediately brought to my mechanic (50 miles away from where I bought it) and the dreaded Occupant seat sensor code came on. I immediately called the dealer and they said "final sale, no refund." Highlighting that they sold me a car with faulty airbags so they said they would fix it. They went to Airbag Master Tech and they said they fixed it. I picked up the car and the blinking light was gone and it clearly was functioning unlike before. However, I've had several people get in the car and the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF light is ILLUMINATED...


Airbag Master Tech said to bring it in and I'll see what happens but, as I sit here anxiously having read many of your previous threads, what do you folks think I should do?


It's been 10 days since purchase.


The obvious first step is to see what Airbag Master Tech can do to fully fix this (as I said the light is off, no codes, etc.) Assuming this doesn't work...


1. Demand refund and do Chargeback when they eventually say no- The car was sold as is, but California State law is pretty favorable to consumers and I did buy it with a credit card. Do you think this is what it comes down to? I could also threaten legal action, but this is a headache and am very busy with owning a small business.


2. Infinti has the sensor/seat for 4k/5k nearby. Honestly, this has caused so much anxiety I am almost willing to just do this but what happens if the issue persists with the new cushion/sensor? Is that possible? I've read people having Infiniti said "it's fine." I even called and they said "it's probably fine if you have no air bag error light blinking." Shocked on how cavalier they were.


3. AIRBAG360 - This seems like a good option, but is this legally okay? I don't want to put anyone in danger. AIRBAG360 also said that I may not need it since no codes come up.


4. I am single and don't drive much - I could potentially just hang on to it and hope for a chargeback or find new options to fix it?


5. Additional question - Do these cars have any passenger seatbelt lights? I noticed I've never seen this when a passenger is in the car with no seat belt and wonder if that has something to do with it?


Thanks!

 

If you like the car and would plan on keeping it otherwise, get the airbag360 emulator, plug it in, and call it a day. If you are having doubts about the car, or "buyer's remorse" as it is called, then back out of the sale.

All the airbag360 emulator does is keep the passenger airbag in a "always armed" state. In the event of a collision, the passenger airbag will deploy whether the seat is occupied or not.

There is no "seatbelt light" for the passenger. Driver only.

 

Thanks for this -
I love the car! It's great. The sensor thing is just driving me crazy.

Emulator sounds great, but just concerned about reading that it's illegal. Also, who would install it? I definitely cannot, I am not great with cars.

 

I do not get into legalities and the like. Hell, just changing a lightbulb these days can be considered illegal. All I know is that tons of folks have used these emulators across many different makes and models with no issues.

All the OCS does is determine the weight of the passenger and passes that signal to the SRS Control Unit which decides to deploy the airbag or not. As I mentioned before, the only thing this emulator does is keep the passenger airbag armed. If you have small children, I would not use the emulator, otherwise, no harm no foul.

As for the install, it takes all of five (5) minutes. If you can unplug a cord, you can plug this in. If not, I am sure there is some local geek that could.

I'd rather pay the $80 for the emulator than pay the $5k for a damn seat cushion.

Ultimately, it is your car and your wallet therefore it is your decision.

 

Copy.

There are no codes - I could still plug in the AIRBAG 360 and it will do it's thing?

I emailed AIRBAG 360 and they said... "Above 50lb should be activated, the nissan/infinity is probably set above 30lb its the average weight of a car seat with a baby.
you have to report it to the dealer for recalibration or replacement."

Sort of confused; isn't the product intended to not have to deal with their replacement? Infinti said it may still not work after they put the new seat in or still may not be able to pick up people under 120lbs. Insane.

 

Unless aibag360 changed their products, there is no "recalibration" that I know of nor is anything mentioned in the factory manual. The emulator is a plug-and-play/ set it and forget it unit.

 

Correct. This was in response to me telling him I may want to buy one as my sensor may be off. He then replied that

 

Okay so the airbag specialist said there are no codes and that everything should be working properly. He replaced the sensor (again).

Though it may seem like this is an occupancy sensor weight issue, the seatbelt light is clearly recognizing someone over 60lbs (while the air bag off light is still illuminated), so it is not a occupancy sensor. It is properly detecting someone in the passenger seat.

Any thoughts?

Now I fear that, even if I get the airbag360, it will still be lit up because the system knows someone is in the passenger seat.

 

He replaced what sensor? And who is this "airbag specialist?" Dealer or third party?

The tech could not have replaced the OCS as that can't be replaced individually. The OCS is part of the bottom seat cushion and the whole cushion has to be replaced for anywhere from ≈$4-5K. I know they didn't pay for that let alone twice. The individual sensor is not even available from Nissan.

There has to be a issue somewhere with either the OCS or the SRS Control Unit. This is the module that controls the airbags and why the passenger seat belt light is illuminated. What happens if you latch the passenger seat belt?

 

Airmaster Tech in Riverside, California.

They replaced the occupancy sensor -- they took out an occupant sensor that is attached to a thin mat. They replaced it with a occupancy sensor that is attached to a mat.

There is no airbag blinking light on the cluster, no codes (I checked with my personal local mechanic when I got back) and the seatbelt is properly detected if there is a person (over lbs) in the passenger seat.

I'm grateful for your speedy replies

 

That is a new one for me. I am sure others would be interested in that option.

So, in other words, with the seat empty, the SRS2 light is OFF but the seat belt light is ON? If so, there is a issue somewhere as with a empty seat no lights should be on. Without further extensive diagnostics, preferably with a Nissan scan tool/ interface, the issue could be anything.

Did you throughly check the history of this car?

 

Hey,

Yes, please see the attached sensor with matt attached. I believe these come off the cushions, so technically, you don't need a cushion - they just are attached to the cushions and you can take them off. The exact cushion itself doesn't make a difference, my understanding.



With the passenger seat empty, the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF light is appropriately OFF and the seatbelt light is appropriately OFF.

The PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF light is ON when an adult is in the passenger seat. But if they don't have a seatbelt on, the seatbelt light IS ON. If they get up with no seatbelt, the seatbelt light will appropriately TURN OFF.

Furthermore, if I put 30lbs on the seat (under the 60lbs limit) the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF light is ON (which would be correct) and the seatbelt light is OFF (it's clearly effectively weighing the seat.

I've noticed the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF light will accurately turn OFF with an adult passenger about 25% of the time. If the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF light is inaccurately OFF when the adult is sitting down but then gets up for about 10 seconds then sits back down, it will work 50% of the time.

I'm really lost here; with the seatbelt properly detecting weight, I don't think it's my occupancy sensor. How else would it know? I doubt they are using two different weight sensors. If so, any emulators wouldn't help so not sure what to do?

 

Thank you for the clarification. I have to admit I have never seen OEM OCS "mats" for sale from Nissan. It appears legit so I have to assume it is correct for your car. It sure beats paying $4-5K fr a damn cushion that's for sure.

As I mentioned above, assuming the replacement OCS mat is correct for the car, there is likely a issue with the SRS control module. Two different sensors with the exact same fault points to something else. Most scan tools are not able to scan the SRS system for any trouble codes. There is a app, OBDFusion that might be able to read any potential SRS codes (with enhanced add-on pack (in-app purchase deal)) but I can not guarantee that.

Unfortunately, and I hate to say this, I would take the car to the dealer or a qualified Nissan specialty shop and have them run a diagnostic. They can put the car on their Nissan CONSULT3 scan tool and it will tell them exactly what is going on. Maybe others will have other ideas, but, unfortunately, this is likely one of those issues that requires in-person diagnostics with the right tools.

 

I am going to the Infinti dealer in a few hours and will keep you posted.

My guess is they'll just say it's the occupancy sensor to try to replace the whole seat, because that's their knee jerk reaction to any issues with this -- but doesn't the seatbelt light is properly weighing the passenger disprove this?

 

More than likely yes, they will try to say you need the whole cushion assembly. Point is, if they can pull any codes (that generic scan tools can not) that will give you a foundation on where to go next.

That said, this is the way the seat belt system is supposed to work:

Being that your issue is intermittent and questionable, it has to be either the OCS or the control unit. The dealer's scan should pinpoint what is going on.

FWIW, this issue with the OCS is common across most models, not just the 'Vert. I hope this nagging problem does not sour your enjoyment of the car overall.

Please keep us updated.