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After being involved in a serious MVA last year, my life was saved by the seatbelt and airbags in my 1999 vehicle (which was totaled), we then purchased a used 2009 Infiniti G37 convertible. Absolutely beautiful and fun to drive, there was nothing we did not love about it....until just recently we noticed that the airbag light would come on when anyone sat in the passenger seat. We also noticed a flashing red airbag warning light next to fuel gage. Took to have diagnostic test run and found out that it needs a new OCS sensor in the seat at a whopping $6400. Nissan/Infiniti recalled 2008, 2010 forward vehicles and excluded the 2009 for this exact defect. I now own a gorgeous, fun convertible but am afraid to drive, do not have $6400 to fix their defect and a car that I cannot sell. Anyone else in this same predicament? Anyone know if I could get a seat for less money that would make the airbags work without paying out the wazoo? I am quite frankly shocked that the 2009 G37 was not on recall list. Thanks
Very nice vert you've got there, what a shame about the seat sensor and the fact it's exempt from the recall. Hopefully you could source a seat from a salvage perhaps, that would have the sensor in working order. Might be worth it to discuss this w/ the Infiniti service dept. regarding the ease w/ which you could swap another seat over.
G/L and hope you can get this resolved w/out going to the poorhouse
it is insane how auto manufacturers derive the price of certain components sometimes. as this is the case for these nissan/infiniti front passenger seats. i don't know why the engineers couldn't just design the seat track or the seat padding to be replaceable or programmable like other manufacturers. well good luck in finding a seat in the salvage yard.
You're not the only one who has had this happen. Can't remember exact user (Jones[insert _remaining_username]) mentioned the same sensor recently went out in his car.
You got a convertible after a serious accident? Interesting choice, to say the least.
Beautiful car nonetheless.
Your best bet is a full seat from the junk yard.
Yes I got a convertible as that is what I was in when I had that horrible accident, a 1999 Jaguar, with top down. I am living proof you can survive in a convertible if you have seat belts and working airbags! Now I have an Infiniti with no working airbags and am scared to drive it as I know how in a "blink of an eye" you can be going down the road at 45 mph and then plowing into the side of a vechicle with no warning! I am very unhappy that this vehicle has been shrugged off by Infiniti as I am well aware (after little research) of the many 2009 G37's that have same problem. Infiniti knows also and has chosen to ignore these customers! I guess with the cost of repair they are hoping to recoup some of the money used to fix the customers they care about, 2008 and 2010 forward. It is unfair to ask customers to pay out $6400 to fix a defective part they knew was defective in 2008.
... I guess with the cost of repair they are hoping to recoup some of the money used to fix the customers they care about, 2008 and 2010 forward ...
If that was their way of thinking, they'd be out of business long time ago.
They likely used a different sensor during that model year.
Why they'd go back to the old 'defective' one, that remains a question. Might've been an 'updated' version of the old one that didn't actually fix anything.
Keep in mind that the sensor lasted 8+ years at this point.. Way beyond any of their initial / reasonable testing, even if it's something as critical as the airbag sensor.
Yes it did last 8 years, however I did not know Infiniti airbags had an expected expiration time. Wow thank goodness the 1999 Jag my deceased father left me did not have that kind of defect. I am going to check with a local body repairman to see if he can find a matching seat out of a junkyard...however how would I know it works until the airbags are needed.
Yea, That's BS and this is the second time in 2 weeks I've heard of this. INFINITI's saving grace is a loyal customer base...they wont remain if this is the standard and it shows. I've seen a lot of member's signatures list multiple Nissan/Infiniti products then jump to a competitor due to bad service. I'd be even more furious if you just got the car. Cars from the 80's don't randomly have sensors go out connected to airbags resulting in a $6k repair. That's insane. So, if I were you I'd let my frustration be known loudly. On a Saturday. on the showroom floor. regarding a car you just purchased.
Sooo if cars in the 80s didn't have issues, why are you guys driving newer cars?
Ever looked under the hood and compared a nissan from 80s and a current model? Ever noticed 100x the wiring and engine complexity? The more crap there is, there more potential points of failure there are.
I don't see how whining in the middle of a showroom floor will do you any good. It's because of people of you we cannot have nice things.
Because the cars of today are supposed to be improvements on vehicles of the past. That's why dealers feel justified in charging you what they do for a new vehicle. You're suppose to be 'upgrading'. A faulty dash, inferior gasket and other annoying failures are one thing, every brand has them, but when you can't stand behind the safety features of your vehicle, a vehicle that isn't even 10 years old - that's an issue.
By whining, I assume you mean bringing up the legitimate concern of a safety feature that lasted less than 10 years, on what is considered an above average vehicle, that renders the vehicle a hazard to any occupants then yea, I recommend whining. By saying nothing, you are part of the problem in making dealerships feel justified in charging over $6,000 for a part that should last the lifetime of the vehicle.
I'm all for the 'pay to play' when it comes to owning a vehicle but this is wrong...
While I do agree that vehicle prices are getting a bit ridiculous these days, I also think that getting in a pissing contest with a dealer is not the right way to go about fixing an issue.
You can open a case with Nissan / Infiniti USA, you can reach out to the regional managers, and go through the other proper channels. Dealerships are all middlemen (minus tesla). They do minimum compliance efforts to continue selling a specific brand of cars and that's it. It's not in their interest to fix things that are not under warranty so why would you expect them to go out of their way to help you out?
Both ways might get you the results you are looking for, but one of these will just **** them off and make more rules about how they are not going to help their customers going forward.
I'd typically agree but in this case, given Infiniti's track record with the dash issue and the gasket, I wouldn't bet on them backing the customer. Hopefully OP has a different experience, regardless of how they pursue it, but if dealerships are taking these complaints to corporate because it's affecting sales then maybe that will provoke more support for the customer.Dealer might be the middle man but that's where the transactions happen. Disrupt that flow of money and Corporate will have to respond. Depending on that response, it's up to the customer to continue to buy the brand or to simply move on.
It sucks at the end of the day because the G is really a fantastic car.
Major Addendum: I took my Infiniti 2009 G37 with no working airbags to Lake Norman Infiniti and after speaking to the service manager and explaining how I felt this car should have been included in the recall for the OCS sensor malfunction, that the liability Infiniti took on with regard to safety for their customers was terrible, etc. he spoke to the manufacturer and they replaced my seat at no cost to me! I did have to pay out $2100 but that is a far cry from the $7000 they originally quoted me from Infiniti and the $6400 from Nissan. The $2100 I paid out went for bringing the car up to date with all new fluids and filters along with alignment and SRS replacement (which did not turn off airbag light). The car drives like a new car plus got a new passenger seat and working airbags! Infiniti rocks in my book. My advice to anyone in this same situation is first contact Infiniti USA, second file a complaint with NHSA, file with your state's Atty General's office then take car to local Infiniti dealership and plead your case. Good luck! I love my car❤️
06-07-2017, 05:00 PM
