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Passenger airbag light always "off" position

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by JC91006, Jan 5, 2014.

  1. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Ok, now I'm still trouble shooting my newly purchased 2006, I have the problem with the passenger airbag light with "airbag off" constantly lit. On my 2008, there is usually just the "airbag" light lit and when someone sits on the passenger seat, it will determine to light the "on or off" light.

    However the 2006 always has "airbig off" even without a passenger. When I sit on the passenger seat, it doesn't switch to "on", stays on "airbag off". I also noticed the seat belt receiver clip does not function properly. It will not allow you to put on the passenger seat belt, something blocks it inside the seat belt receiver. Can this be a cause to the "airbag off" light?
     
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    The airbag should be on when sufficient weight is on the passenger seat, regardless of whether the passenger seatbelt is buckled. Check under the seat to see whether there are any loose cable connections. You are looking for a switch on the seat which will detect the weight of a passenger.
     
  3. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    I was thinking it was just a weight issue but it seems to just be off. I checked for loose wiring and none was found. I didn't want to poke around too much because there are side airbags there. I wonder if there could be a fuse that controls that?
     
  4. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Finally able to fix this problem with the airbag. Apparently the seat belt receiver on the passenger side has to be working properly for the passenger airbag to function. The damaged seat belt receiver was the cause of the airbag fault. This is strange because techstream did not detect any problems with the SRS system but the passenger airbag would always be in the "off" position.

    I was able to buy a used passenger seat for $75 that included a working seat belt receiver. I changed out the seat completely and everything is working as it should. But changing out the seat belt receiver should have corrected my problem.