Passenger side airbag sensor not sensing occupant

Are you using a seat belt extender? I am using one on our car and the same thing happens to us. Is there anybody out there using the extender that know how to correct this problem? If I am using the extender the dash light says the air bag is off, is there anyway of getting around that especially in the passinger seat.

 

How many miles? Has the vehicle ever been wrecked?

SPH-D710 ? 2

 

The threshold between child and adult is about 80 pounds, ±7 pounds, so your wife may never trigger it to be enabled depending on how much weight she actually places on the seat (versus the armrests and floor). If so, that's actually a good thing, as the airbag could cause her more injury, because it's designed to stop a much larger person. (The system may adjust its strength for smaller people, I'm not sure - it actually has two adult classifications; one for the 5th percentile adult female - 80-120 lb, and one for the 50th percentile adult male - 120+ lb. They don't say what the difference in system behavior is, but my guess is that it may deploy the airbag with less force.)

For you though, it definitely should turn on. Make sure the seatbelt is unbuckled before you sit down. Check for anything underneath the seat; the weight may be transferred to this instead of through the sensor, so it could think you're weightless. Make sure the seat is upright and the seat back is not touching anything. Check for anything else that might interfere (accessories, covers, aftermarket amp under the seat, whatever).

The restraint systems warranty is 60/60k (in the US, anyway), so take advantage of it if you're not past 60,000 miles, if none of the above fix the issue. And even if you are beyond that warranty, the dealer should be able to diagnose and repair the problem easily enough.

I've never used an extender, but which end do you unbuckle when you leave the car? From the manual, it sounds like it may perform the occupant classification when you plug the tab into the buckle - so if you leave the extender plugged in, that may be before somebody is sitting in the seat. Of course, elsewhere in the manual, they suggest pressing the release button on the extender so that the extender doesn't fly back with the seatbelt and damage the vehicle's interior. So I guess you might need to unbuckle BOTH ends...

 

Have you checked with a dealer? Some of these critical safety items have longer term federally-mandated warranties.

 

macman408, you gave the best explanation with all possible scenarios, some of which never cross my mind.
I will later check that out and see if my similar problem is fixed.
Many thanks,