Passenger seat occupancy sensor

[EVchemist]

Has anyone else experienced something this? And can some of you try to replicate it?

Yesterday was the first really hot day we've had here and something odd happened. I place a bottle of soda on the passenger seat and started driving, about 15 seconds later the seat belt warning light turned on along with the alert chime. At first I thought it was maybe the buckle sensor in the drivers seat, but fiddling with it didn't change the warning. I then tried buckling the passenger seat and the warning light went off, but then I noticed something very interesting with was the the passenger airbag "off" light was off. Well, I don't want that thing armed and ready to go so I unbuckled the seat-belt and pushed on the passenger seat and bit to see what would happen, as you guessed it nothing happened. So I picked up the soda bottle and the warning light went off and the airbag warning turned on. I then determined that all I had to do was put my hand or the full bottle of liquid close to the seat and the warning would go off and the airbag would arm. This works all over the seat, not just at the lowest point where the bottle had settled, front and side top surfaces set off the alarm.

 

[forbin404]

Has anyone else experienced something this? And can some of you try to replicate it?

Yesterday was the first really hot day we've had here and something odd happened. I place a bottle of soda on the passenger seat and started driving, about 15 seconds later the seat belt warning light turned on along with the alert chime. At first I thought it was maybe the buckle sensor in the drivers seat, but fiddling with it didn't change the warning. I then tried buckling the passenger seat and the warning light went off, but then I noticed something very interesting with was the the passenger airbag "off" light was off. Well, I don't want that thing armed and ready to go so I unbuckled the seat-belt and pushed on the passenger seat and bit to see what would happen, as you guessed it nothing happened. So I picked up the soda bottle and the warning light went off and the airbag warning turned on. I then determined that all I had to do was put my hand or the full bottle of liquid close to the seat and the warning would go off and the airbag would arm. This works all over the seat, not just at the lowest point where the bottle had settled, front and side top surfaces set off the alarm.

Wow mine isn't that sensitive. It takes at least a backpack to fire off.

 

[JoulesThief]

I read somewhere else where a woman took a sip from her water bottle, didn't reseal it all the way, and put it on the passenger seat. She was going up to the mountains to go skiing. Pressure inside the bottle going up in elevation caused the lid to leak on the seat. Destroyed the passenger sensor... something like $600-700 to fix, she wanted it covered under warranty.

My advice, use the cup holder to hold any liquids, not the passenger seat, unless you are willing to pay for the damages if something leaks or goes bad or goes wrong.

 

[EVchemist]

I read somewhere else where a woman took a sip from her water bottle, didn't reseal it all the way, and put it on the passenger seat. She was going up to the mountains to go skiing. Pressure inside the bottle going up in elevation caused the lid to leak on the seat. Destroyed the passenger sensor... something like $600-700 to fix, she wanted it covered under warranty.

My advice, use the cup holder to hold any liquids, not the passenger seat, unless you are willing to pay for the damages if something leaks or goes bad or goes wrong.

I appreciate the advice, but the bottle was new and unopened, so I wasn't too worried about that. The armrest blocks the 2nd cup holder when it is slid forward to make my slouching drive home easier. When I did open the bottle I used the cup-holder.

 

[GadgetGav]

That sounds overly sensitive to me. I had some groceries on the front seat the other day including a carton of milk and it didn't trigger the occupancy sensor.