[jaymevb]

i repaired a 2006 sts that did not have the airbags deployed. however, it displays a service airbag indicator and the passenger airbag indicator on the ceiling says that the passenger airbag never turns on, even with a passenger. I read about the seat belt pretensers and the driver's side belt does not retract very well when unbuckled, is this the same thing as the pretensioner?

my main question is, will taking it to a dealer and having it scanned help me locate the problem or am i better off just taking the seat wiring harness apart and cleaning the connections myself?

 

[dkozloski]

You've got obvious problems with the harness and/or passenger detection switch so I'd go through that looking for pinched wires or questionable connections. The connectors in question are the yellow ones under the seat. You may save yourself a few bucks over just taking it to a dealer for a code scan.

 

[jaymevb]

can they tell which seat it is by the code?

 

[onlyuscars]

I had an airbag light problem and the rear center seat belt tensioner was the issue. She took a lot of effort and mis-diagnosis by me to fix. Pulling codes did not elucidate anything for me, READING POSTS DID!! Check any loose belts and get the tensioner to behave.

 

[jaymevb]

could you please elaborate on how you diagnosed and fixed the problem? how did you "get the tensioners to behave"? i have searched quite a bit on this site already.

 

[ddalder]

You best be careful when working with pretensioners. There is an explosive charge in them, which is how they work. The pretensioners in these cars is a part of the buckle assembly, not the retractor.

Personally, I believe that codes may help you. It should definitely narrow down the search. The PPS (Passenger Presence System) is also tied in and controlled by way of the Sensing & Diagnostic Module (airbag module). If it senses a problem in this system (which from your problem description is at least a possibility), the airbag system will show a fault. There is also a calibration procedure for the PPS which must be followed if any work is done to that system. Were you working around the passenger seat cushion at all?

Quite honestly, if you start messing around with critical safety systems such as this, you best know what you're doing.

Just my two cents...

 

[onlyuscars]

Relax, there aren't any explosives in your seat belts...pendulums and spring loaded wheels, but not bombs. These critical safety systems are merely bolted to the car. If they do not retract all the way it could light the airbag light. I monkeyed around and was able to push back the release mechanism wiith a small punch, feed the belt in by hand, fully extend it and repeat. The spring loaded wheel finally retracted after repeating this several times. The passenger airbag off light can be related to the weight sensor in that seat. You won't blow yourself up either way.

 

[ddalder]

Relax, there aren't any explosives in your seat belts...pendulums and spring loaded wheels, but not bombs. These critical safety systems are merely bolted to the car. If they do not retract all the way it could light the airbag light. I monkeyed around and was able to push back the release mechanism wiith a small punch, feed the belt in by hand, fully extend it and repeat. The spring loaded wheel finally retracted after repeating this several times. The passenger airbag off light can be related to the weight sensor in that seat. You won't blow yourself up either way.

Before you start giving people bad advice, you should try looking through the factory service manual. Don't post irresponsible information that others may blindly follow. The buckle assembly must be discharged and disposed of in the very same manner as the airbags.

 

[jaymevb]

took it in today and it had code b0081 which is the passenger presence system. i guess it says it has an internal electrical failure. they want 380 for the part and +600 for the parts and labor. anyone fix this themselves?

 

[ddalder]

took it in today and it had code b0081 which is the passenger presence system. i guess it says it has an internal electrical failure. they want 380 for the part and +600 for the parts and labor. anyone fix this themselves?

While it is possible to swap some parts, this system requires a calibration procedure whenever it is serviced. If you are not familiar with this, the airbag system may not operate as designed.

Directly from the service manual...

"Caution: Replace the passenger presence system as a complete assembly to prevent possible injury to the occupant. All the components in the service kit are assembled and calibrated as a unit. Using only some of the components in the service kit will cause the passenger presence system to operate improperly."

and

"Re-zero the inflatable restraint passenger presence system whenever the seat cushion or any component of the passenger presence system is removed."

Again, these are reasons the average person should not service this system.

 

[jaymevb]

getting a whole new seat for way less than they wanted for just the seat bottom but i will still need to bring it in after to get recalibrated.

 

[ddalder]

getting a whole new seat for way less than they wanted for just the seat bottom but i will still need to bring it in after to get recalibrated.

To me, this makes a lot of sense. I don't like to discourage people from working on their own vehicle, but the newer they are and the more technology is involved, the more difficult it is without the right tools (diagnostic and programming aids, specialty tools etc.) to fix it independently. Any system that works in fractions of a second and is designed to protect your personal safety (or that of your passengers) commands a lot of respect. The Passenger Presence System is sophistocated enough that it looks for characteristics of an acual person sitting on the seat, not simply "weight". Therefore, it's important that it work correctly.

 

[jaymevb]

well, i have an update with good news and bad news. i replaced the passenger presence sensor with one from a used seat. the used seat i bought ended up not having ventilation or the speakers on the top of the seat so i took both of them apart and just replaced the passenger presence sensor. after i fixed that the passenger presence system appeared to work since it now indicated that there was some one there appropriately on the overhead console. I brought it in to clear the air bag light and now it's throwing B1000-00 electronic control unit performance, U2103-00 fewer controllers on bus than programmed (which really mystified the mechanics since it said it was looking for two sensors that they didn't think my car had) B0081-71 pass presence system invalid serial data received.

they thought that the SDM (sensing and diagnostic module) needed to be replaced. This was done at a different dealership but I don't remember any of these codes showing up the first time it was scanned.

Did replacing the passenger presence sensor with a used on mess everything up or does anyone have any other insight before I drop $500 on replacing the SDM?

 

[ECha3]

I've seen smart members say there are a lot of unforeseen concerns in the seats. These are not limited to the airbags and related systems. Did you follow the procedures in the shop manual?

 

[Cuki]

Any new updates about the b1000 code? I have a 2008 Cadillac STS 3.6 4wd base and the airbag light is on. I brought it to the Cadillac dealer yesterday to have them reprogram the new radio a bought for it since the old one was damaged when I got the car. So long story short the guy from the service area told me that the radio can’t be reprogram due to the b1000 code that is causing an internal electric problem. Any idea?