Passenger airbag

[Pop-Pop]

I've searched and found the answer on this but a little concerned. My wife is about 5'1' and weighs about 102 lbs. Apparently, the seat airbag sensor needs more weight sitting in the seat to activate. It does sometime work and I will have Nissan check it. Researching, I'm reading that a small adult or a child is better off not having the airbag deploy in a crash. Is that true? TIA

[Rogue One]

Here's what I was able to find. Are you still having it looked at?

Since Sept 1, 2006, NHTSA has required new vehicles come with advanced frontal airbag systems. Advance front passenger airbags can also — based on your weight and position — turn the airbag off. These new models are configured to render moot — the belief that the airbags crushed children and small adults — the public outcry over first-generation airbags. Mechanics were regularly asked, against the wishes of manufacturers, to disable passenger-side bags. This led to the introduction of controversial on/off switches — which are still permitted until 2012.

There's an interesting article here: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-drivi ... s/ocs1.htm

[nezoid]

We have the same problem. The passenger airbag light will more often than not be illuminated. We talked to the dealership when we first purchased the car, and a service mechanic was telling us that she wasn't sitting in the seat properly. After attempting multiple sitting positions, nothing helped as it seems random if it is working or not. I plan on having her take in the car to replicate the issue as it is annoying. It could be operating as designed but we are going to have it checked out to be sure. Just for reference, she is 5'4' 110. I told her she needs to gain weight, but that wasn't an acceptable solution for her.

[Ferrisfan]

Sounds to me like you now have a chauffeur! Hope there is an easy resolution for this!

[mpscotia]

Any updates? My 2015 is doing the same thing. I'm pretty sure my wife knows how to sit in a seat properly, but the airbag light stays on.

[phjake]

Any updates? My 2015 is doing the same thing. I'm pretty sure my wife knows how to sit in a seat properly, but the airbag light stays on.

The 2015 Rogue Owner's manual states on page 1-58 if the occupant is a small adult the front passenger air bag is suppressed. I did not see a weight limit in the manual so "small adult" is subjective. I suggest you call Nissan Customer Care and tell them you want an answer on what the weight limit is. Tell them this is a safety issue and you are going to pursue it until you get an acceptable answer from them. Tell them "Your wife probably doesn't weigh enough is NOT an acceptable answer". Someone within Nissan knows what the weight limit is..

[Rogue One]

We have the same problem... Just for reference, she is 5'4' 110. I told her she needs to gain weight, but that wasn't an acceptable solution for her.

You could try taking her through McDonald's a couple of times...

Q: At what weight does the passenger-side airbag turn on or off?
A: Federal regulations do not specify a specific weight at which passenger-side airbags must be turned on or off. Instead, automakers must meet a performance standard that in a frontal collision the airbag protects a crash dummy that represents a “5th percentile female” and weighs about 108 pounds. Passenger-side airbags should be turned on when seat sensors detect an occupant of this weight or greater, but that doesn’t mean they will always be off if someone lighter is seated.

All airbag systems are not the same, so when the passenger-side airbag is turned on can vary by manufacturer and the readings from seat sensors that measure not only the weight but the stature and seating position of the occupant and other factors. For example, on some GM vehicles, an electronic field measures the amount of water in the occupant to help determine the occupant’s size and weight. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says an adult who is not centered and seated upright or is leaning heavily on an armrest can take pressure off the seat cushion and mislead the seat sensors.

When Occupant Detection Sensors Don't Make Sense?
On December 17, 2011, Hyundai settled, for an undisclosed sum, in a crash that wouldn’t and shouldn’t have caused a fatality but for a defective occupant seat sensor – a problem that may be more common – across many manufacturers – and more potentially deadly than realized.

On January 3, 2010, Donna Lynn Hopkins was a front-seat passenger in a 2008 Hyundai Accent, with her husband, Tom, at the wheel. As they approached an intersection on Highway 181 in Bexar County, Texas, another driver failed to yield the right of way. The Hyundai T-boned the other vehicle with sufficient force to deploy the airbags. But only the driver’s airbag inflated. The occupant seat sensor mat in the front passenger seat determined that, Donna Hopkins, a 165-pound woman, was actually a child, and turned off the airbag. Worse, Hyundai’s sensor strategy also turned off the seat belt pretensioner. Like some other manufacturers, Hyundai’s occupant sensor is designed so that the front passenger seat belt pretensioner fires only if the airbag is deployed. Mrs. Hopkins had none of the advanced safety features needed to adequately protect her in that crash, even though she was belted, and weighed 55 pounds more than the regulated cut-off for smart airbag deployment. Her husband, Tom, walked away from the crash; Donna Hopkins died.

[mpscotia]

It's in now being "re-programmed". We will see if that fixes it!

[drummerguy]

I emailed Nissan asking how many pounds does it take to activate the front passenger air bag . They replied I should talk to my local dealer instead. I read another article where a fellow said he had talked on the phone to them and he stated they said 125 lbs. was the threshold level. IF this is correct you must also take into account this is a sitting weight. In other words if you weigh 125 lbs. standing up you may only weigh 100 lbs sitting down since the weight of your legs is resting on the floor. Hope this helps.

[followingnfront]

So anyone who weighs less than 125lbs sitting has a risk for higher injury in the 2015 Rogue because the airbag wont deploy... Great. So much for safety

[TrevorK]

So anyone who weighs less than 125lbs sitting has a risk for higher injury in the 2015 Rogue because the airbag wont deploy... Great. So much for safety

Not at all. There are studies out there that show you may be at higher risk for injury if you are not an adult. Here is one such study:

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1 ... 9580309853
Which concludes:
The overall risk of any injury (both minor and serious) was 86% among children exposed to PABs, compared to 55% among the comparison group (OR 5.3; 95% CI, 2.1-13.4). Exposure to PABs increased the risk of both minor injuries, including facial and chest abrasions, and more serious injuries, particularly upper extremity fractures.
and

http://journals.lww.com/epidem/Abstract ... _to.7.aspx
Which concludes:
Conclusions. Passenger air bags may be a hazard to unrestrained children and of little benefit to unrestrained adults. Our results support the advice that children younger than 13 years should not sit in front of an active air bag.

Because manufacturers would have a difficult time requiring the age of an individual to be entered before arming an airbag they are using the weight of the individual as a means to help determine their age.


An airbag deploying is not necessarily the safest thing to do and this is why there is a complex set of sensors and programming that determines when to deploy the airbag. Many people often say "This car sucks, I was in a front end collision and the airbag did not deploy", and when asked about their injuries state "Well no I was not injured". This means that the airbag system functioned correctly - it is there to deploy to prevent injuries, not to make someone feel safer in the event of a collision. If there are no injuries in the collision and the airbag did not deploy, it did exactly what it was designed to do.

[dave08902]

The new Nissan's has a new system for passenger seat weight detection, it is called Occupant Classification System. It has a programmable module under the seat and it looks at the actual weight of the person and the seat position forward and aft. When the airbags deploy, it uses this data for how strong to deploy the bag. If you disconnect any connectors to the airbag system, it will need to be re-programmed. First you hook up your Consult 3 or any professional scanner, then select body - Airbag - and then select Zero Point Reset. When doing this reset make sure the vehicle is level and do not bump or cause any vibration otherwise the reset will cause the light to come on. It takes about 1 minute. If you can't do it yourself, ask the dealer about it.

[phjake]

The new Nissan's has a new system for passenger seat weight detection, it is called Occupant Classification System. It has a programmable module under the seat and it looks at the actual weight of the person and the seat position forward and aft. When the airbags deploy, it uses this data for how strong to deploy the bag. If you disconnect any connectors to the airbag system, it will need to be re-programmed. First you hook up your Consult 3 or any professional scanner, then select body - Airbag - and then select Zero Point Reset. When doing this reset make sure the vehicle is level and do not bump or cause any vibration otherwise the reset will cause the light to come on. It takes about 1 minute. If you can't do it yourself, ask the dealer about it.

Thanks for the info on this Dave. I did a google search on the OCS and there was several hits on it, including a March 2014 recall by Nissan to fix problems with the system in certain vehicles.

[drummerguy]

To simplify the safety issue.... the information I came across stated that in a situation where there would be 100 passenger fatalities because the passenger airbag did not deploy and they did not wear a seatbelt 45 people would have survived if they had worn their seatbelt and 50 would have survived if they had worn their seatbelt and the airbag deployed. This is only a 5% difference.... important but not significant......unless of course you are part of the 5%.

[Gangins]

My 2015 Rogue never had the passenger airbag light problem until after the recall....then numerous times. Dealer did a reset but it recurred. I got the run around from Nissan until I said the only way to talk to them was through a lawyer. Then dealer qucikly called saying Nissan had sent them a tech bulletin of 18 or so pages of tests to put our Rogue through.

They ended up replacing a wiring harness and the passenger side seat-belt and so far the problem has not returned. Our car was past 36K miles but no charge. I did not get the tech bulletin # but dealer thought it was put out early 2017 and has an A after the number.

Evidently this bulletin has a number of tests and will id certain problems they have identified....not sure how many or if they know all the problems with the light. Good luck.

[jryka]

My passenger seat airbag light only goes out if my wife gets in before I start the car. I have had the recall reprogram.

[drummerguy]

My airbag operates the same with my wife but I find if she sits in her seat.....bolt upright before I start the vehicle the airbag will be activated...if she slouches before sitting up straight it might take 5 to 10 minutes to work.

[amc49]

Just to throw another wrench into the works, I have intentionally disabled my pass side airbag as it is one of the ones verified by Nissan to have a Takata airbag on that side only, you really need to discover where your airbag issues are at in the cars. It could be BETTER to have the bag off.