My passenger airbag light would go on periodically. I learned from a Youtube video how to reset it using the ignition key, but it would come back at times. The problem seemed to happen when somebody sat in the passenger seat, but not always.
I took the Xterra into a Nissan dealer who, for $100 and change, told me the passenger seat belt retractor needed to be replaced, to the tune of over $500 plus install labour. I declined their generous offer, and went out and invested $100 in a BlueDriver OBD scan module. This little device plugs into your OBD port and sends info to your tablet or phone via Bluetooth. (No, I'm not in any way affiliated with BlueDriver; just think it's a real handy gadget.
)BlueDriver reported that there was a problem with the seat belt tensioner alright; that the tension sensor wasn't being activated when the seat belt was put on. Hmmmm....maybe it's not the seat belt retractor itself, but the tension sensor attached to one end of the seat belt?
Off I went to Youtube, the DIY handyman's friend, and discovered this handy tip I thought I'd pass along to y'all.
(Oops, can't find the link now, but here's the gist of it.) Mix up some dish soap and water, grab an old toothbrush, and start scrubbing the length of the seat belt where it slides through the D-ring. Scrub the D-ring too, while you're at it. Amazing, isn't it, how much goop accumulates over time? Anyway, the seat belt should now retract more easily. The end result is that the tension sensor at the end of the belt opposite to the retractor can detect that the retractor is doing its job, and no longer causes an SRS code to be thrown.The thing is, had I let Nissan replace the seat belt retractor, that too would have made the problem go away as the assembly comes complete with seat belt, D-Ring and tension sensor. And when I gave the service manager a call and told him the seat belt retractor didn't need to be replaced; all that needed was for the dirty seat belt to be cleaned, he replied that they aren't allowed to 'repair' safety equipment. Oh for the good ol' days, when mechanics were mechanics and actually fixed things, not just throw new parts at the problem until it goes away.
I salute you. Nice job!