"Service Airbag" notification help

[Oscarc2011]

Hello fellow members, I have a quick question my 2010 Camaro recently started getting a service airbag notification. I notice it happens more often when a person is sitting on the passenger seat. The notification ask occurs when I am driving alone but interminently. I got the vehicle scanned and it doesn't show any codes, has anyone experienced somethint similar, maybe someone can offer some advice. Thank you in advance!!

[Scalded Dog]

I have been through this hell, my friend... and the prognosis is not good.

Mine turned out to the "Passenger Presence Sensor," or, PPS, which is an astoundingly complicated mat within the horizontal- flat portion of the passenger seat that detects the presence of the passenger.

I tried everything in the book to work around this (I tried to simply wire the seat as "on" at all times by jump- wiring it), tried finding ANY other solution other than handing over a giant stack of cash to the dealer.

The first dealer I went to charged me $100 to diagnose, would not give me a WRITTEN breakdown (verbal only!), and just told me I needed $1300 worth of work, to include the PPS and the control module.

Second dealer I went to (since I had my doubts) figured out it was just the PPS. Cost me $900, parts and labor (I was unable to find any non- dealer shop willing to tackle the PPS install, and, having no info available on the task, I was unwilling to do it myself... wouldn't have saved me much anyhow, as the PPS unit alone is fairly pricey (I don't recall the number)).

My original symptoms were an occasional warning that the airbag was not working (a chime, flashing icon, dash message) with a passenger in place. Soon, it progressed to similar warnings when no passenger was in the car, and eventually, it just stayed in a state of 'full- on error' at all times. Made me insane.

You may need to pony up some bucks for this... it's the only major problem I've had with the car, so I can't complain too much, but, damn... that's still $900 I would be able to name a LOT of funner ways to spend.

[CamaroCracka]

Scalded Dog is correct. The part itself is ridiculously expensive for what it is. There is a thread on here somewhere on how to replace it. I was lucky. When I saw it, it was just a loose connection from where I stuffed something under the passenger seat because I was in a hurry.

I've also seen a Recaro plug that is supposed to make the ECM think everything is ok for people who replace the stock seats with aftermarket units. That might get you past it, but the ECM will no longer turn the passenger side airbag off if you have a child riding in that seat.

[havelegs]

cheaper to buy entire seat with hardware installed?

[Scalded Dog]

Originally Posted by havelegs

cheaper to buy entire seat with hardware installed?

That's a good question. I would imagine a wrecking yard would sell a seat for under $500, but, then, you might end up with a fault issue there. No idea how much a new seat would cost, but it's worth looking into...

[Rocky1974]

Originally Posted by Oscarc2011

Hello fellow members, I have a quick question my 2010 Camaro recently started getting a service airbag notification. I notice it happens more often when a person is sitting on the passenger seat. The notification ask occurs when I am driving alone but interminently. I got the vehicle scanned and it doesn't show any codes, has anyone experienced somethint similar, maybe someone can offer some advice. Thank you in advance!!

While I've not had any problems with my Passenger Presence Sensor, I did convert my passenger seat from manual to power and I have replaced the seat bottom heater elements in both of my front seats. So, I have had that sensor out and back in.

The sensor is P/N 20972507 and it is available all over the internet wholesale.

It's $282.50 at GM PartsDirect.com http://www.gmpartsdirect.com/oe-gm/20972507

$308.17 at Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/General-Motors.../dp/B008Y96XGO

$300.00 on e-Bay http://www.ebay.com/itm/2010-2015-Ca...-/261718689358

The installation is straight forward enough. You will have to remove the passenger seat, which is easy, just 2 bolts and 1 connector, and remove the bottom cover. You do have to cut hog-rings to remove the cover, so you need hog-rings and hog-ring pliers to put it back on. I took my passenger seat bottom to an upholstery shop and had them re-install the cover, but I bought hog-rings and hog-ring pliers for my drivers seat and reinstalled it myself. The one I did looks just as good as the one the upholstery shop did.

I hear these people who say they don't want to do their own work, but when dealers start quoting over a $1000 for something that is not difficult, that's when I start tearing into it myself.

[CLARKPRIDE]

airbag360.com worked for mine. 85$ shipped

[SMOKNZ]

Originally Posted by CLARKPRIDE

airbag360.com worked for mine. 85$ shipped

x2 Simple fix except my seatbelt warning was always going off because the car thought someone was now sitting in the seat without a belt on. Got a seat belt clip and plugged it in the passenger seat belt clip as I usually ride solo.