Swapped seats + airbag light

randyO

Well-Known Member
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Anyone swapped seats in a 14 SI with a 12 SI? Any clue how to get rid of the airbag light?
 
I know someone took it to the dealership & said they took the seats out to vacuum the carpets. They asked if they cold get rid of the light & the dealer reset it.
 
Did you try disconnecting your battery? This might help
 
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Well I took it to the dealer and they told me that the airbags are made by a different manufacturer. So even if they did reset it, it would come right back on.
 
whaaaa. Did you tell them it was because you unplugged the seat?
 
Well I didn't think it would be.an issue for them. I didn't even mind paying the shop charge. But I told them I swapped the seats. But is what they said true?
 
There are endless components in the car that they don't make, so their comment is just stupid. That doesn't stop them from resetting the error. If he's saying that the system is actually different between the two years, that may be a different story. I can't see them using a different air bag system between the two years though.
 
I'm not sure if you swapped sedan to sedan or coupe to coupe, but if you look on CHH website at the parts in the drivers seat you'll notice that the side airbag modules for the '12 + '14 sedan have different part #'s. They are very similar but the last number is different. Not saying that's the issue but there could be a minor difference that the system is picking up.

Either way the dealer could still have reset it for you with that disclaimer that it may not take. Do you still have the original seats?
 
I'm not sure if you swapped sedan to sedan or coupe to coupe, but if you look on CHH website at the parts in the drivers seat you'll notice that the side airbag modules for the '12 + '14 sedan have different part #'s. They are very similar but the last number is different. Not saying that's the issue but there could be a minor difference that the system is picking up.

Either way the dealer could still have reset it for you with that disclaimer that it may not take. Do you still have the original seats?
No I traded someone. It was sedan to sedan. 12 - 14. He told me that the airbag manufacturers were different between the two so it's not sending the proper signals. He said if he did reset it, it would probably come back on. So instead of wasting my time and money he told me that there is no point in trying to reset it.
 
You tell the person you swapped with that they can't remove the error?
 
Ok, so what the tech is telling you is correct, they changed manufacturers and the system will not recognize equipment from another manufacturer . I see a few options,

1. Bypass the airbag. I'm not sure how to do this exactly but I know people have done it in track cars. However, overriding safety equipment is never a good idea so this would not be recommended.

2. Go back to the original seats and safety equipment. Assuming of course the person you switched with is cooperative. They are most likely having the same issue on their end, just wether or not they care.

3. Instead of swapping the whole seat you could swap the components. That is remove the upholstery and swap just that. That keeps the original safety equipment and should not result in any errors. This is the more complicated and labor intensive route and also assumes a cooperative 3rd party.

4. If the person you switched with is not cooperative, you could purchase and swap the airbag equipment yourself. This however is very costly as it looks like they are approx $400 per seat.
 
Wow, what an unfortunate problem. I was hoping this would be an easy fix.
 
Yeah we both are having the same issue. He doesn't mind it. It doesn't bother me too much I just wanted to get rid of the light. Can anyone answer a question definitively? Will the front airbags still work of the system is sensing an error? That's my next concern.
 
Other articles have stated that the airbags will not deploy if there is a warning light. That's why I asked if the guy would swap you back? That's a pretty big safety issue.
 
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