Passenger Safety Restraint Malfunction

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Arm

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 7, 2020
Messages
332
Hey Everyone.

I have a 2019 BMW i3s. Got some water spots on the passenger seat that I wanted removed so I took it to a detailer.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/BU2WGctj91xRaRFA8

They removed it no problem. Soaked the seat cloth and then vacuumed it out. Obviously the seat was somewhat damp or wet.

Not very long after I was driving the car back home, first the FASTEN SEATBELT sign kept chiming and chiming for the passenger seat. Then it cut out.

A few minutes after that, I got a warning message in the notifications center saying PASSENGER SAFETY RESTRAINT malfunction.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/TRL3Gr8QumvebFz37

I am thinking the sensor that senses a person or object on the seat may have gotten wet? Has anyone experienced this? Time to take it to the dealer?

Any thoughts?

Thanks
 
Great thank you. I'll give you guys an update once I drive the car again.👍


bocabimmer said:
I’ve had that happen after cleaning the seat. Once the fabric dries, it should go away.
 
My seat has now dried out--it has been days; however, I still have the passenger airbag light/warning. I am going to call tomorrow for service.
 
willmhull said:
My seat has now dried out--it has been days; however, I still have the passenger airbag light/warning./quote]
You might need to delete the diagnostic trouble code (DTC) that was set when the seat got wet. Licensing BimmerLink and buying a recommended OBD dongle would certainly cost less than a dealer visit.
 
willmhull said:
This is all new to me...Which OBD dongle would you recommend?

This is what I bought recently. It is listed as compatible with BimmerLink and BimmerCode and has worked fine for me:
Veepeak OBDCheck BLE OBD 2 Bluetooth Scanner
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073XKQQQW/
 
There seems to be a lot of fear out there related to ECU bricking. Is any of that legitimate?

A few other questions:

1. could there be something actually wrong with the passenger airbag? It seems pretty coincidental that this turned on right after a detail.
2. Would the diagnostic and repair be covered if the car is still under the original warranty?
 
thanks, everyone. I bought and dongle (Veepeak) and downloaded bimmerlink and easily cleared this error. Interesting thing is that the error detail noted that it was no longer displayed--something to that effect. I interpreted that as the error should have cleared automatically and didn't.
 
It's not just a case of clearing the error. If the fault is recurring, then the electronic sensor or module responsible for that part of the system has identified an issue. It could be low voltage, etc. I'd disconnect the wiring module under the seat, use some electrical contact cleaner and reattach the wiring loom connector. Ideally you need someone with ISTA+ or similar diagnostics that can dig a little deeper. Not familiar with Bimmerlink, but the error will have a fault code that is identified on the control unit tree. From there you can interrogate the module and see what it says.
 
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