Hi all,
Our 9 month old starts nursery soon and I will be doing the drop offs. Currently we have a rear facing seat in the back seat of the Mercedes. We will be updating this seat for a bigger, forward facing one and I will take the rear facing one in my MR2 temporarily until he outgrows it.
Wether this is suitable or not depends if I can turn off the passenger side airbag in the MR2.
Done some Googling but haven't found a definite answer, and I don't have the user manual. Obviously I'm not taking any risks here so only if there is a manufacturers recommended way to turn off the passenger seat airbag I will use our old rear facing seat, else I will just buy another forward facing one.
Is turning off the passenger side airbag possible?
Quote from: B_Tank88 on December 16, 2019, 15:49Hi all,
Our 9 month old starts nursery soon and I will be doing the drop offs. Currently we have a rear facing seat in the back seat of the Mercedes. We will be updating this seat for a bigger, forward facing one and I will take the rear facing one in my MR2 temporarily until he outgrows it.
Wether this is suitable or not depends if I can turn off the passenger side airbag in the MR2.
Done some Googling but haven't found a definite answer, and I don't have the user manual. Obviously I'm not taking any risks here so only if there is a manufacturers recommended way to turn off the passenger seat airbag I will use our old rear facing seat, else I will just buy another forward facing one.
Is turning off the passenger side airbag possible?
I looked at this too, and it seams that some PFL had the option to turn it off, but FL didnt.
@shnazzle old car def did have the switch.
Someone said the wiring was there to retro fit the switch but I never looked into it.
It has also been said there are sensors to detect a car seat and automatically turn it off, but I would not like to test that theory!
You could physically remove the airbag, or I'm not sure if there is a fuse you could pull?
Some people will also say not to put a forward facing car seat in either as the airbag going off can cause injury. Only you can make that decision.
I'm sure the handbook says if putting car seat in to make sure the seat is as far back as possible to minimise the risk, and ensure the car seat is securely fastened (which i'm sure you would make sure anyway!)
If you want to disarm the passenger airbag, you need to discoonect the yellow connector behind the glove box. It is easily reached by puling the glove box out.
This does cause the light to come on and to stop this you need to insert a resistor in the plug. Works a treat.
I have taken out the whole of the explosive device permanently.
It may be worthwhile trying to analyse the circuits as there was some conjecture that using a resistor in the driver's side (as I've had to do for my Momo boss/OMP wheel) disabled the passenger one too.
I'm not entirely sure how that's the case as I assumed the resistor would make the rest of the system think the driver's side is still active, but short of someone trying to replicate a crash with a breaker, I'm not sure how to prove it either way.
With regards car seats - I have had some success with a Recaro Group 1 seat and the seat all the way back, but I haven't let either of mine in the MR2 until they were 2 years old. You need a narrow seat for it to fit in the 'bucket' of the car.
Quote from: Bossworld on December 16, 2019, 17:22It may be worthwhile trying to analyse the circuits as there was some conjecture that using a resistor in the driver's side (as I've had to do for my Momo boss/OMP wheel) disabled the passenger one too.
It will have no effect. Because of the resistor the air-brain thinks all is ok and will send the trigger signal to both when the sensors give that info.
I am away from my car with only a USA Spyder owners manual to refer to.....
You might find a key operated on-off switch in the glovebox if the US design was standard for us. Sorry I cant check with a real car tonight!