[dryflychico]

First off great forum. If if can solve this inital problem hopefully I'll be here for a long time.

I will try and keep this as short as I can. I searched and was suprised to not find any other threads on this, although I am a newbie so maybe I missed them.

Bought 07 STI in March 08'. The the car I ended up purchasing had a dead battery that they charged up, sales person indicated this was the reason the passenger air bag light was not working when my wife was sitting in the front seat. She told us it would reset in the next day or two and that the weight requirement to trigger the air bag was 66 lbs (my wife weighs 110 lbs.).

After multiple days it still didn't work. So I contacted the dealer and brought the car in a few times. They said they would re-calibrate and that should fix the prob. Nothing worked. Eventually they told me that the trigger weight is 115 lbs. not 66 lbs. as I had been told. Dealer eventually said there was nothing they could do and to take it to SOA.

1 1/2 months, 10+ calls, and much frustration later SOA is basically telling me there is nothing they can do. That they don't consider it a defect (because they know I'll come after them with the lemon law) and that all they can do for me is renegotiate a deal on another Subaru. My wife is pregnant so she is up to 118-119 lbs. and it still doesn't work all the time. So I told them this and they still say it's not a defect. So I told them let's just swap the seat for another one and try calibrating it down since my wife is just under the 115 and they won't do it.

First off F**K renegotiating a new deal with Subaru! I bought the STI because it's an STI, they obviously don't have another car that will fullfill my need for speed & performance with 4 doors (kid on the way) and good crash ratings (this is how I helped convince the wife). I have contacted a good lemon law attorney and they believe I have a good case because this weight limit is not listed anywhere (they think is could potentially be a class action lawsuit among other issues for SOA), but I really just want the f**cking problem fixed not to go through a bunch of legal crap.

Anyone have any suggestions in how to deal with Subaru to make this problem go away?

Is there a way to turn the damn thing on permanently or with a switch (I imagine there has to be)? Any idea how much it would cost to do something like this?

I love this car and want to keep it but don't really like feeling like I'm getting bent over in the process.

Thanks in advance for any and all help and suggestions

dryflychico

[boondocksaint]

Hmm. I can suggest a few things, but they'd all be complete guesses.

The most obvious thing I can think of is that the sensor in the seat itself is borked. There may be a way to wire a resistor or something in the line to get the airbag to always be on, just as there is to disable the airbag entirely.

The seat is not that hard to take apart. You might try doing that and following the harness to the little bladder/sensor thing. That might allow you to source another one, if it is indeed the sensor that's screwed.

The next thing is, how are you aware that the airbag isn't activated? The light in the clock pod? What if that light is borked/shorted? Maybe find a buddy with an 06 or 07 STi who'se willing to swap them out with you to see if that is indeed the problem. If so, there are a lot of guys with gauges who have that stupid clock unit and aren't using it.

The last thing I can come up with is that, somewhere in that wire bundle, there's a bad ground or something that is causing the sensor signal to go unread by the computer that controls the airbags.

The first and last ideas are a bit of a PITA to check, but that's all I can come up with. Sorry it took so long to get a response. These are just guesses. I'm going to change the title of this thread and move it to another forum, since this is no longer a warranty issue and is more a call of suggestions. Hopefully that'll get you a bit more attention.

[Scout255]

Have you tried having someone who weighs signifigantly more than the requirement (150-180ish) sit on the seat and see if the light goes off?

That might tell you if the sensor/light/etc. is borked or if it really is just a weight issue.

[dryflychico]

Yes I have. Should have mentioned that before. If I am in the seat 210lb. it is on no problem.

If my buddy's teenager is in the seat 125 - 130lb. Then it is also on. Even my wife who is pregnant and now up to 120lb., consistently turns it on, however it was inconsistent between 117-119lb. and didn't work at all below 117lb.

So it seems to be a weight issue.

[Scout255]

While not the best fix, i've heard having your wife jump up and down till it turns on will make the light stay on if your right on the edge of it turning on. May be worth a shot?