Last week when going to the market, I set a bag of groceries and a couple of smaller plastic bags filled with produce on the passenger seat and the red seatbelt idiot light would not stop cycling.. The dealer says by law that when there is 75 lbs or more on the seat and the belt isn't buckled, the light and alarm must come on.. But there was NO way there was 75lbs on the seat.. The Service Manager said that if it happens again, to just buckle the seatbelt.. Anyone else had this experience on an 05 MCS?

 

its not something to worry about. next time put the stuff on the floor or in the back. dont waste time or money trying to figure it out.

 

If the passenger seat detects just a little bit of weight (like your groceries), you'll get the light saying that the passenger airbag is temporarily deactivated, but you won't get the warning chime.

But if the weight is over a certain limit (it may be 75 pounds, but I think it's even less), then the computer turns the airbag back on, but gives you the seatbelt warning chime.

I get the "light but no chime" all the time when I have my duffle bag on the passenger seat.

 

On my 04 I had it once with my laptop bag. On the loaner 07 I had this week it would do it all the time when I put the bag on the seat. (bag with laptop, books, etc = 22 pounds)
I agree with the previous post about not worrying too much about it.

 

happens on my x3 also. work bag with laptop

 

The sensor is right in the middle of the seat. On the '05 you can actually kinda see where it is b/c the there's a little bump in the seat. It seems like some sort of button design that gets depressed. I can activate mine with, literally, one finger.

You'll have to learn to either put things on the floor, in the back seat or in the boot.

 

Yep happens in my '05 MCS as well. My laptop bag triggers it, as does even very light items. I just put those things on the floor behind the seats if possible.

 

When you guys are triggering the sensor with light items (small bags, groceries, etcetera), are you getting both the warning light AND the chime, or just the light?

On my car, small items only give me the light, so I don't worry about it. It's only if I put a heavy piece of luggage or something similar on the front seat that I get both the light and the chime.

 

I think this is the key...sounds like there's not actually a "scale" in the seat frame that weighs 75 pounds... instead someone approximated the "approximate" amount of displacement or force in the middle of the seat cushion when a 75 pound child or Kate Moss type sat in the seat - so much lighter loads (even your finger) can activate it if they are localized on the spot where the switch is (which a real butt wouldn't be...) - so, yeah, a gallon of milk should do it... though I haven't looked at it to determine if there are two separate switches for the two functions, or only one that measures two stages of depression...

 

The light and the chime come on when I put my bowling bag witch is 30 lbs. or my english bulldog 60lbs. in the passenger seat. When it goes to ringin I just buckle the seat belt it makes my puppy feel safer. His name is Crusher by the way so I guess he crushes the button.

Keep a smile on and don't sweat the small stuff.

 

Mine comes on with only 2 laptops weighing in at about 7lbs a piece.

 

Is one of those mine??

 

Mine's been on with nothing on the seat. No chime, just the light.