I recently noticed that when my girlfriend sits in the front passenger seat the light will randomly indicate that the passenger airbag is off. I took it to the dealership, they ordered me a new light to see if that is the problem.

Its really weird, she will be sitting in the same position for over a hour sometimes and then it will suddenly say that her airbag is off. the dealer said they tested the seat switch and it was working properly.

I will be bringing it in this week sometime and we will see what they say about the light. For now I have decided to take a picture/video everytime it happens to document it.

Anyone else face this problem? Thanks

This post has been edited by Wakeup04: Aug 28 2008, 03:39 AM

Almost everyone has had this problem at one time or another with the Santa Fe, including me.

Ask your dealer to reflash the seat computer. My wife weighs 130 lbs and most of the time the light is out, but every once in a while it goes on. She has to bounce on the seat a little to make the light go out.

Before my seat program was reflashed, the light was on constantly.

It seems as though the problem occurs more freguently on leather seats than it does on cloth. Leather is less forgiving than cloth so it takes a while for the leather to break in. The leather used on Santa Fe vehicles is not the softest available which may be a determining factor.

It is obvious your dealer has no clue as to what the problem is. Your light is functioning correctly and does not need to be replaced. I repeat, the seat program must be reflashed.

David <><

This post has been edited by david-paul-1: Aug 28 2008, 05:11 AM

I've had this problem as well, though I have not had the dealer look at it yet as we are having warranty work done on the actual seat itself when it comes in from Hyundai.

Good to know about flashing the seat program, I think I'll ask them to give it a try when I bring it in.

The funny thing is when you tell them about it, the first response was let your wife drive the vehicle or get her to sit in the back seat... lol... not the right answer..... hehe...

I've got the same problem with the passenger airbag. It was fine for the first few months, but it has gotten progressively worse. We'll be taking to the dealer in the next week or so.

Rick

Thanks for the advice. You would think for such a common problem they would issue a recal of some sort, or even make the air bag active when the seatbelt is used.
I am bringing it in on the 10th, so we see what happens. I will be sure to ask about reflashing the seat.

My 2008 does the same thing with a 90-pound passenger, which is about right I believe.

Maybe you should just count your blessings. If my motorcycle had lied about my wife's weight maybe I'd still be driving it today :grin:

Have had mine back to the dealer twice. They say there is no fix. My wife and daughter are both 115lbs which is an adult in anyones book. They say to have them sit in the rear seat. Great advice huh? My Honda Odyssey front seat works perfectly. IF Hyundai will do nothing to fix the problem maybe the US government will make them. Go to this link and file a complaint. If you look you will see there are many complaints on this issue. Maybe a few more will get some action. This is a serious safety issue!!

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm

You never felt the leather on the SM did you? :w00t: Hard as rocks, man...makes me glad I have the cloth.

I agree that this is a serious safety issue, and I pray that no one is injured by such a stupid problem. I plan on submiting a complaint if nothing gets fixed on my SF, something tells me nothing will. Has anyone tried to contact hyundai by mail or on the phone. I am sure it is unlikely, but maybe the higher ups are not aware of this problem. I plan on writing a letter if I am not satisfied with their response at the dealer.

Could you imagine the lawsuit that would happen if someone's airbag didn't deploy?

I can assure you, from first hand experience, that the "higher ups' at Hyundai Corp are aware of the Santa Fe problem.

Hyundai is not legally responsible for injuries or deaths as a result of air bag failure. Your owner's manual spells it out quite specifically. If your air bag light is on, the passenger must sit in the back seat.

I know this is not a satisfactory answer for the consumer. I was told the same thing when I had this problem after purchasing my new 07 Limited. I wasn't willing to accept that ridiculous answer and insisted on a resolution. Otherwise, I was going to insist on another vehicle.

Bottom line, the dealer reflashed my driver seat sensitivity and it cured the problem.

I hope this will solve the problem for the rest of you who are experiencing this. If not, you will have to accept the fact that certain passengers will have to sit in the back seat, or ...........................they will have to gain some weight. :)

By the way, my Azera never had this problem and as far as I know, no other Hyunda product has this problem either.

David <><

Hopefully reseting the seat will solve the problem. On a side note, wouldnt you think they would have some responsibility if it is an intermittent problem. It will be on when she first gets in the car, but then shuts off for brief periods while I am driving. I would think that this would be the responsibility of Hyundai. If I am on an expressway when it turns off the passenger airbag I cant pull over and make them sit in the back seat. If I did, and lets say I did pull over and an accident occured because I pulled over to do what Hyundai suggests; I would think that they would again be responsible.

On a second side note, I have had passengers that weigh over 160 pounds in the seat and it will disable their airbag.

When you say they reflashed the seat what exactly did they do. None of the 3 dealers in my area have any idea how to fix this problem. If you have a phone number of the dealer that fixed your problem for you I would love to give them a call. Thanks in advance!

520-625-8262

Mechanics name is Tim. He does Hyundais only even though it is a Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Hyundai store.

The Service Manager who was there at the same time that Tim fixed the seat, is no longer there. As a result, the present Service Manager my not be familiar with the procedure.

By the way, if you ask your Service Manager to check the Hyundai book, he will find it in there. That is exactly how Tim found it at my dealership.

Apparently all the dealers in your area just don't care or are too lazy to pick up the book.

I can tell you exactly how to get satisfaction regarding this problem. Tell your dealership manager that you are going to bring the vehicle back and you want either a different vehicle or you want the deal rescinded.

That is what I did and they promptly found the answer in the Hyundai service manual. I did not call. I simply showed up with my passenger in tow so I could show them in person.

David <><

This post has been edited by david-paul-1: Sep 2 2008, 02:10 AM

Update: My wife took the Santa Fe to the dealer yesterday for some maintenance items and the airbag light problem. They told her that there weren't any error codes, the system seemed to be working properly, and she should make sure that she sat all the way towards the rear of the seat.

Has anyone other than david-paul-1 had any luck in actually getting this problem fixed?

Rick

noticed this same problem this weekend with my petite wife.. she had to wiggle around to get the light to go off.. please update this thread if you guys get it the issue fixed

I pray you guys will get your airbag situation fixed. I can assure you, in the event of a serious frontal crash, the air bag will NOT deploy.

DO NOT LET ANYONE RIDE IN THE PASSENGER SEAT!

David <><

This post has been edited by david-paul-1: Sep 4 2008, 04:03 PM

There was recently a recall on Sonatas for this same problem. The seats are programmed for weight distribution generally, so if someone in the seat has their legs crossed or is turned slightly (ie looking at driver or backseat) the airbag light may go off. Keep in mind, the airbags are designed for passenger to be sitting upright and facing forward, the airbags will likely cause more injuries if you are not. If you are having airbag light issues, make sure the dealership resolves this issue. If not, contact Hyundai Customer service.

Had the Santa Fe back to a different dealer this week. Recalibrated "flashed" the seat. Did not do a thing. Still an adult of 125 lbs or less causes the airbag off light to illuminate. If we ALL file a complaint with the NHTSA maybe they will force Hyundai to fix the problem. It worked for the Sonata owners with the same problem. Recall was issued. There is power in numbers. I will include the link again. Hate to do this but they do not seem to care about this serious safety issue. This seems to be the only way Hyundai will admit there is a problem.

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm