Permanently remove passenger seat?

[CTScott]

If you remove the passenger seat completely, you can do either of two things to allow the SRS system to remain happy, and hence be able to pop the driver's side airbag (and curtain airbags if so equipped):

1. Leave everything connected: Remove the passenger seat, disassemble it to remove the 4 passenger occupancy sensors (which connect the main part of the seat to the frame) and the wiring between them and the passenger occupancy ECU (the little black box mounted the bottom of the passenger seat). You would then tuck all of that someplace (under the center console for example). You would also need to leave the passenger seatbelt latch internals connected (but, they too can be tucked under the console).

2. Leave just the passenger occupancy ECU, and use my Passenger Occupancy Sensor Bypass module. To avoid disassembling the seat, and to save a bit of space/weight, you can replace the four sensors and their cabling with my module. It is intended to allow the passenger airbag to still be used, when the passenger seat is replaced, but basically it takes the place of the sensors and gives you a switch that tells it to arm or disarm the passenger airbag.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by CTScott

2. Leave just the passenger occupancy ECU, and use my Passenger Occupancy Sensor Bypass module. To avoid disassembling the seat, and to save a bit of space/weight, you can replace the four sensors and their cabling with my module. It is intended to allow the passenger airbag to still be used, when the passenger seat is replaced, but basically it takes the place of the sensors and gives you a switch that tells it to arm or disarm the passenger airbag.

^^^^^This wonderful device you invented is what I was so inarticulately trying to refer to in another thread. Would this module work in either a 1st Gen xB or a 2nd Gen Prius ?

[CTScott]

Originally Posted by nookandcrannycar

^^^^^This wonderful device you invented is what I was so inarticulately trying to refer to in another thread. Would this module work in either a 1st Gen xB or a 2nd Gen Prius ?

Prius - Yes. XB not yet (the XB uses a very different setup and I haven't had my hands on one yet to develop the solution for it).

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by CTScott

Prius - Yes.

XB not yet (the XB uses a very different setup and I haven't had my hands on one yet to develop the solution for it).

When you do, definitely let us know...

...and thank you for this information .

[AlaxyGalaxy]

Originally Posted by CTScott

1. Leave everything connected: Remove the passenger seat, disassemble it to remove the 4 passenger occupancy sensors (which connect the main part of the seat to the frame) and the wiring between them and the passenger occupancy ECU (the little black box mounted the bottom of the passenger seat). You would then tuck all of that someplace (under the center console for example). You would also need to leave the passenger seatbelt latch internals connected (but, they too can be tucked under the console).

Hello, I realize this thread is 7 years old and hasn't seen any activity in over 3 years, but I have some questions:

I want to remove the pax seat in my 2004 Echo hatch to make a 600km roadtrip on Monday to pick up some parts, and I'd rather have the airbags working for the duration.

I'm thinking of going to the scrapyard and picking up either a seat (35$) and remove the back or just rip out the sensor (9$).

Are you aware if the sensors for Echos are compatible throughout all years? I remember the bit that goes inside the seat looking rather flimsy. How durable are these thing? I was thinking of leaving the lot dangling down on the floor under my heavy engine parts and plastic bins.