PASSENGER AIRBAG TURNS OFF

[SalmonAvocadoRoll]

Same problem here in my new R1S. My wife weighs 128 lbs and if she is pressed to the very back of the seat the airbag is activated but if she leans back or slouches the airbag is deactivated. I filed a ticket and they had me do a reset (no change). I now have a service center appointment. Has anyone seen an improvement after a service visit? Something seems off with the placement, threshold, or sensitivity. My wife is now worried about riding in the vehicle. I confirmed that Rivian that my vehicle is not subject to the prior airbag sensor recall. Considering also filing a NHTSA complaint. Otherwise vehicle is great.

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[evhelphub]

Everyone, please report it to NHTSA if you experience this problem. If it turns out that it really isn't an issue, that's fine. Let's not take the risk.

 

[HaveBlue]

In the early days of Air bags, they did not have sensors calibrated by weight for smaller people. There were several fatalities from the airbags deploying and killing people. My business partner's wife was in an accident in the 1990s, and she is of very small stature. She was badly burned and injured from the airbag. The lawsuit that ensued against Ford contributed to the changes in this functionality.

Beware that wanting the airbag to fire off is not necessary the best idea always and why children are recommended to be in the back seat. Pickup trucks often had a manual key switch since there were only front seats.

 

[SalmonAvocadoRoll]

Took my R1S in for a service visit for the airbag sensor issue and the response wasn’t that encouraging. Here are the tech’s notes:

"Pulled codes and found nothing for safety restraint system. Tested the car with three other techs in the shop system worked fine for all of them. Put 100 lbs of sandbags in the car and found system operating properly. Ran procedural test for passenger side restraint system which passed. Found that leaning the seat all the way back dispersed my weight far enough to trip the alert. (170 lbs.) That is not considered a failure of the system. No issue found. "

 

[Dark-Fx]

Took my R1S in for a service visit for the airbag sensor issue and the response wasn’t that encouraging. Here are the tech’s notes:

"Pulled codes and found nothing for safety restraint system. Tested the car with three other techs in the shop system worked fine for all of them. Put 100 lbs of sandbags in the car and found system operating properly. Ran procedural test for passenger side restraint system which passed. Found that leaning the seat all the way back dispersed my weight far enough to trip the alert. (170 lbs.) That is not considered a failure of the system. No issue found. "

The passenger airbag can cause more problems than it solves if you aren't seated properly, or aren't heavy/big enough to need it in addition to the seatbelt.

 

[HaveBlue]

Regrettably the seat belt also does not function properly if you have the seat back leaned all the way back. You will just submarine under it in an accident. There would be no point in deploying air bags in such a scenario. "Seat backs and tray tables in their upright positions please."

But that wasn't your complaint. I assume your wife wasn't present to demonstrate but my kids are also that kind of weight which is bothersome and they are tall so a front airbag could be useful in an accident. Both of them have driver's licenses, btw. Unfortunately this would also disable the side curtain air bags which are almost always useful.

I think other people here should test this. My car hasn't arrived. I think if this is a common issue, it should be run up the chain of command at Rivian so they can take a closer look. They can do all the weight tests but if the sensor is in the wrong place, it could be an issue as your wife is over the 100lbs and I assume this doesn't happen in other vehicles for her.

 

[ohseedee]

Rivian told me since they are both under 150lbs. the airbag is disabled.

2023, the year 150 lbs is too small to ride up front in America

 

[Dark-Fx]

Regrettably the seat belt also does not function properly if you have the seat back leaned all the way back. You will just submarine under it in an accident. There would be no point in deploying air bags in such a scenario. "Seat backs and tray tables in their upright positions please."

But that wasn't your complaint. I assume your wife wasn't present to demonstrate but my kids are also that kind of weight which is bothersome and they are tall so a front airbag could be useful in an accident. Both of them have driver's licenses, btw. Unfortunately this would also disable the side curtain air bags which are almost always useful.

I think other people here should test this. My car hasn't arrived. I think if this is a common issue, it should be run up the chain of command at Rivian so they can take a closer look. They can do all the weight tests but if the sensor is in the wrong place, it could be an issue as your wife is over the 100lbs and I assume this doesn't happen in other vehicles for her.

My educated guess is that Rivian is complying with the federal standards.
https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-571/subpart-B/section-571.208

 

[Maheller12]

I have the same issue with my R1S.
Here’s what they said:

“No problem found. Seat is registering occupant detection as it should.”

It doesn’t register correctly for my 150 pound son. I’ve sent them videos of him sitting in the seat like a regular human and it not registering.

This is a lawsuit waiting to happen if I’m in an accident and the front airbag doesn’t deploy correctly. I’ve never had this problem in any other car (Hyundai, Tesla, Honda, Volkswagen, Volvo).

It’s also an inconvenience because it doesn’t display the correct dual zone climate controls or seat heater for the passenger.

 

[swamiller]

My 2023 R1T has the same issue, I have a service appointment on the books for Nov. 16th. Sounds like a system issue.

Another WAF (wife acceptance factor) problem is when the passenger seat isn't occupied, the shortcut to the passenger temp controls doesn't appear on the screen. So not only is she worried about not having an airbag, but she's also unhappy about not being able to easily adjust the temperature.

And bouncing in the seat doesn't seem to help and she's plenty heavy enough to activate the air bag in every other car we've driven. If this was a "by design" issue, why does it properly register her sitting in the seat about 60% of the time?

Looking forward to hearing feedback after my distant service appointment.

 

[Carson.HLS]

My 2023 R1S has the same issue- the passenger airbag doesn’t turn on when my 100 lb passenger sit and she has no control over passenger side climate control as well. Just took my car for a service appointment and was told that it’s impossible to fix as the sensor is embedded in the seat. They keep saying that there is nothing wrong and the problem is that my passenger doesn’t weigh over 120 lbs. It looks like that Rivian has decided not to fix this issue on their own.

This is unacceptable as I never have a problem with all my previous cars. Just filed a complaint with NHTSA and request to have a recall.

 

[mkg3]

This is a big problem. My wife does not trigger the sensor. After 2 mobile service visits, all they can say is that Rivian is conforming to the DOT standards and requirements.

Imagine, unfortunate accident happens and someone is seriously injured due to Rivian sensor not sensing the passenger was in the seat.

Where is the moral compass to do the right thing and protect the passenger from harms way??

All I can say is Rivian, fix it!!!

 

[Mathme]

Airbag occupancy sensors are usually in the lower portion of the seat back, not the bottom cushion. The idea I believe is so if you have a briefcase sitting there, it won’t activate the airbag.

Couple of thoughts come to mind: Try having the occupant sit formally in the seat, no slouching, etc.

I’d also try unclicking the seatbelt i bet itll register someone sitting there. vodeo tape this ans then when you take it in, ask the techs why the truck detects an occuoant for a seatbelt, but not an airbag…?

 

[mkg3]

Airbag occupancy sensors are usually in the lower portion of the seat back, not the bottom cushion. The idea I believe is so if you have a briefcase sitting there, it won’t activate the airbag.

Couple of thoughts come to mind: Try having the occupant sit formally in the seat, no slouching, etc.

I’d also try unclicking the seatbelt i bet itll register someone sitting there. vodeo tape this ans then when you take it in, ask the techs why the truck detects an occuoant for a seatbelt, but not an airbag…?

The 2 mobile services I’ve had for this problem, both times Rivian tech set bunch of weight plates on the seat until the seat sensor triggered that there is someone there. It happens to be the similar weight as my wife - around 100 lbs.

The problem comes in two distinct issues:
1 - won‘t acknowledge that there is a passenger sitting there with seatbelt on
2 - When finally recognizes that there is someone there, then it goes off while driving and it may or may not come back on

In both cases, if the vehicle does not recognize that there is someone sitting, none of the temperature controls for the passenger side of the vehicle function. The entire side.

Rivian needs to figure out that a passenger does not all of suddenly disappear in the middle of a drive with seatbelt fastened at all Times.

It is ridiculous that they continue to ignore the problem.

 

[Mathme]

I forgot to add that I too have seen my 150# passenger lose his airbag when either the seat is reclined or he's not sitting perfectly in the seat. It does seem to turn off a lot.

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