Side Airbags for a 2009 Vibe

[Paulmartin]

I am new to the genvibe forum and what I have seen there is a lot of great info. I am hoping that someone can help me out with a seat mounted airbag question.I have a 1.8L 2009 Vibe. I wanted the fold flat passenger seat but it is only available with the 2.4L and my mission was gas mileage. I have located a seat from a 2.4L AWD car, but they have removed the airbag. I called the dealer to see if the 1.8 and 2.4 seats had the same airbag in them; he had trouble looking it up and ultimately told me that the air bag is in the piller, not the seat, but that I should bring both seats in for him to lok at..... From reading the new car brochure, while it is not conclusive, it looks like it is in the seat.How tricky is it for a reasonably mechanically inclined person to swap out an air bag? Does anyone know where it is located? Is it the same part for the 1.8 and 2.4L seats?Any help would be appreciated.

[zionzr2]

While I'm not shure what is the case for the vibeI think both answers could be correct.there is often an airbag seat mounted as well as in the "A-Pillar"

[file014]

I'm dissappointed in this too. Why make a vibe without a fold flat seat? On my 09 1.8L the side of the seat has a tag that says airbag. Its also on the A and C pillars, but not the B pillar from what I can tell.

[airplaneflyer]

I had the same issue when I bought mine - wanted the fold flat, but not the 2.4L engine. A rather annoying configuration limitation by GM if you ask me. Where did you find the seat, and how much did you have to pay for it?

[jake75]

IMO the marketing folks who decide these things are not too bright. In a competitive world I would think the minor added cost of a fold down seat for the 1.8L version would be well worth the bragging rights - particularly since one of the main reasons for being of the Vibe (1.8 or 2.4) is the versatility. That is real handy when transporting a rolled up piece of carpet. The open window hatch feature probably was not worth the added expense though I did use that a couple times with my 2003 in taking the lawn mower back and forth to the repair shop. The handle fit nicely out that open rear window. Variable intermittent wipers would be a big plus as well. I always thought the roof rack added a bit of style even if you never used it.On the positive side, they kept the inside assist handles above all four doors.

[file014]

I would think it would not save money to make the seat non-foldable. Wouldnt it be cheaper to equip all cars with the same seat, rather than make 2 different seats? Even if you had a corolla, you could utilize a fold flat seat as long as the rear seats fold down. Or even if they didnt!Same thing on my Tundra. My rare 03 base has no tach. The nicer ones do. Why bother making a dash cluster without a tach?

[jake75]

Quote, originally posted by file014 »I would think it would not save money to make the seat non-foldable. Wouldnt it be cheaper to equip all cars with the same seat, rather than make 2 different seats? Even if you had a corolla, you could utilize a fold flat seat as long as the rear seats fold down. Or even if they didnt!Same thing on my Tundra. My 03 base has no tach. The nicer ones do. Why bother making a dash cluster without a tach?Sort of like not putting cruise control on all - the wiring etc. is there so only added expense is adding the control stick. Marketing types are not the smartest. I remember when Chrysler reduced their powertrain warranty from 7/70,000 to 36/36,000 in 2005 saying that their research showed that it was not important to consumers. By 2007 they came up with an lifetime powertrain warranty.