Passenger Presence Module

Discuss any problems, warranty, repair, or replacement issues you are having with your Vibe & Matrix
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ryank98
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2021 3:01 am

Passenger Presence Module

Post by ryank98 »

Hello, everyone, and thank you for the acceptance!

I recently purchased a 2006 Vibe with 116,000 miles. Great car in great condition. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it the first couple days I was driving it, but I soon noticed that when I had a passenger riding in the passenger seat, the passenger airbag status light stopped going to "On" and remained on "Off". I specifically remember it switching to "On" the day I bought it and my girlfriend rode in it with me around the block. After doing a bunch of troubleshooting and research, I determined there was something wrong; I read somewhere online that exerting excessive force on the seatback could cause malfunction of the system on the 2005 and up Vibes. Sure enough, my girlfriend is of larger size and is not gentle at all when she sits down in seats. She (not purposely, of course) plopped down in it more than once and I then noticed the issue.

I took the car to a local Buick-GMC dealership to have the issue looked at in addition to having the recall replacement done on the passenger airbag itself. Sure enough, the dealership diagnosed it as a failed Passenger Presence Module. They said they would replace it to the tune of $1,100, which I turned down. That's crap. They said the part was on backorder as well. I obviously do care about the functionality of the passenger airbag in a crash, though.

So, I waited patiently until finally a Vibe, coincidentally a 2006, showed up at the junkyard I go to. I sped there and removed the entire passenger seat from the car; I paid $33 for the whole thing. If it doesn't work, I'm only that much out.

Now, here is where I need help with this DIY project. Where is this module? What does it look like? How does the seat come apart, and what needs to be removed from it? Has anyone ever done this job and can help me with it? I'd rather not switch the whole seat as the one in the car is in nearly perfect condition and this junkyard seat is filthy.

Thank you!
zbyers
Posts: 1767
Joined: Thu Apr 03, 2014 6:12 pm
Location: Sheffield, Pennsylvania

Re: Passenger Presence Module

Post by zbyers »

pretty sure it mounts under the seat. seat is bolted to the floor with four 14mm bolts. lean it forward under the dash and you should see it.
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andrewclaus
Posts: 482
Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2017 6:38 pm
Location: Golden, CO

Re: Passenger Presence Module

Post by andrewclaus »

I just looked up the part number on Toyota's parts site and found this number: 89952-35011

A quick search on eBay shows the same part was used on quite a few Toyotas, including this one: https://www.ebay.com/itm/114999897166?c ... tCEALw_wcB

It'll at least give you an idea of what to look for, and another option if you need to get another.

The only time I'm aware of it is once in a while my wife's 15 pound dog sets it off and I need to buckle the seat belt behind him.
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