Airbag seat sensor BYPASS is draining battery

[jeffmiller]

2006 X5 3.0 6MT

Airbag light came on, local indy shop identified it as a broken passenger seat sensor. recommended I pickup a bypass to get the airbags working again.

Purchased the bypass (which included the seatbelt sensor) from Airbag360.com. (2006 models had slightly different sensors than earlier X5s, which I learned the hard way).

installed both sensor bypass units and ended up with a dead battery the next day (Airbag light did turn off though). Jumped it and continued to have dead batteries for the following week. Had battery/alternator checked out at auto zone. Both a-ok. I removed the sensors since it's the only thing I've recently changed. Battery problems immediately stopped.

Waited a month, no battery problems, so tried installing the sensors again. Again within 24 hours the battery was dead. And continued to die for the following week.

JUST TO BE SURE, I repeated the removal/ reinstall process for a third time. Same results.

Contact to Airbag360 has not gotten anywhere. ("I'll ask technician...")

Anybody have any thoughts? My next move is to have BMW fix the seat sensor, which I hear is $1k! (also my car does NOT qualify for the seat sensor recall - it's build date is 60 days too late. Grrr.)

[andrewwynn]

This sounds like some other system also has a problem. I would be very surprised if there's power going to Those sensors if the computer is in sleep mode. Determine if your car goes to sleep mode with the light by the gear indicator. And of course try one sensor at a time.

How many pins on the sensors? If just two then measure the resistance on the sensor when it's not plugged in or the voltage on the sensor when it is plugged in

[jeffmiller]

Thanks Andrew.

Unfortunately (or fortunately), my X5 is a manual transmission. We don't get the sleep light apparently.

The seat sensor is a 3-wire deal. The seatbelt sensor is two wire. Photo

I tested them with and without the seatbelt sensor. same results. So definitely related the seat sensor itself.

Will try testing voltage next.

Thank you!

[cn90]

- Or remove the seat sensor for now and plug the factory seat sensor back. If the battery drain issue is resolved, then the bypass emulator is at fault, which is rare.

- I have had the seat emulator in my E39 1998 528i now for 8 years, zero issues.
Forgot where I bought it from but somewhere in Europe (? Hungary, maybe?).

[Crowz]

Ok I don't get the purpose of the bypass. If your buying something that comes with the sensors anyway why not just fix the seat if needed? Am I missing something?

[andrewwynn]

$10 for sensor bypass or $1000 for a seat.. simple math.

You can buy a used seat with zero chance of the butt sensor guaranteed to work at all much less next month

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Crowz]

So you cant change the sensor in the seat?

[Crowz]

Ok went and looked. Yes you can change it but its a major ordeal so the bypass makes sense now. Was curious.

[andrewwynn]

The sensor is sewn into the seat there is no practical way to replace other than replace the seat bottom.

Good Q though. I'm sure most people don't know so now there is another opportunity for the many to see the Q and A just like the whole point of xoutpost.

[wpoll]

Airbag 360 state they offer a lifetime warranty. Send it back and get another - clearly something is wrong with that one you have and that's not your problem - it's theirs.