Passenger Airbag Off and Seatbelt Flashing

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Drippy, Jul 28, 2026 at 9:32 PM.

  1. Drippy

    Drippy New Member

    Joined:
    Yesterday
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    Location:
    Traverse City, MI
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    A can of beer flew under the passenger seat and exploded.

    Since then the seat does not detect a passenger and whether there is a passenger or not the seatbelt light never stops flashing and the Passenger Airbag stays set to OFF.

    Pretty confident the OCS sensor for the airbags are screwed along with maybe the wiring harness but it's hard to tell.

    I don't really feel like figuring out exactly what part is the issue and a new seat at the junkyard is 125 dollars. Can I just pull my seat out, replace it, and resolve these errors most likely?

    Lmk what y'all think.
     
    #1 Drippy, Jul 28, 2026 at 9:32 PM
  2. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2008
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    Location:
    Indiana, USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    There are separate sensors for the seat-belt warning (just a switch sticking into the back of the seat cushion) and for the Occupant Classification System (four strain gauges built into the four corners of the seat frame structure and wired back to a small ECU under the seat).

    Other than checking whether the beer just messed up some wiring connectors, a cheap replacement seat doesn't sound like a bad plan. The repair manual will show you how to get the OCS in the replacement seat properly calibrated once you have mounted the seat.

    Toyota Service Information and Where To Find It | PriusChat
     
    #2 ChapmanF, Jul 29, 2026 at 8:16 AM
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