What's the weight on the passenger seat sensor? Iphone sets off airbag/seatbelt chime

[Longhorn248]

Interesting factoid: All those automatic paper towel dispensers in bathrooms are also capacitive sensing devices. They just put the little red light on there so people will "know" that it's working, it's not actually based on motion or lasers.

[TuxedoCartman]

Okay, I have officially reached my limit with regard to automobile safety. First the headrest that prevent neck injury by making your car so uncomfortable that you never drive anywhere, and now this? If my passenger seat gets wet, the airbag won't work right?! Does anybody else realize how disconnected from reality and asinine that is?! What happens the first time somebody gets in on the passenger side in the middle of a thunderstorm, then the driver spins out and crashes a short ways up the road (you know, as is common in heavy rain)? Am I just supposed to tell my girlfriend, "Sorry honey, you'll have to stand outside in the downpour till it quits, and you can dry off! It's for your own safety."

Is this a Toyota/ Subaru specific safety design, or is this sort of thing showing up in all new cars now? I'd like to know whether to direct my letter of, "WTF?!!!" to the car manufacturer or to the NHTSA.

[MF_DEUCE]

I know!!! This shit happens to me too and its frustrating!!! :/

[MVJ1975]

Hasn't happened to me, but I keep my phone on me when I'm in the car. I've put a bunch of stuff on the front seat (non-electronic - my son's backpack and my overnight bag) and none of that has set the sensor off.

My Dell XPS laptop bag would set the sensor in my tC off occasionally. Not all the time, just occasionally.

[pyro530]

Originally Posted by DeepHunta

seriously! I guess with a light car even a feather will force it wear a seatbelt, hehehe.

Hopefully my galaxy nexus will not do this...or worse...the asus padfone that's due to arrive next week too

My galaxy nexus sets it off. I am used to putting the phone in the passenger seat. I've gotten in the habit of putting it in the console over the past few days.

[DantKR]

0 issues, I keep my phone in the little slot under the stereo.

[TuxedoCartman]

I had a 12-pack of Mountain Dew set it off yesterday. Actually, it wasn't till I moved the case that the car started beeping and having a fit. I put it in the passengers seat at the grocery store, and drove off... no problem. First stop light I thought, "Eh... that's going to slide off. I'll put it in the floorboard." Once I did, oh hell... you'd have thought I was beating children in there, the car was beeping and flashing so frantically. Couldn't figure out how to make it stop, and couldn't pull over either.

That was extremely annoying. But as for the seat getting wet and affecting deployment of airbags? That flat out pisses me off. That's a genuine, bonafide safety issue.

[Moto-P]

Originally Posted by mattles

mine did the same thing the other day, heh. curiously enough though if my laptop bag is in the seat, it doesn't trip the sensor. dunno wtf to say about that one.

It's probably being triggered with EMF or Cell Broadcasting of your phone, and not the weight. Since the phone industry can't possibly standardize on the phone's EMF for each models, it's probably just better if you gave the automobile designers a break, and stick it where it was intended, like center console where there is even a perfect slot for the iPhone?

Just a thought.

[Enemies]

Originally Posted by ichitaka05

Someone w FRS test thing out!!! It doesn't have to be 200lbs lump of plastic. lol

If it was 100 pound lump of plastic we could just borrow the wife of somebody who drives a Lamborghini.

[NeedsmoreCowbell]

So can we use scotchguard on the seats safely? Or could that block or ruin the sensor?

^^^dumb question #52

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by Moto-P

It's probably being triggered with EMF or Cell Broadcasting of your phone, and not the weight. Since the phone industry can't possibly standardize on the phone's EMF for each models, it's probably just better if you gave the automobile designers a break, and stick it where it was intended, like center console where there is even a perfect slot for the iPhone?

Just a thought.

Well, here's the problem with that, I have a "permanently connected" iPod in that slot.

My Droid X only goes on the seat when I'm using it for GPS Nav. Otherwise it's either in my pocket, or in the slot of the cupholder. Since I only use my phone for Nav on what I call "casual nav situations" (around town, last minute stuff), its not a big deal now that I know what's causing it, and I just wait out the beeps. In the end, its just an annoyance.

My bigger concern is "wet seat syndrome". If that is really the case, that is a serious safety issue and a lawsuit just waiting to happen. I haven't noticed it yet, and I have had passengers get in on wet days, so maybe it takes a LOT of water to cause it.

[TMayes86]

Originally Posted by NeedsmoreCowbell

Who here hates that passenger seatbelt chime. It seems to get activated by my iphone just laying on any spot. Really gets irritating at times. Hope they come out with a diagnostic tool that can change said parameters on chimes

MINE TOO! What is the deal?

[NeedsmoreCowbell]

Originally Posted by TMayes86

MINE TOO! What is the deal?

Its the ghost of old man 86.... he hates iphones and digitechiriroo's

[Shagaliscious]

I have one of these in my current car, I had to trim it to make it smaller, but it works great and fits right in front of my gauge cluster. You gotta wash it with warm soapy water every now and then, but the phone doesn't budge even when taking turns aggressively. I don't have a case or cover for my phone either.
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