jeranamo

I have a 2004 RX330 that all of a sudden had the SRS warning light come on as well as the passenger airbag OFF light being constantly lit up even when someone is sitting in the passenger seat. I put the SRS system in diagnostics mode with a jumper clip to determine I am receiving a DTC of 23. Documentation I have found for this online states for Lexus it is a occupancy classification system issue which I know means it's something on the passenger side.

This seems like it would be related to the occupant seat sensor itself which I am first of all wondering if anyone has ever bypassed like the BMW guys have done on their cars when this issue happens.

Secondly, I'm wondering with this specific code of 23 could it be anything other than the seat/weight sensor? My passenger seat belt has tons of slack and doesn't retract as it should so I'm thinking maybe pre-tensioner sensor but not sure because it also seems to stick when trying to unbuckle it as well which leads me to believe it could be the fastener sensor.

Any feedback on this would be extremely helpful and appreciated. I feel very unsafe having any passengers in the vehicle right now and the car is well beyond its warranty of course so bringing it in to the dealer is really a last resort option for me since I know at minimum they'll charge $1000 for SRS wiring issues based on what I've read.

jakenbake

Im not sure about the issue...But I am sure you don't want to just try and bypass it. If you are in a wreck and someone is hurt and the insurance company determines there was a fault with the SRS system, they won't pay out.

jeranamo

What I meant was bypass the passenger occupant sensor so that way the SRS system always thinks someone is sitting there. That would make it so passenger airbag is always on like in the older cars that didn't have occupant classification systems and would also make my SRS light turn off. This is a somewhat common thing BMW owners have done successfully by essentially using a resistor. Was wanting to know if anyone has done the same on the RX.

jakenbake

Again. I would say that it sounds like an insurance issue. If you had a 100 pound kid in the front seat and the airbag goes out full force instead of half force because you messed the the sensor, and the kid got hurt as a result of the airbag deploying too forcefully, the insurance company probably wouldn't be too happy. But if the light is what is bothering you, then I would just say disable the light until you can fix the sensor.

jeranamo

It'd be a he'll of a lot safer actually. I don't have any kids and anyone that would be riding in that seat would be over the triggered weight. It would be way safer to bypass that system since at least then the airbag would always be active. That's better than it not being activated at all in any situation. I'm not questioning whether or not I should do this, I'm wondering if anyone has so I know the correct resistors to use.

Anyway, I've been reading up on calibrating this system and it can be done with the Toyota diagnostic kit. I'm going to try the manual procedure for recalibrating it and if that doesn't work I'm talking it in to the stealership.

jakenbake

That is true. Well I hope you are able to fix it yourself. I looked up the part and just the sensor is like 300 bucks. Ouch!

jeranamo

Yeah when it.can't be calibrated the Toyota tech documents say you have to replace the whole seat subframe so I'm hoping that's not needed.

tdjones72

Jeronimo, did you ever find a fix for your airbag problem? I also have a 2004 RX330 with a DTC 23.

jeranamo

Either your seat subframe is bent or your passenger detection system needs calibration. If you are getting 23 it shouldn't be electrical related. It isn't calibrated and you'll have to take it to Toyota or Lexus to get it fixed. They have their own calibration tool with weights for these systems. You can't do it yourself. I never got mine fixed, traded it in recently.