B1018 Code - Passenger Seat sensor

Has anyone else had a problem with the occupancy sensor in their passenger seat going bad? I had the dealer quote me $2000 to replace the COMPLETE SEAT! :shock: When this happened in my Prius, this was simply a matter of recalibrating the sensor, but evidently the way Nissan does it you have to replace the whole seat, which includes the sensor. As it is, the passenger airbag is not functional, so why is this not a safety recall issue?? Upon Googling, this seems to be a common Nissan/Infiniti issue. They issued a recall for some 2007-2009 models, but that is all I could find. I thought the manufacture was liable for airbag issues?
FYI: for anyone else that may get this code, and you don't want to pay $2000 to a dealer, you really only have 2 choices as far as I know:
1) Get a used seat from a junkyard, or
2) As I did, buy a bypass kit that replaces the seat sensor. I found a Youtube video where the mechanic explained how he resolved the issue, and how he found a company in Ireland that makes a little box that plugs into the harness under the seat. It puts out the correct timing pulses to tell the computer that someone is always sitting in the passenger seat. There are only 2 downsides to this $97 solution:
a) when no one is sitting in the seat, the read triangle and seatbelt warning signs are lit on the dash, indicating that the passenger has not put on their seatbelt. If this really annoys you, you can reach over and buckle the seatbelt.
b) if a small child would sit in the front seat, the airbag would be armed, even if he is below the minimum weight. Airbag360 has informed me that the default mode is that all airbags are activated with a code B1018, so really this part hasn't changed. Legally, they can't add a switch to turn off the airbag, although I seem to recall several cars that had a switch on the dash or glovebox just for this reason.
If I had more time, I would tear the seat apart and try to figure out the root of the problem. But, as it is, I am happy with this $97 solution.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdUpdkVLDIU

There is a recall out for this, and it should be fixed (NOT by replacing the whole seat) for free.

We had problems with this and a recall on the craptastical Sentra, they did a software update so now the light on the dash is on whenever the front seat is unoccupied. Something about the "occupant classification system", I think the issue is the sensor in the seat can't tell the difference between an empty seat and a child. I didn't pay anything , then again this car is still under warranty - but I'd be surprised if it isn't covered even after the warranty. Nissan clearly has a supplier issue here.

https://www.autoblog.com/2016/04/30/nissan-recalls-3-million-vehicles-airbag-sensor/

Safety recalls don't depend on warranty coverage - they are free.

I just ran into the same problem. My newly acquired 2011 Leaf that had its HV battery replaced in 2016 just started showing a faulty passenger airbag sensor.

FWIW, the recall only applied to 2013+ Leafs, so no help there for now. Dealer advises $3K solution of replacing the seat cushion. I'm considering the junkyard and bypass options. I have not tried the resets procedures yet, but will give that a shot to see how frequently this fault pops up. How did the bypass work out for you? I'm slightly concerned about implications for annual safety inspections. I don't know if the inspectors will notice that the passenger side seat belt remains fastened or else the indicator stays illuminated.

Andy

For about 1 year I was able to just reset the error code, and it would behave for another month or 2. But, eventually it wouldn't reset anymore and I had to do something. As someone else said, this is really a safety issue, and you would think that Nissan would have to fix it for free, or face lawsuits for children getting killed by an airbag going off when it should be disabled.
But, anyway, I can't really help much as far as the annual inspection, except to say: either fasten the passenger seatbelt and hope he doesn't notice, or find a way to make the Leaf think the seatbelt is fastened all the time. The latter was my plan, but we don't have inspections here in Florida, and my Leaf is now sold. I haven't looked at the schematic, but it shouldn't be too hard to fool the seatbelt sensor.
There are Youtube videos on how to reset the red triangle error codes, and its very tricky to get it right 3 times in a row.

I know this thread is a bit old but in case it helps anyone else, I was purchasing a used seat for my 2011 this past weekend from a junkyard and the guy running the place said that these types of sensors either become faulty from accident impact or by someone bouncing on the seat. I don't know that I buy the notion that an occupancy sensor would be damaged in an impact, but the idea of unusual pressure on the seat made me think. I have definitely used (abused) my car in transporting some fairly heavy items. I often have a really loaded USPS bin on my front seat. I would not be surprised if that unusual point loading might have caused damage to a sensor in the seat in a way that someone sitting normally would not.

Like others here, the DTC first showed up for me a year ago, and I was able to clear the code. I used the Leaf Spy Pro app and a Veepeak Bluetooth OBD2 connector. The first clearing worked for about 6 months, then a few weeks, then a few days, and ultimately it would not go away at all.

I have the same problem with 2010 Murano. The OCS system passenger seat airbag sensor is defective, and I'm out warranty. As mentioned throughout this forum, Nissan has issues recalls for the identical problem on a number of models and years. In fact 2009 Muranos were recalled, but not 2010. Since recalls are "VIN specific" and my car was not in a recall, the entire burden to repair this is on me.

The problem is...Nissan has to replace the entire seat, for thousands of dollars, to replace a $100 part. I have called several dealerships. None will help. I've been in contact with Nissan North America, and they have politely told me, "too bad, we don't care".

Here's the 2-part issue:
1. This is a KNOWN safety problem, for which they have issued recalls to millions of Nissans. Unfortunately, mine was not one of them. So, Nissan NA feels no obligation to correct the problem.
2. The exorbitant cost to repair is 100% due to extremely poor design. Why would ANYONE design a car that requires replacing an entire seat because a very inexpensive part fails? Nissan has tacitly admitted this major design flaw, because at some point after 2020, they changed the design so total seat replacement is no longer required to replace a failed sensor.

I know my vehicle is out of warranty. I would be more than willing to pay for the cost of the sensor and reasonable labor to install it, but having to replace an entire seat to correct this safety issue is, well, just stupid and certainly not fair.

I had been a life-long Volvo and Toyota owner before buying this Nissan, but we tried the Murano based on recommendations and we liked our friends' Murano. Well, after this extremely dissatisfying encounter, I'm going back to Volvo and Toyota. We have NEVER had any customer satisfaction issues with either Volvo or Toyota in decades of driving both. The one Nissan I bought was 1 too many.

Thanks for listening to my rant.

So B1018 has reared it's ugly head on a 2012.

https://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=27887 details 2011 users with the issue.

Senci v. Nissan North America, Inc. was a lawsuit that is settled but I don't know the details of the settlement

This service bulletin seems to apply https://www.nissan-techinfo.com/documents/NTB19-071.pdf if you get code B00A0-00 instead of B1018.