2012 Infiniti G37

I purchased this vehicle, 2012 Infiniti G 37XS in September 2023. The vehicle was basically brand new with less than 2200 miles on it and I have driven it very little up to that point, October 2024, as it is not my primary vehicle. Around [XXX], I believe it was around 8100 miles and change on the vehicle, a warning light came on my dash regarding my passenger airbag. Since that date, I have worked with Plaza Infiniti in Creve Coeur, who has looked at the vehicle a few times and identified that there is no part replacement other than OEM that can fix this issue. However, the part has been discontinued. Today, I reached out to Infiniti directly, and with a sad heart, they refuse to even listen to me. Now, I have a vehicle that has a safety issue and no way to fix it. The part number 87300–1NL6A, is the lower seat assembly for the passenger side of my 2012 Infiniti G 37XS. This part also has the occupant sensor which is directly affecting the airbag. The sensor is not replaceable separately of the lower seat assembly. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2012 Infiniti G37. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated, and the message "Seat Belt Off" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where DTC code: B1018 was retrieved. The dealer determined that the passenger's side seat occupant classification system sensor and module diagnostic unit had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The dealer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 178,789.

I’ve owned this 2012 g37 for a few years and had no issues whatsoever. However within the last couple of months, my air bag light came on and has been flashing since. I’ve taken it to get inspected and had the system checked and was told my passenger seat occupant sensor malfunctioned and is throwing the code on. The sensor itself, very easily replaced, is unable to be bought by itself. Repairs by the dealership is well over 5,000 for the seat and labor. The sensor is being sold as a component part of the bottom build of the seat, and cannot be sold otherwise. The issue with the sensor not being active, prevents the activation of the passenger airbag regardless of the seat being occupied or not. My concerns are that I won’t be able to safely commute with passengers on the road and also being able to pass state inspection, as needed per law per state. Without this sensor, driving is an everyday peril, a safety concern a driver has no control over with other vehicles on the road. There has not been any prior incidents that have occurred that could cause this electronic issue.

The air bag sensor on the passenger seat has failed and the passenger seat does not recognize even an adult person sitting on it. As a result the airbag-off light for the passenger is always on and I am afraid if the rest of the airbags are working properly due to this faulty sensor. I looked up online after my sensor failed and it seems like this is a common issue for G37 vehicles. The only option to fix the problem is to replace the entire seat at a cost of anywhere from $6,500 to $8,500. My wife is afraid to ride in the car with me for fear the airbag will not deploy. There was no warning prior to the light flashing on the dash.

I first noticed this problem on August 15, 2022. The front Passenger Airbag Off Light on the dashboard is always illuminated when the car is started, with or without any occupant on the seat, which would indicate that the airbag in non-operational and will not deploy when needed. At the same time, the Supplemental Air Bag Warning Light in the instrument panel is flashing. I have not brought my car to the dealer or any repair shop for inspection or repair. I just noticed similar complaints from other people in the internet for the same model year car and that the repair cost being qouted to them is upwards of $6000.00. I am also aware of an on going recall of other Infiniti models for a faulty Occupant Classification Sensor.

My air bag sensor on the dash came on, so I took it to the dealer. The dealer told me that my air bag sense is not working and that I would have to replace the entire seat for 9,000 dollars to fix. My car is a 2012 and is worth ~ 12,000 dollars. So obviously I cannot not have them replace seat. I started researching if there was an alternative fix and found this is a very common issue with Nissan and Infinity on numerous makes and models, there are hundreds of posts where this is happening to owners of infinity and Nissan….so why has this not been recalled as a safety issue? I can no longer have a passenger in my car. But my guess is there are lives being put at risk daily due to the sensor failure. This is extremely disappointing that this is how Nissan and Infinity support the customers, our lives are at risk. Please consider looking into this as a safety recall for the hundreds of us that cannot invest in a 9,000 dollar seat to protect our lives.