I have this really strange problem. Just bought my 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee and while driving it the first few days no airbag light. I took the drivers seat out to replace the seat foam and when I put the seat back, the airbag light comes on intermittent when I turn corners and move in the seat. Stays on for a few seconds then goes out.

 

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If it was the seatbelt light, I'd say you did something, but the airbag light doesn't sense the seat. I'd say more than likely it's the clockspring connection in the steering wheel. I've had the seats out in my 2000 WJ and the only electrical connection is the seat belt buckle which is mounted on the tunnel. I'll bet when you move in the seat, you use the steering wheel as a handle, right?

I had an intermittent airbag light that only lit on turns and took it to the stealership where they ran their DRBIII scan and determined there was an open circuit to the driver's airbag firing squib. That goes thru the clockspring. $650 later, it was fixed. They told me the way it was, the airbag would not have deployed in an accident.

On the bottom of the steering column, there is a plastic cover held on by 1 phillips head screw and 2 snap clips on the side to the top portion. Under that cover there is a 2 wire connector, I think the wires are black and white, with a white connector block. That's the airbag connector. On the off chance it would cure my light, I took it apart and cleaned the connections, which did nothing. The scan cost $100, so with that much invested already, I let them do it.

Underneath the back seat, on the floor, there is an inertia sensor that triggers the airbag to blow. I've been told to NEVER pull that connector with the battery connected. I wonder why? LOL! It's a square black box with an arrow on it pointing forward.

 

Like Dave said, there's no airbag sensor in the seat, that didn't become an option until the 2005 (WK) Grand Cherokee came out. To my knowledge, nothing is monitored (occupancy, seatbelt) on the passenger's side, only the front driver's seatbelt is monitored and triggers the seatbelt warning light on the IP (Instrument Panel), at least on my 2002 WJ Grand Cherokee (equipped w/o side airbags, which were available beginning in 2002). My 2014 WK2 Grand Cherokee monitors front passenger's seat occupancy and seatbelt, and my old 2005 WK Grand Cherokee, I think, only monitored front passenger's seat occupancy (so it knew when to disable the airbag).

If you're going to be working with the wiring on the floor or else the steering wheel/airbag (SRS) system , DEFINITELY disconnect the negative (-) battery terminal BEFORE doing anything! If you're working on the airbags or removing the steering wheel, you MUST also discharge the airbag capacitor, which stores energy even after the battery is disconnected for a time. I think if you rub a screwdriver over it it'll discharge it.

 

Dave's run down about the clock spring would be my guess also as so many function are controlled with it. The only other wires that would be connected to the seats are if you had seat heaters in them or a wire for the memory function to set the seat for 2 different drivers.


Nothing to do with air bags in seats.


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