Passenger Side

WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2007 Chrysler PT Cruiser. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.

The passenger side front seat belt switch is a hard wired input to the Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC). A spring-loaded slide with a small window-like opening is integral to the buckle latch mechanism. When a seat belt tip-half is inserted and latched into the seat belt buckle, the slide is pushed downward and the window of the slide exposes the Hall Effect Integrated Circuit (IC) chip within the buckle. The field of the permanent magnet induces a current within the chip. The chip provides this induced current as an output to the ORC. When the seat belt is unbuckled, the spring-loaded slide moves upward and shields the IC from the field of the permanent magnet, causing the output current from the seat belt switch to be reduced.

The passenger side seat belt switch receives a clean ground from the ORC through a hard wired connection and the ORC senses the status of the seat belt buckle by monitoring the modulation of voltage through its connection to the seat belt switch output. The ORC provides electronic passenger side seat belt switch status messages to the ElectroMechanical Instrument Cluster (EMIC) (also known as the Cab Compartment Node/CCN) over the Controller Area Network (CAN) data bus. The EMIC controls the seat belt indicator based upon these electronic passenger side seat belt switch status message inputs. The ORC also monitors the condition of the passenger side seat belt switch circuits and will send an electronic message to illuminate the airbag indicator in the EMIC, then store a DTC for any fault that is detected.

The hard wired circuits between the passenger side seat belt switch and the ORC may be diagnosed using conventional diagnostic tools and procedures. Refer to SYSTEM WIRING DIAGRAMS article. However, conventional diagnostic methods will not prove conclusive in the diagnosis of the switch or the electronic controls or communication between other modules and devices that provide features of the supplemental restraint system. The most reliable, efficient and accurate means to diagnose the passenger side seat belt switch or the electronic controls and communication related to seat belt switch operation requires the use of a diagnostic scan tool. Refer to the appropriate diagnostic information.