Technical “Tale of woo” I have a 2012 Fiat Ducato MWB I had Ford Galaxy Swivel Seats fitted but they have caused a Seatbelt and Airbag issue.

[Kaydeyv]

“Tale of woo” I have a 2012 Fiat Ducato MWB Minibus 22000Mls. Beautiful condition. I have had it converted to a motorhome.

I found an upholsterer of Ford Galaxy seats, I understand they are renowned for being comfortable. Looking on the website, the last sentence of the instructions for ordering are as follows;

It is the customer’s responsibility to be sure they are capable of fitting these seats before they purchase them. They gave all hole measurements, lot’s of other information etc.

No mention of Pretentioners, Ecru units, Seatbelts, Airbags etc. I must have totally missed the last sentence. So I appreciate I did not take enough care before ordering. I have to say they are beautiful, very comfortable and much admired

The issue now is that the seatbelt warning light is on and a warning message of passenger airbag is flashing. I realise this is an MOT failure. I have been quoted £1000 by local mechanic who tells me I need a pretensioner. I understand the part will be over £500 plus 4+ hours labour.

I have read so much information that I feel I need to be very sure before moving forward. I live in the North, there seems lots of companies in the London area who deal with Seatbelts and Airbags, some of which have been helpful on the telephone. I have also been advised that the only safe way is to have Fiat seats put back in. This will be a backward step when the ones I have are so good. Plus it will cost a lot of money.



I am a single lady intending to take a friend with me on trips but I can only do that if I am confident I am taking her safely. Help!!!

 

[Anthony489]

Hi

Sorry to hear that you have got into a tangle with replacement seats, you aren't the first to fall foul of this !

Here are some background notes that might help, apologies if you already know some or all of it.

The Ducato has the sockets for the seat belt buckles built into the seats, unlike earier vehicles that had stalks bolted to the floor. This is a less cluttered arrangement, and makes things easier when the seat is adjusted. Unfortunately, in the Ducato the pretensioners are built into these seat units. If an airbag is deployed in a collision, it is important that the corresponding pretensioner goes off at the same time so that you are pulled firmly back into the seat. If you have a twin passenger seat there will be three pretensioners, if you have two individual seats (motorhome style) there will be two.

I don't know a lot about the Ford Galaxy, but I believe it has the pretensioner built into the seat belt reel (in the door pillar) instead.

The other component in each seat is an "occupancy sensor" mat, which tells the Airbag control unit that someone is sitting in the seat. If no-one is there, the airbag will not deploy. Modern types can also detect the weight of the person and alter the force of the airbag, but I don't think the Ducato is that sophisticated.

Under the seat is a yellow electrical connector, which connects to the Pretensioner and the Occupancy Sensor. If this is left unplugged, when you turn on the ignition and the Airbag controller does its checks it will flag up an error.

It is possible to fit plugs with resistors to fool the Airbag controller that all is well. This is fine if all you want to do is pass the MOT, but it means the airbag system may not work properly. The only time this might be acceptable is if you are replacing a twin passenger seat with a Fiat single passenger seat (or Left Hand Drive Driver's seat) and you are effectively deleting the centre seat.

I am guessing that your 2012 vehicle would be new enough to have a passenger airbag as standard (older vehicles had them as an option) and that you want both airbags to be fully working so that you and your passenger are as safe as possible. The only way to do this is to have a pretensioner and an occupancy sensor for both driver and passenger seat, and these must be of a type that is compatible with the Fiat Airbag controller.

If this turns out to be too difficult/expensive, another option may be to re-upholster the Fiat seats which is what many motorhome converters do. If you need to source a LHD drivers seat for use as an individual passenger seat you may also get a lumbar support like the driver. MH converters often fit swivel bases at the same time, which raises the seats a couple of inches and improves the view out.

 

[Kaydeyv]

Thank you for all of that. I am trying to digest it. What type of business would I go to for help with this. Is this X250 the pretensioner I need? I am going to the NEC on Wednesday next week in the hope I will find some more information there.

Thank you again.

Kayde

 

[LandyAndy]

can you not fit the seatbelt clip/pretensioner from your removed Fiat seats

 

[Anthony489]

Hi

X250 refers to the generation of Ducato built beween 2006 and 2014.

After that there was a facelift (different headlights being the easiest feature to spot) and the designation changed to X290.

The photo shows the pretensioner unit removed from a Fiat seat. I am not sure if it could be fitted to a different seat.

 

[Kaydeyv]

Hi

X250 refers to the generation of Ducato built beween 2006 and 2014.

After that there was a facelift (different headlights being the easiest feature to spot) and the designation changed to X290.

The photo shows the pretensioner unit removed from a Fiat seat. I am not sure if it could be fitted to a different seat.

Thanks again.

can you not fit the seatbelt clip/pretensioner from your removed Fiat seats

In my innocent's I let them go.

I am thinking of buying some from ebay.

 

[LandyAndy]

Some motorhomes have non Fiat seats but think they will use the Fiat pretensioner as it’s part of the crash system.

Either change the Ford electronics to Fiat electronics, get an auto electrician to disable the system, (not really allowed for MOT), or swap seat clips back to the Fiat items. Can’t think of any other options.

But have noticed this listed for sale.

Fits Fiat Ducato Peugeot Boxer Citroen Relay Additional Seat Belt Stalk (06 on) | eBay

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;">Fits Fiat Ducato Peugeot Boxer Citroen Relay Additional Seat Belt Stalk (06-On). Fits belt buckle in picture. Seatbelt not included.</p>

www.ebay.co.uk