sbenmaman

I looked in the manual and no luck, but thanks!

sbenmaman

Here's what the dealership wrote on the service sheet, verbatim:
TECH ADDRESSED CONCERN PULLED CODES B1795 STORED RIGHT FRT SEAT OCCUPANT DETECTION ECU HAS INTERNAL MALFUNCTION. TECH REPLACED THE RT FT SEAT ECU & EXCHANGE COMPUTER INFORMATION FROM OLD ECU TO THE NEW ECU. FOUND THE SOFTWARE FROM THE OLD ECU IS CORRUPTED. THE NEW ECU WILL NOT CALIBRATE TO OLD SEAT AND CODES B1797 AND B1650 WILL NOT CLEAR. RIGHT FRONT SEAT AIRBAG WILL NOT WORK AT THIS TIME. CONTACTED LEXUS NO PARTS ARE AVAILABLE TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM. THE PARTS ARE NO LONGER AVAILABLE. UNABLE TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. VEHICLE IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE DUE TO THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT AIRBAG WILL NOT WORK

Toys4RJill

So this is the passenger seat detector that a passenger is in the seat?

SW17LS

This doesn't make any sense.

So, they replaced the seat ECU and exchange computer...but needed to transfer the software from the old ECU to the new ECU, and that software is corrupted. The issue is not that the part is not available, it seems to be that the software is not available?

I would take it to another dealer.

Johnhav430

Of course everyone here remembers all the Takata stuff.....the two car companies that shined through the scandal are Honda, and BMW. These two companies provided alternate transportation until parts were available. To contrast, MB, Audi, etc., did not. MB even stated that death to the driver and occupants may occur, there are zero occurrences, so at this time, loaners are not warranted. Nice.

My car is a 2007 335i, and it took 4 1/2 mos. to get the part, so BMW provided a 2016 328i for 4 1/2 mos. I saw the invoice as I had to go back every 30 days for insurance purposes--BMWNA was billed in excess of $9k, as the cost was $94/day. Like any PR, there is also a dark side to this program (like repairing cars out of order, i.e. high humidity areas were supposed to be fixed first and we saw NJ cars getting fixed before Miami cars due to NJ drivers having loaners, but I digress).

If Lexus were like BMW or Honda, they would be providing a 2017 loaner car until the car is fixed. What may be different is the defect is not a "class" of drivers, maybe it is an isolated incident. But to suggest you donate a 2007 vehicle as a result isn't using their noggins....talk about throwing the baby out with the you know what...

p.s. Audi did not have an official program, but my buddy's dealer in FLA provided a loaner for about 8 mos.

edit
p.p.s. How can parts not be available, I personally toured a massive warehouse full of Saab parts. The GM explained to me that they are required to store these useless parts, nothing ever leaves the warehouse, but they have to store them.

sbenmaman

Yes, right front passenger seat.

SW17LS

Ask them to give you the part number of the part you need...

According to what they wrote, they DID replace the seat ECU...so what part is it they're saying isn't available?

sbenmaman

The dealer did a search (not sure how extensive) and the national office did an extensive search over the course of a month both domestically and abroad and didn't find anything.

SW17LS

https://parts.iralexusofmanchester.c...wd=&origin=pla

I totally do not accept these parts aren't available.

sbenmaman

Thanks so much for that link. I called the # on that website and spoke with the parts manager (Great guy! Ken Lavigne with IRA Lexus of Manchester in Bedford New Hampshire). He has the exact same issue with a customer (same year and model) and he heard of another one in his region. He said that Lexus engineering is still looking into it. The part comes with the computer but it's been discontinued (so it's not just a matter of finding the sensor). He tried replacing just the sensor and it didn't work. We would need a complete seat bottom and those are no longer made. The 2008 part is not compatible. He was going to let his regional rep know that there's another customer with the problem. He said the only solution is probably for them to put the seat bottom back into production. He did say that Lexus takes safety issues seriously so not to throw in the towel quite yet. The parts # in case anybody cares: 71001-33M10-A0 (original part) and then 71001-33M11-A0 that replaced it. It cost $1623.84.

SW17LS

Glad it helped!

If that’s the case then a used module should work fine because it will have the proper programming.

Remember too about safety. People drove around without airbags for eons. If you’re really worried about it just have passengers ride in the back until you find a solution. I wouldn’t donate the car lol.

MattyG

I could be wrong, but those airbag ecu's are coded to the vehicle and the seat at the factory. A used ecu will be matched to another vehicle so it won't work. The fault codes will still be there so the vehicle's occupant detection and protection system will see a fault and disable the right front airbags.

The Lexus tech followed the correct procedure. That's why he was trying to write the old data from the old ecu to the new ecu and because the old ecu data is corrupted through some sort of issue like water intrusion or something else, you have no way of getting a new ecu to use the old data. But yeah, no one should sit in the front passenger seat of that car.

sears1234

try a Toyota dealers, they can fix most of ES and RX issues, and provide most of the parts.

sbenmaman

Quick update: the guy from NH just heard back from his rep who says that Lexus is in the process of restarting production but does not have a sense of timetable yet.

I also spoke with the General Manager of Hendrick Lexus of Charleston, David Yarborough. He didn't have any remedy and was not willing to pay for a vehicle with the part (I suggested they find same model with high mileage that doesn't cost much, buy it, and use the part). He offered for us to trade it in - for the value of it with defective part (which isn't much!). No thank you! They would consider fixing with a used part (that they are not willing to pay for) only after evaluating where the part is coming from and if we sign a release from liability. Needless to say, none of this was acceptable.

I told him that I was not going to walk away quietly - I was going to contact his corporate office and that I will also post on multiple forums, send letters to editor of newspapers, and make as much noise as I can. I've never Tweeted before but am told that companies monitor Twitter so I will pursue that as well, if necessary.

I contacted Hendrick's corporate office in Charlotte and got a very nice call back. The person is going to get back to me tomorrow, but did ask if we were open to getting a comparable car with low mileage that Lexus would pay for. That's the first positive response I've heard to date!

I also filed a claim with the Nat'l Highway Traff8ic Safety Admin. and they will determine if it warrants an investigation. They said I can also file a claim with the Federal Trade Commission.

Stay tuned! Thank you for all your ideas.

Johnhav430

Would be interesting to see how many incidents would be filed with the NHTSA. The times have changed. There was a known issue with 1998 Nissan Maxima side airbags, and Nissan could officially take the position not our problem, in 2003. They would be more cautious today. After I thought about it (never took it too seriously until Takata), one is most likely better off with a disabled airbag system, than one which is not disabled but can trigger erroneously or improperly or otherwise (like the Honda Motor deaths). It does not cause one to fail a state inspection, similar to an ABS warning being yellow, as opposed to red. So why would the tech conclude the vehicle is dangerous, and then the dealer make the suggestion that the vehicle is donated....it would seem they are making judgement that they are not qualified to make. And this is Lexus....

at any rate sounds like some progress is being made, good luck!