I decided to take our '04 XC90 on a long trip butdread having to deal with getting the kids in and out of the 3rd row. It's a pain. To make it easier, I removed the center seat of the second row. 4 bolts and the seat, which must weigh 75 points, came free. The space it frees up is amazing and the access to the 3rd row is dramatically easier, especially when you are on the road. One of the kids looked at it and said "It looks like a van on the inside now". I took that as a compliment. It really surprises me that Volvo doesn't make that center seat removable, except for the fact that it is so heavy that some people would have trouble managing it.

The only down side from removing the seat, besides how much it weighs, is that there is a wire from the seat to the floor (seat belt buckled sensor?). When I disconnected it, I got an "SRS-Airbag Service Urgent" message. Since the seat is still out, I have not tried to clear it, but everything seems to work fine. From some of the forums messages I have seen, it may have been better to disconnect the battery before disconnecting the wire.

Overall this really makes tha car more versatile.

Adam

 

I am afraidthe messagewon't clear, unlessyou try to put the seat back, probably another trip to the deler

 

I would love to see a picture of the floor where the seat once was. Does it have a finished look about it?

 

The SRS light will stay on unless you plug the connector back in and then erase the codes. The connector is for the seatbelt pre-tensioner in the individual seatbelts that fire to hold occupants to the seat in the event of an accident.

 

I am very excited about this topic, it may save me from getting an Odyssey.

I read this post this afternoon, so I loaded the wife and kids in the car and we headed to the Volvo dealer to drive the XC90. I told the salesman that we would only consider the vehicle if we could remove the center seat. We discussed the error codes and he went and spoke to a couple of the mecanics and they said when the seat is unpluged it deactivates the air bags. I doubt that but we need to know with 100% certanty what actually happens when it is removed and if I rig up a plug to jump out the wires all will be fine. Can anyone help us with this?

Thanks,
Jason

 

Yes the air bags or seatbelt pretensioners in this case will be deactivated. But like I said the SRS light on your dash will stay on constantly as a warning that the system cannot sense or communicate with one of the airbags or tensioners. It will not cause any damage but you may have to pay to get the light turned off once you reinstall the 2nd row seat. It may cause an issue with how the rest of the system works though???

 

Well it appears the dealer wants to make this sale. The salesman and the owner were quite busy on the phone with Volvo for most of the morning (according to the salesman) and it turns out they will take the seat out for us and jump the wires and hide the connection under thecarpet (with the seat being easily replaced and plugged back in). This will have no adverse effect on the safety systems of the car or the warranty.
Now all they have to do pull strings and get me the $3000 loyalty cash (I have been out of a Volvo for 20 days more than the 60 days the program allows).

Jason

 

Yeah, me again. Building up the post count.

Negotiating with the dealer, he said therewill bea labor charge to remove the seat and they have to make the "jumper" for the plug under the seat. He said that the wiring must sense the proper resistance, if not the warning light will come on. I have told him that I can remove the seat myself and that the wire just needs to be jumped, no problem I can do that myself. My question is - who is bulls&%^*ing more? Anyone know if it can just be jumped?

Thanks again,
Jason

 

I have done the same thing. Even after I install the center seat back, I still have to clear the code. Dealer ask $110 for one reset. I bought a scanner on eBay for $185 and it work like a charm.
PPC Diagnostic System by BSR & it can both read & erase DTCs (Diagnostic Trouble Codes). Only work with newer model year. All Volvo from 2001-2007 (except C70 98-05, S/V40 96-04, S80 2007)

 

I just took the center seat out of our 2008 XC90 and am getting an "SRS - airbag service urgent" code similar to what you guys described. The only difference is that on the 2008 it prevents you from driving the car as the shifterwill now not come out of park.Has anyone found a workaround for the 2008? Will clearing the code suffice? What is the proper proceedure for jumping the connector, does it need a gound or resistance across the leads? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Nick

 

*UPDATE*
The failure to shift out of park was unrelated to the SRS code. Turns out the shifter cable was not adjusted properly and it somehow locked-up and would not shift out of park.

However, I still need a solution to the seat removal issue. Jason, did you have the dealer remove the seat? If so, could you take a look at the resisistor they installed.

Thanks,
Nick

 

Thank you for the *UPDATE*! I have emailed to him for the same question about jump the wire but he never wrote me back. I still want to remove my center seat but not yet without knowing the proper way and not messing up the air bag safety. I ask my local dealer in Southern California area but they do not want to touch it because of the liability issue regarding the safety.

 

I am happy to say that I can now answer my own question. After checking with a couple localdealerships, the seat removal can be accomplished witha tool called an SRS-Resistor (Part# 9511506) http://www.spxvtc.com/Details.asp?To...06&Lang=ENthat plugs into the vehicle connectoronce the seat is removed. The tool can be ordered from Kent-Moorehttp://www.spxkentmoore.com/and costs about $45.

I wasn't happy with the price considering its likely just a $.25 resistor attached to a Volvo connector but its a lot easier than trying to figure out what the proper resistance is.

I have not received the part as yet but from the many posts I have read here regarding working on the Volvo electrical system, I believe I can simply disconnect the battery, insert the resistor andthen reconnect the battery to avoid an SRS code.

 

I spoke too soon....[:@] The part arrived today and it did not have the same connector as the one which connects the seat to the chassis. (Maybeit fits the connectors on the airbag/seat belt tensioner?)
Not wanting to give up, I made up my own connector, disconnected the batteryand attached the resistor.After reattaching the battery and starting up the car, the dreaded SRS-Airbag Service Urgent reappeared. Since I have no way to reset it, I don't know if disconnecting the battery tripped it or if the SRS-Resistor did.

 

Great news to me when I read your first post because I really want to remove that 75 lbs center seat. Thank you for fast reaction to let us know the new developed situation. I do not think it is triggered by disconnect the battery then reconned it to trigger the SRS code. Otherwise, anytime we replace a new battery the SRS code will come up. So I think it might be the Resistor. I almost ready to order the Resistor from your link. Now I am going to research more before I make a move.

 

I wish I could buy a center seat from a junk yard ant tear it up to see what is at the end of that wire.

 

If you live anywhere near Los Angeles, maybe I can help you to reset it.

 

So has anyone figured out how to reset the SRS message without having to take it to the dealer or buying a PPC Diagnostic System? I recently had to replace the fuel pump on my 04 XC 90 T6 and that of course entailed taking out the seats. So, while everything is back in working order, I have the annoying error message, and it would be a shame to have to give the dealer money for something I could potentially do myself.

Thanks!
Erica

 

I think if you disconnect the battery first before performing all the work, then at the end re-connect the battery should not have the message

 

Why not use a digital ohm meter to measure the resistance of the connector on the seat that you have removed? You can purchase an ohm meter at any electonics store or home center, like lowes or home depot for about 20 dollars.

You can then purchase a resistor matching that value. If you have to precisely match the resistance you may need to connect more than one resistor in series or parallelto achieve the right resistance.