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i just found out what is wrong with my passenger air bag and it really made me feel like an idiot! all the times ive been down to dealer and missed work to be there and cussed and complained and wrote on this forum! ARE YALL READY! it was the seat cover and towell i placed to cover my passenger seat! beware seat cover people, if you put one on the new hyundai accent with the 50lb switch that ativates the air bag your air bag will not work properly! i found out by accident when i washed the towell and seat cover! i noticed the light was working correctly when no cover or towell . DONT KNOW HOW THIS EFFECTS SWITCH BUT IT DOES! my dealer still sux, but my car is loved again!

From the "Safety Features" section of the owners manual for Hyundai vehicles:

- Do not modify or replace the front passenger seat. Don't place anything on or attach anything such as a blanket or seat heater to the front passenger seat. This can adversely affect the occupant classification system.
- Do not sit on sharp objects such as tools when occupying the front passenger seat.This can adversely affect the occupant classification system.
- Do not use accessory seat covers on the front seats.
- The occupant classification system may not work properly if water,coffee or any other liquid including rain gets on the seat. Keep the front seat dry at all times.
- Do not place an electronic device such as a laptop computer on the front passenger seat. Its electronic field may cause the OCS to switch to the "on" condition and thus allow the passenger air bag to deploy needlessly in a collision, increasing your repair costs.

A seat cover and/or towel, or an aftermarket seat heater that sits on top of the seat surface can confuse the passenger sensor built into the seat.

The other "Don't" reminders are good to review as well. Don't place a laptop or other electronic device on the seat, don't let the seat get soaking wet, and don't sit on sharp objects on the seat. I am guessing they mean "attention contractors - no screwsdrivers in the back pockets", but the way it reads in the manual, it sounds as of they are cautioning you not to place thumbtacks on the seat to annoy carpool passengers.

That's precious Joe! Congrats on solving your problem. I'm sure you will have something to say to the dealership. It's good to be content with your ride. Are you still doing the long distance trips? I haven't looked lately but noticed you weren't posting in the mileage logs.:woot:

I am surprised the dealer didn't immediately notice the seat cover and towel on the seat, considering that it is such a common issue with the passenger seat sensor. ...At least common enough to warrant an entire page of coverage in the owners manual. It appears to be a reflection on the service department, or at least the technician who was assigned to the work order.

This is not an issue with the Accent, or even with Hyundai in general. Any car with a passenger sensing system will have the same "limitation". There are pressure sensors at several spots in the seat, and the system is designed to measure pressure from the different sensors and determine if the pattern matches that of a passenger weighing over 50 or 60 pounds. Covering the seat with a towel, blanket, or aftermarket seat heater confuses the system by spreading passenger weight over a larger area and causing the system to misread the various pressure points.

havent done any mileage logs lately been so busy at work im in the middle of a 100 day outage at a nuclear plant im just barely funtioning working 13-14 hours a day 6-7 days a week and having to drive 70 mph to get home to sleep! not really concerned with mpgs even though at 70 mph is getting me 46mpg! will have some numbers when i get done here! dealer sill sux and trying to figure out if my next family car will be a ford fusion or hyundai sonata! i really want the sonata but just hate doing business out of town or with my local hyundai dealer! ford in my hometown is as good a dealer as possible

The 2013 Fusion promises to offer a nice step forward in fuel economy. And an outstanding dealership with excellent service can turn a good car into a great ownership experience. I'm hoping that Ford gets their PowerShift transmission and perplexing MyFordTouch interface sorted out before the new Fusion enters production.

The Sonata remains a huge hit for Hyundai and still offers a combination of fuel economy, safety, comfort, and value that keeps it at the top of the list for most midsize sedan buyers.

Either car would be an excellent choice as a family sedan.

This is not an issue with the Accent, or even with Hyundai in general. Any car with a passenger sensing system will have the same "limitation". There are pressure sensors at several spots in the seat, and the system is designed to measure pressure from the different sensors and determine if the pattern matches that of a passenger weighing over 50 or 60 pounds. Covering the seat with a towel, blanket, or aftermarket seat heater confuses the system by spreading passenger weight over a larger area and causing the system to misread the various pressure points.
I have difficulty believing it is impossible to design a sensor (or algorithm) that can not distinguish a 50-pound human from a towel or even the single layer of cloth of an aftermarket seat cover.

I have a friend who habitually puts a towel over the passenger seat of her Mini (to protect the upholstery from a sweaty passsenger), and has never mentioned this sort of problem.

its bad when id rather buy sonata but my dealer almost takes that off the table of options with their horrible service! what is the price difference of same equipped fusion vs sonata?

They're having fire sales on the current Fusion because the new one arrives later this year. The new Fusion, if it follows the recent pricing model of the Focus/Fiesta, will cost 10 to 30 percent more than a Sonata when comparably equipped. Looking in the near term, there is nothing wrong with getting a deal on the current Fusion, considering its proven powertrain and excellent quality ratings.

maxx, what would you buy between fusion and sonata figuring price and all in?

You can guess what I would choose based on my fuel economy logs. But dealer service is a significant part of your particular selection process because there are only a handful of dealers in your area and some are far better than others.

i just think maybe i want need much dealer service! i would rather have sonata but the ford dealer is just so damn good! i had my accent painted their and its perfect

In your town, I also see "Johnson Kia" listed, and they're on 39 north just off the interstate. They're also listed as a Dodge dealer, so they may be a Kia/Dodge franchise. I don't see any ratings on dealerrater.com and no reviews on google, so they may be an unknown quantity. One way to research them is to keep an eye out for license frames or trunklid decals for Johnson Kia and ask the owner about the dealer - sales and service. I see three old reviews (4 years old) and 2 of the three are bad but the complaints focus on sales and moan about having poor credit, and that will happen in any dealership. In my experience, people only complain about the bad and don't bother posting all around the net about good experiences, so any dealer that doesn't have pages and pages of "bad" is probably "good". But the "man on the street" strategy of asking owners how they like their dealer will help in deciding if it's worth taking a chance on the dealer.

Kia offers the Optima, which shares some parts and technology with the Sonata, and it could be one way to get all the "good" of the Sonata without any of the "bad" (shoddy dealer service from that one dealer in town). The Optima has the same EPA ratings, the same powertrain, and the same Best Pick safety ratings.

same dealer owns both so i imagine they sux too