B1017 comes from the passenger seat. Nissan's occupant classification system decides whether the front passenger seat is empty, holds a child or a child seat, or holds an adult, and the air bag diagnosis sensor unit uses that answer to arm or suppress the passenger airbag. B1017 is the diagnosis sensor unit reporting that the OCS control unit is not working correctly.
Nissan documents B1017 in a block with B1018, B1020, B1021, B1022, B1025, B1032, and B1048, all under the heading OCS system, and gives them one shared description: the OCS control unit is wired to the air bag diagnosis sensor unit, and the air bag diagnosis sensor unit monitors the OCS for failures and for interruptions in communication between the two.
The OCS control unit and the sensors it reads are built into the front passenger seat cushion. On most of these models they are not sold as loose pieces, which is why the factory chart for this block ends at replacing the right hand front seat cushion assembly rather than a single sensor. The passenger airbag status indicator on the console is driven by this system, so an owner often notices that indicator behaving strangely before the airbag light comes on.
Within the block, the numbers separate the control unit from the sensor. B1018 points at the sensor mat in the cushion. B1017, B1020, and B1021 point at the control unit side.
Hardware. B1017 holds no deployment record and it is not an internal fault in the air bag diagnosis sensor unit. Nissan's procedure still checks the harness connector and the wiring first, which is the right order, because a connector under a seat is cheap to inspect and a passenger seat cushion assembly is not.
No. The failure is in the seat, so restoring the diagnosis sensor unit's memory changes nothing and the code returns at the next key cycle. Repair or replace the OCS hardware first.
If the same vehicle stored B1209 or B1210 after a collision, the diagnosis sensor unit is locked with crash data and that is what our airbag module reset clears. For the seat side, we supply genuine OEM occupant classification sensors. If the piece you need is not on the site, send us a part request.
B1017 in this form belongs to Nissan and Infiniti vehicles with the air bag diagnosis sensor unit, and the OCS block appears on Altima, Sentra, Versa, Rogue, Murano, and the Infiniti models built on the same platforms. Newer Nissan manuals cover the same system under the number B00A0 with the same OCS heading, so check which numbering your scan tool is reporting. Other manufacturers assign B1017 to their own systems.
Start under the passenger seat with the battery disconnected and at least three minutes of wait time. Run the seat through its full travel and watch the harness for anything pulled tight or crushed against the track. Unplug the OCS connector, look at the terminals, and reseat it. Cargo sliding under a passenger seat and spilled drinks are the two histories behind most of these connectors.
If the wiring is clean and the code holds, the chart moves to the seat cushion assembly and then to the diagnosis sensor unit. Read the whole code list before deciding, since B1018 on the sensor mat and B1022 on the communication line between the OCS and the diagnosis sensor unit change which part you buy. B1001 is the separate code for the diagnosis sensor unit reporting itself out of order.
Related codes: B1018, B1020, B1022, B1001
Keep reading:
Code scope: Nissan, Infiniti. The same number can mean something different on another manufacturer, so match the code to your make before you act on it.
A reset clears stored crash data. A replacement part fixes a hardware fault. We have read these codes since the nineties and will tell you which one you are looking at.
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