B1403: Passenger Side Impact Sensor Failed

Hardware fault

What B1403 means

Side impact sensors mount in the door or at the pillar on each side, close to where a side collision actually lands. They run their own internal checks and report their health back to the restraint control module. B1403 is stored when the passenger side unit either fails those checks or stops behaving the way the module expects from a working sensor.

Sensor failure and sensor wiring failure are different codes on Kia, which helps. This one names the sensor. Before it gets replaced, though, the things that make a good sensor look bad are worth ruling out: a mount that is loose, a connector full of water, or a sensor that was reused from a vehicle with side damage.

Common causes

• Internal failure of the passenger front side impact sensor
• A sensor reused after a prior side impact
• Loose or missing mounting hardware at the pillar or door
• Water inside the sensor connector from a door seal or window leak
• A salvage sensor that carried a fault before installation

Crash data or hardware fault?

Kia files B1403 as hardware because the module is judging a component rather than reading a resistance value. It is not a permanent record. Crash data is, and it lives in the same module: written at deployment, held indefinitely, and cleared only by resetting the unit.

Does our reset clear it?

Our mail-in reset returns the module to factory condition and removes stored codes, B1403 included. A failed sensor still on the vehicle brings the code straight back. Replace the sensor first, and send the module in if it is also holding crash data from a deployment.

Which makes throw it

Kia reports B1403 for the passenger front side impact sensor. A separate Kia code covers the same sensor reporting the wrong ID, which is a parts matching problem rather than a failure.

What to do next

Take off the passenger door panel or pillar trim and check the sensor mount and connector before ordering a part, since a loose bolt or a wet plug can produce a failure report from a sensor that tests fine on the bench. Look for water tracks below the window. When the mounting and wiring are good, install a genuine OEM Kia side impact sensor. Related codes: B1382, B1410, B1064.