My 2007 XKR has started to illuminate the seat belt warning light and chime when nothing is in the passenger seat. It is becoming more frequent and now happens nearly every day. The car starts fine with me in drivers seat and wearing belt and initially, the light and chime work normally. Then, light blinks and chimes for no reason. I can stop light and chime by buckling passenger belt. Sometimes I can unbuckle empty seat belt and light and chime will stay off, sometimes they come back on until belt buckled again.

Anyone know where to start troubleshooting or have experienced this fault?

 

Just a guess based on experiences in other cars, usually this is because of some type of fault with the sensor occupancy system. Probably some type of mat in the seat bottom cushion. In my previous vehicle folks would rap the seat bottom to unstick closed circuits, but I would think this has potential to make it go out completely also!

For BMW the system was so sensitive that a purse or grocery bag would indicate there is an occupant and require the seatbelt to be buckled, hence the alarm. So on ebay there were blank buckles for sale so that you could leave it in full time without the belt.

 

As Tampamark on a BMW there is an air cushion in the seat that detects if anyone is occupying the seat. This is also linked to the airbag system
Rather than fitting a spare buckle I fitted a small plug that had a resister in it that told the system that there was someone in the passenger seat.
The only downside was that if there was a crash then both airbags would go off. This wouldn't happen if there was not a passenger. This would happen if you used the spare buckle or permanately plugged the passenger seat belt in.
It's also a MOT failure in the UK. That's why I used the dummy plug under the seat.
I suspect that the XK will be the same or very similar .
It might be worth unplugging and re plugging all cable plugs under the seat as one might not be seated correctly or slightly HR (high resistant).

 

I don't recall now if it was IN THE MANUAL or if I found the sequence on google, but there is one of the procedures that allows the owner to disable chimes for one or both seats. I disabled the chime for the driver's seat but not the passenger...and this is NOT the only vehicle I have done it with.

The sequences are the sort of thing like turning a key a certain number of times and pressing a pedal or button and then some other key-turning, etc...

 

Hi, process to stop alarm belt :
Contact on
lock and unlock 9 time seat belt
yous hear 2 bip confirm.
Now you don't have alarm. If you want alarm you make the same process.
For you problem it's possbile that lock system is not clean, put cleaner to see.

 

The seat belt chime was getting on my nerves, also, so I used this scheme (buckle / unbuckle nine times within sixty seconds). Didn't get a verification chime on completion, but in driving away, with belt disconnected, didn't get the reminder chime. Also, after a few blocks, the red icon on the dash went away. Great...

However - of course there's a "however" - I think the reverse distance assistance "ping" is now gone, also...don't know for sure, will have to check tomorrow. Might be the two are paired for whatever reason.

(2007 X150 coupé..).