Body, generic

B0074 Second Row Center Seat Belt Pretensioner Deployment Control

Check engine lightUsually off
EmissionsNot relevant
Drive cycleNot required
Limp modeNo

B0074 would flag the firing loop of a pretensioner at the second row's middle seat. Rear centre belts with their own pretensioner are rare; IIHS rear-seat tests concentrate on the outboard positions, and no carmaker publishes B0074 with the J2012 meaning. The code is common in GM vehicles, but with an older meaning: the 2011 Saab 9-4X sets B0074 00/04 when the passenger presence module loses its seat sensor mat, GM's Impala bulletin PIE0485A (2015–2018) covers B0074-0D, and campaign N182188910 for the 2017 Buick Verano ties B0074 0D/0E to a pinched presence sensor wire that suppresses the passenger airbag. In a GM vehicle, B0074 therefore points to the front passenger seat sensing, not a rear belt. Where the code does mean a rear centre pretensioner, the airbag lamp is on and that unit is inactive.

Likely causes

On GM vehicles, fault in the passenger presence sensor mat or its pinched wire (older GM meaning)
Plug of the rear centre pretensioner disturbed when the bench is folded or removed
Open or short in the harness to the rear centre seat

Symptoms

  • Airbag warning lamp on
  • On GM vehicles also passenger airbag status shows OFF with an adult seated
  • Safety note: restraint parts may be pyrotechnic or part of the airbag control; disconnect the battery, observe the wait time and use a specialist workshop

Repair estimate

DifficultyShop_onlyWorkshop job
Parts and labour€80–900
Time0.5–3 h

Typical range across vehicles; the real cost depends on what the testing finds.

Parts involved

second row center pretensionersquib circuitsrs control module

Related codes

B0073B0075B007DB00E5

References: saabwisonline.com, static.nhtsa.gov, static.nhtsa.gov, iihs.org.