Rx330 Srs Warning Light Stays On - Dtc 23

[jeranamo]

I have a 2004 RX330 that all of a sudden had the SRS warning light come on as well as the passenger airbag OFF light being constantly lit up even when someone is sitting in the passenger seat. I put the SRS system in diagnostics mode with a jumper clip to determine I am receiving a DTC of 23. Documentation I have found for this online states for Lexus it is a occupancy classification system issue which I know means it's something on the passenger side.

This seems like it would be related to the occupant seat sensor itself which I am first of all wondering if anyone has ever bypassed like the BMW guys have done on their cars when this issue happens.

Secondly, I'm wondering with this specific code of 23 could it be anything other than the seat/weight sensor? My passenger seat belt has tons of slack and doesn't retract as it should so I'm thinking maybe pre-tensioner sensor but not sure because it also seems to stick when trying to unbuckle it as well which leads me to believe it could be the fastener sensor.

Any feedback on this would be extremely helpful and appreciated. I feel very unsafe having any passengers in the vehicle right now and the car is well beyond its warranty of course so bringing it in to the dealer is really a last resort option for me since I know at minimum they'll charge $1000 for SRS wiring issues based on what I've read.

[RX400h]

I know that some Subaru owners are having a similar issue. Apparently, oxidation of the sensor connector prevents the brain from detecting the airbag sensor signal. Some owners have simply unplugged and plugged in the connector to the driver's seat/airbag to rectify the problem. It may be worth a try, in your case.

[jeranamo]

I did unplug and plug back in what I could get at under the seat. It's a !Removed! trying to get access to some of the connectors though. These seats sit so close to the floor. Some people have stated dtc 23 means the passenger occupant system needs calibrating. Should I try resetting the SRS computer using the alternating jumper wires from data port to ground method I've seen posted before?

[RX400h]

Only if there's no chance of messing up the calibration, making it harder to fix, afterward.

Is that the only calibration procedure you can find?

[jeranamo]

The only other method for calibration is using the Toyota diagnostics tool which is what the dealers use in combination with various seat weights. However, I've heard people having success "resetting" the system by using certain pins in on the dlc 3 port. Essentially I think by alternating the 2 pins to ground it is doing what the diag tool would be doing digitally. Generally people seem to say you don't need to reset a srs system as it self checks every time you start up but with these Toyota vehicles you sometimes need to do what's called a zero point calibration. I'm goin to try myself and if it doesn't work I'll take it to the stealership.