B0074: Second Row Center Seat Belt Pretensioner Deployment Control
A generic body trouble code, same meaning on every brand.
Yes - but the center rear seat belt pretensioner may be offline. If someone rides in that seat regularly, treat the repair as urgent; otherwise prompt, not someday.
Symptoms
- Airbag or seat belt warning light
- Code for the second row center pretensioner
- Often follows rear seat folding or cargo loading
- No effect on driving
Likely causes, most common first
- Connector under or behind the rear seat disturbed
- Pretensioner squib circuit open
- Harness pinched by seat latching hardware
- Failed pretensioner unit
Read B0074 yourself before paying for diagnosis
A basic Bluetooth OBD-II scanner ($20-40) plugs into the port under the dashboard and shows this code with live sensor data on your phone - useful both for confirming the fix and for talking to a shop from an informed position.
What is going on and how it gets diagnosed
B0074 points at the pyrotechnic pretensioner of the second-row center belt - the small charge that snugs the belt in the first milliseconds of a crash, before a body starts moving. Its circuit is monitored like any airbag loop, and a fault benches it.
Rear-seat pretensioner codes have a mundane habit: they appear right after the seat was folded for cargo, because folding flexes the harness and can unseat a connector or pinch a wire against the latch hardware. Retracing what the seat did the week the light came on solves a surprising share of these. The center rear position matters more than its usage suggests - it is where child seats often go - so a code here deserves the same urgency as a front airbag fault whenever that seat carries anyone.
Repair options and cost
Typical US independent-shop ranges, parts and labor. Dealers run higher; regional labor rates vary.
Owner reports mentioning B0074
“Dealership Lead car GMC Utica, verified code B0074 passenger presence sensor/module, found module internally faulty verified power and ground. This puts safety at risk because the passenger side air bags are off because of the faulty sensor. There is TBS on this issue. Dealership confirmed problem. there were no warning messages before failure, it just failed and now service air bags light is on, and passenger air bags are off. Has not been repaired because the want 1259.73 for the part, I believe this should be a recall, as the air bags are off and won't work because of the fault sensor/module.”2017 Chevrolet Traverse · May 2026
“My airbag light comes on intermittently and will show a passenger is not in my front seat when they are. I took my car to the dealer and they got a current and past code B0074 for the passenger presence module. There was a recall (18208) for this on certain 2016 Malibus but my vin was not included.”2016 Chevrolet Malibu · May 2024
“This issue appears to be related to an open investigation (pe19013). Airbag warning displayed after passenger has exited the vehicle ('service airbag'). Appears to be caused by faulty passenger presence sensor. Fault cleared when vehicle is turned off/on. Dealer (paradise chevrolet, ventura, ca) advised that passenger presence and airbag systems have an 'internal fault' (b0074, b0081) which dealer service rep stated may cause the passenger airbag not to deploy correctly in the event of an accident. Quoted repair cost of $499 for sensor and 3 hours labor (@$150/hr).”2012 Chevrolet Volt · Nov 2019 · 109,903 mi
Show 7 more owner reports
“Obd warning b0074, b0081 - pps module faulty - cannot detect passenger weight in car, therefore disabled the passenger airbag. After some research, I am seeing multiple gm issues on the same error, obd b0081, faulty pps sensor on comaros and volts”2011 Buick Regal · Nov 2018 · 98,000 mi
“Took to get my vehicle scanned and got the code b0074 for the second row middle seat belt pretensioner. I was looking up any recalls on the vehicle and back in june 2014 there was a recall for pretensioners. But when I called a dealer they said there was no recall on the vehicle.”2008 Saturn Outlook · Apr 2018
“Check airbag light is on. Chevrolet dealer service department inspected and found codes b0081-00 & b0074-00, noting that the passenger presence pad shorted out and that pad controls the passenger side air bag. They recommend to remove and replace passenger presence pad (part #20972507). We have extended warranty but they are stating anything safety system related is not covered and should be under a manufacturer recall.”2010 Chevrolet Camaro · Jun 2016 · 51,142 mi
“Airbag light on passenger side indicates airbag will not deploy. Vehicle has been brought in to several different dealerships to be evaluated, each claiming a different code has been activated, however no fix has been permanent. Vehicle had previous recall (2011) on airbag sensor - fix was not permanent. Most recent time, dealership claims a sensor in the seat is bad and will require $1200 fix due to its location in the seat??? Codes b0074 & b0081 (internal fault in passenger presence module) there is not a time that the airbag engages - still or moving. This has been an issue while was still in warranty and beyond warranty - gm refuses to work with me.”2008 Buick Enclave · Mar 2016 · 63,000 mi
“Service airbag has been on for about 6 months; currently the passenger airbag "off" is illuminated. I am going to assume that means the passengeer airbag will not deploy during an accident. I have been reading online and it seems like this is a common problem with the chevrolet equinox and chevy nor general motors have put a recall on the defective air bags. Dtc incorrect b0081 (right sis installed) and b0074 (passenger occupant classification sensor circuit) seems to be the cause.”2011 Chevrolet Equinox · Feb 2016 · 62,000 mi
“Airbag warning light on - took to mechanic yesterday and they found the following "b0074 & b0081 set. Diagnosed and found passenger presence module internally failed". They told me it's a 800+ repair. Called dealer priority cheverolet in chesapeake virginia and they said to check connections below seat as they sometimes come loose. As an engineer I find it hard to believe that such a vital life saving device would have such an easy single point failure to be so easy to come loose as by simple moving the seat. When you observe the switch module below the seat it is just there dangling! This needs to get rolled up as a recall.”2009 Chevrolet Equinox · Jun 2015 · 90,050 mi
“Airbag warning light on - took to dealership yesterday and they found the following "b0074 & b0081 set. Diagnosed and found passenger presence module internally failed". They told me it's a 800+ repair. *tr”2009 Chevrolet Equinox · Dec 2014 · 98,300 mi
Cars that report B0074 most often
Based on mentions of this code in NHTSA owner complaints.
Frequently asked questions
Can I drive with B0074?
Yes - but the center rear seat belt pretensioner may be offline. If someone rides in that seat regularly, treat the repair as urgent; otherwise prompt, not someday.
How much does it cost to fix B0074?
Typical US repair costs range from $60 for the simplest fix (connector reseat or repair) to $600 in the worst case. The right number depends on which cause your car has - see the causes list.
Related codes
The codes closest to B0074. They often appear together, and telling them apart is usually what narrows the diagnosis.
Definition per SAE J2012 standard nomenclature. Symptoms, causes and costs are editorial guidance - always confirm with a diagnosis of your specific vehicle.