"Passenger Air Bag Off" light is on ... thoughts?

There is a warning light near the interior light buttons. It says "Passenger Air Bag Off". In my X3 it now seems to be permanently on unless there's someone sitting in the passenger seat. As soon as the passenger gets out the light comes back on. Never noticed it before. Can anyone confirm whether they have the same warning light situation, else I will need to talk to the service guys at the dealership.
Thanks

that's exactly how it is supposed to work. Weight sensitive so that if there is a small child in the seat, the airbag would seriously injure them if it was to deploy. In my mini, my ipad sitting in the passenger seat would activate the airbag sensor for some reason.

the functionality makes sense....but are you saying the light is supposed to be on all the time if someone is not in the passenger seat? Like if you're driving alone at night, that light should be on from the time you start the car until you pull back in the driveway?
Thanks

Originally Posted by Hardrada

the functionality makes sense....but are you saying the light is supposed to be on all the time if someone is not in the passenger seat? Like if you're driving alone at night, that light should be on from the time you start the car until you pull back in the driveway?
Thanks

Yes. Reach over and press on the seat and you'll see the light go off.

The purpose of most car manufacturers is to eliminate the high cost factor when you get into an accident. When no one is in the passenger seat and the sensor is not sensing any weight on it, it will deactivate the passenger air bags. If you do get into a front end collision, only the driver's air bags will deflate. You will only have to replace the front driver's air bags and not both. However, depending on the impact, your insurance may determine if the car gets written off or not. One air bag can say it all. If your car is written off, it won't matter if one or both air bags goes off. Don't worry, it is not a malfunction unless you see the light when someone is sitting in the seat.

Originally Posted by kennyw

that's exactly how it is supposed to work. Weight sensitive so that if there is a small child in the seat, the airbag would seriously injure them if it was to deploy. In my mini, my ipad sitting in the passenger seat would activate the airbag sensor for some reason.

Same here.

I can sometimes, but not always, generate the same error in my X3 by placing my iPad on the passenger seat, or by placing my BlackBerry and my iPhone on the seat. Through experimentation It is my opinion that it is an RFI-induced error, and not a weight issue.

I called BMW about this asking if there was a way to disable the light staying on if there's no passenger in the front seat (mine comes on and stays on with nothing in the front seat, like a purse or an iPad) and I was told it was a safety feature so it could not be disabled. If there is a passenger under 50 pounds (a child) the passenger airbag is disabled and that passenger should be sitting in the back.

My 05 Scion TC does the same thing. Like what was said above, it's for safety and not a defect.

OP: It is completely normal.