Do i need to turn off front passenger air bag when using a forward facing child seat

check fuses and relays their are different locations for air bag sensors and their is also seat belt sensors and seat switches [check the connections under the seat ]---their are sensors under the front bumper behind the valance by the radiator support also if air bag curtains passenger side between inner fender, door and door pillar the following links have information or what to look for and assist in solving your problem the recall doesn't cover your vehicle but it pertained to the passenger air bag problem as well as the 05 posting
Why is my airbag light on 2005 Hyundai Elantra Air Bags Frontal Sensor Control Module Problems More than 280 000 Hyundai Elantras Recalled Over Air Bag Problems

If you are asking its purpose: it is to let you know whether or not the passenger seat frontal bag is deployed to trigger in case of a collision. Frontal/face-directed airbags have no reason or need to "fire" in the case of an empty seat; and every reason, safety-wise, not to fire into a seat occcupied by a child (a person below a minimal, safety related threshold passenter weight...lest the impact injure or kill). That is why children and similarly vulnerable smaller/frailer people belong behind the front seatbacks in a rear seat if present.

On the other hand, if the driver (who for obvious reason does not merit his own light) notices that the "air bag off" indicator in front of the passenger seat does not extinguish (or "bag on" light does not activate) when an adult comes aboard...that is an indication to driver and passenger alike that the bag might not fire in the event of a collision.

Everything said above also applies to parcels placed in the front passenger seat...a practice that has largely been superseded by trunk and backseat placement of parcels (placement of anything on the so-called "package deck" (Ford's term for rear window ledge) being "not" recommended).

For readers with owner manuals, this info is explained for their particular vehicle models.

NO! Please do not put your child in the front seat in any vehicle if your car has a back seat. The manufacturer will tell you this in your owners manual and on the sticker inside the door. A child seat in the front seat will not shut off the air bag. Depending on your model for that year, you may or may not have a keyslot on the dash to shut the passengers side airbag off. If you don't have it, please, please don't put your child in the front seat.

A handful of newer vehicles have sensors in the seat where you have to weigh so much in order for the airbag to work (light on the dash will tell you if it's off) or they have a spot for the ignition key in the dash so you can manually turn it off.. my next guess would be to either have them sit in the back or pull the fuse

We had our rear facing car seat in the back seat of our car , but when we went camping with our truck we put it in the front seat (center) . Our baby loved that she could sit and still see us.
Our truck was older , so did not have air bags which could be dangerous to the child.
Some newer trucks have a switch to turn off the passenger side air bag.

Hi , if you visit a dealer they will be able to let you know how much it will cost to deactivate the passenger air bag.

yes,go to your dealer,request to disable passenger air bag

Passenger Air Bag Deactivation (PAD) Switch
The passenger air bag deactivation (PAD) switch:

• is located on the instrument panel to the right of the climate controls.
• contains a light emitting diode (LED) that indicates when the PAD switch is activated (passenger air bag disabled).
• allows the passenger air bag deployment circuit to be disabled using the ignition key.
• should be used whenever a child safety seat is being used in the front passenger seating position.

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Prove Out the System
Prove out the system means to turn the ignition switch from the OFF to the RUN position and visually monitor the air bag indicator with the air bag modules installed. The air bag indicator will light continuously for approximately six seconds and then turn off. If an air bag supplemental restraint system (SRS) fault is present, the air bag indicator will either:

• fail to light.
• remain lit continuously.
• flash.

The flashing might not occur until approximately 30 seconds after the ignition switch has been turned from the OFF to the RUN position. This is the time required for the restraints control module (RCM) to complete the testing of the SRS. If the air bag indicator is inoperative and an SRS fault exists, a chime will sound in a pattern of five sets of five tone bursts. If this occurs, the air bag indicator will need to be repaired before diagnosis can continue.
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Active Commands
This command allows the technician to verify operation of the air bag indicator, passenger air bag deactivation (PAD) lamp and chime. When the air bag output command is executed, the indicator, the PAD lamp, chime and the chime are activated simultaneously for approximately four seconds. All devices are deactivated automatically.

you can't turn the air bag off it has a weight sensor in the seat. Do not put any child in the front seat.

The passenger air bag will only come on if there is weight in the seat. The manual says 40 lbs, but it is more than that. When my 60 son sits in the front, the air bag stays off. This is a safety mechanism. An air bag can kill a small child, so it automatically turns itself off if there is little or no weight in the seat. Also saves having to have the air bag repacked if you have a wreck with no one in the front passenger seat--a costly repair.