Airbag warning light is on

[teknow]

Hi all

My airbag warning light has been on for a few years now

I had the ECU read and it said that there was a High Resistance Across the airbag actuator.

Any ideas that means ???

I'll get this thing running right one day

 

[TllEWL]

Probably means the plug's come loose


If you can get someone with VagCom to reset it, it'll either go away completly, or you'll just have to jam the airbag connector back on (VagCom will tell you which one it is)


'course, it could be a genuine fault with the airbag .... but it's pretty unlikely

 

[Tony 156]

also it mean, should you bounce off anything your head is going straight into the wheel, no squishy bag of life saving to protect you.

 

[TllEWL]

It doesn’t necessarily mean that - the airbag connection could have just been loose when it carried out one of it's checks (ignition lights)


There might not actually be anything wrong now, but you'll have to get the light reset to find out

 

[teknow]

where is this plug I need to jam back on? The guy tried to reset the light with VAGCOM but it wasn't having any of it [ or he didn't know what he was doing!? ]

Any danger of the airbag going pop whilst I do this?

 

[TllEWL]

...or he didn't know what he was doing!?....

I'm 99% sure VagCom should tell you which airbag is causing the fault (unless it's one of those fault-light re-setter units)

I wouldn't mind betting it's the one under the passenger seat ... cos passengers tend to whizz the seat back and forth more - pulling on the wires

Trouble is, you're going to need VagCom-man to keep resetting the light till you know it's fixed, otherwise it's not going to go out between attempts




It's almost impossible to actually set the airbag off ... but running the wrong scan can damage the airbag module permanently, so don't let him go messing

I s'pose there's a chance that the module might already be damaged ... but VagCom should confirm this when you're clearing the faults

 

[teknow]

First bit is easy to suss out ... my car only has a driver's airbag!

What are the wires under the seat then? are they likely to be the culprit?

Haven't got access to VAGCOM as the bloke who did it was an auto locksmith who charged me £110 for a key cut and programmed - but he did come to the house on Saturday morning!!!

Anyone near Cannock who'll do it for £20 and a few beers????

 

[teknow]

when you guys mention the wires under the passenger seat, where are they?? Presume you are referring to seatbelt pretensioner wiring?

I have the 1.4 S/.Cool model and am wondering if my seatbelts don't have pretensioners.

Help! Thanks.

 

[TllEWL]

No, it's the side airbag wiring (the one built into the seat) that's affected by running the seat back and forth

There's a yellow plug (on the Leon/Toledo ... etc etc) which is clipped into a thin bracket on the underside of the seat - the cable then runs under the carpet just behind the cross member.

My Toledo doesn't have pretentioners ... I'd be surprised if any of them do tbh, cos the seatbuckle bracket is only a few inches long and bolted straight into the side of the seat base (or subframe)

 

[teknow]

Blimey - didn't realise I had side airbags ... in fact I'm sure I haven't .... I'll have a look though!

I'm sure they would have been an optional extra wouldn't they?????

I should know really - I bought the car brand new 7 years ago ... how the memory fades.

 

[BenzinIbiza]

Im loving these posts. I really need help here though, i have an MOT due on friday. Im from Northern Ireland and MOT's are REALLY hard to get here these days. I need that light off, so heres the trouble:

1-My wipers started going as and when they pleased, so naturally i let a mate take off my steering wheel and fix the wiper arm.

2-My muppet of a friend didnt disconnect the battery as he did this, i knew nothing of this all until after however.

3-Happy days, my wipers are under control but my airbag light is on!

4-My HORN now sounds when i turn the wheel. With this i am not pleased.

Ive heard all sorts of stories. I need the horn working and the airbag light to be off. Is it something to do with the ribbon cable or what? Dont have a clue about that half of the car. PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

 

[TllEWL]

The airbag light isn't actually part of the MOT, so it'll pass with the light on. You'll still want to get it sorted obviously, but there's not as much urgency.

Anyone with VagCom and a lead can reset it for you, or any local VAG dealership (may charge you heavily for the privaledge though)



Horn you'll almost certainly have to sort prior to the MOT, so I'd advise taking the centre of the wheel off again and re-routing the wires, cos it sounds like they're pulling when you turn the wheel.

 

[TllEWL]

Turn the wheel to about 10 o'clock and locate one of the holes in the back of the wheel

Insert a screwdriver and lift the handle up - outwards from the wheel

it's these clips you're trying to push inwards

If the airbag doesn't pop towards you, give it a gentle pull and rotate the wheel to access the hole on the other side.

I think the bolt in the centre of the wheel needed a 12mm splined socket and you just need to be sure that the new wheel is located on the hub in the same position as the original was when you removed it.

Airbag just pops back on when you're finished.

 

[BenzinIbiza]

are u sure about the MOT not needing the airbag light? thanks for your help? might be a dumb question but is that the cable for the airbag uve shown? or the horn? cheers!

 

[BenzinIbiza]

thats supposed to say "thanks for your help!" lol. forgotto mention, we've reset the light twice and it came back on both times!?

(PS where can i get the cable that connects the diagnostic to my laptop? I mean i have a laptop but what else do i need/ where do i obtain such luxuries?)

Thanks again!

 

[teknow]

You should find USB cables for a tenner on eBay.

Let us know how you get on coz my airbag light won't go out either!

 

[TllEWL]

....is that the cable for the airbag uve shown? or the horn?

The wire with the yellow plug on the end is the airbag, yeah


can't think whether the horn is on the wheel or airbag ....

You can ignore the bit about the splined socket too, I only needed that cos I was taking the wheel itself off (and just copy and pasted the lot from an old post)

 

[BenzinIbiza]

"Well today I decided I don't mind blowing a hole in my dash and had a play... with great success.

Go into Airbags --> Adaption --> 01 to 06.

Through 01 to 06 you have airbags and pre-tensions. Once in the adaption change the vales from 0 (which is airbag enabled) to 1 (which is disabled) and save the setting. Do this to the requred airbags, I disabled them all including the passengers and the pre-tensioners."

I stole this quote off another post, Craig was the author. Does that mean that i can disable my drivers airbag like this? Is this how its done if i pay some idiot loads of money to do it?

Im asking because im thinking about an aftermarket steering wheel. Whats the opinion, should i disable it like this? What will my favourite folk at MOT say?

This VAGcom you all talk about...is that the cable i can use with my laptop, and if so, if i just order a cable of ebay is it just plug and play or can someone explain what i need for me?

Muchos Appreciations Amigo's. Finding more help here in a week that months so far at garages.

Thanks! (PS Sorry about the lack of knowledge thus far!)

 

[TllEWL]

Insurance is the one to worry about when replacing the steering wheel for a non-airbag type ... the MOT testers don't care if there is/isn't an airbag or if the light is or isn't illuminated on the dash.

(or at least that's what my local garage said when I told them the light had come on the day before it was booked in for a test)

The wire with the yellow plug on the end is the airbag, yeah


can't think whether the horn is on the wheel or airbag ....

Just realised the horn is a yellow plug too

The one in the front of the picture is the airbag, but there's another plug (just visible in that pic) which has a step in it ... that one's the horn

 

[BenzinIbiza]

Just got the wheels back from the garage. Apparently its the ribbon cable behind the steering wheel? Its completely been mangled by the idiot who put my wiper arm on. Can i get a ribbon cable off another car and just swap the 2 and make the horn work or have i overlooked the simplicity of this?