Fiat ducato air bag warning light is on…..AGAIN. (1 Viewer)

[Camper634]

For the 3rd time in less than 12 months the air bag warning light is back on the dash.The last time was 6 weeks ago when it cost me £88 with crashdata to have the module reprogrammed.I did ask the question then why has it gone again.One of the replies it could be high voltage when starting the engine.So every time since the last replacement i have turned the ignition to on and waited until the various lights went off before cranking the engine.This morning i only tuned the ignition on to check mu LPG levels and almost immediately the air bag light came on.
I am at a loss what to do next.I cant keep paying £88 God knows how many times.Has anyone please got/had this problem and found out a reliable fix?Any help greatly appreciated.

 

[Lenny HB]

Having recently passed the MOT, the important question for me is whether it is actually safe to drive. Is it just a light coming on, or does it mean the airbag wouldn't deploy in an accident?

If the light is on the airbags are deactivated.

 

[Viennese]

My Citroen Relay one has been on/off intermittently for about 2 years. My garage turns it off (By fiddling under the passenger seat) but it always cmes back on again. I have learnt to ignore it as the garage says it doesn't mean anything.

 

[Stealaway]

Now have a recall letter to say it will be replaced free of charge.

Should we looking out for a similar recall from Fiat any day now?

 

[Conal]

Mine blew when I boosted the battery without removing the wires at the terminals. I read everybody’s comments and decided to have a new one fitted. One of the reasons was that I was travelling from Manchester to home at the time and would be passing Brownhills. I will be more careful in future.
My only regret is that I did not ask the mechanic to give me the damaged unit - maybe it could have been repaired and kept as a spare.

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[Lenny HB]

My Citroen Relay one has been on/off intermittently for about 2 years. My garage turns it off (By fiddling under the passenger seat) but it always cmes back on again. I have learnt to ignore it as the garage says it doesn't mean anything.

As long as you are happy driving without airbags.

 

[EuroTrotters]

Should we looking out for a similar recall from Fiat any day now?

If the airbag is made by the same manufacturers, maybe

 

[Mike123]

Just had ours replaced with a new one (under warranty) - went for no reason (Fiat Ducato).

 

[Camper634]

This is an absolute scandal.They are obviously not fit for purpose.The so called repair specialists charge around £90 and offer no guarantee whatsoever.If/when i change my van the first thing i will have on my tick list is that it is on a Ford chassis and not a Fiat or one of its clones.

 

[Lenny HB]

This is an absolute scandal.They are obviously not fit for purpose.The so called repair specialists charge around £90 and offer no guarantee whatsoever.If/when i change my van the first thing i will have on my tick list is that it is on a Ford chassis and not a Fiat or one of its clones.

Ford's have there share of problems as well, injectors often fail, far more expensive than an airbag ECU. Also much easier to nick.
You hear about Fiat problems more because the vast majority of Motorhomes are on a Fiat base.

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[Camper634]

I can only go on my experience Lenny.My previous van was on a Ford and i did not have any problems in 5 years.Maybe I was lucky.Unfortunately the Ford option was not there when we changed vans.

 

[MichaelT]

Mine was £450 after haggling a discount.

We had ours replaced yesterday, it went a couple of weekscago in the cold weather. £216 for the part then £85 to program it then the dreaded VAT, £367 in total. This includes going in last week for diagnostic and fitting. I decided to go straight for new onecafter the stories of crashdata continuing to fail plus post strikes and I get a 2 year warranty. I asked if it was a common fault, he said they rarely fail on the vans but had a few on MH so I wonder if its something to do with the conversion or perhaps not getting used as much?

 

[rico]

FIAT used to be known in the trade as Fix It Again Tomorrow. Unfortunately this is still true for certain items.
Wheel bearings; Airbag ECU; Sump Corrosion, Screens and Scuttle are just a few that come to mind.
However our Swift van was problem free for 5 years. Maybe lucky but it was the last of the Euro5 chassis.
My last Boxer work van had all the above issues plus many more that often manifest themselves abroad but it did have nearly half a million miles on when it finally died.
We now have a new Ford base and it is certainly a step up from the Fiat on every front.
You pay your money and keep your fingers crossed.

 

[Viennese]

As long as you are happy driving without airbags.

Well we only have one anyway. We have decided to die together!

 

[bellabee]

MichaelT, I think you've done well there!
We've only had one quote, so far - £767 diagnosed and fitted by Guest Truck and Van, Wolverhampton.
Graham's going to ring round, today.

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[Landy Andy]

I can’t believe someone hasn’t produced an illegal box to just bypass it. I don‘t want an airbag, but want an MOT.

 

[MichaelT]

I can’t believe someone hasn’t produced an illegal box to just bypass it. I don‘t want an airbag, but want an MOT.

You may be grateful for one in a crash!

 

[Landy Andy]

You may be grateful for one in a crash!

Doubt it. Especially as there isn’t even a passenger one.

 

[Fat Albert]

Yes, it's a requirement at MOT for the light not to be illuminated. So your travelling down the motorway and the light comes on for what ever the vagaries of the system decide. Do you immediately stop because the airbags may or may not deploy in a crash? If the airbags are not going to deploy, then you have to call out recovery to get you back home because the vehicle is not safe to drive.

 

[Bramidan]

I probably shouldn’t ask and am quite prepared to be shot down in flames but are there any stats on how effective air bags are in an accident or are they something that we have just come to accept in new vehicles? I do accept that there Is data supporting the use of seat belts and why they became mandatory.
I can understand the principles behind the air bag but perhaps we should all don michelin man suits before getting behind the wheel as a belt and braces approach.

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[Lenny HB]

I d

MichaelT, I think you've done well there!
We've only had one quote, so far - £767 diagnosed and fitted by Guest Truck and Van, Wolverhampton.
Graham's going to ring round, today.

OUCH!
Mine was £450, the unit was about £240 + VAT, they charged labour at £115 + vat per hour. I could only haggle £30 of the original quoted price.

 

[busbuddy]

I can’t believe someone hasn’t produced an illegal box to just bypass it. I don‘t want an airbag, but want an MOT.

I doubt you would need a box, just someone with the fiat software that can get into canbus and turn off the airbag system
I used to have the vcds for vw when I fitted a TDI in a non TDI van, you had to go into the canbus and turn pretty much everything off bar the engine stuff

 

[TheBig1]

I probably shouldn’t ask and am quite prepared to be shot down in flames but are there any stats on how effective air bags are in an accident or are they something that we have just come to accept in new vehicles? I do accept that there Is data supporting the use of seat belts and why they became mandatory.
I can understand the principles behind the air bag but perhaps we should all don michelin man suits before getting behind the wheel as a belt and braces approach.

Yes there are well documented stats from NCAP from all the crash testing to absolutely proove that survivability and less injury results from the use of airbags. If you ever want scaring look up the motorhome crash tests on youtube. Just as likely a fridge will kill you in a crash as going through the windscreen

 

[Stealaway]

I can’t believe someone hasn’t produced an illegal box to just bypass it. I don‘t want an airbag, but want an MOT.

If you take the clocks apart - it's not hard.
A piece of plasticine will block of the airbag light tube.

Or so I'm told

 

[the1andonly]

I can’t believe someone hasn’t produced an illegal box to just bypass it. I don‘t want an airbag, but want an MOT.

I thought i seen one on ebay a few years ago. It was basicaly a timer and relay that light the lamp with ignition on then switches off after a set time. Better than plasticine or removing bulb as it lights up on ignition.

Still do

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[TheBig1]

Only £3.50 to buy a 12v timer relay with adjustable time

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[Aspenshaw]

Just before Christmas I had my air bag replaced by South Liverpool Commercials - Fiat Professional side. Cost £418.34 including VAT. Excluding VAT, the breakdown was Unit £273.62, labour £70, and consumables £5.

SLC say they replace the units in Fiat motorhomes from time to time but cannot recall replacing a unit in a commercial Fiat van they service.

Thanks for the tip off, Lenny.

 

[the1andonly]

Peeps, Google Carprog……..you’ll probably find it’s the programmer the likes of crash data are using to re-program the EEPROMs Inside the airbag ecu module.

Cost you about 100 quid to buy the hardware from flea-bay…..but it’s probably not for the feint hearted.

Theres youtube videos out there too

A group buy and forum ran service could work for you tho……..

I asked about this type of application a couple of years ago. Thanks for the info. £90 hey ho, if mine goes this is where my first £100 will go and not to crash dummy R U.

 

[Gerwyn195]

There only seems to be two airbags in a Ducato. Possibly because they are not a legal requirement in commercial vans.
I can't see or understand how the seat knows it's occupied or not

if it's not a legal requirement in vans, can you explain why it is a MOT failure if the airbag warning light is illuminated on the dashboard please??

 

[Landy Andy]

if it's not a legal requirement in vans, can you explain why it is a MOT failure if the airbag warning light is illuminated on the dashboard please??

Because, like many things on the MOT list, if fitted it must work.

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[Lenny HB]

if it's not a legal requirement in vans, can you explain why it is a MOT failure if the airbag warning light is illuminated on the dashboard please??

If its fitted it has to work. Same with other items e. g. ABS not required on older cars but if fitted it has to work.