Fiat Airbag warning light (1 Viewer)

Sep 23, 2013
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I have a 2013 Fiat Ducato PVC & the airbag warning light has started coming on. It started as an intermittent thing – coming on when the key was first turned (as it should), but then taking a while to go off. Turning off & turning on again usually cured it.

But gradually it got so it wouldn’t go out & it also started producing a warning beep. Now it’s on all the time.

That pattern suggests to me a sensor problem rather than a genuine fault with either the airbag or the seat belt pre-tensioner. Anyone got any thoughts on this one?

The message says refer to handbook & the handbook says refer to your Fiat Dealer. Before I head off to my local dealer clutching an open chequebook, is there any more information I can glean? Would these faults show up on an OBD2 reader & would it tell me anything more than I already know?

It’s particularly unfortunate timing because the first MOT is due & so is the tax, so I may need to fix it in a hurry. Does anyone know if the airbag warning light on is an MOT failure? Sounds like it ought to be, but I’m sometimes surprised by what isn’t included.
 

MikeD

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I am not a mot expert but i think it is a failure reason

I think @Geo is the expert for mot's. pm him I am sure he would give you a definitive answer
 

DBK

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Might be worth having a look under the seats, especially if they rotate, as there may be a dodgy connection to one of the sensors.

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Sep 10, 2012
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Def mot fail.
Mine started doing similar in Germany this yr.
It goes off sometime after driving for a while.
Sometimes goes off as normal after restart.
Luckily it behaved itself for the mot.
I read somewhere not to mess with connections while battery connected.
Will watch this thread closely to see if anyone can give you a fix.
 

DBK

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Def mot fail.
Mine started doing similar in Germany this yr.
It goes off sometime after driving for a while.
Sometimes goes off as normal after restart.
Luckily it behaved itself for the mot.
I read somewhere not to mess with connections while battery connected.
Will watch this thread closely to see if anyone can give you a fix.
Good point about disconnecting the battery, alternatively, just keep your head low and out of the way. :)
 

moulin 87

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Mine came on last week for the first and so far only time. After perhaps 10 minutes it went out and the message cleared itself...

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TheCaller
Sep 23, 2013
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Might be worth having a look under the seats, especially if they rotate, as there may be a dodgy connection to one of the sensors.
Good point. Certainly sounds an obvious point if failure. The seats do swivel & have also been removed & replaced several times, so a likely candidate.

I read somewhere not to mess with connections while battery connected.
Various professionals have removed the seats since it was new to access the electrical kit under there. I don't remember them disconnecting the engine battery before doing so. They certainly didn't ask me for the radio code. @dave newell lvs would know the answer to that one.
 
Aug 3, 2015
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Hi, I have the same problem with my 2011 Ducato PVC and found the solution is the connector under the outer side panel on the drivers seat.
This gets stressed by seat rotation and bumps in the road. Make sure the ignition is off, disconnect the plug/socket, spray with contact cleaner and clean any visible contact surfaces with a cotton bud, reassemble and you should find the problem light will have gone away. It will be back on again in about 3 months, I have cleaned mine twice this year and am now getting the occasional warning once again. The only real solution would be to hard wire the connections but if you ever need to remove the seat you would have to cut the wires.
 
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TheCaller
Sep 23, 2013
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Mine started doing similar in Germany this yr.
It goes off sometime after driving for a while.
Sometimes goes off as normal after restart.

Mine came on last week for the first and so far only time. After perhaps 10 minutes it went out and the message cleared itself...
My symptoms exactly. Unfortunately it no longer clears itself.

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TheCaller
Sep 23, 2013
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Make sure the ignition is off, disconnect the plug/socket, spray with contact cleaner and clean any visible contact surfaces with a cotton bud, reassemble and you should find the problem light will have gone away.
Thanks for that - I'll give it a go & report back. Don't think I've got any contact cleaner to hand, but I'll improvise. :)
 

Geo

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MoT Fail im afraid
Reason for Rejection. 2
A Supplementary Restraint System (SRS) malfunction indicator lamp indicating a system malfunction.
SRS=Airbag
Seat connections are the most common cause
Geo
 
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TheCaller
Sep 23, 2013
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MoT Fail im afraid
Thought that would be the case. Thanks.

Seat connections are the most common cause
Which confirms other people's experiences. That's promising, because it should be a relatively straight-forward fix, so long as it isn't too difficult to trace. Parts 5p; labour nn hours, which won't be too bad if it's my labour - so long as I can find it.

I used to be quite good on vehicle electrics - was a qualified instructor. Trouble is it was agricultural vehicles & it was 35 years ago. Things have moved on a bit since then! It was electrics but no electronics. Mostly a case of battery at one end, lamp at the other & a bit a wire trailing about somewhere in between. Trapped wire or a bad earth was the answer to most faults.

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TheCaller
Sep 23, 2013
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Hi, I have the same problem with my 2011 Ducato PVC and found the solution is the connector under the outer side panel on the drivers seat.
I've found your July 16 thread now. Useful info in there - thanks. I've linked to it for the benefit of anyone finding this thread in the future.
 

MikeD

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Good point. Certainly sounds an obvious point if failure. The seats do swivel & have also been removed & replaced several times, so a likely candidate.


Various professionals have removed the seats since it was new to access the electrical kit under there. I don't remember them disconnecting the engine battery before doing so. They certainly didn't ask me for the radio code. @dave newell lvs would know the answer to that one.


They might just have pulled the fuse for that circuit so no need for radio code etc
 

Cal54

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I have the Peugeot Boxer and a couple of weekends ago whilst coming home from Malvern my warning light and computer message came up 'Airbag Failure'. This was 4 days out of warranty. Inspected by my local Peugeot dealer and found that the ECU had a fault cost of a replacement £350. However given the low mileage etc the dealer approached Peugeot who agreed to meet the cost. I however, had to fork out £108 just for the diagnostic check to find the problem in the first place! Love my van but not Peugeots electronics!! Third problem in 3 years, the first occurring on the day of purchase!!!!

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TheCaller
Sep 23, 2013
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I however, had to fork out £108 just for the diagnostic check to find the problem in the first place!
Oh dear. :(

So back to one of the questions in my first post - would an OBD 2 reader tell me anything more than the warning light already does? For instance, would it distinguish between an airbag fault & a seatbelt pre-tensioner fault?
 

Cal54

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Sorry Simon can't help with that. I went to the Peugeot garage as I hoped I could claim under warranty. Whether the diagnostics machine at my local garage would have identified the fault I'm not sure but would of expected it to given that it would be an MOT issue.
They did ask me if any work had been done under the passenger seat as wires can get disturbed and that was before the diagnostic check. There hadn't been so this was ruled out immediately.
 
Aug 6, 2013
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Most obd2 readers can't see SRS functions and are anyway unlikely to tell you more than you know already. I cured the same fault as yours by tightening a loose cover screw on the SRS ecu (it was part of the earth connection) on our Smart car. Check the various plugs & sockets, check the steering wheel 'clock spring' and associated connectors, and remove, examine, and replace, the SRS ecu. The light will go out without needing to be reset once the fault is cleared.

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Steve and Denise

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We had aa similar problem with a new 12 month old Mclouie Fiat when the builders removed the standard seats to recover them they cut the harness recovered the seats then taped up the wires took it to Fiat they said a complete new harness due to the builders fault, buy this time I was fed up with them passing the book to each other so had a look myself and found a plug under the rubber mat disconnected it soldered up the wires and plugged it back in fixed.
 

pops

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Had the same as @Cal54, the airbag light came on the way to garage for first MOT. Lucky my son works there and he did the diagnostic test and it came up with ECU fault. took it to Fiat Pro workshop, they came up with same fault £350 to fix, I ask them to speak to Fiat and they agreed to pay for repair. I had to pay for diagnostic check. (£76).
 
Jun 23, 2013
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Oh dear. :(

So back to one of the questions in my first post - would an OBD 2 reader tell me anything more than the warning light already does? For instance, would it distinguish between an airbag fault & a seatbelt pre-tensioner fault?
Having had experience of this problem, a normal OBD reader won't read this sort of fault. You may well find it needs a replacement of the airbag control unit, which on mine (Fiat too) was a few hundred quid (this was after all the wiring was checked first). It stinks that I have a high quality German MH with absolutely no faults that keeps getting let down by the Fiat bit! Never actually broken down, just bits and pieces going wrong!

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Oct 14, 2007
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I had the exactly the same shortly after buying my current motorhome it was the Airbag ECU and replaced under warranty. If you get the beeping alarm from the dash that it has failed you can shut it off, trouble is I can't remember how now, I think the instructions may be in the Fiat hand book.
 
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TheCaller
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If you get the beeping alarm from the dash that it has failed you can shut it off, trouble is I can't remember how now, I think the instructions may be in the Fiat hand book.
I can't find anything in the handbook, but I may not be looking in the right place. If you do remember, please post instructions! (y)
 
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TheCaller
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Initial inspection reveal what would appear to be overly complex & rather fragile connectors for the under seat connections. Both had become displaced from what would appear to be where they should be clipped, although that doesn't directly affect the actual connections.

They appear to rely on the precise alignment of some very flimsy contacts & you can't see them as the two halves slide together; not can you see if they have aligned correctly once the two halves are clipped together.

I would be looking at it in more detail right now, but they are accessed with the doors open & it's persisting it down at the moment.

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Oct 14, 2007
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I can't find anything in the handbook, but I may not be looking in the right place. If you do remember, please post instructions! (y)

Can't remember which one but It's one of the buttons you use to move through the menus on the right hand side of the dashboard.You have to press and hold it in and the alarm goes off.
 
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TheCaller
Sep 23, 2013
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Can't remember which one but It's one of the buttons you use to move through the menus on the right hand side of the dashboard.You have to press and hold it in and the alarm goes off.
Ok, thanks. I'll see what I can find.

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