Airbag Light - Way to go? (or not?)

SteveandSue

SteveandSue

Joined
Feb 18, 2009
Posts
590
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269
Location
Guisborough North Yorkshi
Funster No
5,677
MH
Malibu T410
Exp
Since August 2008
Airbag light on. Read peoples experiences on previous posts. Checked wires under seat - seem OK - disconnected the connectors and sprayed with electrical spray - same with the airbag ecu -
Friend used their reader which seems to indicate ecu fault, and the reader said error code/light couldn't be removed.
Next step is I will try as suggested disconnecting the battery for half an hour.
Then it seems I could send the unit to airbag reset - they charge £30 and suggested to me that that is all other companies do - as they is no simple way of testing these things
Crash data will charge £60 for repair and reset -
I have seen another company in Kings Lynn that advertise they can 'repair' these things

What is peoples view? can they be repaired? or are they just reset?

Both web sites have spelling and grammatical errors making me a bit cautious

Also - do you think if the ecu is repaired the light will go out ? or will the error code need clearing even though the fault has gone?
Any thoughts appreciated
 
I think a trip to a base vehicle dealer will get a proper diagnosis, a code delete and reset.
Might be more expensive but you'll know its done correctly.
Just tell them if it is the ECU then leave it as it is and not replace it.
 
Crashdata are fine, can't speak for any other companies. They can usually be repaired as it's commonly a data corruption issue, but there have been batches that fail due to internal corrosion or other damage. Crashdata will test yours and let you know if it can be repaired. If not, they usually have other repaired units that they can offer in exchange. Much cheaper than a new unit from the manufacturer.

If they can repair your unit it just plugs back in. The fault light should extinguish if it was caused by an internal error that's been repaired. If it doesn't go out straight away, it should after a few drive cycles.

A new unit will need programming to the vehicle. Not sure about a repaired unit that's not your own. It would depend whether the repairer clones yours. If not, it would have to be programmed the same as a new one.

You really should have disconnected the battery before disconnecting any of the SRS plugs or the ECU. At the worst, you could cause an airbag to trigger accidentally, but you also risk the type of corruption that your unit might be suffering from. It would be a shame to do the same to the repaired unit before it's been used!
 
pappajohn said:
I think a trip to a base vehicle dealer will get a proper diagnosis, a code delete and reset.
Might be more expensive but you'll know its done correctly.
Just tell them if it is the ECU then leave it as it is and not replace it.
Click to expand...
Dealer will want £60 - £100 just to plug in their reader. They won't be able to clear the fault light whilst the fault exists, so double that to go back later, or add on several hundred quid for a new unit as well.

Send the old one for repair and you're likely already quids in. The SRS fault codes are usually pretty descriptive. If it's saying there's an internal ECU fault there usually is, and it's not going to tell the dealer any different. Except that they will only replace, not repair.
 
"Seemed to indicate an ecu fault" isn't a very good diagnosis. Especially if all your mate has done is "plugged it in"
Why would you waste £60 on repair of something you don't actually know is faulty.
Spend the money on getting a reputable garage to look at it with the correct tools and do a proper fault diagnosis on it first.

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Appreciate comments. Reason I am not a fan of taking electrical/type problems to main dealers/garages is we have experienced being parted with lots of money and no fault fixed (not on motorhome), ended up at what might be described as a back street garage where a motivated garage owner diagnosed the Mechanical Fault that wasn't showing up - Problem sorted - so we are just try to be more cautious with these faults before parting with money to main dealers. If its something fairly simple we can sort then we would prefer that route first -
Leaning towards using Crash data -
 
We had an airbag light always on caused by the "clock spring" cable in the steering wheel having worn out. Another common cause is passenger seat squab pressure sensor thinking there's a bum on the seat when there isn't.
 
Has your van given or received a jump start recently? There is circumstantial evidence* that this can cause airbag ECU failure.

*Various posts on various forums...
 
I had the code and symptom you describe on a Seat Ibiza. I checked prices of s/h units from an eBay seller who provided enough info to ensure serial number & date codes matched. Before I sent for one I removed the faulty one & because I'm curious removed the only screw that held the plastic lid on. I noticed the screw was loose before removal. Inside the unit the screw when tightened drew two metal lugs together: one was part of the metal base and the other came from the PCB. I put it back together, tightened the screw correctly, and plugged it in. The fault had cleared & never came back. A dealer would have replaced the unit at £350 + labour. No reset of anything was needed.

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a good scanner like snap on zeus can read resisitance in the circuits so i would got to a good garage first , just spraying the under seat plug with cleaner is no good my smax had a pin not making a good contact and tweaking it slightly cured the problem
 
Have a look for a mobile auto sparks. Smaller workshops dont have the in house expertise and often employ such people.
I had airbag warning lights and convinced myself it must be the ECU after cleaning all the contacts and unable to clear the fault.
Guy turns up and 10 minutes later fault code cleared for the cost of £30 callout.
 
As the light is on and it runs ok, the other possible problem is that it might be an mot failure.

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I've picked this thread up late so may be talking rubbish (nothing new there).
However with VW vehicles the only way to extinguish the airbag light once it has come on is with professional diagnostic kit. If the OP is in this situation then he/she should seek out someone with VCDS software to reset the light and all may be fine.
It's a regular job see the VW T6 Forum.
 
Burgo said:
We had an airbag light always on caused by the "clock spring" cable in the steering wheel having worn out. Another common cause is passenger seat squab pressure sensor thinking there's a bum on the seat when there isn't.
Click to expand...
Similar problem on my car - the horn doesnt work either (or some steering wheel controls) which is the big clue to it being the clock spring (squib rung, rotary coupler etc) - if it is the clock spring then make sure you get the correct part serial number as they all offer different functionality.

I got one from ebay for £95 - as opposed to new from dealer at nearly 3 times that much. The more functions on your steering wheel, the higher the cost and the harder to find they become !
 

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