Airbag fault

[Toiletduck]

Hi,

My 4motion recently started giving me an Airbag Fault message on start up. I took it to a local garage who plugged it in and told me there was a fault on the passenger side sensor, they were reluctant to try and repair it however and told me to go to VW. Coincidently (or not) Ive also had a water leak in the passenger footwell, the garage couldnt track it down but changed the pollen filter as that is common likely cause. Could it be water in the electrics somewhere causing this fault?

VW want £42 to put it through their computer. Whats the potential cost to fix? The mechanic told me its not currently an MOT failure but all the airbags are disabled when a fault is detected which is a bit of a worry.

Cheers

Andy

[towcestervag]

could be seat wiring
check wiring under seat for corrosion

[-ian-]

Like the last guy said. i had a very similar problem in my MK3 vr6. VW tried to tell me that the passenger airbag needed replacing.. So i went to an independant dealer and it turned out to be the wiring under the passenger seat when ppl sitting in the back had kicked the connector.

he reset the airbag light for free as it was a "common problem". needless to say i never went back to that VW main dealer ever again !!!

Oh and as far as im aware if your airbag self test does not function when you turn the ignition key then it is an MOT failiure. Then again i may be wrong.

[onzarob]

Oh and as far as im aware if your airbag self test does not function when you turn the ignition key then it is an MOT failiure. Then again i may be wrong.

Wrong :P Airbags are not part of the MOT

As for the water leak, check the drain holes in the scuttle are clear. The sensor is in the door and water proof, I would suspect the airbag controller may be wet, Its usually bolted onto of the centre tunnel under the dash. If you need to disconnect it, disconnect the battery first.

[Toiletduck]

Like the last guy said. i had a very similar problem in my MK3 vr6. VW tried to tell me that the passenger airbag needed replacing.. So i went to an independant dealer and it turned out to be the wiring under the passenger seat when ppl sitting in the back had kicked the connector.

he reset the airbag light for free as it was a "common problem". needless to say i never went back to that VW main dealer ever again !!!

Oh and as far as im aware if your airbag self test does not function when you turn the ignition key then it is an MOT failiure. Then again i may be wrong.

Hi,

Thanks for the advice, Ill check the wiring. Whats the seat wiring about though? Is it actually for the seatbelt pre tensioners? Only thing is if it is loose and I fixed it would the light go off next time I started up or does it need to go on the PC to reset the warning?

The guy at the garage definately told me air bags are not currently covered in the MOT although this may change in the future. Still Id like to fix it as he said they are all disabled at the moment.

Cheers

Andy

[onzarob]

Hi,

Thanks for the advice, Ill check the wiring. Whats the seat wiring

It for the pretensioners and also to inform the airbag controller that someone is in the seat. you don't want a load of airbags going off for no one there

To solve this you need a scan tool to help you diagnose the issue.

[Toiletduck]

It for the pretensioners and also to inform the airbag controller that someone is in the seat. you don't want a load of airbags going off for no one there

To solve this you need a scan tool to help you diagnose the issue.

Can I get a cable for that off ebay? What about the software pirate bay job?

Cheers


Andy

[onzarob]

Can I get a cable for that off ebay?

A 3rd party cable and tthe shareware version can help, it limited on fuctionality but does read most codes

What about the software pirate bay job?

Piracy is not tolerated on this site read the rules.

You need the Ross-Tech cable for the fully featured software, I upgraded mine and its worth every penny.