Airbag warning light on

[AdvancedRoadcraft]

Handbook says that the light on means that the airbag "might" not offer protection and car should go to main dealer for attention.

What can go wrong with an airbag that has never deployed?

Thoughts, please,.

Best, B

[phoenix]

Welcome to STT

Like any component failures can occur after time. The control unit looks for faults including:

- open/short circuit in the wiring to modules
- communication errors
- internal ECU faults

It may be something like worn contacts on the steering wheel.

What model/year is your car?

[Baxlin]

On many cars the culprit can be the connections under the front seats (the airbag has to know whether the seat's occupied, I think the connection's for a sensor, IIRC).  With the seat being moved back and forth the connection can come loose, and trip the warning.  That's the first place I'd look. 

The general advice on my previous car's forum was at least to bind the connections with cable ties, but preferably to bin the connector, and solder the joins.

HTH

Malcolm

[Audax]

On many cars the culprit can be the connections under the front seats (the airbag has to know whether the seat's occupied, I think the connection's for a sensor, IIRC).  With the seat being moved back and forth the connection can come loose, and trip the warning.  That's the first place I'd look. 

Very rarely on a Saab, most faults tend to be control module or the clock spring in the steering wheel. The real answer here is to go and get someone to hook up Tech-2 and pull the fault code.

The general advice on my previous car's forum was at least to bind the connections with cable ties, but preferably to bin the connector, and solder the joins.

No, just no. Do not do this. I can't think of many things that are more daft to do with an airbag system.

[Baxlin]

Why is it daft? If it solves a problem, as it presumably did?

Must admit I cable tied mine and never had a problem.

[AdvancedRoadcraft]

On many cars the culprit can be the connections under the front seats (the airbag has to know whether the seat's occupied, I think the connection's for a sensor, IIRC).  With the seat being moved back and forth the connection can come loose, and trip the warning.  That's the first place I'd look. 


Malcolm

That's exactly what it was...thanks!

(I should have guessed it myself as I had winced when the two animals I had to transport last weekend pulled/pushed/wrenced the front seats about while trying to get their overweight carcasses into the back!)

Many thanks, B