AIR BAG LIGHT NEED INFO PLEASE

[daz13]

Hi i have a berlingo 2004 with a airbag light on pluged in and Wont turn off any infromation be must great full on how to resolve this driving me MAD !!!!! CANT PASS ITS MOT WITH THIS ON CAN ANYONE HELP

[Sol]

Ok, so the airbag light could be on for a number of reasons and it will not clear if the fault is still present. You have a fault.

If it has SRS seatbelts, then the wiring to those can cause this, as can a faulty airbag itself on the steering wheel, or a broken ribbon cable in the steering wheel (called a ClockSpring) or even a fault in the controller itself.

Can you get it actually scanned for the fault code and post that here? If so, then we can try to determine exactly which component is causing the problem.

You can try unplugging and re-plugging the seat connectors if you have SRS (seatbelt restraint system) and then need to check whether the airbag on the drivers wheel o the passenger side dashboard if you have that too, is faulty or not. This needs to be done with the battery disconnected while unplugging stuff, then when reconnected, put the battery back on and see what it does.

To test or remove a bad airbag, you can disconnect the battery, then after about 10 minutes to ensure it is safe to do so, insert a 3 ohm resistor into the plug pins which would normally connect to the airbag itself, or the SRS unit, then reconnect the battery and see if the fault has cleared, if it does, that unit (airbag or SRS module) is faulty and needs to be replaced. If this doesn't resolve the problem, then it is wiring or the steering wheel ribbon cable (ClockSpring) which would need to be replaced for example. If the resistor works, you could leave it like that (your choice) but always be aware the airbag is no longer functional in that position.

You may be better to employ an auto spark to resolve this if it's beyond you to trace this stuff.

[saskak]

I think on these the most common fault is the earth connection of the aribag. I think there were some threads around here showing how you can put a bolt in the alluminium body of the steering to make a good earth connection. Might have been for the M59, but still worth checking.

[better days]

Has anybody actually solved the problem of the airbag light staying on and if so how did they solve it? It seems to be a regular problem but nobody seems to have solved it easily. Someone somewhere may have, please let me know. Thanks  Better days,

[Sol]

Has anybody actually solved the problem of the airbag light staying on and if so how did they solve it? It seems to be a regular problem but nobody seems to have solved it easily. Someone somewhere may have, please let me know. Thanks  Better days,

The Airbag light only comes on if there is a fault, in one of the circuits to the SRS modules, to the bags, or the modules & bags themselves. The cure is to find and fix the fault. Otherwise the light will never ever go out. 

You have SRS modules in each of the front seat seatbelt buckles, and an airbag on the steering wheel, also possible one on the passenger side. 

You must then have a bad connection to one of them, a corroded plug, a disconnected plug, a bad module or something similar. If you aren't confident tracing this with a multimeter and have taken precautions not to set the firing units off, then best to go to an auto-electrician (a proper one) to get it diagnosed.

There's no single magic fix; you have a fault and it needs to be found and fixed before the light will go out. Scanning with proper diagnostics (DiagBox, Snap-On, Autel Maxi808) will tell you what the actual issue is. Generic or cheap testers will not work.

[Gadgetman]

On the M49 it's usually the SRS cabling. There's a connector under each seat. Just unplug and plug back in a few times. Giving it a good squirt with a contact cleaner doesn't hurt, either.
If this is the issue then it will reappear eventually, but then you know how to fix it again.

This is why some connectors have connectors coated with non-oxidising materials. Wish they'd used those when putting this system together...