Intermittant airbag light

[chas]

Hi, don't know if anyone can help. Been getting a flickering airbag light on my '97 fiesta, although of late it seems to be more "on" than flickering. A friend suggested taking out the airbag fuse, although I would prefer to cure the problem rather than "hide" the fault, if you get my meaning. Regards.

[mintalkin]

first thing to check is that the electrical connectors under the drivers seat are clean and tight, if the drivers seat is moved alot they can become a problem

[Russ]

Hi, don't know if anyone can help. Been getting a flickering airbag light on my '97 fiesta, although of late it seems to be more "on" than flickering. A friend suggested taking out the airbag fuse, although I would prefer to cure the problem rather than "hide" the fault, if you get my meaning. Regards.

Just a thought but when you rev the car does the airbag light go off? I had the same problem on a tdi cavalier with an isuzu engine, turned out that the alternator was knackered causing the airbag light to flash.

( a known problem with isuzu/vauxhall yet weirdly vauxhall claimed no knowledge of it!! I say known because when i bought a new alternator there was a printout inside the box explaining it! )

[chas]

Thanks for the reply guys, have to say I cannot get the light to flicker by revving the engine, think I have to remove the plastic trim beside the seats to check the wiring, as it seems there is no wiring exposed beneath the seats?

[snake16]

although I would prefer to cure the problem rather than "hide" the fault, if you get my meaning. Regards.

Very wise, hiding the light could hide the fact that the airbag is not operating, possibly ending in contact twixt your head & the windscreen :o Plus, AFAIK, removing the bulb is an MOT failure

Check for loose/dirty contacts at the relevant fuse as well as the points already mentioned.

[SierraYankee99]

Very wise, hiding the light could hide the fact that the airbag is not operating, possibly ending in contact twixt your head & the windscreen :o Plus, AFAIK, removing the bulb is an MOT failure

Check for loose/dirty contacts at the relevant fuse as well as the points already mentioned.

He wouldnt be able to remove the bulb, these days Ford are onto this and its an LED soldered to the cluster PBC and cannot be removed. Removing the fuse also wont get rid of the light it will just make it stay on all the time as the airbag control module wont talk to the ECU therefore causing a fault and the resulting airbag fault light. Possibly a dodgy connection but it could be the control module. But it could be a faulty crash sensor. Best idea is to get a code read done to see. I think you're wrong about the MOT too, passive safety items arent testable items. People remove their steering wheel airbags all the time when fitting aftermarket wheels but they dont fail. However, the insurance company would be none too pleased.

[Russ]

According to how to pass the MOT test there are no checks at all on airbags as part of the MOT Test.

[chas]

Hi guys, well I'm at a bit of a loss, as usual, with these "sillies" (ie problems that don't disable the car, but are still annoying) have tried moving the seat about whilst I get a flickering airbag light, after checking both seat connections, really not sure what I can check next. Anymore suggestion?

[Big Bob]

Slightly off topic, but has anyone tried a fault code reader as seen on fleabay?

I was considering buying one just in case, but thought they may be too complicated or just useless without specific info from Ford.

(I will also post this question in a more appropriate place)

[SierraYankee99]

Hi guys, well I'm at a bit of a loss, as usual, with these "sillies" (ie problems that don't disable the car, but are still annoying) have tried moving the seat about whilst I get a flickering airbag light, after checking both seat connections, really not sure what I can check next. Anymore suggestion?

Best option is to get it on the computer and see if theres a code logged. My focus did this and it was the control module that had died.

[chas]

Hi all. It seems that this fault can be triggerred/stopped by waggling the steering wheel. I understand this could be due to a connection associated with the steering wheel. Is this a repair I could attempt, or is it best left to the experts? Regards.

[SierraYankee99]

You could do it yourself, just bear in mind you're dealing with explosive devices. ALWAYS disconnect the battery AND leave the car a good half hour for the capacitors to drain their stored power before starting work.

[chas]

ok.... so if I take precautions on board, what do I need to do? Is it something I could undertake?

[SierraYankee99]

Personally I wouldnt attempt it. I thought you'd diagnosed the problem hence knew how to repair it. If all you know is the fault is caused when you move the wheel then it could be a couple of things. I'd get it professionally looked at. I dont want a novice tampering with pyrotechnics based on something I tell them. You get something wrong and you could end up severely hurt or looking at a new airbag (approx £200).

[thedriver2k6]

Personally I wouldnt attempt it. I thought you'd diagnosed the problem hence knew how to repair it. If all you know is the fault is caused when you move the wheel then it could be a couple of things. I'd get it professionally looked at. I dont want a novice tampering with pyrotechnics based on something I tell them. You get something wrong and you could end up severely hurt or looking at a new airbag (approx £200).

Hi, Im also having this intermittent airbag light problem. was thinking of taking the car into a garage to get them to fix it but does anyone know how much they would charge to repair it? mines a 98 model. sometimes the light can be off for days but its on at the moment and ive taken the car out several times today and it wont go off. Its not on constantly its flashing if this makes a difference? i removed the fuse and had a look at the wiring behind the steering wheel but no joy. under seat wires also appear clean and jigging of these did nothing.