airbag question

[whitestar7]

Hi all,

I had an airbag warning light come on (amongst other faults) and took it to the dealer, they sorted out most of the issues, but said the side impact airbag needs replacing and that if one of them isnt working, none of them will.

Is that true?

[alexp999]

If the airbag light is on then the car will not fire any airbags as it has detected a fault with the airbag system.

[whitestar7]

okay cool, thanks for answering this so quickly, i spoke to my insurers and they said it wouldnt affect my insurance as long as I get it fixed by the next MOT, it just feels like the dealers are trying to get me to do stuff I dont need to straight away. there was a list of other stuff they said I should change, but didnt have to. would they really need to replace the airbag itself or could it just be a sensor, feel like I should get someone else to check it out, they said they would charge £384 for a new airbag and fitting, am already paying them alot for extended diagnostics

[alexp999]

If the fault is with the airbag it will need replacing.

The light can get triggered by anything which the airbag system relies on though, including sensors.

If you don't trust the diagnosis your only option is to take it somewhere else for a second opinion.

[whitestar7]

okay thanks loads, I live in South London, does anyone know a reliable garage that won't rip me off?

Also do you know if its just the dealerships that can order new airbags (if needed), or can most garages?

[JW1982]

The airbags are controlled and monitored by the RCM (Restraints Control Module). Each time the ignition is switched on the RCM monitors the internal resistance of each airbag. If the resistance of one of the airbags is outside the tolerance specified by the manufacturer the warning light will be activated.

A burning airbag warning light does not automatically mean that the complete airbag system is inoperative. If a crash is detected by a crash sensor inside the vehicle the system will try to activate the airbags anyway. This has the highest priority. In most cases an airbag of which the resistance is out of tolerance and generates a DTC code will still work.

 

The side airbags are installed into the front seats. The wiring of these airbags is connected to the seat connectors under the front seats. Personally I would first check the wiring thoroughly before taking other actions.

If you do not want to install a brand new airbag in a car of this age you could search for a used one. Many scrap cars do have front damage and in many cases the side airbags are still intact. Another possibility is to disconnect the defective airbag and install a simple resisitor of the correct value. The affected airbag will no longer be functional so this is completely at your own risk!!