Airbag warning light fault, K12 Micra

Anyone know how to deal with an airbag warning light that is constantly flashing?
How can I turn this off?
One mechanic said it was a seatbelt warning but the MOT boys said it was the airbag, on the dash, directly above the mileage.

Is there a way to test if this is an airbag malfunction or just an electric fault?


Thanks
 
Its a 2005, are you saying this is a scam to get me to get expensive repairs or that the bag needs replacing?

Any way to fix it, disconnect it?

The Mississippi method doesn't work.


Thanks
 
Airbags have explosives in them for it to inflate, the reason they put that timeframe on there is because they can become unstable I think, not sure where I read that

Ideally you would replace the airbag every 10-15 years to make sure it inflates in the event of a crash. My k11 has no sort of reminder and as far as I know they've not been replaced since they were put in there in 1999

I would consider calling the dealership to see what their recommendation is, but don't have the work done there it'll cost too much

But it doesn't necessarily mean that your airbag has malfunctioned, I don't think there's any sort of test circuit in there that would be able to put a warning light or a code on, it's just when the manufacturer expects it to go kaput
 
So how do you remove the warning light so it can pass the Mot?

I had no idea it was an MOT failure

I don't think you can without having the airbag replaced, any attempt to bodge it could set it off, even if you cleared the code using a scan tool when they turn the car off and back on the code would likely come back
 
Does the air bag not have a wire from the seat to tell it what bag to deploy i.e. if there is no passenger that one won't deploy.
I have seen Renault Clio owners with air bag issues on YouTube they sometimes check the wiring under the seats as these can get dislodged or damaged.
By all means make sure the item is seen to properly as air bags are very important safety feature.
Also the item its self isn't that expensive to replace if it is passed its date.
The drivers side ones I have seen before any how not sure about the passenger one.
 
Take it to a local mechanic he should be able to blank the light out for you. If the cars over ten years old it won't matter if it's doesn't light up or not and long as the tester doesn't see it illuminated on the dash it will pass.

I would however consider getting the fault looked at with a scanner to identify the problem and try and get it fixed (after the MOT is passed though)

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Glad to hear you got it sorted out. I had this on my old Rover 75 and it's nearly always the connectors under the seats. Lots of cars share this connection design. The connectors under the seats either come apart or the metal connector pins degrade over time, as they are often made from slightly different metals and begin to lose a good contact. I would try to put a cable tie around it and see if that solves the problem. The more long term solution is to cut out the connector and solder in a connector block and then shrink wrap it. If you do this however, you should disconnect the battery for a full 30 minutes to an hour before you work on these. If you work on these connectors with the battery connected then you risk detonating the airbags, and as you are right in front of the airbag when you get to the connectors this will cause you harm !
 
Glad to hear you got it sorted out. I had this on my old Rover 75 and it's nearly always the connectors under the seats. Lots of cars share this connection design. The connectors under the seats either come apart or the metal connector pins degrade over time, as they are often made from slightly different metals and begin to lose a good contact. I would try to put a cable tie around it and see if that solves the problem. The more long term solution is to cut out the connector and solder in a connector block and then shrink wrap it. If you do this however, you should disconnect the battery for a full 30 minutes to an hour before you work on these. If you work on these connectors with the battery connected then you risk detonating the airbags, and as you are right in front of the airbag when you get to the connectors this will cause you harm !
:)) why would you risk detonating the airbags? Explain yourself.
The internet is full of this "procedure " disconnect the battery 1,2, 5 hours bla bla bla..but i am not sure how many people knows exactly how an airbag system works.
It is not that easy to detonate an airbag unless you don't have an impact sensor signal.
Anyway if the connection is bad and you leave it like this is the same thing, but you will never have an exploded airbag.

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That comment was regarding the Rover 75 procedure. It is well known procedure on those forums. You need to disconnect the battery before touching the connectors or the airbag ECU. It is also sensible to disconnect the battery when playing with anything electrical, especially when it is connected to or control something like the airbags ! Why would you risk this with a comment asking me to explain myself. It's common sense to be safe. Also if I have offended you in some way then apologies, I was merely trying to help the poster. Not sure why you have to take this attitude towards my post.
 
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That comment was regarding the Rover 75 procedure. It is well known procedure on those forums. You need to disconnect the battery before touching the connectors or the airbag ECU. It is also sensible to disconnect the battery when playing with anything electrical, especially when it is connected to or control something like the airbags ! Why would you risk this with a comment asking me to explain myself. It's common sense to be safe. Also if I have offended you in some way then apologies, I was merely trying to help the poster. Not sure why you have to take this attitude towards my post.

Always best to disconnect the battery when working on anything electrical wise. This would certainly not be an unwise choice. Especially since the airbag could possibly worst case detonate.
Even still you should take care with this item when removing replacing or repairing any wires. That may have become disconnected since this is after all does contain an explosive device.
May also be a good idea to wear googles and ear plugs also in case the bag does happen to deploy. :LOL:
 
Always best to disconnect the battery when working on anything electrical wise. This would certainly not be an unwise choice. Especially since the airbag could possibly worst case detonate.
Even still you should take care with this item when removing replacing or repairing any wires. That may have become disconnected since this is after all does contain an explosive device.
May also be a good idea to wear googles and ear plugs also in case the bag does happen to deploy.
All i was saying is....ok i understand you disconnect the battery because you can detonate an airbag....i understand but how??? You just say something or you have an explanation?
Lot of people around the world are driving their cars especially renault with the spiral cable broken( driving it like this is not an issue? Have you ever heard about an exploded airbag?
Lot of other people drive their cars with damaged airbag seats wires, ( very common fault) ...driving like this is not the same thing as repairing it with the battery on.
I don t say it ia a good thing working on airbag system without disconnecting the battery but it becomes very annoying seeing a lot of comments with " disconnect the battery because you can have an exploded airbag" and nobody has a real explanation..



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Couldn't agree more Sparky2018.

My post was meant to just be some kind advice that people should just be careful with touching electrical systems and especially airbag circuits. Seems this offended someone ! I shouldn't have bothered trying to help.
 
Couldn't agree more Sparky2018.

My post was meant to just be some kind advice that people should just be careful with touching electrical systems and especially airbag circuits. Seems this offended someone ! I shouldn't have bothered trying to help.
You re kidding right! You didn't t offend anyone.
Both you ans Sparky2018 said something about "detonated airbag" but you can not explain. Maybe it will be helpful for all of us to know.
It is not ok to work on airbag system cables without disconnecting the battery but there is absolutely no possibility to detonate an airbag just by repairing a connection or touching a wrong cable, or whatever maintenance you do.
There are a lot of risks working with the battery connected like short circuit, fuses etc.



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Well I was actually kidding about it detonation. But removal of battery is a no brainer.
However if you are working on the outside of the vehicle. And you impact an area on the body enough when they keys are actually in the ignition you could possibly trigger them that way.
Since that is what they are designed for pretty much to activate on impacts.
 
I've also mentioned airbags detonating (they do contain explosives) although it may have been in a different thread

It's not misinformation. I have seen a video in a German recycling plant, and they have specialty curtains that come down, and then they explode each of the airbags using a computer connection to the ECU so that they do not accidentally detonate and cause injury while someone is dissembling the interior. You can see it here if you don't mind watching brand new BMW's get crushed. This is even more important on older cars because time/damp makes them unstable which if you're lucky makes them less likely to go off, but if you are unlucky you will get hurt. Why take the chance?





 
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Thanks for the info
As someone suggested, it was a loose electric clip under the drivers side seat. Once this was repaired, the flashing light went off.
most useful - considering the new stricter MOT's.

Thanks
 
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