E46 airbag warning light .... again.

[dickymint]

I say again as I've done the search to death on here and yet to see the definitive answer if it's an MOT fail or not!. It's illuminating but staying on at start-up. Just started to happen and MOT due next week. If I pull fuse 10 the light does not illuminate at all (as you'd suspect) however this then illuminates the srat belt light all the time I've never bothered to get the airbag re-call sorted but I am aware of it so that may be a cheap/free fix but too late for this MOT.

Any advice as to the current regs on this would be nice as it seems to be down to interpretation?

2001 reg with 206000 miles on clock.

PS. I'm on real ggod terms with my MOT tester and I know he wont take the piss or rip me off.

[g3org3y]

Worth asking here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

But according to this, looks like a failure to me: https://www.mot-coventry.com/is-the-airbag-light-o...

No code reader?

[dickymint]

g3org3y said:

Worth asking here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

But according to this, looks like a failure to me: https://www.mot-coventry.com/is-the-airbag-light-o...

No code reader?

But that again is ambiguous when it states "A passenger airbag that is switched off is not a defect."

I do have a code reader but last time i tried it it wouldn't connect (bluetooth) i'll try and find it and update the app though.

[buggalugs]

Could be the seat occupancy sensor, plenty on google about it.

[dickymint]

buggalugs said:

Could be the seat occupancy sensor, plenty on google about it.

Yes I got that, under the passenger seat - could just be a loose connection, can also be by-passed. Could also be linked to a seat belt retaining buckle (i do have a known issue with my drivers seatbelt that sometimes wont latch properly. I just would like to know/understand the regs on the warning light.

[ncbbmw]

dickymint said:

buggalugs said:

Could be the seat occupancy sensor, plenty on google about it.

Yes I got that, under the passenger seat - could just be a loose connection, can also be by-passed. Could also be linked to a seat belt retaining buckle (i do have a known issue with my drivers seatbelt that sometimes wont latch properly. I just would like to know/understand the regs on the warning light.

Most common fault on an E46, you can buy defeat devices you plug into the wiring which will put the light out on a well known website.
The airbag recall has nothing to do with warning lights and having the recall done won't fix it.

The recall is to replace the passenger airbag as the airbag was made by Takata
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a14499263/massiv...

[dickymint]

ncbbmw said:

dickymint said:

buggalugs said:

Could be the seat occupancy sensor, plenty on google about it.

Yes I got that, under the passenger seat - could just be a loose connection, can also be by-passed. Could also be linked to a seat belt retaining buckle (i do have a known issue with my drivers seatbelt that sometimes wont latch properly. I just would like to know/understand the regs on the warning light.

Most common fault on an E46, you can buy defeat devices you plug into the wiring which will put the light out on a well known website.
The airbag recall has nothing to do with warning lights and having the recall done won't fix it.

The recall is to replace the passenger airbag as the airbag was made by Takata
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a14499263/massiv...

Thanks for the input I'm aware of all the points you've made. As regards the recall (in fact wasn't there a further recall for the drivers side not so long ago as well?) my thoughts were they would probably sort my 'light on' problem FOC at the same time.

[e21Keith]

It's almost always the occupancy sensor in the passenger seat. The sensor gives up over time, not worth replacing as it's a fairly involved job involving taking the seat base to bits.

You can buy an occupancy bypass sensor on the interweb for a few quid. This fools the car into thinking that the passenger seat is permanently occupied, it's failsafe and just means that the passenger airbag will deploy in an accident whether the seat is occupied or not. It's a few minutes to fit, dead easy, just unbolt the seat, plug it in, job done.

Having the airbag recall done will not fix this problem.

[buggalugs]

I never really understood whether the bypass makes it think the seat is unoccupied or occupied, you would want occupied obviously but surely that would make the seatbelt gong go off, and it typically doesn’t.

[ononon]

I fixed mine a few times,you need to read the codes to find out which part is faulty.

[dickymint]

Update and slightly annoyed with myself: Spent some time on this yesterday. Pulled the leads off battery and fiddled with underseat connections (even bounced up and down on the passenger seat which was fun) reconnected battery in the hope it may have cleared....nope. Found my code reader that i thought was faulty, it was in the boot more of that later!! Whilst checking the passenger seat i found that all the adjustment switches didn't work. So into the fusebox....

Now a few months ago i had the car valeted, walked round to pick it up and the guy very apologetically told me the drivers seat wouldn't work and was stuck all the way forward. I calmed him down and told him st happens it's not your fault i'll try and fix it when i get home. Ended up I couldn't drive it at all as i couldn't use the clutch Being a little guy the valet managed to drive me home and he walked back. It was just the seat fuse had blown happy days.

So fast forward to my airbag light.... Some numpty whilst checking the seat fuses must have not out the passenger seat fuse back in the right place


All fixed :yahoo: Yes i was that numpty but i defy anybody to find a link on the internet that flags that up as a cause but just in case there is no prize for finding one

Oh yes the code reader is fine - i remembered it works via wifi from my phone and not Bluetooth At least I can work on my P0340 cam sensor issue now.

Thanks all flame away

[g3org3y]

Great news